Social media chatbot costs: set-up and upkeep

Key takeaways

A social media chatbot typically costs an indicative £300–£1,200 to set up (4 to 12 hours at £75–£100 an hour) and £75–£200 a month to maintain, plus any tool subscription. It answers common questions and captures enquiries out of hours. It needs a clear route to a human, because the business is responsible for what the bot says.

• Set-up: £300–£1,200, indicative.
• Upkeep: £75–£200 a month plus tool costs.
• Best for repeated questions and booking links.
• You are answerable for what the bot tells customers.

What does a social media chatbot do?

A social media chatbot is automated messaging that replies to direct messages on Instagram, Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. It can answer frequent questions, share prices or booking links, collect enquiry details and hand the conversation to a person. Simple bots follow set paths; AI bots write replies from your information.

• Social media agency pricing in the UK
• Chatbots for Instagram and Messenger: when to use one

How much does a social media chatbot cost?

Mapping your top questions, writing answers, building flows and testing takes 4 to 12 hours, an indicative £300–£1,200. Monthly upkeep of 1 to 2 hours, about £75–£200, keeps answers current and reviews failed conversations. Chatbot tools charge their own subscription; check current prices.

• Simple keyword replies: £300–£500.
• Full flows with enquiry capture: £600–£1,200.
• Monthly review: £75–£200.
• Tool subscription: check current pricing.

• Community management costs in the UK

What are the risks of a chatbot?

A bot that gives wrong prices or promises can bind the business: in Moffatt v Air Canada (2024), a Canadian tribunal held the airline responsible for its chatbot's wrong advice. Keep AI bots to approved information, show a clear route to a person and review conversations regularly.

When is a chatbot not worth it?

If you get a handful of messages a day, a person replying quickly is better and cheaper. If most questions need judgement, such as quotes for bespoke work, a bot only delays the answer. Chatbots earn their cost on high volumes of repeated questions.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a busy business answers the same five questions dozens of times a week by hand. A simple bot handling those five, with everything else passed to a person, usually frees hours without customers noticing a drop in service.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Chatbot checklist

• Count how many messages repeat the same questions.
• Write approved answers before building.
• Show a clear way to reach a person.
• Tell users they are talking to a bot.
• Review failed conversations monthly.

• Threads management: what adding it to a retainer costs

Next step

Export last month's messages and count the repeats. If more than half repeat, a chatbot is worth costing.