The honest answer to "how much does an AI agent cost" is "it depends" — but it depends on specific things you can list. Below we break the price into parts so you know what you pay for and where you can sensibly cut the budget.
What the cost is made of
- —Build (one-off) — scoping, conversation design, CRM/PBX integration, testing on real data, launch.
- —Run (monthly) — hosting, monitoring, retraining, fixes, on-call.
- —Usage (variable) — voice minutes, model tokens, SMS/WhatsApp, telephony.
What pushes the price up
| Factor | Impact on price |
|---|---|
| Number and depth of integrations (CRM, ERP, PBX) | High |
| Conversation / call volume | High (variable part) |
| Number of languages and personas | Medium |
| On-premise / self-hosted LLM requirement | High |
| Scenario and escalation complexity | Medium |
Billing model
Most often: a fixed build fee + a monthly run subscription + variable usage cost (minutes/tokens). Discovery and scoping should be free — you only pay once there is a written scope with a fixed quote.
tip
Beware "from X" prices with no scope. Without a mapped process and integrations any number is a guess — usually the optimistic one.How not to overpay
- —Start with one high-volume process, not an "agent for everything."
- —Require a fixed quote after scoping, not a phone estimate.
- —Measure the result on a pilot first, then scale the scope.
info
We run free scoping and give a fixed quote for your case — no "from X" without scope. https://cyberninja.digital/book