Straight answer first: a WhatsApp bot for a small business costs anywhere from £50/month for a basic off-the-shelf tool to £500+ setup plus a monthly retainer for something custom-built to your workflow.
The range is wide because "WhatsApp bot" covers a lot of ground. Let's break down what you're actually paying for.
TL;DR
- Off-the-shelf tools (Tidio, ManyChat, etc.): £30–£100/month, limited customisation
- Mid-range custom build: £500–£1,500 setup + £100–£200/month
- Full custom AI integration: £2,000–£5,000 setup + £150–£400/month
- TradeBot (what I built for tradespeople): from £150/month, no setup fee
What drives the cost?
1. The WhatsApp Business API
WhatsApp bots need to connect via the official WhatsApp Business API. This has a per-message cost — typically around £0.04–£0.08 per conversation (a 24-hour window). For most small businesses getting a handful of enquiries a day, this is negligible. For a busy tradesperson getting 30+ messages a week, it's still under £15/month.
The API access itself is usually bundled into whatever platform you use.
2. The intelligence layer
There's a big difference between:
- A rule-based bot — responds to keywords, follows a fixed script. Cheap to build, predictable, but frustrating if someone phrases something unexpectedly.
- An AI-powered bot — understands natural language, handles varied questions, can hold a real conversation. More expensive to build and run, but much better customer experience.
Most off-the-shelf tools are rule-based. Custom builds can use either, depending on what the business actually needs.
3. Integration work
A bot that just sends a reply is one thing. A bot that:
- Logs leads to a CRM or spreadsheet
- Books appointments into a calendar
- Sends a follow-up after 24 hours
- Notifies you on your phone when a hot lead comes in
...requires integration work. That's where most of the cost sits in custom builds.
What do you actually need?
Most tradespeople and small business owners don't need a sophisticated AI — they need something reliable that:
- Answers the basic question ("yes, I cover your area", "yes, I do bathroom fitting")
- Asks the qualifying question ("what's the job?", "when do you need it done?")
- Gets the enquiry logged so nothing falls through the cracks
That's exactly what I built TradeBot to do. No chatbot that tries to be clever and gets confused. Just a reliable process that handles the enquiry while you're on a job.
The hidden cost: your time
The real ROI calculation isn't just the monthly fee. It's:
- How many missed enquiries turn into lost jobs?
- How much time do you spend on WhatsApp when you should be working?
- What's a job worth to you?
If you're a plumber and a job is worth £400, and TradeBot saves you losing two jobs a month to missed messages, that's £800/month in recovered revenue for £150/month spent. The maths isn't complicated.
What to ask before buying anything
- Does it use the official WhatsApp Business API? If not, you risk your account getting banned.
- What happens when someone asks something the bot can't handle? It should escalate gracefully, not get confused and go silent.
- How does the handover to you work? You need to know when a real conversation needs your attention.
- What does setup actually involve? Some tools advertise "no-code" but take days to configure properly.
If you're wondering whether a WhatsApp bot makes sense for your business — not in the abstract, but for your actual workflow — drop me a message. I'll give you a straight answer.