What does one answered question cost?

Chatbot pricing hides behind credits, tiers, and add-ons. Strip it to the one number that matters: what you pay for each question the bot answers. Here is the arithmetic, worked plainly at three volumes, using public prices from October 2026.

A quiet bot: 300 replies a month

A metered plan at $40 for 700 credits works out to about 13 cents an answer: most of the credits expire unused. At this volume the honest answer is: pay for the smallest metered plan that fits. A S$1,500/yr flat plan is overkill here. We will tell you so on the call too.

A busy bot: 4,000 replies a month

This is where the models cross. Metered, you need the $150 tier for 4,000 credits: 3.75 cents an answer. Flat at S$1,500 a year SGD, the same traffic costs about 3 cents. Every reply past 4,000 is free on flat, while metered starts charging overages or forcing the next tier up.

A very busy bot: 15,000 replies a month

Metered, that is the $500 tier: 3.3 cents an answer, before badge removal and extra seats. Flat, it is still S$1,500 a year: under a cent. Success stops raising the bill: which is rather the point. Your best month should be your most profitable, not your most expensive.

The rule of thumb

Under a few hundred replies a month, metered wins: buy the small plan and smile. Past a thousand-odd, flat wins, and the gap widens every month you grow. The trap is the middle: a bot that starts quiet on metered, gets good, and quietly climbs tiers until you are paying $150 a month for what a flat year covers at less than half the per-answer cost.

Count your questions first, then pick the model: not the brand. Request setup. We scope your real pages and quote upfront, so you will see your real numbers.