Guide
How much does an AI assistant cost in 2026?
Short answer
In autumn 2026, website AI assistants in Hungary are available in three price categories (Hungarian market data, in Hungarian forints). Self-service: HUF 0–15,000/month; assisted (turnkey): HUF 25,000–80,000/month plus HUF 50,000–350,000 for onboarding; custom development: from HUF 400,000. The price difference comes from the allowance, the onboarding and who uploads the knowledge base.
This page is written by R-Szoft Kft., the maker of SmartAIAssist (formerly SmartAIChat). We show our own prices in the same overview, with a date. The data was last checked on 5 October 2026.
Source: Own market survey, public price lists of 25 providers, 2026-10-05
The three price categories
All amounts in this table are Hungarian market data in Hungarian forints (HUF), excluding VAT.
| Category | Monthly fee (net) | Onboarding | Who uploads the knowledge base | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-service | HUF 0–15,000 | HUF 0 | You | There is someone in-house who is happy to set it up; low traffic |
| Assisted, turnkey | HUF 25,000–80,000 | HUF 50,000–350,000, waived by several providers with a minimum term | The provider | No in-house IT; the website was developed by someone else |
| Custom development | HUF 100,000–250,000 for operation | HUF 400,000 – 15 million | Jointly, as a project | It has to write into internal systems; it has to run on your own server |
The bands come from the public price lists of 25 providers. Where the provider did not state its VAT status, we treated the figure as net, and we mark this on the source page.
What the monthly fee includes, and what it does not
The monthly fee usually includes the question-and-answer allowance, storage of the knowledge base, the website widget and the reports. On top of this, four items appear on the invoice or in the contract.
- Onboarding fee. In the assisted category, HUF 50,000–350,000 on the Hungarian market. Several providers waive it with a 6-month or 12-month minimum term.
- Overage fee. Once the allowance is used up, the provider either invoices automatically, stops the assistant, or warns you in advance. You need to ask for this in writing.
- Minimum term and notice period. Behind free onboarding there is often a 6-month or 12-month contract.
- Add-on modules. Phone assistant, social channels, email: a separate monthly fee, typically HUF 10,000–80,000 on the Hungarian market.
How many questions to expect
A small online store typically receives 15–60 questions a month (90-day data from 25 customers, 8 July – 6 October 2026). 51.8 percent of visitor questions arrived outside business hours (1,686 questions, 21 customers, in the same period). Both figures come from our customers in Hungary (CET).
So for a small or medium-sized online store, an allowance of 500 answered questions is more than enough. The cost is decided rather by whether the assistant actually becomes available. Where installation stalls, what is typically missing is the placement of the code snippet.
SmartAIAssist prices in this framework
SmartAIAssist belongs to the assisted category, because our team does the onboarding. Its entry monthly fee is in the lower third of the assisted band above: the Chat AI Starter tier is €14.90 / month excl. VAT, with an allowance of 500 answered questions per month. Build it with us onboarding is €200 excl. VAT, €100 excl. VAT with a 6-month contract and free with a 12-month contract, and the monthly fee is then reduced by 8 or 15 percent respectively.
We send an email at 75, 90 and 100 percent of the allowance, and there are no surprise invoices. The details are on the pricing page, with today’s date.
How to request comparable quotes
Ask every provider in writing for the same seven pieces of information:
- the monthly fee excluding and including VAT;
- the unit and size of the allowance;
- the onboarding fee and its conditions;
- the overage rule;
- the minimum term and notice period;
- where the data is stored, and which model provider is used;
- what happens when the assistant does not know the answer.
If any of these is missing, the quote cannot be compared. You can find our list of twelve questions in the guide to choosing.
Methodology and corrections
On 5 October 2026 we reviewed the public price lists of 25 Hungarian providers and providers available in Hungary. We used only public, dated data. The categories were formed according to the onboarding method.
If you find a mistake, or as a provider you would like to correct something, you can let us know through the correction form below; we log the changes at the bottom of the page.
Next step
See the prices – all prices excluding VAT, no surprise invoices. Or request a demo on your own website: enter your address and you can see the preview straight away; we send the link to the verified demo within 1 working day. The demo is free of charge, with no obligation to order.
Changelog
- 2026-10-06: first version, 25 providers, data retrieved on 2026-10-05
Sources
- Own market survey, public price lists of 25 providers, 2026-10-05 · own data · smartaiassist.eu/data/price-survey-2026-10/
- Own platform data, 90 days of use, 2026-07-08 – 2026-10-06 · own data · smartaiassist.eu/data/after-hours-questions/
- SmartAIAssist prices · own data · smartaiassist.eu/pricing/
Found a mistake, or do you have more recent data? Write to
and we will review it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an AI chatbot cost in 2026?
Why are no provider names listed?
Because prices change every month, and an outdated row with a name does more harm than good. The categories and bands are more stable. Our own prices, however, we show with our name and a date.
Are these net or gross prices?
The bands are net prices. Most Hungarian providers advertise net prices. With a VAT-registered provider in Hungary, the gross price is 27 percent higher; with a provider under the Hungarian subjective VAT exemption there is no VAT, so the net and gross prices are the same, and the customer cannot deduct VAT either. Always ask for a written answer on whether the stated price is net, and whether the provider is VAT-registered or VAT-exempt.
What counts as a hidden cost?
The onboarding fee, the overage fee once the allowance is used up, the minimum term, the notice period and the price of add-on modules. You need to ask about these separately, in addition to the monthly fee.
What is the typical number of questions per month for a small online store?
A small online store typically receives 15–60 questions a month (90-day data from 25 customers, 8 July – 6 October 2026). An allowance of 500 answered questions is more than enough for this.
Is the extra cost of assisted onboarding worth it?
If you have no in-house IT and the website was developed by someone else, usually yes. In our experience, installation most often stalls at the placement of the code snippet.
When is it worth asking for custom development?
If answering requires writing into internal systems (ERP, CRM, booking system), not just reading from them, or if for legal reasons it has to run on your own server. For a simple question-and-answer case, the subscription category is enough.
Related pages
See it with your own content.
The automatic preview is ready after you submit, and is deleted after 24 hours.
In the example conversations, the assistant's answers are given by artificial intelligence. Disclosure under Article 50 of the EU AI Act: "Artificial intelligence, not a human".