Anyone who answers "how much?" with a single number either doesn't know your scope or is renting you a ready-made panel. Below we list the items a WhatsApp AI assistant actually consists of, who you pay for each one, and which are fixed versus variable. Where we write a number, it is our own published floor; for third-party fees we link to the source directly, because those rate cards change during the year. Prices are in Turkish lira on purpose — we don't publish converted dollar figures that go stale with the exchange rate.
Cost items
| Item | Paid to | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup — the assistant written around your rules, official API connection, tests, handover | FS Labs | One-off | From ₺150,000 |
| Monthly operation — monitoring, maintenance, updates, hosting, accountability | FS Labs | Monthly | From ₺30,000 |
| Meta template messages — only business-initiated template sends | Meta | Usage-based | By country + category, Meta rate card |
| AI model (tokens) — processing cost of each reply | Model provider | Usage-based | By message volume; provider's pricing page |
| Your side — information, number, approvals | — | Time | See below |
1. Setup — from ₺150,000
This is not a list price; it is the narrowest-scope setup in the quotes we have actually sent. Four things raise it:
- Number of integrations: does the assistant only answer, or does it also connect to a booking calendar, CRM, stock or price list?
- Number of languages: Turkish only, or multilingual for international patients and customers?
- Data volume: how many products, services and rules the assistant has to learn.
- Handover level: at which point the assistant hands the conversation to your team, and how your team is trained.
Included: connecting the official Meta Cloud API to your own Business account, memory and logging infrastructure, hallucination tests, 7 days of live monitoring and 30 days of fine-tuning.
2. Monthly operation — from ₺30,000
Ready-made chatbot panels rent you software; here the system is operated on your behalf. Fixing a wrong answer, tracking changes on Meta's side, hosting and backups all sit inside this item. The long answer on why it isn't comparable to a panel price: WhatsApp AI sales assistant pricing.
Option: installed on your own server (we never see your data)
For businesses that don't want customer data leaving their hands, we install the whole system on your accounts: WhatsApp Business on your Meta account, the AI API key in your name, the server yours. Infrastructure bills go straight to you; messages and customer records stay with you and FS Labs has no access to them.
- Your own cloud account: a server opened in your name at a provider such as Hetzner or DigitalOcean. We install with a Docker package; when it's done, you remove our access.
- Your own server or a small office PC: the same package. It connects to WhatsApp through Cloudflare Tunnel without opening any ports, so your IT team doesn't have to change firewall rules.
- Serverless: for small setups, Vercel and Supabase accounts are opened with your email.
The setup fee is quoted for the same scope; the monthly fee excludes hosting and covers updates, bug fixes and new-feature maintenance. When support is needed, we connect through time-limited access you grant.
3. Meta (WhatsApp) message fees
Many sources still describe the old "24-hour conversation" model. According to Meta's own documentation, the current rules are:
- Per-message billing since 1 July 2025; only delivered template messages are charged. Categories: marketing, utility, authentication.
- When a customer writes to you, a 24-hour window opens. Inside it, non-template replies and utility templates are free.
- Users arriving via a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button: all messages are free for 72 hours.
- Utility and authentication rates for Türkiye were lowered on 1 April 2026.
In practice: an assistant that answers incoming messages costs most businesses close to nothing on Meta's side. The bill starts when you send marketing templates (campaign announcements, win-back messages) outside the window.
The 2026 "AI Providers" policy: on 16 February 2026 Meta introduced a separate pricing policy for AI providers, defined as "providers and developers of artificial intelligence or machine learning technologies, such as large language models". The same page says it does not change how Meta charges all other businesses. A business answering its own customers appears to stay on standard pricing, but Meta doesn't address that case by name — we check your account's classification together during setup.
Sources verified on 16 October 2026: Meta pricing documentation · AI Providers policy. We don't quote unit prices here; Meta publishes the rate card dynamically by country and currency.
4. AI model usage
Every reply creates a small usage cost with the provider of the underlying language model. The amount depends on your message count and reply length; providers publish unit prices per model and change them several times a year. So we don't print a number here — we calculate it for your volume in the quote. In order of magnitude, it is one of the smallest items for an assistant that answers incoming messages.
5. Work on your side
Not money, but time — like the quote, these determine how long setup takes:
- Information: frequently asked questions, service/product list, booking and return rules. The assistant only speaks from what you give it.
- Number and account: the phone number to connect to the API, and verification of the Meta Business account in your name.
- Handover decision: on which questions the assistant steps back and passes to someone on your team.
- For clinics: under Türkiye's health promotion regulation, the assistant is set up not to share prices, discounts or campaigns; we write that rule together during setup. More: clinic page.
Is it different for a business in Bursa?
Not in price: the floor is the same in Bursa, Istanbul or abroad. The difference is how we meet — FS Labs is based in Bursa, so for businesses in the city the discovery call and handover training can also happen in person. Our other work in the city: Bursa page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a WhatsApp AI assistant cost in Bursa?
Setup from ₺150,000, monthly operation from ₺30,000. The exact price is itemised by integrations, languages, data volume and handover training. Meta template fees and model usage are separate, volume-based items.
Does Meta charge per message?
Only for delivered template messages. Inside the 24-hour window that opens when a customer writes, non-template replies and utility templates are free; for users from an ad, all messages are free for 72 hours.
Does Meta's "AI Providers" policy affect my business?
The policy targets providers that develop and offer AI technology; Meta says charges for other businesses don't change. Your assistant answering your own customers appears to stay on standard pricing; we confirm it together during setup.
What does the setup fee include?
An assistant written around your rules, official API connection to your account, memory/logging infrastructure, CRM or calendar connection where needed, hallucination tests, 7 days of live monitoring and 30 days of fine-tuning.
How do I get an exact price?
A free 15-minute discovery call is enough. You see a working demo, then receive a written, itemised quote. Within Bursa we can also meet in person.
See your own number in 15 minutes
Tell us your message volume and the system the assistant should connect to; we'll show a working demo. Free, no commitment.