How To Hire Chatbot Freelancers: Be Smart About The Hourly Rates!

Chatbots are very popular these days, and many businesses want one. Often, freelancers are chosen to make a bot — it is convenient and prevents additional spending on hiring a developer. But how much will a chatbot cost? The hourly rates of freelancers vary wildly. A buyer does not always know how much to pay. Sometimes, freelancers are not sure about the correct price either. We want to consider how much a freelancer can be expected to be paid per hour. What are the reasonable expectations and what do they depend on? Let’s discuss.

Hourly Rates Depend on the Task

Chatbots are not all the same. They can be, in fact, very different. For instance, a rule-based bot is much simpler than an AI-based bot. That is why the general cost of a chatbot can vary between $10,000 and $50,000. Depending on the technology you want to use, the effort and expertise may differ. 

In general, AI development is in demand and has been quite expensive lately. For example, talent.com reports that in the US, the average salary of an AI developer is $74.10 per hour. However, that estimation is based on less than 6000 salaries. This is not a very small sample, but it should be taken into account as a limitation. Freelancer earnings are not the same as in-office salaries. Still, the latter can be used to gain insight into what is considered fair compensation.

Location is important

Freelancers are paid differently depending on their location. While it is not necessarily fair, it is the logical effect of the global disparities in earnings. People from rich countries tend to require more for their services. In fact, in the US, the hourly rate of a developer can reach hundreds of dollars. On the other hand, freelancers from Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia can perform development tasks for as little as $15 per hour. 

That is precisely why freelancing is a good option, especially for small companies. You can connect with a developer from another part of the world. They may be satisfied with a lower price than their colleagues from the US or Western Europe. That said, lower prices can come with lower effort and less expertise. Freelancers often know about chatbot costs in rich countries, and they may require similar wages for a good product. In other words, you can underpay a developer from Serbia, but it will not always work in your favor.

Experience Affects Hourly Rates

Freelancer experience and expertise are two major factors in determining how much your chatbot costs. The difference between a junior and a senior developer hourly rates is staggering. You can convince a junior to work for $20-30 per hour, especially depending on their location. But you will not make a senior developer work for any less than $50 per hour. And even that is a very low price for them. 

Here, you should decide what your project needs. Junior developers can be a good solution, especially if you struggle to find the money. But senior ones promise better and faster results and generally know more technologies that they can use for your bot. It is a balancing act, and you can always negotiate the price. However, seniors are not very likely to work for lower hourly rates.

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Different Platforms Come with Different Costs

Freelancers charge what they consider to be reasonable, so there is no universal hourly rate to consider. However, platforms where freelancers work can sometimes report average earnings. The earnings tend to differ from platform to platform.

For example, Upwork states that chatbot developers working with it earn up to $60 per hour, with a minimum of $30 per hour. On the other hand, for Toptal, the minimum is $60 per hour. That is because this platform is supposed to provide access only to vetted experts. The increased price is meant to come with greater quality.

Insolvo gathers a vibrant community of developers from all over the world. You can find a freelancer for a small chatbot for a very cheap price here! But with experience, the developers will be asking for more money, and frankly, their work is worth the price.

Recommendations on Hourly Rates

In the end, we can make a few recommendations on the hourly rates of freelancers working on your chatbot.

• Consider your aims. You should know what sort of chatbot you need and what level of expertise you expect from your freelancer. Do some research to learn what bots can do. Make a good brief. Then, start your search for the freelancer.
• Do not be afraid to negotiate. Freelancers can be willing to change their price, so make sure to discuss it with them.
• Do not offend freelancers with a price that is too low. It is fine to negotiate, but it is not fine to try to make a freelancer work for $5 per hour. Chatbot production costs more. 
• Finally, be honest if you do not know how much your chatbot will cost. It is normal, and even proper research does not always produce a clear number. A freelancer knows better, and they can guide you toward a price that will satisfy you both. 

In Conclusion

Unfortunately, it is difficult to pinpoint how much a chatbot costs because bots can be different. Freelancer hourly rate is easier to determine, but it still depends on a lot of factors. The most important ones are technology, location and experience. In addition, freelance platforms tend to have different average prices. In the end, the rate depends on the negotiation between the client and the freelancer.