Ease AIStart with the cheapest option that works
Most small businesses should start with ChatGPT Plus and a good prompt. That's $20 a month, no implementation fee, and you can cancel any time.
If you're answering the same customer questions over and over, draft it once in ChatGPT. Save it as a custom GPT. Share the link with your team. You're done.
That's the honest answer for a lot of the enquiries I get. No build required.
When a platform subscription makes sense
You need more than ChatGPT when you want the chatbot on your website, answering questions while you're closed, or handing off to a human when it can't help.
That's when you look at a chatbot platform. Monthly subscription, usually between $50 and $500 depending on message volume. You get a widget, a dashboard, and some way to train it on your FAQ or product catalogue.
Platforms work well if:
- Your questions are straightforward and your answers don't change much
- You're comfortable writing the responses yourself or working through a template
- You don't need it to check inventory, book appointments, or pull data from another system
- The platform's branding and interface work for your business
Most platforms let you try before you pay. Do that. If it takes you an hour to set up and it works, you've saved yourself thousands.
When custom development is the right call
Custom builds cost more because they do more. In Ontario, published pricing starts at $3,500 and runs to $30,000 depending on scope.
Here's when that investment makes sense:
You need it to do something, not just say something. Check stock levels. Book a table. Pull up an order. Create a ticket in your CRM. If the chatbot needs to act on live data or trigger a workflow, a platform subscription won't cut it.
Your answers depend on context only you have. A manufacturer with proprietary specs. A clinic with patient intake requirements that change by service. A distributor whose pricing depends on account type, volume and standing orders. Custom means you control the logic.
You're replacing labour, not just improving speed. If you're currently paying someone to answer repetitive questions for four hours a day, and a chatbot can handle 70% of them, the return is measurable. If you're just making a nice interaction slightly nicer, it probably isn't worth the cost.
Here's what custom development looks like at Ease AI:
| Scope | Price (CAD, excl. HST) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Single chatbot or workflow | $3,500–$8,000 | 2–3 weeks |
| Multi-workflow build | $8,000–$20,000 | 4–6 weeks |
| Multi-department programme | $20,000–$35,000 | 8–12 weeks |
Optional monthly support runs $500–$2,000, month-to-month. That's monitoring, updates, and changes as your business shifts.
Other Ontario agencies with published pricing sit in similar ranges. ChatGPT.ca lists $3,500–$25,000. Kaxo is $5,000–$25,000. Builts AI runs $8,000–$30,000 for the build, plus $500–$2,500 monthly.
Five of the ten agencies I reviewed in August 2026 publish no pricing at all.
The build-versus-buy calculation
Custom work pays for itself when the cost of not having it is higher than the cost of building it.
A Burlington retailer losing sales because nobody answers the phone after 6 PM can measure that gap. A Hamilton manufacturer spending twelve hours a week answering spec questions by email can calculate the hourly cost. A Mississauga clinic with a six-day wait to book an intake appointment knows what no-shows cost them.
If you can't point to a specific problem with a dollar figure attached, you're not ready for a custom build yet. Try the $20 option first.
Funding options for Ontario businesses
If a custom build makes sense and you're in Ontario, there's funding that can cover up to half the cost.
DMAP (Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan) provides up to $15,000, matched 50%, for Ontario for-profit businesses with 1–499 full-time employees. It explicitly funds hiring an external consultant to produce a digital adoption plan. Ontario added $5 million to the programme on 20 May 2026. The programme is first-come, first-served. You'll need a letter of support from a Digital Adoption Consultant; the general roster is closed, but the Ontario Centre of Innovation permits case-by-case approval of a consultant you identify yourself.
RMPG (Retail Modernization Project Grant) offers up to $5,000, matched 50%, for direct-to-consumer businesses with a physical storefront, 1–50 employees, at least one year operating, and $100,000+ annual revenue. You cannot combine this with DMAP.
TDP (Technology Demonstration Program) provides up to $50,000, matched 50%, and requires a completed DMAP and $750,000+ annual revenue. The Ontario Centre of Innovation's page shows a deadline of 10 August 2026, which has passed, while the stream still appears as open. Confirm directly with OCI before you plan around this one.
Ontario Job Grant covers up to $10,000 per trainee, or up to $15,000 in some cases. Employers under 100 staff may pay as little as one sixth of the training cost. Year-round intake, currently for employers training 25 or fewer participants. This funds training, not software. Fixed budget means eligibility doesn't guarantee funding.
SR&ED tax credits have been expanded. The refundable expenditure limit rose from $3 million to $6 million, and capital expenditures are back in, including development-related software and cloud infrastructure. This applies to taxation years beginning on or after 16 December 2024. Critical caveat: SR&ED funds experimental development with genuine technological uncertainty. Routine implementation of an existing platform does not qualify.
These programmes apply only to Ontario businesses. If you're outside Ontario, this section doesn't apply to you. More detail on each is at /ontario-ai-grants.
What I actually recommend
For most small businesses: start with ChatGPT Plus. Use it for a month. If it solves the problem, stop there.
If you need it on your website or you want it to hand off to a person, try a platform. Most offer a free trial. Set it up yourself. If it works, pay the subscription and move on.
If it needs to pull live data, trigger another system, or replace measurable labour hours, that's when a custom build makes sense. Calculate the cost of the problem first. If the build costs less than the problem over twelve months, the case is straightforward.
If you're in Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Hamilton or the wider Golden Horseshoe and you'd like to talk through which option fits, reach me at info@easeaiworks.com. I'll tell you if a subscription is the right answer. I'd rather you spend $20 a month than $3,500 you don't need to spend.
More on chatbot development and pricing is on the site.