How much does it cost to build a custom AI platform?

Custom AI platforms vary widely in scope, but at LN Tech we've established clear pricing tiers based on what we've actually built and delivered. Internal tools and dashboards start at $5,000 with 30 days of post-delivery support. Automation systems — including WhatsApp bots, workflow automation, and multi-channel broadcast platforms — start at $8,000 with 60 days of support. Full AI platforms with RAG pipelines, LLM integration, and vector databases start at $15,000 and include 90 days of dedicated support.

These figures come from real projects: our WhatsApp broadcast platform for 6,000+ users and 45+ organizations, the Meghdoot diplomatic RAG agent for the Ministry of External Affairs, and our AI HR interview agent. Each project begins with thorough scoping, so what you see is the actual cost — not a bait-and-switch estimate that grows during development.

A common follow-up question: what drives cost up? The two biggest factors are the number of external API integrations (each adds scoping, error handling, and maintenance overhead) and compliance requirements (government and enterprise clients often need audit trails, source verification, and security reviews that add 20–40% to base scope).