The visible subscription price is only one part of live chat cost. A small business should calculate how many people need replying access, how the price changes when a manager or specialist joins, and how much setup and maintenance the workflow requires.
Start with your real team and channel needs. A broad helpdesk and a lightweight Telegram inbox solve different problems, so compare the workflow as well as the invoice.
Calculate the seat-based total
Multiply the monthly price per full replying seat by everyone who must answer customers. Include the owner, delivery coordinator, returns specialist, or substitute when they need direct access. Then multiply by twelve for the annual cost.
- 2 people at $20 per seat: $40/month and $480/year.
- 5 people at $20 per seat: $100/month and $1,200/year.
- 10 people at $20 per seat: $200/month and $2,400/year.
Add operational cost
Account for installation, widget design, routing rules, notifications, training, and maintaining saved replies. These tasks may be small, but they matter when the product is meant to save a small team time.
Compare the pricing unit
Per-agent software grows with the number of paid operators. GramDesk grows with active Telegram bots and includes unlimited teammates. One active bot costs $0.10 per day, about $3 in a 30-day month and $36.50 in 365 days. This can suit a team where several people answer occasionally.
Check the feature boundary
A full helpdesk may include formal tickets, multiple channels, SLA controls, advanced reporting, and complex automation. GramDesk is a focused Telegram-first shared inbox. Choose the narrower option only when it covers the actual workflow.
Example at $20 per full replying seat
This is a model, not a vendor quote. Replace $20 with the price shown by the provider and include only people who truly need full customer-reply access.
| Replying teammates | Per-agent monthly | Per-agent annual | One GramDesk bot/year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | $40 | $480 | $36.50 |
| 3 | $60 | $720 | $36.50 |
| 5 | $100 | $1,200 | $36.50 |
| 10 | $200 | $2,400 | $36.50 |
| 20 | $400 | $4,800 | $36.50 |
Three realistic calculation scenarios
Use the number of public support identities, not the number of internal conversations, when estimating GramDesk bot cost.
One public support bot costs $3 in a 30-day month. Five teammates can work in its private Telegram group without five separate GramDesk seats.
Three active bots cost about $9 in a 30-day month. Compare that with ten full helpdesk seats, and confirm that Telegram-only support covers all three brands.
Five bots cost about $15 in a 30-day month. A full helpdesk may still be appropriate when locations require formal routing, reports, or several non-Telegram channels.
Build a decision sheet in 30 minutes
Use one page so price, requirements, and growth assumptions stay connected.
- List every person who replies today, including occasional substitutes and managers.
- Write the number of public support bots, brands, and customer channels required.
- Calculate monthly and annual totals at the current team size and after two additional teammates.
- Mark each required function and identify which candidate actually supplies it.
- Add setup, migration, training, and cancellation costs beside the subscription price.
- Run a short trial with real enquiries and choose only after the team confirms that the workflow is usable.
Decision checklist before buying
Record these answers next to the price comparison so the lowest number does not hide a missing requirement.
- How many people must send customer replies?
- How many public bots or brands are required?
- Do customers use Telegram, website chat, email, or several channels?
- Are formal ticket states and SLA reports required?
- Who configures routing and saved replies?
- Are there onboarding or migration costs?
- Does the quoted price require annual billing?
- What will the cost be after the next two teammates join?
Run the numbers with your team size