FAQ: OpenAI Costs and Free vs Pro
OpenAI and Costs
Do I need an OpenAI account?
Yes. The chatbot runs on your own OpenAI Platform account (platform.openai.com). You pay OpenAI directly for what you use, and there’s no WPiko subscription for the AI. See API Key Configuration.
Doesn’t my ChatGPT Plus subscription cover this?
No. ChatGPT subscriptions and the OpenAI API are billed separately. The API needs its own prepaid credit in your OpenAI Platform billing settings.
How much does it cost?
For most small sites, a few dollars a month. $5 of credit is enough to start. Costs depend on the model, the number of conversations and the reasoning effort. The default model, GPT-6 Luna, is one of the most affordable. To control costs:
- Use an affordable model (see Setting Up AI Models)
- Review User Limits: they’re on by default (20 messages per hour and 100 per day per visitor, and 1,000 per day for the whole site), and you can lower them or change the site-wide limit
- Set a monthly budget limit in your OpenAI account
The chatbot says “temporarily unavailable”. What’s wrong?
Almost always your OpenAI account has no credit, or the key was deleted. As an admin you see the exact reason in the chat and on the Dashboard. See Troubleshooting the OpenAI Connection.
Free vs Pro
| Free (WordPress.org) | Pro adds |
|---|---|
| Setup Wizard and OpenAI connection checks | Live chat: take over conversations from the AI (Admin Takeover) |
| Quick learn from up to 10 pages | Mobile App (PWA) with push notifications |
| Knowledge files (PDF, Word, text, Markdown and more) | Scan Website with AI-written Q&A and no page limit |
| Latest OpenAI models with streaming replies | Q&A Builder for exact answers |
| Floating chatbot and shortcode, Proactive Greeting | WooCommerce: product sync, product cards, Order Assistance |
| Appearance presets, colors and live preview | Email Capture and Contact Form with attachments and reCAPTCHA |
| Pre-made questions, customizable texts and error messages | Analytics: locations, devices, peak hours and trends |
| Conversations with export and translation | Contact visitors by email with AI-polished replies, auto-delete |
| User Limits and Debug Log | WP-CLI product sync |
See Chatbot pricing for plans.
Is Pro a subscription?
No. WPiko Chatbot Pro is a one-time purchase with a lifetime license: it never expires and includes all future updates. Every plan includes 12 months of direct support; after that, Pro keeps working and updating, and optional paid help is available. Need more websites later? Upgrade from My Account → License Keys and pay only the difference.
Other Questions
Does it work with WooCommerce?
The free chatbot works on WooCommerce stores and can learn from your store pages. Pro adds product sync, product cards and order questions.
Does it support other languages?
Yes. It replies in the visitor’s language, and every interface text can be changed. See Interface Text and Languages.
Does it slow down my site?
No. Its scripts and styles only load on pages where the chatbot is shown, and notification sounds only load after a visitor starts chatting.
What happens to my data if I delete the plugin?
Settings and conversations are kept unless you choose otherwise. See Uninstalling and Removing Data.
