Watermelon and SimplyBoost are both AI chatbot companies from Utrecht. Watermelon counts all messages within 96 hours as one conversation and sells plans by conversation volume. SimplyBoost sells a flat plan with an AI reply allowance. It hands conversations to Slack, Zendesk, Freshdesk or Gorgias and handles Shopify orders inside the chat.
For most teams, SimplyBoost is the better Watermelon alternative: €39 a month buys 500 AI replies, 3 AI agents and room for 3 people, where Watermelon Starter costs €99 for 250 conversations, 1 agent and 1 user. Both are from Utrecht, and SimplyBoost includes website chat, WhatsApp and Instagram on every plan and hands over to Slack, Zendesk, Freshdesk or Gorgias.
Our verdict
Choose SimplyBoost if you want a lower entry price, three agents and three people on every plan, and handover into the helpdesk you already use. The pricing page shows all three plans side by side.
To be fair
Watermelon still suits teams that want email in the same inbox as chat, or its Dutch logistics integrations such as Returnless and Monta.
The capabilities teams most often switch for, side by side.
| Capability | SimplyBoost | Watermelon |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat €39 / €89 / €169 | Per-conversation tiers |
| Entry plan | €39 a month (€31 billed yearly), 500 AI replies | Starter €99 a month, 250 conversations (15% off yearly) |
| Mid plan | Growth €89, 2,000 AI replies | Advanced €199, 500 conversations |
| Top plan | Pro €169, 6,000 AI replies | Business €399, 1,000 conversations |
| AI agents and users | 3 agents, owner plus 2 teammates | 1 agent and 1 user, €25 a month for each extra |
| Free option | 7-day trial, 100 AI replies | Free plan with 50 conversations a month |
| Flat pricing (no per-seat or per-resolution) | Yes | No |
| Native WhatsApp | Yes | Yes |
| Native Instagram DMs | Yes | Yes |
| One AI agent across web + social + WhatsApp | Yes | Yes |
| Data hosted in Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Lead capture and scoring | Yes | Partial |
| No-code setup | Yes | Yes |
Last checked: 7 October 2026. “Partial” = paid add-on, limited, or region/plan option. Verify current details on Watermelon’s site.
Both tools integrate with Shopify. SimplyBoost's agent looks up orders after an email code check, changes addresses, starts returns, recommends products and builds checkout links, and refunds wait for approval. Watermelon lists integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, Returnless and Monta.
Based on public product information checked on 7 October 2026.
Most teams do this in an afternoon and keep Watermelon running until the answers look right.
Step 1
Add the website pages and files your Watermelon agent learned from. The knowledge base guide lists every source type.
Step 2
Paste your agent instructions into SimplyBoost and choose the reply language, or let it match each customer.
Step 3
Pick email, the dashboard, Slack or your helpdesk. The handover guide covers each option.
Step 4
Ask your most common questions from last month and add answers wherever the agent comes up short.
Step 5
Swap the widget, then connect WhatsApp and Instagram so the same agent answers there too.
Plans, limits and yearly prices are on the pricing page. When you're ready, start a 7-day free trial with 100 AI replies.
Watermelon has a free plan with 50 conversations, Starter at €99 a month for 250 conversations, Advanced at €199 for 500 and Business at €399 for 1,000, according to watermelon.ai. Paying yearly is 15% cheaper.
SimplyBoost starts at €39 a month for 500 AI replies, and Watermelon starts at €99 a month for 250 conversations. One conversation often contains several replies, so the fairest way to compare is with your own average conversation length.
Yes, you can read it in Dutch at simplyboost.io/nl/watermelon-alternatief.
Yes. Each Watermelon plan includes 1 user and 1 AI agent, and extra users and agents cost €25 a month each. SimplyBoost includes the owner plus 2 teammates and 3 AI agents on every plan.
Both connect to Shopify. SimplyBoost's agent recommends products, builds a cart with a checkout link and answers order questions from the Growth plan, on your website, WhatsApp and Instagram. Watermelon adds integrations with Dutch logistics tools such as Returnless and Monta.
Sleak pricing: Plans with 300 conversations, then €0.09 each
Trengo pricing: User bundles + conversations + AI surcharge
Chatbase pricing: Message-credit tiers
Userlike pricing: Per-seat + AI Agent add-on
Read the EU AI Chatbot alternative comparison
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