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Chatbase is popular, but it isn't the right fit for everyone. We compared 7 alternatives on pricing, channels and setup to see which suits which kind of business in 2026.
If you've been looking at Chatbase to add an AI chatbot to your website, you're in good company. It's one of the best-known tools around. Still, plenty of businesses start looking for a Chatbase alternative once they get into the details, usually because the plan price is only the start. Each plan includes one AI agent, and extra agents, helpdesk integrations, advanced analytics and extra credits all cost more.
We're not here to knock Chatbase. It does a lot well, especially if you want a quick FAQ bot. But it isn't the only option, so we compared seven alternatives using their published pricing and features. We make SimplyBoost, so it's first on the list, and we've tried to be fair about where the others fit better.
What to look for in a Chatbase alternative
Before the list, here's what we think matters most when picking a chatbot platform for your business.
Pricing you can predict. You should be able to work out roughly what you'll pay before you sign up, including which features cost extra and what happens when your chatbot gets busier.
Accuracy. Your chatbot speaks for your brand. If it makes things up, that's worse than having no chatbot, so look for one that sticks to your own content and hands over when it doesn't know.
Channels. Your customers aren't only on your website. Many of them message you on WhatsApp or Instagram.
Lead capture. Answering questions is useful. Capturing contact details from interested visitors is what turns a chatbot into a sales tool.
1. SimplyBoost
Best for: Businesses of every size, from enterprise support desks to mid-market teams and smaller shops, that want AI answers, lead capture and messaging channels in one tool, with the features in the plan.
SimplyBoost is an AI support agent for your website chat, WhatsApp and Instagram DMs. It answers questions from your own content, captures leads, and hands conversations to your team when a customer asks for a person, gets frustrated or raises something like a refund. On your website it can also book appointments into Google Calendar.
The pricing is flat and the features are in the plan. Every plan includes 3 AI agents (one agent can run on any number of websites), website chat, WhatsApp and Instagram with comment-to-DM, Google Calendar booking, the knowledge base, and handover to Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gorgias or Slack, by email and in the dashboard. The owner and 2 teammates are included at no extra cost, and there are no overage charges. Growth adds Shopify actions like order tracking and returns, plus advanced analytics.
You add your website URL (it can crawl up to 50 pages), sitemaps, PDFs, Word files or FAQs, with files up to 50 MB each and no limit on how many. Documents and pages are processed in the background while you set up the rest, and installing the widget takes a few minutes. The agent only answers from those sources. When it doesn't know something, it says so and offers your team, and the question lands under Missing answers so you can add the answer. Leads get a score from 0 to 100, labelled hot, warm or cold, so you can see who's ready to buy.
Pricing: €39/mo Starter (500 AI replies), €89/mo Growth (2,000), €169/mo Pro (6,000), 20% off yearly, custom plans above 6,000 replies, and a 7-day free trial with 100 AI replies
Standout feature: 3 AI agents, website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram and helpdesk handover on every plan, at a flat monthly price.
2. Tidio
Best for: Online stores, especially on Shopify, that want live chat with optional AI.
Tidio has been around for years and is good at what it does. The live chat widget looks clean, its Lyro AI agent handles common customer questions, and the Shopify integration works well.
The thing to plan for is how the pricing adds up. There's a free plan with 50 billable conversations. Starter costs $24.17 a month billed yearly for 100 conversations, and Growth starts at $49.17. The Lyro AI add-on is priced separately, starting at $32.50 a month for 50 conversations. So if AI is the main reason you're switching, add both parts together and check how many conversations you'll really need.
Pricing: Free plan, Starter from $24.17/mo billed yearly, Lyro AI add-on from $32.50/mo
3. Intercom
Best for: Mid-size and larger companies with dedicated support teams.
Intercom is a premium product and it shows. The shared inbox, help centre and workflow automation are impressive. Its Fin AI agent resolves customer questions automatically, which saves a lot of time for companies with large support volumes. Intercom recently renamed itself Fin, and Salesforce completed its acquisition of the company in September 2026.
The cost grows with your team and your volume. Seats run from $29 to $132 per seat per month on yearly billing, and Fin is priced from $0.99 per outcome on top. For example, five seats on the Advanced plan ($85 each) plus 1,000 Fin outcomes comes to about $1,415 a month. There's a 14-day trial, and early-stage startups can apply for a large discount in their first year.
If you're a growing company with the budget and a support team, Intercom is excellent. For a small business, it's often more than you need. We break the numbers down further in our Intercom pricing guide.
Pricing: $29 to $132 per seat/mo billed yearly, plus Fin from $0.99 per outcome
4. Freshchat (by Freshworks)
Best for: Businesses already using the Freshworks ecosystem.
Freshchat is part of the Freshworks suite, so it fits naturally if you already use Freshdesk or Freshsales. Its Freddy AI agent answers common questions and can pass conversations to human agents.
It's at its best as part of a wider Freshworks setup, with support tickets, sales and chat in one place. If you only need an AI chatbot for a small site, it can be more platform than you need.
There's a free plan for up to 10 agents. Paid plans are $19, $49 and $79 per agent per month on yearly billing. Each paid plan includes 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions, and after that it's $49 per 100 sessions.
Pricing: Free plan, paid from $19/agent/mo billed yearly, extra AI sessions $49 per 100
5. Crisp
Best for: Startups and small teams that want clean live chat with some automation.
Crisp does live chat really well without trying to do everything. The interface is tidy, the widget looks good, and there's a shared inbox for the team, a knowledge base builder and chatbot flows.
It's mainly a live chat and inbox tool with automation added. The free plan covers two seats but doesn't include AI, so for AI features you'll be on a paid plan. For small teams that want to be reachable on their website and keep things simple, Crisp is a good pick.
Pricing: Free plan (2 seats, no AI), Mini $45/mo, Essentials $95/mo, Plus $295/mo per workspace
6. Botpress
Best for: Developers and technical teams who want full control over chatbot logic.
Botpress is the most technical option here. It's a platform for building chatbots, where you control the conversation logic, integrations and AI behaviour in detail.
If you have a developer on the team and want something custom, Botpress gives you that freedom. If you're a business owner who wants a chatbot working on your site this afternoon, it will feel like a lot. There's more to learn, and setup takes longer.
For the right project, like an internal tool or a highly customised customer experience, it's a powerful choice. Keep in mind that paid plans also meter AI usage on top of the plan price.
Pricing: Free plan, Plus $150/mo and Team $750/mo billed yearly, plus AI usage
7. Landbot
Best for: Marketing teams that want a visual, no-code builder for lead generation flows.
Landbot is built around a visual flow builder. You drag and drop the steps of a conversation and guide visitors through a structured journey. Paid plans now include a monthly allowance of AI chats as well.
It works well for lead generation forms, surveys and qualification flows. If you want to swap dull forms for something more conversational, Landbot is one of the better options. WhatsApp is available on its Professional plan with WhatsApp, at €160 a month.
If your main goal is conversational lead capture, Landbot is worth a look. If you mostly need to answer open-ended support questions from your own content, a knowledge-based AI agent is usually a better fit.
Pricing: Free plan, Starter €40/mo (€32 billed yearly), Professional €100/mo (€80 billed yearly)
Which Chatbase alternative is right for your business?
Here's how we'd sum it up.
If you want AI answers, lead scoring, WhatsApp and Instagram, with 3 AI agents and helpdesk handover included in every plan, SimplyBoost starts at €39 a month.
If you run a Shopify store that mainly needs live chat, Tidio is a good option. Just add the Lyro AI add-on to your budget if you want AI.
If you have a support team and the budget, Intercom is hard to beat on features, as long as you keep an eye on per-outcome costs.
If you're technical and want full customisation, Botpress gives you the most control.
And if you mainly want conversational forms, Landbot is built for exactly that.
The best tool is the one that fits what you actually need and what you can spend. Most of these have a free plan or trial, so try two or three with your own questions and see which one you like working with.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do people look for a Chatbase alternative?
Chatbase is a capable tool, but the plan price is where the bill starts. Hobby is $40 a month for 700 message credits, Standard $150 for 4,000 and Pro $500 for 15,000, and each plan includes one AI agent. Extra agents are $25 a month each. Helpdesk, API access and advanced integrations like Zendesk start on Standard, advanced analytics on Pro, and extra credits cost $40 per 1,000. Removing the Powered by Chatbase branding is $99 a month. Teams that want those features in the plan, or a price that doesn't depend on credits, often compare other options.
What is the cheapest Chatbase alternative?
For an AI agent at a flat price, SimplyBoost: Starter is €39 a month with 500 AI replies and 3 AI agents included, plus website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram and handover into Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gorgias or Slack, all in the plan rather than sold as add-ons. That's about the price of Chatbase Hobby, with more included. Crisp, Tidio, Freshchat, Botpress and Landbot all have free plans, though AI is limited or not included on most of them.
Can I train a chatbot on my own website content?
Yes. Most modern chatbot platforms can learn from your website. SimplyBoost and Chatbase both support website crawling. SimplyBoost also takes sitemaps, PDFs, Word documents, plain text and FAQs, and reads scanned documents too. Our guide on how to train a chatbot on your data explains how to get good answers.
Which chatbot alternative works on WhatsApp and Instagram?
SimplyBoost's agent works on WhatsApp and Instagram DMs as well as your website, with both channels included from the €39 Starter plan. Several other tools here offer WhatsApp or Instagram too, often on specific plans or as add-ons, so check each vendor's pricing page for the channels you need.
Do I need coding skills to set up a chatbot?
No. SimplyBoost, Chatbase, Tidio, Crisp and Landbot are all no-code. You add your website or documents, adjust the settings and add the widget to your site. With SimplyBoost that can be a script snippet, the WordPress plugin, the Shopify theme app embed or Google Tag Manager. Botpress is the exception, since it's designed with developers in mind.