Best for
Best AI chatbots for small businesses
Tools a small business can start on without a sales call, ranked by what they would cost for a modest month of AI conversations.
We kept to tools with a self-serve plan under about $100 a month for the AI you would actually use. Enterprise platforms are on the AI agents page instead. If most of your customers message you on Instagram or WhatsApp rather than your website, look at ManyChat and Chatfuel on the full comparison.
Ranked by estimated monthly cost
| Rank | Tool | Estimate, 50 AI conversations a month | Entry price and billing basis | AI usage price | Free plan and trial | Setup fees and add-ons | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BotpressAI agent builder | $0Uses Free. 50 conversations fit inside Free's 100: $0.The pricing page doesn't state the AI usage limit on Free, and Free can't buy more conversations. | Plus: $150 a month, billed annuallyConversations a month (a conversation is at least two messages from the customer), plus language model spend at cost. Each conversation includes $0.10 of AI usage. | $0.65 per extra conversation on Plus (packs of 100 for $65) | Free plan with 100 conversations a monthTrial: Free plan instead of a trial | Setup: None listed. Botpress also sells done-for-you builds, priced separately.Extras: Conversation packs added automatically at 95% of quota on paid plans; AI usage credit grants of $10 at cost | Vendor page ↗Checked |
| 2 | Tidio (Lyro)Website chat with an AI agent | $32.50Uses Free helpdesk plan plus Lyro at 50 AI conversations a month. $0 + $32.50 Lyro = $32.50.Tidio's page doesn't make clear whether $32.50 is the annual or monthly rate. Human replies over 50 a month need a paid plan. | Starter: $24.17 a month, billed annuallyHuman-answered conversations on the helpdesk plan, plus a separate monthly quota of Lyro AI conversations. Premium offers pay per resolution. | $0.65 per AI conversation at the entry Lyro tier ($32.50 for 50) | Free plan with 50 Lyro conversations once, not monthlyTrial: 7 days, no card | Setup: None listedExtras: Remove Tidio branding: $16.67 a month; Flows automation from $24.17 a month | Vendor page ↗Checked |
| 3 | GorgiasE-commerce helpdesk with an AI agent | $40Uses Starter, billed monthly. $10 plan (50 tickets, 30 AI interactions included) + (50 - 30) x $1.50 = $40.Uses the $1.50 rate Gorgias states for interactions above the included 30. At its $1.00 monthly AI rate the total would be $30. | Starter: $10 a month, billed monthlyTickets a month, with some AI Agent interactions included (30 on Starter and Basic). AI interactions are $0.90 each on annual plans or $1.00 monthly, and Gorgias says interactions above the plan's included allowance are $1.50. Each AI interaction also counts as a ticket. | $1.50 per AI Agent interaction above the included allowance ($0.90 to $1.00 on Gorgias's AI pricing) | No free planTrial: 7 days, no card | Setup: None listedExtras: AI Agent charged per automated interaction | Vendor page ↗Checked |
| 4 | Freshchat (Freddy AI)Messaging inbox with an AI agent | $68Uses Growth, 1 agent, billed annually, plus one block of 100 AI sessions. $19 seat + $49 for 100 sessions = $68.We haven't confirmed whether AI sessions can be bought on the Free plan. | Growth: $19 per agent a month, billed annuallyPer agent seat, plus the Freddy AI Agent at $49 per 100 sessions | $0.49 per AI session ($49 per 100) | Free for up to 10 agents (AI agent not included)Trial: 14 days | Setup: Not publishedExtras: Freddy AI Agent sessions sold in blocks of 100; Freshcaller for voice is a separate product | Vendor page ↗Checked |
| 5 | ChatBot.com (Text)Website chatbot with live chat | $68.50Uses Essential, 1 user, billed annually, plus one pack of 50 extra AI resolutions. $19 + one pack of 50 extra resolutions $49.50 (10 included + 50 covers 50) = $68.50.Growth at $79 includes 200 resolutions, so it is cheaper from about 70 AI conversations a month. | Essential: $19 per user a month, billed annuallyPer user, with AI resolutions included in each plan (10 a month on Essential, 200 on Growth). Extra AI resolutions are sold in packs of 50 for $49.50 on both plans. LiveChat itself is $19, $49 or $79 per user (annual). | $0.99 per extra AI resolution (packs of 50 for $49.50) | No free planTrial: 14 days, no card | Setup: None listedExtras: LiveChat is a separate subscription if you want its full live chat | Vendor page ↗Checked |
| Not ranked | LandbotNo-code bot builder | €32Uses Starter, billed annually. 50 AI chats fit inside Starter's 100: EUR 32.Priced in euros, so it isn't ranked against the USD estimates. | Starter: €32 a month, billed annuallyChats and AI chats a month. Extra chats EUR 0.05 each, extra AI chats EUR 0.10 each. Landbot also publishes USD prices (Starter $36, Professional $88 a month on annual billing). | €0.10 per extra AI chat | Free plan with 100 chats, without AITrial: 14 days, no card | Setup: None listedExtras: Extra chats and AI chats charged per chat; WhatsApp needs the Professional WA plan | Vendor page ↗Checked |
| Not ranked | ChatbaseWebsite AI agent trained on your docs | Not estimatedWe didn't capture how many message credits each plan includes. | Hobby: $32 a month, billed annuallyPlan fee plus message credits. Auto-recharge adds credits at $40 per 1,000. | $0.04 per message credit on auto-recharge ($40 per 1,000) | No free tier shown on the pricing pageTrial: Not checked | Setup: None listedExtras: Auto-recharge message credits | Vendor page ↗Checked |
| Not ranked | ChatfuelWhatsApp and Instagram AI agent | Not estimatedCredit used per AI conversation isn't published. Chatfuel's own calculator gives an estimate per chat, not a fixed rate. | Business S: $18 a month, billed annuallyPlan fee including $20 a month of AI and WhatsApp credit; usage beyond that is extra | No separate AI price published; see billing basis | No free plan listedTrial: Free trial with a starting balance (length not stated) | Setup: None listed. Optional bot setup by chatting with Chatfuel's Coworker: $10 once.Extras: Extra AI and WhatsApp credit | Vendor page ↗Checked |
| Not ranked | CrispShared inbox with an AI agent | Not estimatedCrisp doesn't publish how much AI credit one conversation uses, so we can't say whether Mini's $5 covers 50. | Mini: $45 per workspace a month, billed monthlyFlat fee per workspace with unlimited conversations. AI use draws on included credit ($5, $25 or $75). | No separate AI price published; see billing basis | Free plan for 2 seats, without AITrial: 14 days | Setup: None listedExtras: More AI credit when the included pot runs out; Extra seats $10 each a month | Vendor page ↗Checked |
Estimates are our arithmetic on published list prices in each tool's own currency, for one human seat and 50 conversations a month handled by AI. Where a tool bills per resolution or outcome we count every AI conversation as billable, so treat those figures as a ceiling. Setup fees and add-ons are not in the estimate and are listed beside it. Featured listings, if any, sit above the numbered rows, are labelled and never take a rank number. Full working: methodology.
The tools in brief
Botpress
Agencies and technical teams building their own agents. A usable free plan and predictable per-conversation billing.
Watch out for: harder to learn than the small-business tools.
Tidio (Lyro)
Small businesses and Shopify stores. The cheapest paid route to a monthly AI quota in this comparison, and Lyro can be bought without a paid helpdesk plan.
Watch out for: three separate meters (human conversations, Lyro conversations, Flows visitors) to keep track of.
Gorgias
Shopify stores with order-status and returns questions. Deep Shopify order actions.
Watch out for: every AI interaction is charged and also counts as a ticket.
Freshchat (Freddy AI)
Small teams that want an omnichannel inbox at a low seat price. A free tier for up to 10 agents and low paid seats.
Watch out for: aI sessions are a separate purchase on top of seats.
ChatBot.com (Text)
Small sales teams and online shops that want live chat and a bot from one vendor. Mature live chat and chatbot products from the same company.
Watch out for: only 10 AI resolutions on the entry plan, then $49.50 for each 50.
Landbot
Lead capture and appointment booking flows. A visual builder with Calendly and HubSpot connections.
Watch out for: the AI chat allowance runs out well before the chat allowance.
Chatbase
A fast website bot trained on your help docs or product pages. SOC 2 Type II and GDPR, and a short setup.
Watch out for: helpdesk features are thin below Business.
Chatfuel
Very small businesses that sell or answer questions over WhatsApp and Instagram. Low entry price.
Watch out for: the bill depends on credit use, which Chatfuel doesn't express per conversation.
Crisp
UK and EU businesses that want a predictable flat fee and EU data hosting. A fixed monthly price whatever your conversation volume.
Watch out for: crisp doesn't publish how far the AI credit stretches.