Methodology

How we check prices and work out the estimates

Every number on this site comes from a page we can link to, with the date we read it. Where we couldn't confirm something, we say so.

Where prices come from

We read each vendor's public pricing page and, where needed, its help docs. Each plan in our data carries its own source link and check date. When the only figure available comes from a third party (for example Ada's reported minimum or Drift's last listed price) the page marks it as a third-party source and it is never used in an estimate.

The monthly estimate

The estimate answers one question: what would a small business pay in a month for one human seat and 50 customer conversations handled by AI? For each tool we pick the cheapest published plan that covers that, add any per-conversation, per-resolution or per-outcome charges, and show the plan and the sum beside the figure.

• Where billing is per resolution or outcome, we count all 50 conversations as billable. Real bills will often be lower, so these figures are a ceiling.
• We use list prices, not introductory discounts. Where a vendor shows a promotional price we mention it but don't use it.
• We use the billing period the vendor leads with, and say which it is. Where we couldn't tell, the price is tagged Unverified.
• Setup fees, onboarding fees and add-ons are shown beside the estimate, not inside it.
• We don't convert currencies. Euro-priced tools get a euro estimate and aren't ranked against dollar prices.
• If the published prices don't let us do the sum (credits with no per-conversation rate, hidden prices, country-specific message fees) we don't guess. The tool is listed as not estimated, with the reason.

Unknown means unknown. If a vendor doesn't publish a figure, we say so and never fill one in.

The calculator

The cost calculator uses the same published prices, allowances and per-conversation rates as the estimate, but with your own numbers: AI conversations a month, human seats, customer messages per conversation and billing period. Where a plan's allowance runs out and no price for more is published, the total is Unknown and it isn't ranked. Tools whose prices don't allow a sum are listed under 'Left out, and why'.

Ranking

Ranked tables are ordered by the estimate, lowest first. Paid listings, if we ever sell them, appear above the ranked rows labelled 'Featured (paid)' and never take a rank number. Sorting a table on the page doesn't change that.

What we don't do

No quality scores: no stars, no ratings and no 'best' verdicts based on quality. We don't test answer quality, and a low price here isn't a recommendation. The 'best for' guides group tools by what they're sold for and then order them by cost. The AI quality sections report what each vendor says about its model, accuracy controls and handoff, and flag when it says nothing. Review-site ratings aren't included yet.

Freshness

All prices on the site were checked on 2 and 3 November 2026, and each plan shows its own check date. When a vendor changes a price we update the plan's check date, and the site-wide date changes when we finish a full pass.

Tax

We don't add or remove VAT or sales tax. This check didn't record how each vendor states tax on its pricing page, so tax basis is shown as Unknown until it's checked.

Corrections

Vendors and readers can report a change from any tool page, or by emailing [email protected]. We check every change against the vendor's public pricing page before publishing it.