Comparison
| Tool | Why it fits (from official info) | Pricing | Official pricing | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tidio | Lowest-cost paid AI for small stores: free live chat plan, 50 one-time Lyro AI conversations on every new account, and Lyro AI Agent from $32.50/month billed yearly ($39 monthly) for 50 AI conversations a month. Only conversations a human agent replies to count toward the Customer Service plan limit; Starter is $24.17/month yearly. 7-day trial, no card. | Freemium | From the official pricing page (2026-11-09): Free plan available; new accounts get 50 Lyro AI conversations once; Starter $24.17/month billed yearly (100 billable conversations); Lyro AI Agent from $32.50/month billed yearly (50 AI conversations a month; $39 billed monthly); higher tiers via sales. 7-day free trial, no credit card. | |
 Botpress | The most generous free tier: $0 for 100 conversations a month, 3 AI agents and 3 seats, with no top-ups. A conversation is counted once a user sends 2 or more messages in the billing month. Plus is $150/month billed yearly for 250 conversations and $25 of AI usage, with extra packs of 100 for $65. | Freemium | From the official pricing page (2026-11-11): Free $0 (100 conversations a month, no top-ups); Plus $150/month billed yearly (250 conversations, $25 AI usage included, extra packs of 100 for $65); Team $750/month billed yearly (1,500 conversations, $150 AI usage, packs of 100 for $50); Custom via sales. | |
 Chatbase | Quickest way to train a bot on your own website pages and files: Hobby $32/month billed yearly ($40 monthly) gives 700 message credits a month, 1 agent, 40 MB of training content and integrations with WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Slack, Shopify and WordPress. There's no free plan, but paid plans start with a 7-day trial. Extra credits are $40 per 1,000. | Paid | From the official pricing page (2026-11-09): Hobby $40/month or $32/month billed yearly (700 message credits a month, 1 agent, 2 members); Basic $150/month or $120/month yearly (4,000 credits); Business $500/month or $400/month yearly (15,000 credits); Enterprise via sales. Extra credits $40 per 1,000; removing the Chatbase branding is $99/month. Paid plans start with a 7-day trial. | |
 Intercom Fin | Pay per result: Fin AI Agent costs $0.99 per outcome, at most once per conversation, and nothing if Fin cannot answer or the customer asks for a human. The Intercom helpdesk starts at $29 per seat/month billed yearly ($19 for new customers), or Fin can run on an existing helpdesk via sales. 14-day trial, no card. | Paid | From the official pricing page (2026-11-11): Fin AI Agent $0.99 per outcome on every plan; Intercom helpdesk billed yearly Essential $29 per seat/month ($19 for new customers), Advanced $85, Expert $132; Fin alone on an existing helpdesk (e.g. Salesforce) via sales, no seats, with a minimum monthly commitment (e.g. 50 outcomes). 14-day free trial, no card. |
How to do it with AI
- Pull your last 50 to 100 customer emails or chats and list the 10 to 20 questions that come up again and again. Those are what the bot should answer.
- Write or update one FAQ page or help document that answers each of those questions clearly, including prices, shipping, refunds and opening hours. Every tool here answers from the content you give it.
- Estimate monthly volume: under about 100 AI conversations, start on Botpress Free or Tidio's free Lyro conversations; a few hundred, compare Tidio Lyro, Chatbase Hobby and Botpress Plus on what each counts as one conversation or credit.
- Use the free trial to point the bot at your FAQ and website, then ask it your real top-20 questions and correct any wrong answers in the source content.
- Turn on human handoff (email, live chat or ticket) for anything the bot cannot answer, and tell customers they are chatting with an AI.
- Check the conversation log weekly for questions it missed and add the answers to your FAQ.
Instructions you can paste into the bot's system prompt (our suggested wording, not a test output)
You are the customer support assistant for [business name]. Answer only from the provided FAQ and website content. If the answer is not in that content, say you are not sure and offer to connect the customer with our team at [email or live chat]. Never invent prices, delivery dates, discounts or refund terms. Keep answers under 80 words and reply in the customer's language.
Hands-on log
- 2026-11-02 · Not tested
Not tested hands-on: each service needs an account before you can train or test a bot on your own content. This page uses only what the official websites and pricing pages state.
China-made vs Western: Sobot next to Tidio, Botpress, Chatbase and Intercom Fin
Sobot, a customer contact platform from Beijing, is listed in our mainland China section and covers chat, call center and tickets for businesses selling in mainland China.
| Need | Sobot | Tidio / Botpress / Chatbase / Intercom Fin |
|---|---|---|
| AI chatbot | 24/7 online chatbot that handles customers alone or assists human agents, multi-turn conversations; large language models used for intent recognition | AI agents answer from your website, FAQ and documents and hand off to a human when needed |
| Training content | Knowledge base with natural-language entry and a cold-start option | Website pages, files and help articles; Chatbase Hobby allows 40 MB of training content |
| Channels | Website, app, mini program, official account, WhatsApp, plus call center and outbound voice bot | Website chat widget, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Slack and Shopify, depending on the tool |
| Pricing | 15-day free trial; prices not published | Botpress Free 100 conversations a month; Tidio Lyro from $32.50/month yearly; Chatbase from $32/month yearly; Fin $0.99 per outcome |
FAQ
Is there a free AI chatbot for a small business website?
Yes. Botpress has a $0 plan with 100 conversations a month, 3 AI agents and 3 seats, but no top-ups. Tidio has a free plan and gives every new account 50 one-time Lyro AI conversations.
What is the cheapest paid AI chatbot for customer support?
Among the tools here, Tidio's Lyro AI Agent starts at $32.50 a month billed yearly ($39 monthly) for 50 AI conversations, and Chatbase Hobby is $32 a month billed yearly ($40 monthly) for 700 message credits. They meter usage differently, so compare against your monthly question volume.
What does per-resolution or per-outcome pricing mean?
Intercom charges $0.99 for each outcome Fin AI Agent delivers, at most once per conversation. If Fin cannot answer or the customer asks for a human, there is no charge.
What counts as one conversation?
Botpress counts a conversation once a user sends 2 or more messages in the billing month, and for voice, 3 minutes equals 1 conversation. On Tidio's Customer Service plans, a billable conversation is one a human agent replies to; replies from Lyro or Flows do not count toward that limit.
Can I train the chatbot on my own website and documents?
Yes. Chatbase trains an agent on your website content and files, with 40 MB of training content on Hobby. Tidio's Lyro and Intercom's Fin answer from the support content you give them.
Can I add an AI agent to the helpdesk I already use?
Tidio sells Lyro on its own for help desks such as Zendesk and Salesforce, and Intercom offers Fin for existing helpdesks such as Salesforce, HubSpot and Freshdesk through sales.
Which AI customer service chatbot works in mainland China?
Sobot shows an ICP filing in the footer of sobot.com and offers a 24/7 online chatbot, live chat, call center and tickets, with a 15-day free trial. Its prices are not published.
Head-to-head comparisons
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