Customer support / Best AI chatbot for small business
Comparison
Best AI chatbot for small business
15 AI chatbots and support agents from our listings, compared by type, price model, free trial and setup effort, plus which one to try first for your situation.
How we built this: rows come from BotPickr’s own listings, written in our own words. We have not run benchmarks, so there are no scores or ratings here. Plan prices shown are copied from each vendor’s official pricing page, checked Oct 19, 2026; prices change often, so confirm before you buy. Nothing on this page is sponsored. Paid placements on BotPickr are always labelled Sponsored.
Which one should you try first?
You want a free chat widget on your site today
Start with tawk.to, or compare Tidio Lyro. Both have free starting points and no-code setup. tawk.to keeps live chat free and charges for its AI Assist add-on; Tidio offers a free tier with its Lyro AI agent on paid plans.
You want a bot trained on your website and docs
Start with Chatbase, or compare Crisp. Point them at your pages or help content and embed the result as a widget.
Your customers message you on WhatsApp
Start with ReplyKit, or compare WATI. ReplyKit is the quick, low-cost route but uses the unofficial WhatsApp Web connection; WATI uses the official WhatsApp Business API, which adds per-message fees and business verification.
You already run a support inbox with tickets
Start with Freshdesk Freddy AI, or compare Zendesk AI agents. Helpdesks with built-in AI agents, priced per agent seat plus AI usage.
You sell on Shopify
Start with Gorgias, or compare Tidio Lyro. Ecommerce-focused helpdesks that handle order and return questions.
You want to design custom flows or build bots for clients
Start with Botpress, or compare Voiceflow. Visual builders with more control. Expect a longer setup than a plug-in widget.
You run many messaging channels with a team
Start with respond.io, or compare WATI. Shared inboxes for WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and more, with automation and AI agents.
Compare all 15 at a glance
| Tool | Type | Price type | Free trial | Setup | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tidio Lyro | Hosted agent | Free tier / paid | Check vendor | Easy | Shopify and small-business sites |
| Chatbase | Hosted agent | Free tier / paid | Check vendor | Easy | Small sites wanting a quick FAQ bot |
| Crisp | Live chat | Free tier / paid | Check vendor | Easy | Small SaaS and agencies |
| tawk.to | Live chat | Free / paid add-ons | Free plan | Easy | Small sites that want free live chat first and AI later |
| ReplyKit | Hosted agent | Paid from $29/mo (7-day free trial) | Yes: 7-day free trial, no credit card needed | Easy | Appointment-based small businesses that get leads on WhatsApp |
| Botpress | Bot builder | Free tier / paid | Check vendor | Medium | Agencies building client bots |
| Voiceflow | Bot builder | Free tier / paid | Check vendor | Medium | Product teams building agents |
| Typebot | Open-source builder | Free / open source | Check vendor | Medium | Marketers wanting chat funnels |
| Fin by Intercom | Hosted agent | Paid per resolution | Check vendor | Medium | Support teams with a help center |
| Freshdesk Freddy AI | Helpdesk | Paid from $19/agent/mo (billed annually) | Yes: 14-day free trial | Medium | Small support teams that want a ticketing helpdesk with an AI agent |
| Zendesk AI agents | Helpdesk | Paid | Check vendor | Medium | Support teams on Zendesk |
| Gorgias | Helpdesk | Paid | Check vendor | Medium | Shopify stores |
| WATI | WhatsApp platform | Paid plans + per-message fees | Yes: 7-day free trial | Medium | Businesses whose customers mostly message on WhatsApp |
| respond.io | Messaging inbox | Paid from $79/mo (billed yearly) | Yes: 7-day free trial, no credit card needed | Medium | Sales and support teams handling many messaging channels |
| Robylon | Hosted agent | Free tier / paid from $25/mo | Free plan available | Medium | Support teams that want one AI agent across chat, email and WhatsApp, with voice on higher plans |
“Check vendor” means we have not confirmed a trial on the vendor’s official pages. Open any tool for setup steps and alternatives.
Plan prices we checked on Oct 19, 2026
For the newest additions we copied plan prices from the official pages. Where a vendor loads prices by region, we say so instead of guessing.
ReplyKit
- Starter: $29/month (1 WhatsApp number, 1,000 AI replies)
- Growth: $49/month (3 numbers, 5 agents, 5,000 replies)
- Pro: $99/month (15 numbers, 20,000 replies)
- Extra replies: $10 per 1,000
Source: official pricing page ↗, checked Oct 19, 2026.
tawk.to
- Live chat, ticketing, knowledge base: Free
- Remove "Powered by tawk.to" branding: $29/month
- AI Assist chatbot: From $29/month; the vendor also describes a forever-free plan for sites with limited chat volume
- Hired human chat agents: $1/hour
Source: official pricing page ↗, checked Oct 19, 2026.
Freshdesk Freddy AI
- Growth: $19/agent/month billed annually
- Pro: $55/agent/month billed annually
- Enterprise: $89/agent/month billed annually
- Freddy AI Agent: First 500 sessions included once per account, then $49 per 100 sessions
- Freddy AI Copilot: $29/agent/month add-on (Pro and Enterprise)
Source: official pricing page ↗, checked Oct 19, 2026.
respond.io
- Starter: $79/month billed yearly ($99 monthly); 5 users
- Growth: $159/month billed yearly ($199 monthly); adds workflows and AI Agents
- Advanced: $279/month billed yearly ($349 monthly)
- Enterprise: Custom
- WhatsApp fees: Not included; Meta charges separately
Source: official pricing page ↗, checked Oct 19, 2026.
WATI
- Growth: Plan price shown on the vendor page (varies by region and billing period); 3 users
- Pro: Plan price on vendor page; 5 users, extra users $24/user/month
- Business: Plan price on vendor page; 5 users, extra users $69/user/month
- WhatsApp messages: Charged per message on top of the plan, by country and message type
- Astra AI Agents: Add-on, priced separately
Source: official pricing page ↗, checked Oct 19, 2026.
Robylon
- Starter: Free (300 credits/month, about 40 conversations)
- Pro: From $25/month, or $22/month billed yearly (500 credits, about 67 conversations; up to 3,500 credits for $158/month)
- Business: From $180/month, or $162/month billed yearly (4,500 credits; adds voice calls and Freshdesk, Zendesk and Zoho Desk)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
- Add-ons: Live agent seats from $19/seat/month; extra credits $25 per 1,000
Source: official pricing page ↗, checked Oct 19, 2026.
What to check before you pick
- Where your customers are. A website widget, WhatsApp and email inboxes need different tools.
- How you are billed. Some charge per agent seat, some per AI reply or session, some per active contact, and WhatsApp tools usually add Meta’s message fees.
- Human handoff. Make sure a person can take over a chat, and that the bot says when it does not know.
- Where the answers come from. Feed it your own FAQ, prices and policies, and review what it says in the first week.
Need instructions for your bot? Our free AI agent templates include FAQ-bot instructions with guardrails.
Quick answers
What is the best AI chatbot for a small business?
It depends on where your customers reach you and how much setup you want. For a website widget with little setup, start with tawk.to, Tidio, Chatbase or Crisp. For WhatsApp, look at ReplyKit or WATI. If you already use a ticketing helpdesk, Freshdesk Freddy AI or Zendesk AI agents keep everything in one place.
Is there a free AI chatbot for small business?
Several tools on this page have a free plan or free tier, such as tawk.to (free live chat, AI Assist is a paid add-on with a limited free plan), Tidio, Chatbase, Crisp, Botpress and Voiceflow. Typebot is open source. Free plans have limits, so check each vendor's page.
Are any of these tools sponsored?
No. Every tool on this page is an organic listing. If a placement is ever paid, it is labelled Sponsored.
Keep exploring
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