We tested and compared 8+ AI chatbot platforms across pricing, AI quality, channel support, setup time, and GDPR compliance. See the full side-by-side comparison and find the best fit for your business.
€14
Boei starting price
8+
Platforms compared
50+
Channels included
5 min
Setup time
Side-by-side comparison of pricing, features, AI quality, and more
| Feature | Boei | Tidio | Intercom | Crisp | Freshchat | Zendesk | ChatBot.com | Drift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | €14 | €29 | $74/seat | €25 | €79/agent | $55/agent | $52 | $2,500+ |
| AI messages included | 2,000 | Lyro add-on | Custom | ✗ Limited | Add-on | Add-on | ✗ Limited | Custom |
| Per-conversation fee | €0 | €0.50/Lyro | €0.99 | €0 | Varies | Varies | €0 | €0 |
| AI model | GPT-4 + Claude | Lyro | Fin AI | MagicBrowse | Freddy AI | Zendesk AI | Custom | GPT-4 |
| WhatsApp included | ✓ Yes | €59+ extra | Add-on | €95 plan | Add-on | Add-on | ✗ | Add-on |
| Total channels | 50+ | 5-10 | 10-15 | 10-15 | 10+ | 10+ | Web only | 5-10 |
| Setup time | 5 minutes | 30+ min | Hours | 30+ min | Hours | Hours | 30+ min | Days |
| Auto-train on website | ✓ Yes | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual |
| Free trial | 7 days | 7 days | 14 days | 14 days | 21 days | 14 days | 14 days | ✗ |
| EU servers / GDPR | Yes (Amsterdam) | ✗ | ✗ | EU option | ✗ | EU option | ✗ | ✗ |
| Unlimited seats | ✓ Yes | Paid | Per-seat | ✗ Limited | Per-agent | Per-agent | Per-seat | Custom |
Boei offers the strongest overall value for small and mid-sized businesses. At €14/month with 2,000 AI messages, 50+ channels, WhatsApp included, and EU-hosted servers, it delivers features that competitors charge 3-10x more for. If you need enterprise-grade sales automation with a dedicated account team, Intercom or Drift may be worth their premium price. For everyone else, Boei provides the best balance of AI quality, channel coverage, and affordability.
We evaluated each AI chatbot platform across six key categories to ensure a fair and comprehensive comparison. Every platform was tested first-hand by our team in early 2026.
We looked beyond the advertised starting price to calculate the real total cost of running each platform. This includes per-seat fees, AI message add-ons, channel surcharges (like WhatsApp), and any per-conversation costs that inflate your bill as you scale. Many platforms advertise a low starting price but require expensive add-ons for features that are standard elsewhere. See our full AI chatbot pricing breakdown for detailed numbers.
We tested each platform's AI with identical sets of questions based on the same website content. We measured answer accuracy, response relevance, hallucination frequency, and how well the bot handled edge cases. We also evaluated the training process: can the AI learn from your website automatically, or do you need to manually create question-answer pairs? Automatic training saves hours of setup time and keeps your bot up to date as your content changes.
Modern customer communication happens across dozens of channels. We counted and verified which channels each platform actually supports out of the box: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM, Telegram, SMS, email, and more. We also checked whether these channels are included in the base price or require paid add-ons. A platform that advertises "omnichannel" but charges extra for WhatsApp is not truly omnichannel.
We timed the complete setup process from account creation to a working chatbot on a live website. We measured how long it takes a non-technical user to get started, how intuitive the dashboard is, and how much configuration is required before the bot is useful. Some platforms require hours of manual configuration; others are ready in minutes.
For European businesses, GDPR compliance is not optional. We verified where each platform hosts its data, whether they offer EU server options, and how transparent they are about data processing. Platforms hosted exclusively in the US may create compliance issues for EU-based businesses handling customer data.
Beyond feature checklists, we evaluated how each platform performs in real customer interactions. This includes response speed, uptime reliability, and the quality of conversations over time. We also checked each platform's track record for updates, new features, and community support.
AI chatbot pricing varies wildly: flat-rate (Boei at €14/mo), per-seat (Intercom at $74/seat), per-agent (Freshchat at €79/agent), and per-conversation (Tidio Lyro at €0.50/chat). The pricing model you choose determines how your costs scale. Flat-rate is most predictable; per-conversation can spike during busy periods.
The best AI chatbots use frontier models like GPT-4 and Claude for natural, accurate responses. Key differentiators: automatic website training vs manual Q&A input, source citations vs unsourced answers, and hallucination rates. Boei auto-trains on your website content with cited sources. Most competitors require manual training.
Customer conversations happen across WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, email, SMS, and more. Boei supports 50+ channels in every plan. Most competitors support 5-15 channels and charge extra for popular ones like WhatsApp. Check whether channels are included or add-ons before committing.
Setup time ranges from 5 minutes (Boei) to several days (Drift, enterprise platforms). Consider: do you need a developer to install it? How long before the AI is actually useful? Can non-technical team members manage it? The fastest platforms auto-learn from your website without manual configuration.
Boei stands out as the most complete AI chatbot platform for its price point. At €14/month, you get 2,000 AI messages powered by GPT-4 and Claude, 50+ communication channels (including WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, and SMS), unlimited team seats, and EU-hosted servers in Amsterdam. The AI auto-trains on your website content in minutes, citing sources in every answer to minimize hallucinations.
Where Boei particularly excels is in its channel coverage and simplicity. Instead of paying for separate WhatsApp, Messenger, and email integrations, everything is bundled into one widget. Setup takes about 5 minutes: paste a code snippet, point the AI at your domain, and you're live. The flat-rate pricing means no surprises — your busiest month costs the same as your quietest. See all Boei AI chatbot features.
The main limitation is that Boei is designed for small to mid-sized businesses. If you need enterprise features like custom SLA agreements, dedicated account managers, or advanced workflow automation with dozens of conditional branches, larger platforms may be a better fit.
Tidio is a popular choice for small ecommerce stores, offering a clean interface and a solid live chat experience. Their AI assistant, Lyro, is a capable add-on that can handle common customer questions. However, Lyro's per-conversation pricing (€0.50 per AI chat) adds up quickly. At 500 AI conversations per month, you're paying €250 on top of your base plan.
Tidio also charges extra for WhatsApp (€59+/month) and limits the number of channels available on lower plans. If you primarily need web chat with basic AI for a small Shopify or WooCommerce store and don't expect high AI volume, Tidio works well. For businesses with growing traffic or multichannel needs, the costs escalate fast.
Intercom is the gold standard for enterprise customer communication. Their Fin AI agent is one of the most capable AI chatbots on the market, handling complex multi-turn conversations and integrating deeply with CRM and helpdesk workflows. The product is polished, the analytics are powerful, and the ecosystem of integrations is massive.
The trade-off is price. At $74 per seat per month plus $0.99 per AI conversation, costs scale rapidly with team size and conversation volume. A team of 5 agents handling 2,000 AI conversations per month would pay $370 (seats) + $1,980 (AI) = $2,350/month. WhatsApp and other channels require additional add-ons. For well-funded companies with dedicated support teams, Intercom is excellent. For most SMBs, it's prohibitively expensive.
Crisp offers a reasonable mid-range option starting at €25/month with a clean interface and decent feature set. Their MagicBrowse and MagicReply AI features add conversational capabilities, though they're more limited than dedicated AI chatbots. The €95/month Business plan includes WhatsApp and other channels, making it a step up from basic chat solutions.
Crisp's main advantage is its EU data hosting option, which appeals to GDPR-conscious European businesses. However, the AI capabilities lag behind Boei, Intercom, and Tidio. The training process is largely manual, and the bot's ability to handle nuanced questions is limited compared to platforms using GPT-4 or Claude. It's a solid option if you need basic chat with some AI features at a moderate price.
Freshchat (part of Freshworks) targets mid-market and enterprise businesses with its Freddy AI assistant. The per-agent pricing at €79/month makes it expensive for growing teams, and AI features are sold as add-ons on top of the base plan. Setup requires significant configuration, and most businesses need technical resources to get the most out of the platform.
Where Freshchat shines is in its integration with the broader Freshworks ecosystem (Freshdesk, Freshsales). If you're already using Freshworks products, adding Freshchat creates a unified customer platform. As a standalone chatbot solution, however, it's overpriced and overcomplicated for most small businesses. For detailed pricing analysis, see our chatbot pricing comparison.
Quick recommendations based on your business type
Boei is the clear winner for small businesses. At €14/month with everything included, there's no per-seat or per-conversation pricing to worry about. The 5-minute setup means you don't need a developer, and 50+ channels let you meet customers wherever they are. WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram — all included at no extra cost.
Start Free TrialIntercom is the strongest choice for large enterprises with dedicated support teams and complex workflows. Fin AI handles sophisticated conversations, and the platform integrates with virtually every enterprise tool. Budget $2,000-10,000+/month depending on team size and AI volume. Zendesk is a close alternative if you're already in their ecosystem.
Compare Enterprise OptionsFor businesses watching every euro, Boei (€14/mo) and Crisp (€25/mo) offer the best value. Boei includes more AI messages and channels at a lower price. Crisp offers a free tier for very basic use. Avoid per-conversation AI pricing if budget predictability matters — a busy month with Tidio Lyro could cost 10x your base plan.
See Pricing DetailsDon't just look at the starting price. Estimate your monthly AI conversation volume, count your team members, and list the channels you need. Multiply these by per-conversation fees, per-seat costs, and channel add-ons. A $29/month platform can easily cost $500+ when you add AI usage and WhatsApp.
During your free trial, train the chatbot on your actual website and test it with real customer questions. Ask tricky questions, edge cases, and multi-step queries. The quality difference between AI platforms becomes obvious when you test with your own content rather than demo data.
List every channel your customers currently use to reach you: website chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, email, phone. Then verify which of these are included in your plan and which cost extra. Switching platforms later because a channel was missing is expensive and disruptive.
If your team is non-technical, choose a platform that works out of the box. Platforms requiring developer setup, manual AI training, or complex configuration will take weeks instead of minutes. Ask yourself: can our marketing manager set this up alone in an afternoon?
If you operate in the EU or serve EU customers, confirm where the platform stores data. US-only hosting may violate GDPR requirements. Look for platforms with EU server options (like Boei's Amsterdam servers) and clear data processing agreements.
David K.
CEO Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Seif Ahmed
@seif588
Neu
@siddharthaneu
Irfan
@mak_web_media
Peter C
@peter_c1
Andrew Lee
@fromlife89
Grzegorz G.
Joshua G.
Ronald D.
Director Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Fahd T.
Founder Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
David S.
CEO/Founder Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Vance W.
Julien V.
Développeur d'e-commerce Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Grant
Hansie
David K.
CEO Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Seif Ahmed
@seif588
Neu
@siddharthaneu
Irfan
@mak_web_media
Peter C
@peter_c1
Chandra Kusuma
Pepe
Arjun E.
José Manuel D.
Cristian Trappolini
Daniel Gyger
Nitesh Manav
Renaat Sioncke
Fran Tully
Proinsias M.
Gavin S.
Sara Hall
Mike Foston
Lukáš H.
Bikram K. S.
Chandra Kusuma
Pepe
Arjun E.
José Manuel D.