10 Best Botpress Alternatives for Non-Developers (2026)

Ruben Buijs Ruben Buijs Jan 16, 2026 17 min read ChatGPT Claude
10 Best Botpress Alternatives for Non-Developers (2026)

Looking for Botpress alternatives that do not require coding skills? Botpress is powerful but demands developer time, has unpredictable pricing, and takes hours to configure. This guide covers 10 no-code tools we tested on a real website. We compared AI quality, channel support, pricing, and setup speed for non-technical teams.

Botpress Alternatives Compared

Software Starting Price AI Chatbot WhatsApp Channels Best For
Boei $14/mo Included Included 50+ Best overall value
Tidio Free / $29/mo $0.50/conv $59/mo extra ~10 E-commerce
Chatbase $40/mo Included Yes (via integration) 1 Simple AI chat
Crisp Free / $25/mo $95/mo plan $95/mo plan ~6 EU-based teams
Landbot $40/mo Pro plan $200+/mo 3 Visual flow builder
Chatfuel $14.39/mo Included Yes 3 social Social media
tawk.to Free $29/mo add-on No 1 Zero budget
Kommunicate $40/mo Included Yes ~5 Mobile SDK
Intercom $74/seat $0.99/resolution Higher plans 6 Enterprise
CustomGPT $89/mo Included No 2 Deep AI training

Top Botpress Alternative Picks

  • Best overall alternative: Boei, no-code setup, AI chatbot, 50+ channels, $14/month with AI
  • Best free option: tawk.to, free forever with unlimited agents, no AI but costs nothing
  • Best for e-commerce: Tidio, Shopify integration with visual chatbot builder
  • Best for enterprises: Intercom, mature platform with Fin AI, workflows, and help center

Why People Switch from Botpress

Botpress has real strengths, but four issues push non-developer teams toward alternatives.

1. Requires developer skills. Building and maintaining bots in Botpress needs coding knowledge. Custom actions, integrations, and debugging all assume JavaScript and API skills. Non-technical teams hit a wall quickly. Hiring a freelancer for every chatbot change is neither fast nor cheap.

2. Costs are hard to predict. After the free tier, Botpress pricing depends on messages, AI calls, and integration usage. There is no single monthly number you can budget for. A product launch that doubles your traffic can double your bill too.

3. Complex setup and maintenance. Configuring Botpress properly takes a lot of time. You need to set up knowledge bases, build conversation flows, and configure channel integrations. Updating the bot when your product changes means going back into the builder. Plug-and-play alternatives handle much of this automatically.

4. Self-hosting adds work. Botpress offers self-hosting as an advantage, and for some teams it is. But managing servers, handling updates, and securing the setup adds overhead. Most small and mid-size teams prefer a hosted solution.

10 Best Botpress Alternatives (Reviewed)

1. Boei - Best for No-Code Omnichannel

Botpress is powerful but demands developer time. Boei takes the opposite approach: zero code, five-minute setup, and a ready-to-go widget with AI and 50+ channels. Non-technical teams get the same result — an AI chatbot answering visitor questions — without writing a single line of code or configuring a single API. You paste one snippet on your website, and the AI automatically crawls your pages.

Boei dashboard

The AI chatbot trains itself on your website content without any manual setup. There are no flows to build, no prompts to engineer, and no models to select. It reads your pages and answers visitor questions based on what it finds. When the AI cannot answer, visitors pick another channel from the same widget. The entire setup takes about five minutes. Pricing starts at $8/month for the widget, plus $6/month for the AI chatbot add-on.

  1. No-code setup in 5 minutes. Paste one code snippet, and the AI crawls your website automatically. No developer needed, no flow building, no prompt engineering

  2. $14/month with AI vs unpredictable Botpress costs. The $8/month base includes WhatsApp, forms, phone, and 50+ channels. Add AI for $6/month. Traffic spikes do not change your bill

  3. 50+ channels in one widget. WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, phone, email, contact forms, FAQ widgets, Telegram, Signal, Viber, and more. Botpress requires custom integration code for each channel

  4. API is new and limited. Boei recently added API access for workflow integrations, but it is less mature than Botpress's fully open platform. Developers who want deep code-level chatbot control will find Botpress more flexible

  5. Less AI model control. Users can choose which AI model to use in advanced settings, but Botpress gives developers finer-grained model selection and configuration across GPT-5, Claude, and other providers

Best for: Non-technical teams wanting AI chat and omnichannel support without developer dependency.

Pricing: $8/month per domain (widget + inbox + contacts + analytics). $6/month AI chatbot add-on (2,000 replies). $6/month per live chat agent. Annual plan. 7-day free trial, no credit card.

Try Boei Free

Compare Boei vs Botpress in detail ->


2. Tidio - Best for E-Commerce

Tidio has become the default chat solution for Shopify and WooCommerce stores. It earns that position with deep e-commerce integrations. The chatbot can pull product data into conversations and trigger abandoned cart sequences. The visual flow builder makes it easy to create these automations without code.

Tidio dashboard

Tidio offers a free plan with basic live chat and simple chatbot flows. Paid plans start at $29/month and add advanced triggers, analytics, and visitor segmentation. Lyro, Tidio's AI assistant, costs $0.50 per conversation on top of your plan. Adding WhatsApp requires a separate $59/month add-on. A realistic Tidio setup for a mid-size store can easily reach $100 to $150 per month.

  1. Deep Shopify and WooCommerce integration. Tidio connects directly to your store. The chatbot pulls in product cards, checks order status, and triggers cart-based automations

  2. Visual chatbot flow builder. Build conversation flows by dragging and dropping blocks. No coding needed. You can create abandoned cart recovery sequences and support flows in minutes

  3. Generous free plan. The free tier includes live chat and basic chatbot features. Small stores can test Tidio without any cost and upgrade when they need AI

  4. Lyro AI adds up quickly. At $0.50 per AI conversation, a store handling 200 AI chats per month pays $100 just for the AI layer

  5. WhatsApp costs $59/month extra. For businesses where WhatsApp is the main channel, this add-on cost is a big recurring expense

Best for: Shopify and WooCommerce stores that want AI chat with product recommendations and automated cart recovery.

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid from $29/month. Lyro AI is $0.50/conversation extra. WhatsApp is $59/month extra.

Visit Tidio


3. Chatbase - Best for Simple AI Chat

Chatbase takes the simplest possible approach to building an AI chatbot. Upload your documents or paste your website URL, and Chatbase creates a conversational AI that answers questions based on your content. There are no flows to build, no integrations to configure, and no code to write.

Chatbase dashboard

The trade-off is that Chatbase is primarily a chat widget. WhatsApp is available via integration, but there are no contact forms, phone callbacks, or other channels. Plans come with a fixed number of message credits per month. High-traffic sites can burn through them quickly. But for teams that only need an AI answering visitor questions, Chatbase does one thing well.

  1. Upload and go. Paste a URL, upload a PDF, or connect a knowledge base. Chatbase builds the chatbot automatically in under 10 minutes

  2. AI model selection. Choose which model powers your chatbot and customize the system prompt. You get more AI control than most no-code tools

  3. Clean training interface. Review conversations, improve answers, and expand the knowledge base through a simple dashboard

  4. Chat-focused with limited channels. Chatbase gives you one widget on your website. WhatsApp is available via integration, but visitors wanting a phone call or a contact form are out of luck

  5. Message credits limit usage. Plans come with a set number of messages per month. During busy periods, you either pay overage fees or your chatbot stops responding

Best for: Teams that want a simple AI chatbot trained on their content without needing multi-channel support or live chat.

Pricing: $40/month, $99/month (Standard), $399/month (Unlimited).

Visit Chatbase


4. Crisp - Best for EU-Based Teams

Crisp is a French-built customer messaging platform with a loyal following among European businesses. The platform offers EU data hosting, strong GDPR compliance, and a clean interface. The free plan includes two seats and basic live chat.

Crisp dashboard

Where Crisp stands out is its built-in knowledge base and EU data residency. For companies that handle sensitive customer data, keeping data on European servers matters. The knowledge base is included in the Pro plan at $25/month. AI features require the Unlimited plan at $95/month. That is a steep jump that puts it out of reach for smaller teams.

  1. EU-hosted with strong privacy. Data stays in Europe. For companies dealing with GDPR requirements, Crisp removes the compliance headache of US-hosted alternatives. Boei also hosts on EU servers (Amsterdam) with full GDPR compliance, so Crisp is not the only EU-friendly option on this list

  2. Knowledge base included. The Pro plan at $25/month includes a help center you can embed on your site. Botpress does not offer a native knowledge base

  3. Decent free tier. Two seats and basic live chat for free. Small teams and freelancers can get started without any cost

  4. AI requires the $95/month plan. Crisp's AI features are locked behind the Unlimited plan. That makes Crisp's AI more expensive than most alternatives on this list

  5. Limited channel support. Crisp covers live chat, email, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp on the Unlimited plan. You will not find Telegram, Signal, Viber, or SMS

Best for: EU-based teams that prioritize data privacy, GDPR compliance, and need a solid built-in knowledge base.

Pricing: Free for basic use, $25/month for Pro, $95/month for Unlimited with AI and WhatsApp.

Visit Crisp


5. Landbot - Best for Visual Flow Building

Landbot is the most visual chatbot builder on this list. If you miss the flow-building aspect of Botpress but do not want to write code, Landbot gives you a drag-and-drop canvas. You connect conversation nodes, add conditions, and build complex logic without touching JavaScript.

Landbot dashboard

The platform supports website chat and WhatsApp. However, WhatsApp automation comes at a big premium. Plans start at $40/month for the website builder, but WhatsApp flows need a separate plan starting at $200/month or more. Building full flows takes time. You are trading coding complexity for visual complexity.

  1. Drag-and-drop conversation builder. Build entire chatbot flows visually. Each node is a step in the conversation. You connect them with conditions and logic branches

  2. Conversational forms. Replace static web forms with chat-style interactions. Lead qualification, surveys, and onboarding flows feel more engaging as conversations

  3. WhatsApp flow automation. Landbot offers dedicated WhatsApp conversation building for lead nurturing, appointment booking, and customer support

  4. WhatsApp is expensive. WhatsApp plans start at $200/month or more. That is a big cost compared to alternatives that include WhatsApp in their base pricing

  5. Flows take time to build. The visual builder is powerful, but building a full chatbot with multiple branches takes hours or days

Best for: Marketing teams that want to build sophisticated conversation flows and conversational forms without writing code.

Pricing: $40/month (Starter). WhatsApp plans from $200+/month.

Visit Landbot


6. Chatfuel - Best for Social Media

Chatfuel is built for where social media conversations happen: Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. If your audience lives on social platforms and you want to automate replies, Chatfuel is purpose-built for that.

Chatfuel dashboard

The platform includes AI in its base plan at $14.39/month. The AI is tuned for the casual, fast-paced tone of social media. Responses feel natural in a DM context rather than corporate. The limitation is that Chatfuel does not offer a website chat widget. If you need a chatbot on your website alongside social automation, you will need a separate tool.

  1. Instagram and Messenger automation. Chatfuel automatically responds to Instagram DMs, story mentions, and comments. It handles Messenger flows for lead capture and customer support

  2. Social-first AI. The AI is trained for conversational social media tone. Responses feel natural in a DM context

  3. WhatsApp included. Unlike many competitors that charge extra for WhatsApp, Chatfuel includes WhatsApp automation in its plans

  4. No website chat widget. Chatfuel focuses on social platforms only. If you need a chatbot on your website, you will need a second tool

  5. Per-conversation pricing at scale. Beyond the base plan, costs scale with conversation volume. Viral campaigns can push monthly costs higher than expected

Best for: Brands and creators that want to automate Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp conversations.

Pricing: $14.39/month (Business). Enterprise plans available.

Visit Chatfuel


7. tawk.to - Best for Zero Budget

tawk.to is the rare communication tool that is genuinely, completely free. There is no trial period, no conversation limit, and no cap on agents. The business model relies on optional paid services. You can hire chat agents at $1/hour, remove branding for $19/month, or add AI Assist for $29/month.

tawk.to dashboard

If your only need is a live chat widget with real-time visitor monitoring and a team inbox, tawk.to delivers without asking for a credit card. The mobile apps work well and the dashboard is functional. What it does not offer is AI automation, WhatsApp, or any channels beyond the chat widget.

  1. Genuinely free forever. Unlimited agents, unlimited chats, no conversation caps, no trial expiration. The free plan is the real product

  2. Unlimited agents at no cost. Whether you have 2 agents or 20, the price stays at zero. Botpress has usage limits, but tawk.to has none for live chat

  3. Solid mobile apps. The iOS and Android apps are well-maintained and let agents respond on the go

  4. No AI built in. tawk.to does not include an AI chatbot. The AI Assist add-on costs $29/month and does not match purpose-built AI tools

  5. No channels beyond live chat. There is no WhatsApp, no Instagram DM, no Telegram, and no contact forms. Teams needing multi-channel support will need additional tools

Best for: Teams with zero budget that only need basic live chat on their website.

Pricing: Free. Optional add-ons: branding removal ($19/month), AI Assist ($29/month), hired agents ($1/hour).

Visit tawk.to


8. Kommunicate - Best for Mobile SDK

Kommunicate stands out for one specific strength: native mobile SDKs. If you are building a mobile app and need an AI chatbot inside it, Kommunicate offers polished SDKs for iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter.

Kommunicate dashboard

Beyond mobile, Kommunicate supports about five channels including website chat, WhatsApp, and a couple of social platforms. The AI chatbot includes human-handoff, meaning conversations transfer smoothly to a human agent when the bot cannot answer. It also integrates with Dialogflow, IBM Watson, and Amazon Lex.

  1. Native mobile SDKs. iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter SDKs that deliver a polished chatbot experience inside your app

  2. Human-AI handoff. When the AI cannot answer, Kommunicate transfers the conversation to a human agent with full context

  3. Bot framework integration. Connect existing bots from Dialogflow, IBM Watson, or Amazon Lex. If you already built a bot elsewhere, Kommunicate acts as the deployment layer

  4. Limited channel variety. Kommunicate covers about five channels. Teams needing 10 or more will find it limiting compared to Boei's 50+

  5. Higher starting price for less AI depth. At $40/month, Kommunicate costs more than Chatbase and Boei while offering fewer AI options

Best for: App developers who need an AI chatbot with native mobile SDKs and smooth human-agent handoff.

Pricing: $40/month (Lite). Higher tiers for more agents and features.

Visit Kommunicate


9. Intercom - Best for Enterprise Support

Intercom is the heavyweight of customer communication. Its AI assistant, Fin, resolves support tickets automatically by pulling from your help center articles and previous conversations. The platform includes a help center, advanced workflow automation, and a team inbox with smart routing.

Intercom dashboard

The trade-off is cost and complexity. Intercom starts at $74 per seat per month, and Fin AI charges $0.99 per resolution. A team of five agents handling 500 AI resolutions per month pays $865/month. Setup takes days or weeks, not minutes.

  1. Fin AI is genuinely impressive. Fin resolves complex questions by pulling from multiple knowledge sources. It handles multi-step conversations and knows when to escalate

  2. Complete help center. A full knowledge base with articles, categories, and search built into the same platform as your chat

  3. Enterprise-grade workflows. Custom bots, advanced routing rules, SLA tracking, and detailed reporting

  4. Expensive for small teams. Going from Botpress's free tier to Intercom's $74/seat plan is a dramatic budget increase

  5. Weeks of setup required. Intercom is not a plug-and-play widget. Configuring workflows and populating the help center takes real time

Best for: Enterprise teams with large support operations that need advanced AI resolution, workflow automation, and a complete help center.

Pricing: $74/seat/month. Fin AI costs $0.99 per resolution on top.

Visit Intercom


10. CustomGPT - Best for Deep AI Training

CustomGPT focuses entirely on building the highest-quality AI chatbot possible. If your priority is AI accuracy, source citations, and deep document training, CustomGPT goes further than most. You can upload thousands of pages of PDFs, spreadsheets, and documents.

CustomGPT dashboard

You select which GPT model powers your chatbot. Responses include clickable source citations that let users verify every answer. The starting price of $89/month is much higher than most alternatives. But the AI quality reflects that investment. It does not support WhatsApp, contact forms, or phone. It is a website chatbot and API focused on doing AI well.

  1. GPT-5 model selection. Choose which OpenAI model powers your chatbot. Pick GPT-5 for maximum accuracy or GPT-4o mini for faster, cheaper responses

  2. Deep document training. Upload thousands of pages of documentation, PDFs, and spreadsheets. CustomGPT indexes everything and answers questions with source citations

  3. Source citations in every response. Every answer includes a link back to the specific source document. For legal, medical, or technical use cases, this feature alone can justify the price

  4. No WhatsApp or other channels. CustomGPT is a chat widget and API only. If you need WhatsApp, forms, or social channels, you will need additional tools

  5. Expensive starting price. At $89/month, CustomGPT costs more than most alternatives on this list. The quality is higher, but the budget impact is real

Best for: Companies that need the highest-quality AI responses with source citations and document training.

Pricing: $89/month (Standard), $449/month (Premium). No free plan.

Visit CustomGPT

How We Tested

We installed each tool on a test website with 50 pages of content. We evaluated them across five criteria over a one-week testing period.

  • Setup time - how long from signup to a working chatbot, measured by a non-technical team member
  • AI response quality - 20 test questions on product info, pricing, and support topics, scored for accuracy
  • Channel support - which channels are included in the base plan and which cost extra
  • Pricing transparency - whether actual monthly cost matched the advertised starting price
  • Ease of use - could a marketing manager or support lead manage the tool without calling a developer

We signed up for each tool's free trial or free plan where available. We used each for at least one full week before writing our review. Pricing was verified against each tool's public pricing page as of February 2026.

Botpress Alternatives FAQ

What is the cheapest Botpress alternative?

tawk.to is completely free but does not include AI. For a paid alternative with AI, Boei at $14/month is the cheapest option. That is $8/month for the widget plus $6/month for the AI chatbot add-on. Chatfuel starts at $14.39/month with AI for social channels.

Can I build chatbots without coding using these alternatives?

Yes. Boei, Tidio, Chatbase, Landbot, and Chatfuel all offer no-code setup. Boei auto-trains on your website content with zero configuration. Landbot has a visual drag-and-drop builder for complex flows. Chatbase lets you upload documents or paste a URL.

What can Botpress do that alternatives cannot?

Botpress offers open-source code access, multi-model AI selection (GPT-5, Claude, and others), and self-hosting for full data control. For development teams that want to own every aspect of their chatbot, Botpress provides control that no-code alternatives cannot match. The question is whether your team has the skills and time to use that control.

Is Botpress really free?

Botpress has a free tier with a generous number of messages and AI calls for testing. Once you exceed those limits, pricing switches to pay-per-use based on messages, AI calls, and integrations. The actual monthly cost depends on your volume.

Which alternative supports the most channels?

Boei leads with 50+ communication channels from a single widget. This includes WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM, Telegram, Signal, Viber, phone, SMS, email, and contact forms. The runner-up is Tidio with roughly 10 channels, though several need add-on fees.

Botpress Alternatives Cost Comparison

Pricing matters when switching from Botpress's unpredictable pay-per-use model. Here is what each alternative actually costs per month with AI enabled.

Tool Base Price AI Cost WhatsApp Cost Realistic Monthly Total
Boei $8/mo +$6/mo Included $14/mo
Tidio $29/mo $0.50/conv +$59/mo $100-150/mo
Chatbase $40/mo Included N/A $40/mo
Crisp $95/mo (for AI) Included Included $95/mo
Landbot $40/mo Pro plan +$200/mo $240+/mo
Chatfuel $14.39/mo Included Included $14.39/mo
tawk.to Free +$29/mo N/A $29/mo
Kommunicate $40/mo Included Included $40/mo
Intercom $74/seat $0.99/res Higher plans $370+/mo
CustomGPT $89/mo Included N/A $89/mo

The Bottom Line

Botpress is a powerful platform for development teams that want full control over their chatbot. The open-source codebase, multi-model AI support, and self-hosting options are real advantages.

But most businesses are not looking for a developer tool. They want something that works in minutes, costs a predictable amount each month, and lets their team manage conversations without writing code.

If you want the widest channel coverage at a fixed price, compare Boei vs Botpress side by side. If you need deep e-commerce integration, Tidio is the strongest choice. If you are running a large support operation, Intercom is the established enterprise solution.

Ready to try an alternative? Start with Boei free. Setup takes five minutes, no developer required.


Ruben Buijs

Article by

Ruben Buijs

Ruben is the founder of Boei, with 12+ years of experience in conversion optimization. Former IT consultant at Ernst & Young and Accenture, where he helped product teams at Shell, ING, Rabobank, Aegon, NN, and AirFrance/KLM optimize their digital experiences. Now building tools to help businesses convert more website visitors into customers.

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