Looking for Chatbase alternatives that go beyond a basic AI chatbot? Chatbase works well for AI chat and recently added WhatsApp via integration, but it still lacks contact forms, phone callbacks, and other channels visitors expect. Credits also run out on busy months.
This guide covers 10 alternatives we tested on price, AI quality, channel support, and ease of setup.
| Software | Starting Price | AI Chatbot | Channels | Best For | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boei | $14/mo with AI | Included | Included | 50+ | Best overall value |
| Botpress | Free / pay-per-use | Included | Requires setup | 10+ | Developers |
| CustomGPT | $89/mo | Included | No | 2 | Deep AI customization |
| Tidio | Free / $29/mo | $0.50/conv | $59/mo extra | ~10 | E-commerce |
| Kommunicate | $40/mo | Included | Yes | ~5 | Mobile SDK |
| Landbot | $40/mo | Pro plan | $200+/mo | 3 | Visual flow builder |
| Intercom | $74/seat | $0.99/resolution | Higher plans | 6 | Enterprise |
| Chatfuel | $14.39/mo | Included | Yes | 3 social | Social media automation |
| Drift (Salesloft) | $2,500/mo | Add-on | No | 3 | Enterprise sales |
| SiteGPT | $29/mo | Included | No | 1 | Simple AI chat |
Before diving into alternatives, here are the four reasons we see most often:
1. Limited channels mean missed conversations. Chatbase gives you a chat widget and WhatsApp (via integration), but no contact forms, phone callbacks, or social channels. If a visitor wants to fill out a form or call you, they have no option. Alternatives like Boei offer 50+ channels from the same widget.
2. Message credits run out. Chatbase plans come with a fixed number of message credits per month. On busy months like a product launch or seasonal spike, you either pay overage fees or your chatbot stops responding.
3. Technical setup for non-developers. Chatbase is simpler than building from scratch. But training the AI on your content still requires uploading documents, tweaking prompts, and testing responses. Some alternatives auto-train on your live website with zero setup.
4. No lead capture forms. A chatbot can answer questions, but it cannot replace a contact form, a feedback survey, or a newsletter signup. Many teams need both, and Chatbase does not offer form-based lead capture.
Chatbase does AI chat well, but that is all it does. Boei wraps an AI chatbot inside a widget that also offers 50+ contact channels — WhatsApp, contact forms, call-me-back buttons, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM, email, phone, and dozens more. For teams that need more than a single chat bubble, it fills every gap Chatbase leaves open.
The AI chatbot trains on your website content, PDFs, Excel files, and PowerPoint docs. You do not need to write prompts. It reads your content and answers visitor questions based on what it finds. When the AI cannot help, visitors pick another channel from the same widget.
Omnichannel from day one. Where Chatbase gives you one channel, Boei gives you 50+. WhatsApp, forms, phone, social media, and the AI chatbot all live in a single button. Visitors choose how they want to reach you
Simple pricing. $8/month gets you the widget, inbox, contacts, and analytics. Add the AI chatbot for $6/month (2,000 replies included). That is $14/month with AI. No message credits, no per-conversation fees
Auto-trains on your content. Point it at your site and the AI learns automatically. It also supports PDFs, Excel, and PowerPoint uploads. No prompt engineering needed
Less AI customization than Chatbase. You cannot select specific AI models or fine-tune the chatbot's personality in detail. If deep AI control matters more than channels, Chatbase has the edge
Smaller ecosystem. Chatbase and tools like Intercom have larger communities and more third-party guides. Boei is newer and growing
Best for: Teams that want AI chat plus WhatsApp, forms, and phone in one widget.
Pricing: $8/month per domain (widget + inbox + contacts + analytics). $6/month AI chatbot add-on with 2,000 replies. $6/month per live chat agent. Annual plan. 7-day free trial, no credit card.
Compare Boei vs Chatbase in detail
Botpress is an open-source chatbot platform that gives developers full control over their AI bots. You can choose between multiple AI models, build complex conversation flows, and deploy across several channels. The free tier is genuinely useful. But costs can be hard to predict once you scale.
Open-source and fully customizable. Botpress gives you access to the underlying code. You can modify how the AI works, build custom integrations, and host it yourself
Multi-model AI support. Unlike Chatbase, which ties you to OpenAI, Botpress lets you pick GPT-5, Claude, and other models
Generous free tier. You can build and test bots without paying. The free plan includes enough messages to validate your use case
Steep learning curve. Botpress is built for developers. If you lack coding experience, you will struggle compared to Chatbase's upload-and-go approach
Unpredictable costs at scale. Once you outgrow the free tier, pricing depends on usage. A viral moment or traffic spike can create a surprise bill
Best for: Development teams that want full control over their AI chatbot and are comfortable with code.
Pricing: Free tier available. Pay-per-use beyond that, based on messages and AI calls.
CustomGPT focuses entirely on building the smartest possible AI chatbot. If your priority is AI quality over channel variety, CustomGPT goes deeper than Chatbase with model selection, document training, and source citations.
GPT-5 model selection. Choose which OpenAI model powers your chatbot. Pick GPT-5 for accuracy on complex questions or GPT-4o mini for faster, cheaper responses
Document and PDF training. Upload thousands of pages of documentation, PDFs, and spreadsheets. CustomGPT indexes them and answers questions with proper source citations
Source citations in responses. Every answer includes a link back to the source document. This builds trust and makes it easy to verify the AI's responses
Expensive plans. Starting at $89/month and going up to $449/month, CustomGPT costs much more than Chatbase
No WhatsApp or other channels. Like Chatbase, CustomGPT is chat-widget-only. If you need WhatsApp, forms, or phone support, you will need extra tools
Best for: Companies that need the highest-quality AI responses with source citations and are willing to pay for it.
Pricing: $89/month (Standard), $449/month (Premium). No free plan.
Tidio has become the go-to chat solution for Shopify and e-commerce stores. It combines a visual chatbot builder with Lyro, its AI assistant. It also integrates well with tools online stores already use.
Deep Shopify integration. Tidio connects to your Shopify store directly. The chatbot can check order status, recommend products, and answer questions using your catalog data
Visual chatbot builder. Build conversation flows by dragging and dropping blocks. No coding needed. You can create abandoned cart sequences, welcome messages, and support flows in minutes
Useful free plan. The free tier includes live chat and basic chatbot features. You can test it without any cost
Lyro AI costs extra. Tidio's AI assistant costs $0.50 per conversation on top of your plan. On a store with hundreds of daily visitors, those costs add up fast
Limited channel support. Tidio covers live chat, email, and Instagram. But it does not match omnichannel tools. WhatsApp requires a $59/month add-on
Best for: Shopify and e-commerce stores that want AI chat with product recommendations and order tracking.
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans from $29/month. Lyro AI is $0.50 per conversation extra.
Kommunicate stands out for its native mobile SDKs. If you are building a mobile app and need an AI chatbot inside it, Kommunicate makes that simple with iOS, Android, and Flutter SDKs.
Native mobile SDKs. Kommunicate offers polished SDKs for iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter. The chatbot feels native inside your app, not like a web view on a mobile screen
Human-AI handoff. When the AI cannot answer, Kommunicate transfers the conversation to a human agent with full context. The visitor does not need to repeat themselves
Bot framework integration. Connect existing bots from Dialogflow, IBM Watson, or Amazon Lex. If you already use a bot framework, Kommunicate acts as the front-end layer
Limited channel variety. Kommunicate covers about five channels. Teams needing 10+ channels will find it limiting
Higher starting price. At $40/month, Kommunicate costs more than Chatbase's entry plan while offering fewer AI features. The value is in the mobile SDKs, not the AI depth
Best for: App developers who need an AI chatbot with native mobile SDKs and human handoff.
Pricing: $40/month (Lite). Higher tiers for more agents and features.
Landbot turns chatbot building into a visual experience. Its drag-and-drop flow builder lets you create conversation trees, conditional logic, and integrations without code. It is strong at conversational forms, replacing traditional forms with chat-style interactions.
Drag-and-drop conversation builder. Build entire chatbot flows visually. Each node is a step in the conversation. You connect them with conditions, variables, and logic branches
Conversational forms. Replace boring web forms with chat-style experiences. Lead qualification, surveys, and onboarding flows feel more engaging as a conversation
WhatsApp flow automation. Landbot offers dedicated WhatsApp flow building. You can create automated sequences for lead nurturing, appointment booking, and support
WhatsApp is expensive. While Landbot supports WhatsApp, those plans start at $200+/month. That puts it out of reach for smaller teams
Flows take time to build. The visual builder is powerful, but building a full chatbot with branches and conditions takes hours or days. Chatbase's upload-and-go approach is faster for simple AI chat
Best for: Marketing teams that want to build conversation flows and conversational forms without code.
Pricing: $40/month (Starter). WhatsApp plans from $200+/month.
Intercom is the heavyweight of customer communication. Its AI assistant Fin resolves support tickets automatically. The platform includes help center, workflows, product tours, and team inbox. It is the most complete solution on this list, and the most complex to set up.
Fin AI is genuinely good. Intercom's AI resolves a solid share of support tickets without human help. It trains on your help center articles and past conversations, improving over time
Enterprise-grade workflows. Build automation rules that route conversations, assign agents, and trigger actions in external tools. No other tool on this list matches this depth
Built-in help center. Intercom includes a full knowledge base that both your customers and the AI use. Changes to articles improve AI responses right away
Expensive and unpredictable. $74 per seat per month, plus $0.99 per AI resolution. A team of five agents handling 1,000 AI resolutions per month pays $1,360/month
Weeks of setup time. Intercom is not a tool you install in 10 minutes. Expect weeks of configuration, content migration, and team training
Best for: Companies with dedicated support teams that need a full customer communication platform.
Pricing: $74/seat/month. Fin AI costs $0.99 per resolution. Annual contracts available.
Chatfuel focuses on where social conversations happen: Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. If your audience lives on social platforms and you want to automate DMs, comments, and story replies, Chatfuel is built for that.
Instagram automation. Chatfuel responds to Instagram DMs, story mentions, and comments automatically. It handles the interactions that eat up community managers' time
Facebook Messenger flows. Build automated sequences inside Messenger for lead capture, product recommendations, and support. Facebook is still the largest messaging platform for many businesses
Social-first AI. The AI is trained for the casual, fast-paced tone of social media. Responses feel natural in a DM context, less formal than traditional support chat
Social platforms only. Chatfuel does not offer a website chat widget. If you need a chatbot on your website, you will need a separate tool
Per-conversation pricing. Beyond the base plan, costs scale with conversation volume. Campaigns or viral moments can make monthly bills climb fast
Best for: Brands and creators that want to automate Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp conversations.
Pricing: $14.39/month (Business). Enterprise plans available.
Drift (now part of Salesloft) is built for B2B sales teams that want to turn website visitors into qualified meetings. It combines AI chat with account-based marketing, Salesforce integration, and revenue intelligence. The price tag matches the enterprise audience.
Account-based marketing features. Drift identifies which companies visit your website and shows them personalized chat. High-value prospects see different messages than anonymous visitors
Deep Salesforce integration. Conversations, meetings, and lead data sync into Salesforce directly. Sales reps see the full conversation history inside their CRM
$2,500/month minimum. Drift's pricing puts it out of reach for small and mid-size businesses. This is a tool for companies with enterprise budgets
No self-serve signup. You cannot try Drift without talking to their sales team. The onboarding process takes weeks before you see results
Best for: B2B sales organizations with enterprise budgets that want AI-powered lead qualification and ABM features.
Pricing: Starting at $2,500/month. Annual contracts required. No free trial.
SiteGPT is the closest alternative to Chatbase in approach. It trains an AI chatbot on your website content and gives you a chat widget. No extra channels, no complex workflows. Just a simple AI that answers questions about your business.
Simple setup process. Enter your website URL, wait for the AI to crawl your pages, and embed the widget. The entire process takes under 10 minutes
Trains on your live website. SiteGPT reads your actual web pages to build its knowledge base. When you update your site, you can retrain the AI with one click
Chat-only, like Chatbase. SiteGPT does not add WhatsApp, forms, or other channels. If chat-only is the reason you are leaving Chatbase, SiteGPT has the same limit
Limited features and integrations. As a newer platform, SiteGPT has fewer integrations, customization options, and analytics than more established tools
Best for: Small businesses that want a simple AI chatbot trained on their website, and find Chatbase too complex or expensive.
Pricing: $29/month (Starter). Higher tiers for more pages and messages.
We installed each tool on a test website with 50 pages of content. For every alternative, we measured:
We signed up for each tool's free trial or free plan where available. We used it for at least one week before writing our review.
Botpress offers a free tier with AI chatbot features. That makes it the cheapest option if you have development skills. For non-technical users, Boei at $14/month with AI is the most affordable paid option without per-message charges. Tidio also has a free plan, but its AI feature (Lyro) costs $0.50 per conversation extra.
Yes. Boei, SiteGPT, Tidio, and Botpress can all train on your website content. Boei and SiteGPT do this automatically. You provide your URL and the AI crawls your pages. CustomGPT goes further by letting you upload PDFs, documents, and spreadsheets on top of website content.
Chatbase excels at AI chatbot customization. You can select specific AI models, upload various document types for training, and customize the chatbot's personality with detailed prompts. If your only need is the smartest possible AI chat widget with fine-tuned control, Chatbase remains a strong choice. The alternatives trade some AI depth for broader channel support, simpler pricing, or specialized features.
Most alternatives on this list require zero coding. Boei, Tidio, SiteGPT, Chatfuel, and Landbot all offer visual setup with copy-paste installation. The exceptions are Botpress (built for developers), Drift (requires implementation support), and Intercom (complex setup). Kommunicate falls in the middle. Basic setup is no-code, but using the mobile SDKs requires development work.
Boei leads with 50+ channels from a single widget. That includes WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, phone, email, contact forms, and many more. The runner-up is Botpress with 10+ channels, though most need custom setup. Tidio and Intercom offer around 6-10 channels each, but some come with extra costs.
Chatbase is a good tool for what it does: building AI chatbots. But if you need more than chat, you are patching together multiple tools and paying for each one.
For most teams, the best Chatbase alternative depends on what you need beyond AI chat. If you want the widest channel coverage at a clear price, Boei is worth a look. If you need developer-level control, try Botpress. If you are running an enterprise support team, Intercom is the established choice.
The common thread among all these alternatives? Customer conversations happen across many channels, not just one chat widget. Whichever tool you pick, make sure it covers the channels your visitors actually use.
Ready to try an alternative? Start with Boei free and see how 50+ channels compare to chat-only.
Article by
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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