How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Tidio is the most practical start for small online stores, with a free plan and a paid plan from $29 per month.
- Intercom gives the strongest AI support quality, but its per seat price plus per outcome AI fees grow fast for small teams.
- Freshchat and Crisp offer good free plans for teams that want live chat and a bot in one inbox.
- ManyChat and Chatbase solve different jobs: social messages on one side, website answers from your own content on the other.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Tidio | Small online stores | $29 per month | Yes |
 Intercom | AI first support teams | $29 per seat/month | Free trial (14 days) |
 Zendesk | Teams already on Zendesk | $55 per agent/month | Free trial (14 days) |
 Freshchat | Freshworks users | $19 per agent/month | Yes |
 Crisp | Flat price small teams | See website | Yes |
 ManyChat | Instagram and Messenger | $15 per month | Yes |
 Chatbase | Website answers from your content | $40 per month | Free trial (14 days) |
 LiveChat | Live chat with bot add on | $19 per agent/month | Free trial (14 days) |
 HubSpot | CRM linked chat | See website | Yes |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best AI chatbot apps for small business
#1Tidio
Best for: Small online stores4.6/5 on
G2 (1,967 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit tidio.com
Starting price$29 per month
Free planYes
Tidio is built for the small store owner who answers the same questions every day: shipping times, returns, order status and product details. Its Lyro AI agent learns from your help pages and store content, and its visual builder lets a non technical owner set up flows for greetings, discounts and abandoned carts. The free plan lets a new store test live chat and basic automation before paying.
The price to watch is AI usage. The Starter plan is $29 per month, but Lyro conversations are charged in addition, so a busy store can pay more than the headline price. Even with that caveat, Tidio remains the easiest balance of price, setup speed and e-commerce features for a team of one to five people.
What we like- Free plan for small volumes
- Lyro AI trained on store content
- Strong Shopify and WooCommerce links
Watch out for- AI conversations are billed on top of the base plan
- Higher volumes need the Growth plan
#2Intercom
Best for: AI first support teams4.5/5 on
G2 (3,918 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit intercom.com
Starting price$29 per seat/month
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Intercom suits a small business that already gets enough support volume for AI to save real staff time. Fin, its AI agent, answers from your help centre and support content, hands over to a human with full context when it cannot help, and only charges an outcome fee when a conversation counts as resolved. The shared inbox, help centre and workflow tools mean a growing team does not need a second helpdesk soon.
Cost is the honest limit. Essential seats start at $29 per seat per month when billed annually, and Fin outcomes are $0.99 each on top. A solo founder with low volume will find Tidio or Crisp cheaper. A team with steady tickets and a clear help centre will get more value from Intercom, because each resolved conversation is one a human did not have to handle.
What we like- Fin AI agent resolves many routine questions
- Shared inbox, help centre and automation in one place
- Strong integrations
Watch out for- Seat fees plus $0.99 per Fin outcome add up
- Setup needs more care than a simple widget
Starting price$55 per agent/month
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Zendesk makes sense when a small business already uses Zendesk for tickets, or plans to grow into a full support operation. Its AI tools route tickets, summarise conversations and suggest replies, and the same inbox covers chat, email and social messages. That breadth helps a team that sells on several channels and needs one record of each customer.
For a team of one or two, Zendesk is often more than needed. The Suite Team plan starts at $55 per agent per month, and AI resolutions are billed separately in many plans. If you are not already on Zendesk, start with a lighter tool and move here only when ticket volume, reporting or channel range makes the price worth paying.
What we like- Full ticketing across chat, email and social
- AI routing, summaries and suggested replies
- Large integration range
Watch out for- Per agent price is high for tiny teams
- AI add ons increase the bill further
Starting price$19 per agent/month
Free planYes
Freshchat fits small teams that want a capable inbox without paying from day one. The free plan covers basic live chat for a small team, and paid plans from $19 per agent per month add more automation and reporting. Freddy, its AI assistant, can detect intent, answer common questions and hand over to a human with context.
The detail to check is AI billing. Freddy sessions carry a per session charge on top of seat fees in many plans, so a team should estimate monthly bot sessions before choosing a plan. For a business already using Freshdesk or other Freshworks tools, the shared data and single login make Freshchat an easy choice.
What we like- Free plan for up to 10 agents in its basic form
- Freddy AI for intent and handoff
- Web, WhatsApp and Instagram channels
Watch out for- Freddy sessions are billed separately
- Advanced automation sits on higher plans
#5Crisp
Best for: Flat price small teams4.5/5 on
G2 (205 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit crisp.chat
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
Crisp appeals to small teams that dislike per agent maths. Its pricing is per workspace rather than per seat on several plans, and its free plan covers two seats with live chat and a basic inbox. A built in knowledge base lets a bot answer from your own articles, and the inbox covers chat, email and social messages in one place.
AI is the limit. The more capable AI tools sit on higher plans, so a team that wants strong automation may pay more than the entry price suggests. Crisp is still a good pick for a team of two to four people who want a clean inbox, predictable pricing and a simple setup, without the weight of a full helpdesk.
What we like- Flat workspace pricing instead of per agent on many plans
- Free plan for two seats
- Built in knowledge base
Watch out for- AI features sit on higher priced plans
- Smaller integration range than Zendesk or Intercom
#6ManyChat
Best for: Instagram and Messenger4.5/5 on
G2 (165 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit manychat.com
Starting price$15 per month
Free planYes
ManyChat is not a website chatbot, and that distinction is the whole point. It automates Instagram direct messages, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp flows, including comment to DM campaigns, keyword replies and lead capture. For a small business that gets most enquiries from social media, it can answer instantly at hours when no staff member is online.
The free plan covers up to 1,000 contacts, and paid plans start at $15 per month. AI replies need an add on, and website visitors still need a separate chat tool such as Tidio or Crisp. Use ManyChat when social is your main channel. Do not buy it expecting it to replace a website support inbox.
What we like- Strong Instagram comment to DM and Messenger flows
- Free plan for up to 1,000 contacts
- Visual flow builder
Watch out for- No website live chat inbox
- AI features need a paid add on
- Social only, so website visitors need another tool
Starting price$40 per month
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Chatbase suits a small business that wants a website bot without building a full helpdesk. You connect your website, PDFs or help pages, and the bot answers visitor questions from that content in a small widget. Setup is fast, and the answers stay close to your own material instead of generic web knowledge.
The trade off is scope. Chatbase is an AI answer bot, not a full support system with ticketing, live agent routing and detailed reporting. Message limits on each plan also matter: a site with rising traffic can hit the limit and need a higher plan. For a brochure site, a course site or a small shop that needs instant answers, Chatbase is a focused and affordable choice.
What we like- Trains on your website, documents and help pages
- Simple website widget
- WhatsApp channel on some plans
Watch out for- AI only, with no full live chat depth
- Message limits can force an upgrade as traffic grows
#8LiveChat
Best for: Live chat with bot add on4.5/5 on
G2 (812 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit livechat.com
Starting price$19 per agent/month
Free planFree trial (14 days)
LiveChat is the pick for a team whose main job is answering chats well, with a bot as a helper rather than the whole system. Agents get a clean inbox, chat routing, canned replies and visitor details, and the separate ChatBot product can handle routine questions and hand over to humans. That split keeps live chat quality high while still automating the easy work.
Pricing needs care. LiveChat starts at $19 per agent per month, and the chatbot product is priced separately, so the combined cost is higher than the headline figure. There is a 14 day trial but no permanent free plan. For a team that lives in live chat, the quality justifies the price. For a team that mainly needs AI answers, Tidio or Chatbase will be cheaper.
What we like- Polished live chat inbox
- Fast agent tools and canned replies
- ChatBot product for automation
Watch out for- AI chatbot is a separate product with its own price
- No permanent free plan
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
HubSpot fits a small business that already uses HubSpot CRM, or plans to. Its free chat tools include basic bots that can greet visitors, ask qualifying questions and book meetings, and every conversation is saved against the contact record. That link between chat and CRM helps sales and support teams see the full customer story.
Advanced AI, deeper automation and reporting need paid Service Hub or other Hub plans, and prices rise with seats and features. HubSpot is not the cheapest chatbot alone. It earns its place when the CRM link matters: a visitor who chats today becomes a lead, a customer and a support ticket in one system, without manual copying between tools.
What we like- Free chat and bot tools linked to CRM records
- Visitor history in one place
- Strong marketing and sales links
Watch out for- Advanced AI and automation need paid Hubs
- Setup grows complex as HubSpot use grows
How we chose
We compared vendor pricing pages, plan comparisons and public reviews on G2, Capterra and Reddit, and we checked features, integrations, channel coverage and fit for teams of one to ten people. We kept tools that offer a real AI chatbot or AI agent, not just live chat with canned replies, and we noted where AI is billed separately from seats or base plans. Prices vary by billing period and by AI usage, so we used See website where a current vendor price could not be confirmed. No hands on testing is claimed, and small teams should trial a bot on their own help pages before committing to a yearly plan.
How to choose without overpaying
Count the cost in three parts
A chatbot bill often has three parts: seats or a base plan, AI usage per conversation or outcome, and add ons for channels or automation. Ask for all three before you compare headline prices. A $29 plan with expensive AI usage can cost more than a $55 plan with generous AI included.
Train the bot on your own pages first
A bot is only as good as its source material. Write or tidy help pages for shipping, returns, pricing, booking and order status before you launch. A bot trained on thin pages will guess, and guessed answers create more support work than no bot at all.
Set a clear handoff rule
Decide when the bot should hand over to a human: refund requests, complaints, account changes and anything involving money are good triggers. A fast handoff with full chat history keeps customers patient. A bot that loops through the same answer does the opposite.
Measure resolutions, not chats
Track how many conversations the bot resolves without staff help, how many need a handoff, and which questions fail most often. Fix the top three failed questions each month by improving the help page or the bot flow. That habit matters more than picking the most advanced tool on day one.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI chatbot app for small business?
It is a tool that answers customer questions on your website or social channels, using your help content and AI to handle routine enquiries. It hands complex cases to a human with the conversation history attached.
Do I still need staff for support?
Yes. A bot handles routine questions and out of hours enquiries, but refunds, complaints and complex cases still need people. The goal is fewer repetitive tickets, not zero staff.
How much should a small business pay?
A solo store can start free or at $15 to $29 per month. A team with steady tickets should budget for seats plus AI usage, and should trial the bot for a month before paying yearly.
Can a chatbot work on Instagram and a website?
Some tools cover both, but many are strong on one channel only. ManyChat leads on social, while Tidio, Intercom and Freshchat lead on website chat. Check channel coverage before you buy.
Will a chatbot answer from my own content?
Chatbase, Tidio Lyro and Intercom Fin all train on your website or help pages. Keep those pages current, because outdated pages produce outdated answers.
Is my customer data safe with a chatbot?
Check each vendor privacy page, data location and retention terms before you connect it to orders or accounts. Avoid sending payment details or sensitive personal data through a chatbot unless the vendor clearly supports that use.
Sources we checked (11)
- https://www.tidio.com/blog/chatbot-pricing/
- https://www.tidio.com/blog/live-chat-apps/
- https://toptoolspick.com/articles/intercom-pricing-helpdesk-seats-and-fin-per-outcome
- https://www.intercom.com
- https://www.zendesk.com
- https://www.freshworks.com
- https://crisp.chat
- https://www.manychat.com
- https://www.chatbase.co
- https://www.livechat.com
- https://www.hubspot.com
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.