Chatbase Alternatives: 10 AI Chatbots Compared

If you want an AI chatbot for your website that answers from your own content, the realistic Chatbase alternatives are Botpress, Chatling, CustomGPT.ai, SiteGPT, Tidio Lyro, Crisp, Voiceflow, and the helpdesk-native agents from Intercom and Zendesk. They differ on four things that matter more than the model underneath: whether there's a free plan, how you're billed, how well the bot hands off to a human, and what the vendor says about your data.

Chatbase is the tool most people mean when they say "train a chatbot on your data." It now describes itself as "conversational agents for customer experience" running across chat, email and voice, and its own blog frames the shift as a move from chatbots to AI agents. Its pricing page lists a free plan with message credits, paid plans with larger monthly credit allowances, auto-recharge, and a custom Enterprise tier. Its site lists GDPR, SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA, and says your data is not used to train models. It's a good product, so the reasons to look elsewhere are specific, and the table below is organised around them.

Quick comparison

What "train a chatbot on your data" actually means

Almost every tool here does the same thing underneath. You point it at a website, a help centre or some documents. It indexes that content, and when a visitor asks something, it retrieves the relevant passages and has a language model write an answer from them. A "custom ChatGPT for your website" is that, embedded on your site, not a GPT living inside ChatGPT.

That design reduces made-up answers, since the model is steered to your content, but it doesn't remove them. If your pages are out of date, contradictory or missing the answer, the bot will confidently reflect that. Plan on spending more time on the content than on the vendor choice.

If you want a free option

Several tools have a free plan, but they differ in what happens after you build something.

• Chatbase has a free plan with a monthly message-credit allowance. Its pricing page also says AI agents on the free plan are deleted after 14 days of inactivity, so a free agent you forget about disappears.
• Chatling advertises a free plan with no credit card required and uses AI credits that vary with the model.
• Botpress has a free plan that includes a conversation allowance and says there are no top-ups or overages on it.
• Tidio advertises a free plan for its live chat product, and Lyro is billed separately.

Free plans are best for proving the bot answers your top questions correctly. They're rarely the plan you'll run in production.

Alternatives, one by one

Botpress

Botpress calls itself "the AI-native customer support platform" and pitches agents that take actions such as refunds and account updates, not only answer questions. Where it beats Chatbase: action-taking workflows, and the option of a code-level project, since the botpress/botpress repository is under the MIT licence. Its README refers to Botpress Cloud and says on-premise v12 has a separate repository, so check which product the repo covers before assuming you can self-host the current one. Its pricing page describes a conversation allowance plus AI usage, which you pay at cost once you pass what a plan includes. Where it's weaker: more setup than a paste-your-URL tool. Best for teams with someone who'll own workflows.

If you're comparing "chatbase vs botpress" directly: Chatbase leans on its shared helpdesk and channels, while Botpress leans on agents that run actions and on a code-level project.

Chatling

Chatling describes itself as an AI support platform "built for resolution, not deflection." It syncs data from multiple sources, deploys on the web, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and Messenger, and hands conversations to your team with context. It's the easy pick for a small team that wants to start on a free plan. Check that its actions and integrations cover what you need before you commit.

CustomGPT.ai

CustomGPT.ai builds agents from your content and says every response links back to its source. Its site also states that it will never use your data to train any LLM and lists SOC 2 and GDPR badges. It makes strong accuracy claims; treat those as the vendor's marketing and test with your own questions. Its pricing is a monthly query allowance, with agentic actions using extra credits, and the trial asks for a card up front. Best when citations matter, for example documentation or policy content.

SiteGPT

SiteGPT trains on a URL, files or pasted text and embeds on as many sites as you want. Its site mentions a button for visitors to move to a live agent and a free trial. It's a straightforward option for a single marketing site, and less of a fit if you need workflow automation or a large agent-and-channel setup.

Tidio Lyro

Tidio pairs live chat and a shared inbox with Lyro, its AI agent. Tidio says Lyro answers from your data and hands over to your team when it's unsure, and its Lyro page describes per-conversation pricing with unlimited replies inside a conversation. It's the sensible choice if you're already a Tidio user or run a store on a platform it integrates with. Weaker if you want a standalone, model-flexible builder.

Crisp

Crisp calls itself an AI customer support platform. You train its AI agent on your site, PDFs and knowledge-base articles, and you can review conversations to fix invalid answers. Its pricing page describes flat monthly pricing per workspace, regardless of how many conversations you have, with AI credits included in paid plans. Best for small teams who want the inbox and the bot from one vendor.

Voiceflow

Voiceflow now calls itself an AI agent platform for CX teams, with agents that run across web, app, WhatsApp, SMS and voice, built from scripted workflows plus AI logic with guardrails. It's closer to a design tool for conversation flows than a paste-your-docs chatbot, and it's the right look if you need voice or tightly controlled flows. Our Voiceflow alternatives guide covers when to move off it.

Intercom Fin

Intercom's Fin is the helpdesk-native option, and it bills per outcome. Intercom's pricing page says an outcome counts when the customer confirms the issue is resolved, stops asking for help after Fin's reply, or Fin completes a procedure, including handoffs, and that you're charged once per conversation. That's attractive when you only want to pay for conversations that end well, though your bill now tracks volume. On Intercom's own helpdesk plans you pay for teammate seats plus Fin usage; Intercom also offers Fin for use with another helpdesk with no Intercom seat charges, but with a minimum commitment. Best if you already run Intercom.

Zendesk AI agents

Zendesk's AI agents are included in its Suite and Support plans, with pricing "based on the successful outcomes they deliver." Each plan has an included resolution allowance and you can pre-purchase more. When escalation is needed, Zendesk says they route issues to the right team with context. Best if your support already lives in Zendesk; a poor fit if you only want a website widget.

Honest notes before you ship a bot

Hallucination and handoff. Several vendors above describe a route to a human, and any bot can still give a wrong answer. Test with 30 or so real questions from your inbox, including ones your docs don't answer, and check the bot says "I don't know" and hands off instead of improvising. Our guide to what a service agent does covers which parts of support automate well.

Data privacy and GDPR. Vendor compliance badges are claims on their sites, not a substitute for your own review. Ask for the data processing agreement, which sub-processors and model providers see your content, where data is stored, and how deletion works. Don't index anything you wouldn't put on a public page unless you've confirmed how access is controlled.

Billing surprises. Message credits, queries, conversations and outcomes are four different meters. Estimate your monthly volume first, then compare. For internal helpdesk use, AI for IT support explains where the failure modes are.

How to choose

• Just want a free test: Chatling, Botpress or Chatbase.
• Citations matter: CustomGPT.ai.
• Already on a helpdesk: Intercom Fin or Zendesk AI agents, so the bot and the human share one inbox.
• Store with live chat: Tidio Lyro.
• Voice or tightly scripted flows: Voiceflow.
• Want to read the code: Botpress, subject to what its repository covers.
• Tiny team, one task: start narrow. Our guide to AI agents for small businesses shows how.

Where Taku fits

A website chatbot is one finished product. If your real goal is to run AI workflows someone has already proven, with no repos to clone or keys to configure, that's a different problem. Taku is an AI-native desktop workspace where you find an AI app, skill or workflow someone already built, mirror it into your own workspace, run it, and remix it, without setting up GitHub repos, dependencies or API keys yourself. It isn't a website chatbot builder and doesn't replace the tools above. Taku is in Beta, and the Mac app is available now; there's also an experimental, unsigned Windows build for Windows 10 and 11.

FAQ

What is the best free Chatbase alternative?

Chatling, Botpress and Tidio each advertise a free plan, and Chatbase has one too. Compare what the limit is (credits, conversations or time) and what happens when you hit it, since those differ.

How do I add an AI chatbot to my website?

Pick a tool, point it at your site or help centre, test it on real questions, then paste the embed snippet into your site. Most of the work is cleaning up the content it answers from.

How do I build a custom ChatGPT for my website?

Use a tool that retrieves from your content and writes answers from it, such as CustomGPT.ai, Chatbase or Botpress. A custom GPT inside ChatGPT is a different thing and doesn't embed in your site the same way.

How do I train a chatbot on my own data?

Add your site URL, documents or help-centre articles. The tool indexes them and answers from the retrieved passages. Keep the sources current, because the bot is only as accurate as what it can find.

Chatbase vs Botpress: which should I pick?

Chatbase's site emphasises a helpdesk where AI and humans share the conversation. Botpress emphasises agents that take actions, and its repo is MIT-licensed. Run both on the same 30 questions before deciding.