What is the cheapest option?

Every vendor on this page publishes either a free plan or a low entry tier, so the honest answer is that the cheapest depends on your volume and on whether you need seats and an inbox. The tables here give you each vendor's published figures so you can work it out.

Is a free plan enough?

For testing, usually yes. For a live site it depends on the message limit: free tiers across these products are sized for evaluation rather than production traffic.

How are the converted figures worked out?

Each vendor's own dollar price is shown first. Where an approximate local figure appears beside it, it is converted at the mid-market rate on the date printed under the table. They bill in USD, so what actually leaves your account moves with the exchange rate and with whatever your card issuer adds.

What makes a cheap plan expensive?

Add-ons and usage fees. A low plan price with a separate branding charge and a per-resolution fee can cost more in a busy month than a higher flat plan.

How current are these figures?

All of them were read from each vendor's own published pricing page on 1 August 2026, and each comparison page links the exact page it was read from.

Where do your own numbers come from?

They are the same numbers as our pricing page, pulled from the same place, so what you read here is what you would actually be charged.

Pricing

The Cheapest AI Chatbot for a Website

Entry plan prices for Cortexvia, Chatbase, Tidio, Intercom, and Crisp, quoted from each vendor's own pricing page.

Cortexvia is priced in your local currency

All figures checked 1 August 2026

Entry plans

The same dimensions for every vendor, read from their own pricing pages on 1 August 2026.

Cortexvia

Free plan: ₹0
Cheapest paid: -
Messages: - per day
Chatbots: -
Badge removal: Free tier only

Chatbase

Free plan: $0
Cheapest paid: $32/mo (~₹3,050)
Messages: 500 credits per month
Chatbots: 1 AI agent
Badge removal: $1,188/yr add-on (~₹1,13,500)

Tidio

Free plan: $0
Cheapest paid: $24.17/mo (~₹2,300)
Messages: 100 conversations per month
Chatbots: —
Badge removal: $16.67/mo add-on (~₹1,600)

Intercom

Free plan: None
Cheapest paid: $39/seat/mo (~₹3,700)
Messages: Fin charged from $0.99 per outcome (~₹100)
Chatbots: —
Badge removal: Not listed

Crisp

Free plan: $0
Cheapest paid: $45/mo (~₹4,300)
Messages: Around 90 automated conversations
Chatbots: —
Badge removal: Not listed

Vendor	Free plan	Cheapest paid plan	Messages on that plan	Chatbots	Badge removal
Cortexvia	₹0	-	- per day	-	Free tier only
Chatbase	$0	$32/mo (~₹3,050)	500 credits per month	1 AI agent	$1,188/yr add-on (~₹1,13,500)
Tidio	$0	$24.17/mo (~₹2,300)	100 conversations per month	—	$16.67/mo add-on (~₹1,600)
Intercom	None	$39/seat/mo (~₹3,700)	Fin charged from $0.99 per outcome (~₹100)	—	Not listed
Crisp	$0	$45/mo (~₹4,300)	Around 90 automated conversations	—	Not listed

A dash means the vendor does not publish that figure. Where a rupee amount appears in brackets it is approximate, converted at ~₹95.48 to the dollar on 1 August 2026 — the vendors bill in USD, so what you pay moves with the exchange rate. Every competitor figure was read from that vendor's own pricing page on 1 August 2026; each vendor name links to the page it came from. These are entry plans rather than the plan you may end up needing, so check their page before deciding. Our own figures are the same ones on our pricing page.

Hidden costs

The four line items that move a decision after the sticker price has already convinced you.

Branding removal as an add-on

Some vendors publish the badge removal separately from the plan price. Chatbase lists it at $1,188 per year below Enterprise; Tidio lists $16.67 per month on Growth. Check whether the sticker price includes it.

Per-resolution charges

Intercom publishes Fin from $0.99 per outcome on top of a per-seat plan. A usage charge means your bill grows with the questions the AI handles well, which is the opposite of what you want.

Seats you are not using

Per-seat and per-workspace plans bundle an inbox and agent seats into the price. If you only want documentation questions answered, that is capacity you pay for and never touch.

Currency and conversion

A USD plan converted at checkout is not the same as a plan priced in your own currency. Any converted figures shown here are indicative; your card issuer's rate and fees decide the rest.

How to compare

Four checks that take an afternoon and are worth more than any comparison page, including this one.

Model your real volume

Entry tiers are designed to look cheap. Work out how many questions a month you actually expect, then price the plan that covers it on each vendor.

Read what the meter counts

Message credits, billable conversations, AI conversations, and resolutions are four different units. Two plans at the same price can differ by an order of magnitude in practice.

Find the badge line

Decide early whether a vendor badge on your site is acceptable, because on several platforms removing it is a separate purchase rather than a plan feature.

Test on your own content

Every vendor here has a way to try it. Upload one real document and ask five real questions; answer quality on your content decides this more than price does.

Questions

What people ask when the entry tiers all look similar.

Comparisons

Same rules on every page: their published figures, the page we read, and the date.

01vs ChatbaseMessage credits against messages per day.

02vs TidioBillable conversations against a flat monthly plan.

03vs IntercomPer seat plus per outcome, against one plan price.

04vs CrispA per-workspace support suite against a document chatbot.

05Chatbase alternativeWhat to check before you move, and how to move.

06Tidio alternativeWhat to check before you move, and how to move.

07Cheapest for a websiteWhat the entry plans actually cost, with sources.

08Our pricingThe live plan table, in your currency.

Get started

Our free tier takes two documents and puts a working chatbot on a live page, which settles more than a table can.

Price is the second question. The first is whether the answers are good on your own content, and that takes about ten minutes to find out.