Pricing comparison, 15 tools

AI chatbot pricing: what 15 tools really cost in 2026

AI chatbot pricing for a small online store runs from $0 to $80 a month for the cheapest plan that answers with AI. Shopify Inbox and Wix Smart Chat are bundled with the store or site plan at $0. The cheapest paid options are Gorgias at $10, Rep AI at $12, Willdesk at $16.90 and Chatonbo at $19 a month, and most of the field sits between $17 and $45 before usage fees. Prices verified October 29, 2026.

Every number on this page was read from the vendor's own pricing page on that date, at monthly billing where the vendor offers it. Where a vendor only publishes an annual rate or quotes on request, the table says so instead of guessing.

AI chatbot pricing comparison table

Starting price is the cheapest plan that includes AI answers, in USD at monthly billing. "On request" means the vendor does not publish a monthly figure.

Tool	Starting price	Pricing model	Free plan	AI answers	Source
Chatonbo	$19/mo	Flat monthly	Yes	Included on every plan; 5,000 AI conversations on Pro, no per-resolution or credit fees	Pricing page
Chatbase	$40/mo	Usage based	No	Included as message credits (700 a month on Hobby); $40 per extra 1,000 credits	Pricing page
Crisp	$45/mo	Flat monthly	Yes	Included as AI credits on paid plans ($5 on Mini, about 90 automated conversations); none on Free	Pricing page
Gorgias	$10/mo	Usage based	No	AI Agent on every plan; 30 interactions included on Starter, then $1.00 each on monthly billing ($1.50 above the allowance)	Pricing page
Intercom (Fin)	$39/mo	Per seat	No	Fin AI Agent at $0.99 per resolved outcome on top of seats	Pricing page
Manychat	$39/mo	Usage based	Yes	Manychat AI included from Pro ($39/mo); priced by active contacts, DM channels only	Pricing page
Rep AI	$12/mo	Usage based	No	Included; price scales with monthly site sessions, Support agent not sold at the lowest tier	Pricing page
Shopify Inbox	$0	Free	Yes	Opt-in Inbox agent answers from your catalog and policies; no price listed	Pricing page
tawk.to	$29/mo	Free	Yes	AI Assist add-on from $29/mo (a free tier exists for low chat volume)	Pricing page
Tidio	$32.50/mo	Usage based	Yes	Lyro AI add-on from $32.50/mo (50 AI conversations)	Pricing page
VanChat	$39/mo	Per conversation	Yes	Included as AI replies (100 free, 500 on Starter); $0.09 per extra reply	Pricing page
Willdesk	$16.90/mo	Per conversation	Yes	AI conversations billed as usage: $20 per 100 on Basic, $200 per 1,000 on Pro; no included allowance listed	Pricing page
Wix Smart Chat	$0	Usage based	Yes	Runs on the AI credits in your Wix site plan; no separate subscription, no top-ups on Premium plans	Pricing page
Zendesk	$25/mo	Per seat	No	AI agents on every plan; 5 to 10 automated resolutions per agent included, then $1.50 to $2.00 each	Pricing page
Zipchat	$80/mo	Per conversation	No	Included as AI reply packs (750 replies a month on Starter); $49 per 250 extra replies	Pricing page

Prices verified October 29, 2026 from each vendor's public pricing page or Shopify App Store listing, USD, monthly billing where offered. Vendors change prices; the source link is the authority.

Every plan, tool by tool

The headline price rarely tells the story. Here is what each plan includes and where the extra charges start.

Chatonbo$19/mo · Flat monthly

Chatonbo is flat priced: Pro is $19 a month for 5,000 AI conversations, Business is $59 for 10,000, and a free plan with 100 conversations a month comes with the Shopify and Wix app installs.

Free: $0. 100 conversations a month, 1 AI agent, 3 knowledge sources, 50 MB, branding on; free forever only when installed through the Shopify App Store or the Wix App Market.
Pro: $19/mo. 5,000 conversations a month, 2 AI agents, unlimited knowledge sources, 1 extra team member, 500 MB, branding removed; 30-day free trial on web signups.
Business: $59/mo. 10,000 conversations a month, 2 AI agents, unlimited team members, 2 GB.
Enterprise: $499/mo. From $499 a month, custom and unlimited.

Chatbase$40/mo · Usage based

Chatbase has no free plan; Hobby is $32 a month billed yearly ($40 without the yearly discount) for 700 message credits, and extra credits cost $40 per 1,000.

Hobby: $40/mo. Shown as $32/mo billed yearly next to a $40 undiscounted price (yearly is 20% off); 700 message credits, 1 AI agent, 40 MB of training content, 7-day trial.
Basic: $150/mo. Shown as $120/mo billed yearly next to $150; 4,000 message credits, 1 AI agent, 3 team members.
Business: $500/mo. Shown as $400/mo billed yearly next to $500; 15,000 message credits, 5 team members.
Add-ons: On request. Auto-recharge $40 per 1,000 message credits, remove branding $1,188 a year, extra AI agent $300 a year.

Crisp$45/mo · Flat monthly

Crisp has a free 2-seat plan without AI and starts at $45 a month per workspace on Mini, which includes $5 of AI credits, about 90 automated conversations a month.

Free: $0. 2 seats, no AI credits; free forever.
Mini: $45/mo. Per workspace, 4 seats, $5 in AI credits a month (about 90 automated conversations); extra agents $10 a month each.
Essentials: $95/mo. Per workspace, 10 seats, $25 in AI credits a month (about 450 automated conversations).
Plus: $295/mo. Per workspace, 20+ seats, $75 in AI credits a month (about 1,350 automated conversations); yearly billing can be switched on after subscribing, prices not shown.

Gorgias$10/mo · Usage based

Gorgias starts at $10 a month for 50 tickets and 30 AI interactions, then charges $1.00 per AI Agent interaction on monthly billing, so 1,000 AI-handled chats cost roughly $1,000 before the plan fee.

Starter: $10/mo. 50 tickets a month, $0.40 per extra ticket, 30 AI Agent interactions included; monthly billing only.
Basic: $60/mo. 300 tickets a month ($50/mo billed annually), $0.40 per extra ticket, 30 AI Agent interactions included.
Pro: $360/mo. 2,000 tickets a month ($300/mo billed annually), $0.36 per extra ticket, 190 AI Agent interactions included.
Advanced: $900/mo. 5,000 tickets a month ($750/mo billed annually), $0.36 per extra ticket, 530 AI Agent interactions included.
AI Agent interactions: On request. $1.00 per automated interaction on a monthly contract ($0.90 annual), $1.50 above the plan allowance; each AI interaction also counts as one ticket.

Intercom (Fin)$39/mo · Per seat

Intercom charges per seat (Essential is $39 per seat a month billed monthly, $29 billed annually) and bills the Fin AI Agent separately at $0.99 per resolved outcome, so 500 AI resolutions add about $495 a month.

Essential: $39/mo. Per seat, billed monthly ($29 per seat billed annually; the pricing page showed a $19 new-customer promo on Oct 29 2026); Fin is extra.
Advanced: $99/mo. Per seat, billed monthly ($85 billed annually), 20 free Lite seats for internal collaboration; Fin is extra.
Expert: $139/mo. Per seat, billed monthly ($132 billed annually), 50 free Lite seats; Fin is extra.
Fin AI Agent: On request. From $0.99 per Fin outcome (a resolved conversation), no seats required, with a minimum monthly commitment (for example 50 outcomes) when used on another helpdesk.

Manychat$39/mo · Usage based

Manychat is priced by active contacts for Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and TikTok DMs, not a website widget: Free covers 25 contacts and Manychat AI arrives on Pro at $39 a month billed monthly ($29 annually) for 2,500 contacts.

Free: $0. 25 active contacts a month, 2 channels, 1 user, Manychat branding, no Manychat AI.
Essential: $17/mo. $17/mo billed monthly ($14/mo billed annually); 250 active contacts, 2 channels, 2 users; Manychat AI not listed.
Pro: $39/mo. $39/mo billed monthly ($29/mo billed annually); 2,500 active contacts, 3 channels, 3 users, includes Manychat AI; $0.05 per extra contact.
Business: $99/mo. $99/mo billed monthly ($69/mo billed annually); 7,500 active contacts, unlimited channels, 5 users, Manychat AI.
Advanced: $199/mo. $199/mo billed monthly ($139/mo billed annually); 25,000 active contacts, 10 users, Manychat AI.

Rep AI$12/mo · Usage based

Rep AI prices by monthly site sessions: the AI Sales Agent is $12 a month at 3,000 sessions and $578 a month at the 80,000-session default, with Support at $250 and the Concierge bundle at $726 at that tier.

AI Sales Agent (3,000 sessions): $12/mo. Monthly billing at the lowest slider tier of 3,000 sessions a month; the Support agent shows "Not available" and Concierge shows "Custom" at this tier.
AI Sales Agent (80,000 sessions): $578/mo. The pricing page default tier; 10,000 product catalog limit, unlimited seats, full onboarding.
AI Support Agent (80,000 sessions): $250/mo. Order status, returns, cancellations, AI email answers; self-led onboarding.
AI Concierge (80,000 sessions): $726/mo. Sales and Support bundled with an assigned customer success manager; Deep Research and Virtual Try-On add-ons $73/mo each.
Enterprise: On request. Custom pricing above 500,000 sessions a month; 14-day free trial on all plans, no card required.

Shopify Inbox$0 · Free

Shopify Inbox is free for Shopify stores and includes an opt-in AI Inbox agent at no listed extra cost, but it only works inside the Shopify online store chat.

Free: $0. The App Store listing shows "Free"; the Shopify Help Center says the opt-in Inbox agent chats with customers automatically and lists no cost, but you need a paid Shopify store plan to use it.

tawk.to$29/mo · Free

tawk.to live chat is free forever; its AI Assist chatbot starts from $29 a month and removing the tawk.to branding is another $29 a month.

Free: $0. Live chat is free forever with "Powered by tawk.to" branding; AI Assist has a forever-free plan for sites with limited chat volume.
AI Assist: $29/mo. "From as little as $29/month" for the AI chatbot that answers from your knowledge base and shortcut FAQs; exact volume per tier not listed.
Remove branding: $29/mo. $29/mo to remove the "Powered by tawk.to" badge; hired human chat agents $1 an hour.

Tidio$32.50/mo · Usage based

Tidio has a free plan, but AI answers come from the Lyro add-on, which starts at $32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations on top of a base plan from $24.17 a month.

Free: $0. 50 billable conversations a month, 10 seats, first 50 Lyro AI conversations free as a one-off lifetime allowance.
Starter: $24.17/mo. 100 billable conversations a month, 10 seats, 50 one-off Lyro AI conversations; Lyro stops after that unless you buy the add-on.
Growth: $49.17/mo. Starts at $49.17/mo for 250 conversations, upgradable to 2,000; Lyro AI conversations are a separate monthly add-on.
Lyro AI add-on: $32.50/mo. From $32.50/mo for 50 Lyro AI conversations a month, sold on top of any plan or stand-alone; 1,000+ needs sales.
Plus: $300/mo. Starts at $300/mo plus usage, with AI and human conversations billed separately at rates not listed on the page.
Premium: On request. Contact for pricing; from 3,000 Lyro AI conversations with pay-per-resolution billing.

VanChat$39/mo · Per conversation

VanChat has a free Shopify plan with 100 AI replies a month and starts at $39 a month for 500 AI replies, with extra replies at $0.09 each.

Free: $0. 100 AI replies a month, AI learns up to 100 products; listed on the Shopify App Store (vanchat.io/pricing shows no plans, only a demo button).
Starter: $39/mo. 500 AI replies a month, 1,000 products ($390 a year on annual billing), $0.09 per extra reply, 7-day trial.
Pro: $149/mo. 2,500 AI replies a month, 2,500 products ($1,490 a year), $0.09 per extra reply.
Growth: $249/mo. 5,000 AI replies a month, 5,000 products ($2,490 a year), $0.09 per extra reply.

Willdesk$16.90/mo · Per conversation

Willdesk has a free plan with 20 conversations and starts at $16.90 a month for 100 conversations, but AI conversations are billed on top at $20 per 100 on Basic and $200 per 1,000 on Pro.

Free: $0. 20 conversations a month, 1 store, unlimited agents, live chat, order tracking, help center.
Basic: $16.90/mo. 100 conversations a month, 3 stores ($141.96 a year on annual billing); $12 per extra 100 conversations, $20 per 100 AI conversations, 7-day trial.
Pro: $89.90/mo. 1,000 conversations a month ($755.16 a year on annual billing); $10 per extra 100 conversations, $200 per 1,000 AI conversations.

Wix Smart Chat$0 · Usage based

Wix Smart Chat has no separate price: it spends the AI credits included in your Wix site plan (120 credits a month on a free site, up to about 150 to 1,000 chat actions a month on Light to Business Elite) and Wix does not sell top-ups.

Free Wix site: $0. Smart Chat uses the AI credits of the free site plan: up to 30 credits a day and 120 credits a month across all Wix AI features.
Light: On request. Wix lists only yearly-subscription prices on its upgrade page, so no monthly-billing figure is quoted; Wix estimates up to 150 Smart Chat actions a month.
Core: On request. Yearly-subscription pricing only on the upgrade page; Wix estimates up to 200 Smart Chat actions a month.
Business: On request. Yearly-subscription pricing only on the upgrade page; Wix estimates up to 300 Smart Chat actions a month.
Business Elite: On request. Yearly-subscription pricing only on the upgrade page; Wix estimates up to 1,000 Smart Chat actions a month; top-up credits cannot be bought on Premium plans.

Zendesk$25/mo · Per seat

Zendesk starts at $25 per agent a month billed monthly, includes only 5 to 10 AI automated resolutions per agent, and charges $1.50 to $2.00 for each resolution after that.

Support Team: $25/mo. Per agent, billed monthly ($19 billed annually); AI agents included with 5 automated resolutions per agent a month.
Suite Team: $69/mo. Per agent, billed monthly ($55 billed annually); 5 automated resolutions per agent a month included.
Suite Professional: $149/mo. Per agent, billed monthly ($115 billed annually); 10 automated resolutions per agent a month included.
Automated resolutions: On request. $1.50 per committed automated resolution or $2.00 pay as you go, on all listed plans; Copilot is a separate $50 per agent a month add-on paid yearly.

Zipchat$80/mo · Per conversation

Zipchat has no free plan and starts at $80 a month billed monthly ($64 billed annually) for 750 AI replies, which Zipchat says is about 300 conversations, with top-ups at $49 per 250 replies.

Starter: $80/mo. $80/mo billed monthly ($64/mo billed annually); 750 AI replies, about 300 conversations, 1 AI agent, 7-day trial.
Pro: On request. Only an annual price is listed ($240/mo, $2,880 a year); 3,000 AI replies, about 1,250 conversations, 3 AI agents.
Scale: On request. Only an annual price is listed ($480/mo, $5,760 a year); 6,000 AI replies, about 2,500 conversations.
Scale Plus: On request. Only an annual price is listed ($960/mo, $11,520 a year); 14,000 AI replies, about 6,000 conversations.
Extra replies: On request. $49 per 250 AI replies on Starter, Pro and Scale ($49 per 500 on Scale Plus); Unlimited plan from $2,100/mo paid monthly.

Per seat, per resolution or flat: how AI chatbot pricing works

Per seat charges for every human who logs in to the inbox. Intercom Essential is $39 per seat a month billed monthly and Zendesk Support Team is $25 per agent. The AI is then priced separately, so a solo founder pays one seat plus the AI meter.

Per resolution charges for each conversation the AI closes on its own: Fin is $0.99 per outcome, Zendesk is $1.50 to $2.00 per automated resolution after 5 to 10 included per agent, Gorgias is $1.00 per AI interaction on monthly billing (and $1.50 above the plan allowance). The bill grows with success. A good month for the bot is an expensive month for you.

Per conversation or credit sells a pack of AI replies: Zipchat Starter is 750 replies for $80, VanChat Starter is 500 replies for $39, Chatbase Hobby is 700 message credits, Tidio's Lyro is 50 AI conversations for $32.50. Overages are cheap per unit ($0.09 a reply on VanChat) or chunky ($49 per 250 replies on Zipchat).

Flat is one price for a large allowance: Chatonbo Pro is $19 for 5,000 conversations, Crisp Mini is $45 per workspace with $5 of AI credits. Flat is the easiest to budget but check the allowance: Crisp's $5 of credits covers about 90 automated conversations, so it is flat for live chat and usage based for AI.

Worked example: a store with 1,000 chats a month

Assumptions: one person on the inbox, 1,000 visitor chats a month, and the AI fully resolves 60% of them (600 chats). Each chat counts as one ticket, reply or conversation. Monthly billing, list prices, no discounts.

Tool and plan	How the bill is built	Estimated month
Chatonbo Pro (flat)	$19 flat, 5,000 conversations included, AI included	$19
VanChat Starter (per reply)	$39 for 500 AI replies, plus 500 extra replies at $0.09	$84
Gorgias Basic (usage)	$60 for 300 tickets, plus 700 extra tickets at $0.40, plus 570 AI interactions above the 30 included at $1.50	$1,195
Intercom Essential + Fin (per seat + per resolution)	1 seat at $39, plus 600 Fin outcomes at $0.99	$633
Zendesk Support Team (per seat + per resolution)	1 agent at $25, 5 resolutions included, 595 more at $2.00 pay as you go	$1,215

Two honest caveats. First, Zendesk and Gorgias give you a full helpdesk (tickets, macros, email, SLAs) for that money, and a store with several agents and a returns desk may need that. Second, Zipchat Pro (3,000 replies, about 1,250 conversations) would also cover this month, but Zipchat only lists it at $240 a month on annual billing, so it is left out of a monthly-billing table. Want the figure for your own traffic? Use the chatbot cost calculator.

The cheapest AI chatbot for a small online store

If you are on Shopify and only need chat inside your storefront, Shopify Inbox wins on price. It is free, it includes an opt-in AI Inbox agent that answers from your catalog and policies, and there is nothing to install. Its limits are that it only works on the Shopify online store (not a separate site, a landing page or a help center), and it is a Shopify-only product.

If you want a free plan on any Shopify or Wix store, Chatonbo, VanChat, Wix Smart Chat and Willdesk all have one. Chatonbo's free plan is 100 conversations a month with 1 AI agent and 3 knowledge sources, available through the Shopify App Store or the Wix App Market; web signups get a 30-day free trial of Pro instead. VanChat's free plan is 100 AI replies. Willdesk's is 20 conversations. Wix Smart Chat spends the 120 monthly AI credits of a free Wix site.

For the cheapest paid plan that includes AI on any website, the short list is Gorgias Starter at $10, Rep AI at $12 (under 3,000 sessions), Willdesk at $16.90 and Chatonbo Pro at $19. The catch with the first three is what happens after the allowance: Gorgias Starter covers 50 tickets and 30 AI interactions before charging $0.40 a ticket and $1.50 an interaction; Rep AI's price climbs with traffic ($578 at 80,000 sessions) and its Support agent is not sold at the 3,000-session tier; Willdesk bills AI conversations at $20 per 100 on top of the plan. Chatonbo Pro is $19 for 5,000 AI conversations with no per-chat meter, so for a store that expects more than a couple of hundred chats a month it is usually the lowest total.

Where the others are better: Zendesk and Gorgias are full helpdesks with email, ticketing and SLAs; Chatonbo is a website chat agent, not a ticket system. Intercom's Fin is the strongest choice if you already run Intercom for a product with a large support team. Manychat is the right tool for Instagram and WhatsApp DM automation, which Chatonbo does not do. tawk.to is unbeatable if you want free human live chat and can live with the badge.

AI chatbot pricing FAQ

How much does an AI chatbot cost per month in 2026?

Across the 15 tools checked on October 29, 2026, the cheapest plan that includes AI answers ranges from $0 (Shopify Inbox and Wix Smart Chat, which are bundled with the store or site plan) to $80 a month (Rep AI's Sales Agent at its 80,000-session default tier; it is $12 a month at 3,000 sessions). Most small-store tools sit between $17 and $45 a month: Willdesk $16.90, Manychat $17 (AI from $39), Chatonbo $19, Zendesk $25 per agent, Tidio's Lyro add-on $32.50, Intercom $39 per seat plus Fin, VanChat $39, Chatbase $40 and Crisp $45.

What is the cheapest AI chatbot for a small online store?

If you sell on Shopify, Shopify Inbox is free and includes an opt-in AI Inbox agent, so it is the cheapest option as long as you only need chat inside your Shopify storefront. The cheapest paid tools with AI answers on any website are Gorgias Starter at $10 a month (50 tickets, 30 AI interactions, then $1.00 to $1.50 each), Rep AI at $12 a month for stores under 3,000 sessions, Willdesk at $16.90 (AI chats billed on top at $20 per 100) and Chatonbo Pro at $19 a month flat for 5,000 AI conversations. Chatonbo also has a free plan with 100 conversations a month through the Shopify and Wix app stores.

What is the difference between per-seat, per-resolution and flat chatbot pricing?

Per-seat pricing charges for each human who logs in: Intercom Essential is $39 per seat a month and Zendesk Support Team is $25 per agent a month. Per-resolution pricing charges for each conversation the AI finishes on its own: Intercom's Fin is $0.99 per outcome, Zendesk charges $1.50 to $2.00 per automated resolution, Gorgias $1.00 per AI interaction. Flat pricing is one monthly fee for a conversation allowance: Chatonbo Pro is $19 for 5,000 conversations, Crisp Mini is $45 per workspace. At 1,000 chats a month with 600 AI-resolved, the same work costs about $633 on Intercom, $1,215 on Zendesk, $1,195 on Gorgias Basic and $19 on Chatonbo Pro.

Is Tidio free?

Tidio has a free plan with 50 billable conversations a month and a one-off lifetime allowance of 50 Lyro AI conversations. After that, AI answers require the Lyro add-on from $32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations, on top of a base plan (Starter $24.17, Growth from $49.17). A Growth plan with Lyro therefore starts around $82 a month before the Flows add-on.

How much does Intercom Fin cost?

Fin costs $0.99 per outcome, which Intercom defines as a conversation Fin resolves. It is billed on top of per-seat plans (Essential $39 per seat billed monthly, $29 billed annually; Advanced $99; Expert $139) or stand-alone on another helpdesk with a minimum monthly commitment, for example 50 outcomes. 300 Fin resolutions a month add $297 to the bill.

Which AI chatbots have a real free plan?

9 of the 15 tools have a $0 plan: Chatonbo, Crisp, Manychat, Shopify Inbox, tawk.to, Tidio, VanChat, Willdesk, Wix Smart Chat. The limits differ a lot. Shopify Inbox is free without a chat cap but only on Shopify stores. Wix Smart Chat runs on 120 AI credits a month on a free Wix site. VanChat gives 100 AI replies, Chatonbo 100 conversations (through the Shopify or Wix app), Tidio 50 conversations, Willdesk 20 conversations, Manychat 25 active contacts, and Crisp and tawk.to offer free live chat with AI as a paid add-on.

Do AI chatbots charge extra to remove their branding?

Some do. Chatbase charges $1,188 a year to remove "Powered by Chatbase", tawk.to charges $29 a month to remove its badge, Manychat removes branding from Essential ($17 a month) upward, and Tidio removes it on paid plans. Chatonbo removes its branding on Pro at $19 a month; the free plan keeps it.

What does 1,000 chats a month cost on a flat plan versus usage pricing?

With 1,000 visitor chats a month and 600 handled fully by the AI: Chatonbo Pro is $19 (5,000 conversations included), VanChat Starter is about $84 ($39 plus 500 extra replies at $0.09), Gorgias Basic is about $1,195 ($60 plus ticket and AI overages), Intercom is about $633 (one Essential seat plus Fin at $0.99 per outcome) and Zendesk Support Team is about $1,215 (one agent plus pay-as-you-go resolutions at $2.00). Zipchat Starter covers about 300 conversations for $80, so 1,000 conversations need its Pro tier, listed only at $240 a month on annual billing.

Pricing explainers, one vendor at a time

One flat price, AI included

Chatonbo Pro is $19 a month for 5,000 AI conversations, with no per-seat, per-resolution or credit fees. Enter your website and the assistant reads it and drafts itself in about 2 minutes. Your first charge is covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Start your 30-day free trial

The Fair Billing Guarantee

Flat price. No meters. No surprises.

No credits, no per-resolution fees, no forced upgrades. Your bot never goes silent, you can cancel in one click, and your first charge is covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

See all seven promises

Chatonbo