Wix Smart Chat vs Chatonbo: which is better for a small Wix site in 2026?
Wix Smart Chat is the right pick for a Wix site that wants manual chat for free, or a modest amount of AI chat covered by the AI credits already in a Business Elite or Studio plan: it is made by Wix, free to install, and its manual mode needs no upgrade. Chatonbo is the right pick when the chat has to answer on its own all month: it answers from your pages and documents in 50+ languages, captures leads, and its conversation allowance is its own, not shared with other Wix AI tools, with a free plan through the Wix App Market and Pro at $19/mo for 5,000 conversations. If you reply yourself, choose Smart Chat; if the AI must do the answering, choose Chatonbo.
What Wix Smart Chat is
Wix Smart Chat is Wix's own chat app, previously called Wix AI Site Chat, and it replaces the older manual-only Wix Chat for new sites. It combines AI Chat, which answers from your site content and the knowledge and restriction rules you add, with Manual Chat, which you and your team answer from the Wix Inbox. You can run AI 24/7, manual only, a schedule that mixes both, or offline with lead collection. It is free to install and manual chat needs no upgrade; AI replies use the AI credits included in your Wix site plan, after a free trial of 50 conversations in total.
What Chatonbo is
Chatonbo is an AI assistant that installs from the Wix App Market in one click and answers visitors on its own, 24/7. It reads your Wix pages, Wix Stores product pages, uploaded documents and any other URL in about 2 minutes, answers in 50+ languages, captures leads and books meetings, and hands off to a human when asked. It has a free plan through the Wix App Market (100 conversations a month, 1 AI agent, 3 knowledge sources), Pro at $19/mo for 5,000 conversations and Business at $59/mo for 10,000, with no credits shared with anything else.
Wix Smart Chat vs Chatonbo at a glance
Every Wix Smart Chat claim below comes from Wix's own help and listing pages, checked on October 29, 2026 and linked at the bottom. Where those pages do not state something, we say so instead of guessing.
| Wix Smart Chat | Chatonbo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to install. Manual chat free with no upgrade; AI replies use the AI credits in your Wix site plan after a 50-conversation trial | Free plan through the Wix App Market (100 conversations a month); Pro $19/mo for 5,000; Business $59/mo for 10,000 |
| AI conversations a month | Estimated Smart Chat actions: free Wix plan up to 120 credits a month; Light up to 150, Core up to 200, Business up to 300, Business Elite up to 1,000; Studio sites at no additional cost. Credits are shared with other Wix AI tools and do not roll over | 100 on Free, 5,000 on Pro, 10,000 on Business; the allowance is Chatonbo's own, not shared with any other tool |
| When the allowance runs out | Wix says the Smart Chat switches to offline mode when credits are used up; you can switch to Manual Chat 24/7 and reply yourself. Premium plans cannot buy top-ups, you upgrade the site plan | On the free plan the assistant keeps answering past 100 with a hard stop at 250 in a month; on paid plans you upgrade. No credits to run out mid-month |
| Who answers | AI Chat 24/7, Manual Chat from the Wix Inbox, a schedule that mixes both, or offline with a lead form. Manual Chat is the default | The AI answers every conversation on its own; human handoff by email or WhatsApp when the visitor asks |
| What the AI answers from | Your site content plus knowledge rules and restriction rules you write; you can exclude specific pages | Your Wix pages and Wix Stores product pages, any other URL, uploaded documents and PDFs, and typed FAQs |
| Languages | 35 app languages listed on the App Market; Wix says translation of the chat interface is not currently supported in Smart Chat | AI answers in 50+ languages, auto-detected; chat window translated into 20 |
| Lead capture | Yes: contact forms, welcome messages and quick topics; leads land in the Wix Inbox and contacts | Yes: name, email and phone captured in conversation, emailed to you, and sent to HubSpot, Zoho, Slack, Zapier (5,000+ apps) and more |
| Booking | The overview mentions helping visitors find the right service to book; a booking flow inside the chat is not described on the pages we checked | Books meetings inside the chat with your booking link |
| Testing and training | Test the AI from the dashboard without using credits; add knowledge rules, restriction rules and set the AI's identity and style | Test from the dashboard, review every conversation, add answers the AI missed as FAQs, set tone and instructions |
| AI model | Not stated on the pages we checked | GPT-5.4 by default; each bot can switch to Anthropic Claude or Google Gemini |
| Works outside Wix | No, it is a Wix app for Wix sites | Yes: official Shopify app, WordPress plugin, and one line of code on any site |
Prefer the feature-by-feature version? Read Chatonbo vs Wix Smart Chat.
What each one costs
Chatonbo prices are from chatonbo.com/pricing. Wix Smart Chat prices are read from Wix's own pages and are never typed in by hand on this page.
Wix Smart Chat
Has a free plan. Pricing model: usage.
- Free Wix site $0Smart 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 requestWix 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 requestYearly-subscription pricing only on the upgrade page; Wix estimates up to 200 Smart Chat actions a month.
- Business On requestYearly-subscription pricing only on the upgrade page; Wix estimates up to 300 Smart Chat actions a month.
- Business Elite On requestYearly-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.
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.
Read from support.wix.com/en/article/about-ai-credits on 2026-10-29.
Chatonbo
Flat monthly price. No per-seat, per-resolution or credit fees. AI included on every plan.
- Free $0100 conversations a month, 1 AI agent, 3 knowledge sources. Through the Shopify App Store or the Wix App Market, no card.
- Pro $19/mo5,000 conversations a month, 2 AI agents, unlimited knowledge sources, 1 extra team member. 30-day free trial.
- Business $59/mo10,000 conversations a month, 2 AI agents, unlimited team members. 30-day free trial.
Full details on chatonbo.com/pricing.
Where Wix Smart Chat is better
Manual chat is free and needs no upgrade
Wix says that if you use only manual chat and none of the AI features, you do not need to upgrade your plan. For a site where you answer from the Wix Inbox yourself, that is hard to beat.
Made by Wix, inside the Wix Inbox
Conversations, contacts and handoffs to a teammate all live in the Wix Inbox you already use, and the Inbox shows which replies were AI and which were manual. No second dashboard.
Included on Business Elite and Studio
Wix estimates up to 1,000 Smart Chat actions a month on Business Elite, and Studio sites get AI features at no additional cost. If you are already on one of those and your volume is modest, the AI is effectively free.
Scheduling and restriction rules
You can run AI during some hours and manual during others, exclude specific pages from AI answers, and Manual Chat is the default on HIPAA sites. These controls are built in and simple.
Where Chatonbo is better
The allowance is yours and does not run dry
Smart Chat AI draws on credits shared with other Wix AI tools, and Wix says the chat switches to offline mode when they are used up. Chatonbo's 5,000 conversations on Pro belong to the assistant alone, and a busy month costs the same as a quiet one.
A lot more AI conversations for the money
Wix estimates up to 150 Smart Chat actions a month on Light and up to 200 on Core. Chatonbo's free plan through the Wix App Market covers 100 conversations a month and Pro covers 5,000 for $19/mo.
50+ languages, detected automatically
Wix says translation of the chat interface is not currently supported in Smart Chat. Chatonbo answers in the language the visitor writes, from 50+, and the chat window itself is translated into 20.
Answers from documents and other sites too
Smart Chat answers from your site content and the rules you write. Chatonbo also reads PDFs, price lists, a help center on another domain, and anything you paste, so the assistant knows what is not on the site.
Leads go where your team works
Chatonbo captures a visitor's name, email and phone in conversation, emails you the transcript, and forwards to HubSpot, Zoho, Slack and 5,000+ apps through Zapier. It can also book meetings inside the chat.
It moves with you
The same assistant runs on Shopify, WordPress or any site with one line of code. If you ever leave Wix, your knowledge base, conversations and settings come along.
Which should you pick?
Find your situation. We would rather you pick the right tool than sign up and leave.
You answer chats yourself from the Wix Inbox and want $0
Wix Smart Chat in Manual Chat mode. Wix says manual chat needs no upgrade, and it works on mobile.
You are on Business Elite or Studio and get a handful of chats a day
Try Smart Chat AI first; the credits are already in your plan. Switch to Chatonbo if the chat goes offline when credits run out, or if visitors write in languages the chat does not handle.
You are on Light or Core and want the AI to answer 24/7
Chatonbo. Wix estimates up to 150 or 200 Smart Chat actions a month on those plans and credits are shared with other AI tools. Chatonbo's free plan covers 100 conversations a month and Pro covers 5,000 for $19/mo.
Visitors write in several languages
Chatonbo, with 50+ languages detected automatically. Wix says translation of the chat interface is not currently supported in Smart Chat.
Your answers live in PDFs, a price list or a separate help site
Chatonbo. Add the files and URLs as knowledge sources. Smart Chat answers from your site content plus the rules you type.
You want chat leads in your CRM or Slack, or meetings booked in the chat
Chatonbo. Leads are forwarded to HubSpot, Zoho, Slack and Zapier, and the assistant books meetings with your booking link. Smart Chat keeps leads in the Wix Inbox and contacts.
Chatonbo for Wix websites · Chatonbo vs Wix Chat, feature by feature · Free install-for-me
Wix Smart Chat vs Chatonbo FAQ
Is Wix Smart Chat free?
Wix Smart Chat is free to install, and Wix says manual chat needs no upgrade. AI replies are different: after a free trial of 50 conversations in total, the AI uses the AI credits included in your Wix site plan. The free Wix plan gets up to 30 credits a day and 120 a month, and premium plans include a monthly allowance that is shared with other Wix AI tools. Chatonbo has a free plan through the Wix App Market with 100 AI conversations a month and no credits.
How many AI conversations does Wix Smart Chat include?
Wix publishes estimates, not guarantees: up to 150 Smart Chat actions a month on Light, 200 on Core, 300 on Business and 1,000 on Business Elite, with Studio sites getting AI features at no additional cost. Credits renew monthly and unused credits do not roll over. Chatonbo includes 100 conversations a month on Free, 5,000 on Pro ($19/mo) and 10,000 on Business ($59/mo).
What happens when Wix Smart Chat runs out of AI credits?
Wix says the Smart Chat switches to offline mode when you use up your AI credits, and your offline settings decide what visitors see. To keep the chat online without credits you can change the availability mode to Manual Chat 24/7 and reply yourself. Premium plans cannot buy top-up credits; you upgrade the site plan for a higher allowance.
Did Wix Smart Chat replace Wix Chat?
Yes. Wix says Wix Chat is no longer available to install on new sites and Smart Chat replaces it as the AI and manual chat solution; existing Wix Chat installs keep working. Wix also says Members Chat, rule-based automations and translation of the chat interface are not currently supported in Smart Chat, and that you need to set up your chat again, including settings and design.
Is Chatonbo free on Wix?
Yes, when installed through the Wix App Market. The free plan includes 100 conversations a month, 1 AI agent and 3 knowledge sources, with Chatonbo branding on the chat window and no card required. Pro is $19/mo for 5,000 conversations and Business is $59/mo for 10,000, both with a 30-day free trial.
Which one answers visitors in their own language on a Wix site?
Chatonbo detects the language a visitor writes in and answers in it, from 50+ languages, and the chat window itself is translated into 20. Wix lists 35 app languages for Smart Chat on the App Market and says translation of the chat interface is not currently supported in Smart Chat.
Sources, verified October 29, 2026
- Wix Smart Chat listing on the Wix App Market (free to install, modes, 35 app languages): https://www.wix.com/app-market/wix-ai-assistant-client
- Wix Help Center, Wix Smart Chat: An Overview (AI and manual modes, rules, 50-conversation trial): https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-smart-chat-an-overview
- Wix Help Center, adding and setting up Wix Smart Chat (default mode, excluding pages, testing): https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-smart-chat-adding-and-setting-up-the-smart-chat
- Wix Help Center, Wix Smart Chat: Using AI Credits (credits replace the subscription, offline when used up): https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-smart-chat-using-ai-credits
- Wix Help Center, About AI Credits (free plan 30 a day and 120 a month; estimated actions per plan): https://support.wix.com/en/article/about-ai-credits
- Wix Help Center, moving from Wix Chat to Wix Smart Chat (manual chat free, unsupported features): https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-smart-chat-moving-from-wix-chat-to-wix-smart-chat
Wix may change features and pricing; check its pages for current terms. Chatonbo facts are from chatonbo.com/pricing and the product as shipped.
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