Chatbase trains an AI chatbot on your content and bills per AI reply, with message credits on each plan. If you're looking elsewhere, the deciding question is usually how the AI is billed: per reply, per conversation, per outcome or flat. Here are six, with figures from each vendor's own pricing page.
Figures last checked 9 November 2026 on each vendor's own pages
It depends on how you want to pay and who runs support. For human live chat with AI in front, Tidio from $29 a month. For teams already in Intercom, Intercom Fin at $0.99 per outcome. For developers building custom agents, Botpress. For a low-cost shared inbox, Crisp from $45 a month per workspace. For a full helpdesk, Zendesk from $19 per agent. For an AI that answers on your website, WhatsApp and Instagram at a flat price, Aivastark includes 5,000 AI replies in its $39 Starter plan.
The biggest difference is how each one charges for the AI: in the plan, as an add-on, or as a separate product.
| Product | Best for | How the AI is billed | What the AI costs | Paid plans from | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Chatbase (the one you're leaving) | WhatsApp marketing with a team inbox | Per AI reply (message credit) | $40 for 700 replies | $40/month | Yes, 50 replies a month |
 Tidio | Human live chat with AI in front | Per conversation, with Lyro AI conversations on top | $0.58–$0.78 per Lyro conversation | $29/month | Yes, 50 conversations a month |
 Intercom Fin | Teams already working in Intercom or a large helpdesk | Per outcome, plus seats | $0.99 per outcome | $39 per seat a month (list), plus outcomes | No; trial runs 14 days, no card |
 Botpress | Developers building custom agents | Per conversation, AI usage included up to a quota | $0.65 per conversation past the 250 on Plus | $150/month billed yearly | Yes, 100 conversations, hard-capped |
 Crisp | A low-cost shared inbox for a human team | Flat price per workspace; Hugo AI on monthly credits | $5–$75 of AI credits a month, by plan | $45/month per workspace | Yes, 2 seats, no AI |
 Zendesk | A full helpdesk with tickets and telephony | Per agent seat, plus a fee per automated resolution | $1.50–$2.00 per resolution past the allowance | $19 per agent a month | No; a free trial |
 Aivastark (our product) | An AI on your website and messaging apps, at a flat price | Flat monthly plan, AI replies included | $39 for 5,000 replies | $12/month | Yes, 300 replies a month, no card |
Each product's figures come from its own pricing page, checked in the month shown on its card; the sources are listed on each head-to-head. Aivastark's figures come from the plan table the pricing page reads. Product names and logos belong to their owners and are shown only to identify the products compared; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.
Pick by the job you need done. Every card links to a full head-to-head with the sources.
Best for
Human live chat with AI in front
Live chat at the centre with Lyro AI in front, and messaging channels and 10 seats on a free plan; paid plans from $29 a month.
Lyro AI conversations cost $0.58–$0.78 each on top of the plan, so the AI bill grows with traffic.
Aivastark vs TidioChecked October 2026Best for
Teams already working in Intercom or a large helpdesk
Fin answers inside Intercom, Salesforce, HubSpot or Freshdesk, and you pay only when it reaches an outcome, at $0.99 each.
Seats cost $39 per seat a month on the list price, on top of every outcome, and there's no free plan.
Aivastark vs Intercom FinChecked October 2026Best for
Developers building custom agents
A studio and code for building many custom agents wired into your own systems, or an AI layer on Zendesk or Intercom, with a free plan of 100 conversations.
Paid plans start at $150 a month billed yearly, with $0.65 per conversation past the 250 on Plus.
Aivastark vs BotpressChecked October 2026Best for
A low-cost shared inbox for a human team
A flat price per workspace from $45 a month, with phone calls, SMS and a status page, EU hosting and a choice of AI models.
Hugo AI runs on $5–$75 of AI credits a month, depending on the plan, and the free plan has no AI.
Aivastark vs CrispChecked October 2026Best for
A full helpdesk with tickets and telephony
A full helpdesk, help center and ticket queue, with telephony, voice AI, 1,800+ apps and HIPAA-enabled support with a signed BAA, from $19 per agent a month.
Every agent seat is billed, and automated resolutions past the allowance cost $1.50–$2.00 each.
Aivastark vs ZendeskChecked October 2026Best for
An AI on your website and messaging apps, at a flat price
Starter at $39 a month includes 5,000 AI replies on your website, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and email, with Shopify or WooCommerce order lookups, in 80+ languages, then hands off to your team. The free plan has 300 replies a month.
It has no phone line and no studio for building agents in code. If calls or custom-built agents are the job, pick a tool above.
See pricingChatbase is the stronger choice when model choice, phone voice or ready-made actions are the job. Stay if you:
Chatbase counts each AI reply against your message credits. Tidio counts Lyro conversations, Intercom Fin and Zendesk charge per outcome or resolution, Botpress counts conversations past a quota, Crisp gives each plan a monthly AI credit budget, and Aivastark includes a fixed number of AI replies in a flat plan with a published overage rate. Estimate your monthly conversations first, then price each model at that volume.
Most website chatbots stop at the website. If customers also message you on WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger, check that the AI answers there too, in the same inbox, and who bills the WhatsApp message fees.
The WhatsApp AI agentFor a store, the useful answers are about orders, stock and sizes. Check whether the AI reads your live catalogue and looks up orders, or only answers from pages you uploaded.
The Shopify AI chatbotAivastark's Starter plan is $39 a month with 5,000 AI replies, where Chatbase's $40 plan has 700. Tidio charges $0.58–$0.78 per Lyro conversation on top of its plan, Intercom Fin charges $0.99 per outcome plus seats, and Botpress starts at $150 a month billed yearly.
Aivastark (300 AI replies a month, no card), Tidio (50 conversations a month), Botpress (100 conversations, hard-capped) and Crisp (2 seats, without AI). Chatbase's own free plan has 50 replies a month. Intercom Fin and Zendesk offer trials, not free plans.
Yes. Aivastark answers on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and email in the same inbox as the website widget, from its $39 Starter plan, and Meta bills the WhatsApp message fees to your own account. Tidio and Crisp also connect messaging channels: Tidio bills Lyro AI per conversation, and Crisp gives each plan a monthly AI credit budget.
Botpress, if you want to build many custom agents in code or a studio and wire them into your own systems. If you'd rather not build flows, Aivastark learns from your website, files and FAQs without code.