---
title: "Chatbase alternatives, compared on how the AI is billed"
description: "Six Chatbase alternatives compared on how the AI is billed: Tidio, Intercom Fin, Botpress, Crisp, Zendesk and Aivastark, with sourced prices and plans."
canonical: "https://www.aivastark.com/compare/chatbase-alternatives"
source: "https://www.aivastark.com/compare/chatbase-alternatives.md"
updated: "2026-11-09"
---

# Chatbase alternatives, compared on how the AI is billed

> Six Chatbase alternatives compared on how the AI is billed: Tidio, Intercom Fin, Botpress, Crisp, Zendesk and Aivastark, with sourced prices and plans.

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.

## What is the best Chatbase alternative?

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.

## Chatbase and 6 alternatives in one table

| 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](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-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](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-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](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-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](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-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](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-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 |

## Where each alternative beats Chatbase, and the catch

### Tidio

**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.
- Watch for: Lyro AI conversations cost $0.58–$0.78 each on top of the plan, so the AI bill grows with traffic.

Figures checked October 2026. Full comparison: [Aivastark vs Tidio](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-tidio)

### Intercom Fin

**Best 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.
- Watch for: Seats cost $39 per seat a month on the list price, on top of every outcome, and there's no free plan.

Figures checked October 2026. Full comparison: [Aivastark vs Intercom Fin](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-intercom-fin)

### Botpress

**Best 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.
- Watch for: Paid plans start at $150 a month billed yearly, with $0.65 per conversation past the 250 on Plus.

Figures checked October 2026. Full comparison: [Aivastark vs Botpress](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-botpress)

### Crisp

**Best 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.
- Watch for: Hugo AI runs on $5–$75 of AI credits a month, depending on the plan, and the free plan has no AI.

Figures checked October 2026. Full comparison: [Aivastark vs Crisp](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-crisp)

### Zendesk

**Best 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.
- Watch for: Every agent seat is billed, and automated resolutions past the allowance cost $1.50–$2.00 each.

Figures checked October 2026. Full comparison: [Aivastark vs Zendesk](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-zendesk)

### Aivastark (our product)

**Best 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.
- Watch for: 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.

## When to stay with Chatbase

Chatbase is the stronger choice when model choice, phone voice or ready-made actions are the job. Stay if you:

- You want the widest model choice: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and more
- You need phone voice, from its $150 plan
- You want ready-made Stripe, Shopify and Calendly actions

## The number that decides the bill: how the AI is counted

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.

**On WhatsApp and Instagram.** 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. See [The WhatsApp AI agent](https://www.aivastark.com/integrations/whatsapp).

**On Shopify and WooCommerce.** For 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. See [The Shopify AI chatbot](https://www.aivastark.com/integrations/shopify).

## How this list was made

1. These are the products people weigh Chatbase against for an AI chatbot on their website, and each has a full head-to-head on this site with every figure sourced.
2. Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page and carry the month they were checked. They change, so check the vendor's page before you buy.
3. We make Aivastark. It's listed last, and every card says where another tool is the better choice.

## Questions

### Is there a Chatbase alternative with more AI replies for the price?

Aivastark'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.

### Which Chatbase alternative has a free plan?

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.

### Is there a Chatbase alternative that answers on WhatsApp and Instagram?

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.

### Which Chatbase alternative is best for a developer team?

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.

## Related

- [Aivastark vs Chatbase](https://www.aivastark.com/compare/aivastark-vs-chatbase)
- [AI chatbot for your website](https://www.aivastark.com/ai-chatbot-for-website)
- [Every comparison](https://www.aivastark.com/compare)

## Pricing

Aivastark has 6 public plans. Free is permanent and needs no card (300 credits/month). Paid plans start at $12/month (Solo). On any paid plan you can add more agents at that plan's price; each adds the plan's monthly credits. Enterprise is custom and sales-led.

Full plan table: https://www.aivastark.com/pricing.md · live page: https://www.aivastark.com/pricing

---

*Aivastark · https://www.aivastark.com · updated 2026-11-09*

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