Straight answer

Best AI chatbots for small business customer service

Last checked Nov 5, 2026. Every price comes from the tool's own pricing page.

The short answer

To answer customers with AI at no starting cost, look at Tidio, Crisp or Botpress, which each list a free plan. Chatbase has no free plan and starts at $32 a month billed yearly.

The AI part is priced differently in each: Tidio sells its AI agent as an add-on from $32.50 a month, Crisp includes an AI chatbot builder on its $95 a month Essentials plan, and Botpress prices by conversation ($150 a month billed annually for 250 conversations).

Prices were read from each tool's own pricing page on Nov 5, 2026.

Compared, with sources

AI chatbots for small business customer service, prices checked Nov 5, 2026
Tool	What it does for you	Plans and prices (as shown)	Free plan	Source
Tidio	Website live chat with an AI agent (Lyro) that answers customer questions, plus a shared inbox for your team.	Free $0 · Starter $24.17/mo (annual toggle shown) · Growth from $49.17/mo · Lyro AI Agent add-on from $32.50/mo	Yes	Pricing page checked Nov 5, 2026
Crisp	Shared inbox and website chat for small teams; an AI chatbot builder comes with the Essentials plan.	Free $0 (2 seats, no AI credits) · Mini $45/mo · Essentials $95/mo (AI chatbot) · Plus $295/mo, per workspace	Yes	Pricing page checked Nov 5, 2026
Botpress	Builds AI chat agents for your website, WhatsApp or Slack that answer from your own help content.	Free $0 (100 conversations a month) · Plus $150/mo billed annually (250 conversations) · Team $750/mo billed annually	Yes	Pricing page checked Nov 5, 2026
Chatbase	Trains a chatbot on your own documents and website so it can answer customer questions.	No free plan, 7-day trial · Hobby $32/mo billed yearly ($40 monthly) · Basic $120/mo yearly · Business $400/mo yearly	No	Pricing page checked Nov 5, 2026

Order: free plan first, then lowest paid plan. Plans and limits are summarized from each pricing page; open the source for the full list.

Questions people ask

What is the best AI chatbot for small business customer service?

For a business that wants to start at no cost, Tidio and Crisp both list a free plan, and Botpress lists a free plan with 100 conversations a month. Tidio's AI agent (Lyro) is a separate add-on from $32.50 a month, and Crisp's AI chatbot builder starts on its $95 a month Essentials plan. Chatbase has no free plan and starts at $32 a month billed yearly. Prices were read from each pricing page on Nov 5, 2026.

Can a chatbot answer customers for free?

Partly. Tidio, Crisp and Botpress each list a free plan, but the free plans are limited: Crisp's lists no AI credits, Botpress's caps at 100 conversations a month, and Tidio's has monthly limits on conversations and on visitors reached by its automated flows. Read the limits on the pricing page before relying on one.

How much does an AI chatbot cost per month for a small business?

From the plans listed on Nov 5, 2026, the lowest paid prices were $24.17 a month for Tidio Starter (annual toggle shown), $32 a month for Chatbase Hobby (billed yearly), $45 a month for Crisp Mini and $150 a month for Botpress Plus (billed annually). The AI parts are priced differently in each tool, by conversation, credit or add-on, so the real cost depends on how many customer chats you get.

Will a chatbot replace a person answering customers?

Not by itself. These tools answer common questions from the content you give them and hand harder questions to a person. A chatbot can be wrong, so keep a way for customers to reach someone and check its answers against your own policies.

How were these prices checked?

Each price was read from the tool's own pricing page on Nov 5, 2026 and is linked in the table. Nothing on this page is sponsored, and the order is not for sale.

Sorted for usefulness, not payment: nothing on this page is sponsored. Prices change, so check the tool's own page before you buy. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. How we check prices