Free AI Chatbot Builders
Which AI chatbot builders a startup can put on its site or in its product for free today, how many messages or credits the free plan covers, whether the widget shows the builder's branding, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each builder's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Chatbot builders change their message allowances often: confirm the terms on the builder's page before you put a bot in front of customers.
AI chatbot builders a startup can use for free today include Mendable (500 message credits a month), Botpress (100 conversations, no top-ups or overages), Chatling (200 AI credits, $0 a month), Typebot (Unlimited typebots, 200 chats a month), and DocsBot (100 AI credits a month, 1 bot). Each of the 12 free plans below links to the builder's page that states it, with its main limit, whether its branding shows, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
An AI chatbot trained on your own pages and docs answers the same visitor questions day and night, and a bot builder adds flows for sign-ups, bookings and support. Many of these tools have a free plan that is enough to test one on your site.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. A free plan can stop at 50 to 500 messages a month, one bot and a small amount of training data, or show the builder's branding on your widget, and several popular chatbots start with a trial that needs a card. Each builder below shows what is free, its main limit, its branding, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the builder's own page with the date we read it.
Which builders we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the builders'. Some of these builders pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which builders are listed or where.
AI chatbots trained on your site, with a free plan
Chatbots that answer from your pages and docs, with free messages to start.
- 1
Mendable
A docs and support assistant with the most credits
Mendable's Free plan gives 500 message credits per month at $0, where each message is one query and response and GPT-4 uses 3 credits. The Powered by Mendable text is removed only on an Enterprise or custom plan.
- 2
Chatling
One AI agent with 500,000 characters, free
Chatling's Free plan gives 200 AI credits and one AI agent at $0 a month, with 500,000 characters of knowledge base. Credit use varies with the AI model, and removing the Powered by Chatling branding is an add-on.
- First paid plan
- Starter: $25 a month (source: chatling.ai)
- 3
DocsBot
Personal docs bots, free, with no card
DocsBot's Free plan is for personal use, with 1 DocsBot, 50 source pages and 100 monthly AI credits, and no credit card required. The Personal plan is $49 a month and raises source pages to 5k.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: docsbot.ai)
- First paid plan
- Personal: $49 a month (source: docsbot.ai)
- 4
Wonderchat
A support agent on a free forever plan, no card
Wonderchat's Free plan is free forever and not a trial: 50 AI replies a month and 1 AI agent, with no credit card required. Paid plans start at $39 a month for Starter.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: wonderchat.io)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $39 a month (source: wonderchat.io)
Start free at WonderchatTerms read on wonderchat.io on Wonderchat: the free allowance and how to start - 5
Elfsight
A chat widget on any site, free forever
Elfsight's Free forever plan needs no credit card: 1 chatbot, 50 messages and 200 views a month, and 10,000,000 characters of storage. Removing Elfsight branding from the widget is part of White label.
- Payment card
- No credit card needed (source: elfsight.com)
- First paid plan
- Basic: $5 a month billed yearly (source: elfsight.com)
Start free at ElfsightReferral linkTerms read on elfsight.com on Elfsight: the free allowance and how to start - 6
CustomGPT.ai
A week on 10 agents before paying
CustomGPT.ai gives every new account a free 7-day trial of its Standard plan ($99 a month), with 10 agents and 1,000 queries a month. A credit card is required for the trial, and the Powered by CustomGPT.ai branding stays on Standard.
- Payment card
- Credit card required (source: customgpt.ai)
- First paid plan
- Standard: $99 a month (source: customgpt.ai)
Start free at CustomGPT.aiReferral linkTerms read on customgpt.ai on CustomGPT.ai: the free allowance and how to start - 7
SiteGPT
A week of a paid plan, card needed
SiteGPT's only free allowance is a 7-day free trial on every self-serve plan, and a credit card is required, with cancellation allowed before it ends. Starter allows up to 4k messages a month, and removing the SiteGPT branding is a paid add-on.
- Payment card
- Card required (source: sitegpt.ai)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $59 a month, $39 billed yearly (source: sitegpt.ai)
- 8
Chatbase
Trying the Hobby plan for 7 days
Chatbase's only free allowance is a 7-day trial of its paid plans. The Hobby plan gives 700 message credits a month at $32 a month billed yearly, and the Chatbase branding stays unless you buy the removal add-on.
- First paid plan
- Hobby: $32 a month billed yearly (source: chatbase.co)
Conversational bot builders with a free plan
Visual builders for chat and voice bots, with a free plan to start.
- 1
Botpress
Support agents for a small team of 3 seats
Botpress's Free plan gives 100 conversations with no top-ups or overages, 3 AI agents and 3 seats. Botpress branding is removed from the chat widget on Plus, at $150 a month billed annually.
- First paid plan
- Plus: $150 a month billed annually (source: botpress.com)
- 2
Typebot
Chat forms and bots for one person
Typebot's Personal Free plan gives unlimited typebots and 200 chats a month, for just you. Typebot branding is removed on Starter, at $39 a month.
- First paid plan
- Starter: $39 a month (source: typebot.com)
- 3
Landbot
Lead and support bots, free forever, no card
Landbot's Free plan is free forever with 100 chats a month, and no card is needed, though it includes no AI chats. Landbot branding is removed from the Professional plan.
- Payment card
- No card, never expires (source: landbot.io)
- 4
ManyChat
Social DM automation for a small audience
ManyChat's Free plan needs no credit card and covers 25 active contacts a month, with up to 4 live triggers. Its messages carry a Powered by Manychat text on first contact, and Essential is $14 a month billed annually.
- Payment card
- No credit card needed (source: manychat.com)
Also useful for founders
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
How this comparison is built
The list covers AI chatbot builders a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each builder's terms. Every term comes from the builder's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on messages or training data, or the builder's branding on the widget, can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the builder states them. Some of these builders pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a builder appears, and no builder pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free AI chatbot for a website?
It depends on traffic. By the terms each builder states, Mendable's free plan includes 500 message credits a month, Chatling 200 AI credits, DocsBot 100 AI credits a month for 1 bot, and Wonderchat and Elfsight 50 replies or messages a month.
Is Chatbase free?
Chatbase starts with a 7-day trial of a paid plan. Its Hobby plan includes 700 message credits a month and costs $32 a month, billed yearly.
Which free bot builders go beyond answering questions?
Botpress's free plan includes 100 conversations with 3 seats and 3 AI agents, Typebot unlimited typebots with 200 chats a month, Landbot 100 chats a month free forever without AI chats, and ManyChat 25 active contacts a month.
Do free chatbot plans show the builder's branding?
Usually. Mendable, Chatling, Elfsight, Botpress, Typebot, Landbot and ManyChat show their branding on the free plan, and remove it on a paid plan or add-on.
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