In today’s digital landscape, customers expect instant replies and personalized experiences—and that’s where chatbots come in. Far from being just “automated responders,” modern chatbots help businesses capture leads, qualify prospects, provide support, and even close sales across multiple channels.
But with so many chatbot builders available, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. Some tools focus on customer service, others on marketing automation, and a few aim to be all-in-one platforms. The key is finding a solution that’s beginner-friendly, powerful enough to grow with your business, and affordable.
That’s why we’ve rounded up the 7 best chatbot builders, carefully comparing their features, free plans, and ease of use. We’ve focused on what matters most for marketers. By the end, you’ll know which platform best fits your needs—whether you’re a beginner setting up your first chatbot or a marketer ready to automate customer engagement at scale.
1. SendPulse – Best All-in-One Chatbot Builder for Growing Businesses
If you’re looking for a chatbot platform that does more than answer simple questions, SendPulse is the standout choice. Unlike single-channel tools, SendPulse combines a visual chatbot builder with email campaigns, SMS, and a built-in CRM—making it one of the few platforms designed for end-to-end customer engagement.
Free Plan and Pricing
SendPulse offers one of the most generous free tiers available: 3 chatbots included, 500 subscribers, and 10,000 chatbot messages per month. This makes it ideal for small businesses or startups that want to experiment with automation before scaling up. Paid plans unlock higher subscriber limits, advanced integrations, and priority support. The cheapest paid plan will cost you $8/month for unlimited chatbots, live chat, and messages.
Multi-Channel Reach
SendPulse supports a wide variety of channels out of the box:
- Instagram – automated DMs, comment replies, and story responses
- WhatsApp Business API – official BSP provider
- Facebook Messenger – one of the strongest Messenger integrations
- Telegram – perfect for international audiences
- Website chat widget – embed bots directly into your site
- SMS – native text messaging support
It’s worth noting that SendPulse, unlike many competitors, does support Viber chatbots as a first-class channel. It isn’t just sending Viber broadcasts; it allows you to build flows, triggers, respond to keywords, segment users, etc., via Viber.
This breadth of coverage means you can unify conversations across the exact channels your customers prefer.
Key Features
- Visual flow builder: Drag-and-drop conversation creation with no coding required.
- Pre-built templates: Jump-start your bot with ready-made flows for lead capture, e-commerce, FAQs, and more.
- AI & ChatGPT Integration: Add GPT-powered conversational AI blocks to flows for dynamic, natural replies and knowledge retrieval.
- Broadcast messaging & segmentation: Send targeted campaigns based on user actions or profile data.
- Triggers & personalization: Automate responses to keywords, events, or purchase history.
- Unified inbox: Manage bot and human conversations in a single dashboard.
- Appointment booking: Let users schedule meetings directly in the chatbot.
- Analytics & compliance: Built-in reports and GDPR tools to keep campaigns transparent.
Why Marketers Love It
SendPulse strikes the rare balance of being easy for beginners while powerful enough for advanced marketing teams. Its chatbot builder isn’t just an add-on—it’s part of a larger automation ecosystem, so your chatbots, email sequences, and CRM data all work together. For businesses that want more than a simple chatbot, SendPulse is a platform that grows with you.
Best for: Businesses that want a scalable chatbot solution integrated with broader marketing tools.
2. Tidio – Best for Customer Service Automation
Tidio positions itself as a customer service–first chatbot platform that also supports marketing automation. It combines live chat with chatbots, so businesses can handle repetitive queries automatically while still giving customers the option to reach a human agent when needed. This blend makes it especially popular with small and medium-sized businesses that prioritize fast, friendly support.
Free Plan and Pricing
Tidio offers only a 7-day free trial during which you can use all its available features based on the plan you choose. Paid plans start at $25/month for 100 billable conversations and 50 Lyro AI Agent conversations.
Multi-Channel Reach
While Tidio is strongest as a website live chat + chatbot hybrid, it also supports:
- Messenger bots (for Facebook)
- Instagram automation
- Email integrations through Zapier
Its focus isn’t on being everywhere at once, but rather on delivering reliable support where it matters most—your website and Messenger channels.
Key Features
- Drag-and-drop visual builder: Build bots for FAQs, lead capture, or e-commerce workflows.
- Live chat + chatbot combo: Seamlessly hand over conversations from bot to human agents.
- E-commerce focus: Cart abandonment reminders, product recommendations, and order tracking.
- AI-powered replies: Answer repetitive support questions automatically.
- Analytics dashboard: Track conversation counts, response times, and customer satisfaction.
Why Marketers Love It
Tidio’s biggest strength is its focus on customer experience. Instead of juggling separate tools for live chat and chatbots, businesses get a unified solution that boosts efficiency while keeping customers happy. For online stores and service businesses, this means fewer missed sales opportunities and a faster path to conversions.
Best for: Businesses that want to automate support while maintaining a strong human touch.
3. Outgrow – Best for Interactive Marketing Experiences
Unlike most chatbot builders that focus on customer support or messaging automation, Outgrow is all about interactive content. It enables marketers to create engaging experiences like quizzes, calculators, polls, and chatbots that capture attention and generate leads. If your priority is to stand out and drive conversions through creative engagement, Outgrow is a strong contender.
Free Plan and Pricing
Outgrow doesn’t offer a permanent free plan, but it does provide a 14-day free trial so businesses can test its interactive builder. After you pay $14/month, the cheapest paid plan unlocks 3,000 leads/year.
Multi-Channel Reach
Outgrow focuses primarily on website embeds and landing pages, rather than being a true multi-channel chatbot platform. However, its interactive widgets can be shared across:
- Websites and blogs
- Landing pages
- Links via email and social media
- This makes it great for lead-gen campaigns where driving traffic to a branded, interactive experience is the main goal.
Key Features
- Interactive content builder: Quizzes, polls, surveys, calculators, and chat-style flows.
- Drag-and-drop design: Marketers can customize experiences without coding.
- Conversion-focused templates: Pre-built layouts for lead generation, product recommendations, and assessments.
- Analytics & reporting: Track engagement, completion rates, and conversion funnels.
- CRM & marketing automation integrations: Push captured leads directly into your existing workflows.
Why Marketers Love It
Outgrow shines when your strategy involves engaging prospects in a fun, personalized way. For example, an e-commerce brand might use a “Find Your Perfect Product” quiz, while a financial services company could build a mortgage calculator chatbot. These interactive touchpoints capture valuable data while delivering value to users—helping brands qualify leads more effectively than static forms.
Best for: Marketers who want to create interactive lead-gen campaigns beyond traditional chatbots.
4. Chatfuel – Best for Messenger and Instagram Marketing
Chatfuel is one of the earliest and most well-known chatbot platforms, originally built for Facebook Messenger. Over time, it has expanded to include Instagram automation and WhatsApp, making it a go-to tool for brands heavily invested in Meta’s ecosystem. Its strength lies in helping marketers capture leads, nurture audiences, and run campaigns directly through social messaging apps.
Free Plan and Pricing
Chatfuel provides a free trial for you to test its features before purchasing a paid plan. Its business plan for Facebook starts at $24/month and covers 1,000 conversations, while the same plan for WhatsApp and Instagram will cost you $39/month.
Multi-Channel Reach
Chatfuel focuses primarily on:
- Facebook Messenger – its original and strongest channel
- Instagram – DM automation, comment replies, and story reactions
- WhatsApp – via the Business API
Unlike SendPulse or Tidio, Chatfuel isn’t designed for email or website chat—its strength is purely in social messaging automation.
Key Features
- Drag-and-drop flow builder: Simple, visual interface for building chat sequences.
- Instagram automation: Auto-reply to DMs, comments, and mentions.
- Broadcast messaging: Send campaigns to segmented audiences.
- E-commerce integrations: Shopify and WooCommerce connections for product catalogs, order updates, and cart reminders.
- Analytics dashboard: Track engagement, clicks, and conversions.
- Templates: Pre-designed flows for FAQs, lead capture, and promotions.
Why Marketers Love It
Chatfuel is perfect for businesses that already rely on Instagram and Messenger for customer interactions. Whether it’s boosting engagement through DM campaigns, running promotions, or answering FAQs, Chatfuel simplifies automation where your audience already spends their time. For brands that live in the Meta ecosystem, it’s one of the most effective tools available.
Best for: Brands that focus on Instagram and Facebook Messenger marketing.
5. ChatBot.com – Best for No-Code Website and Support Bots
ChatBot.com, created by LiveChat, is a powerful no-code platform that makes it easy to build bots for websites, messaging apps, and customer support. Its strength lies in its clean interface, rich set of integrations, and focus on automating conversations that reduce the workload on support teams while still improving customer experience.
Free Plan and Pricing
ChatBot.com offers a 14-day free trial with full access to its features. After that, pricing starts at a flat monthly rate based on the number of active chats, making it predictable for growing teams. For $52/month, you’ll have 1 active chatbot and 12,000 chats/year.
Multi-Channel Reach
- ChatBot.com supports several important touchpoints:
- Website chat widget (customizable to match your brand)
- Facebook Messenger
- LiveChat integration for seamless handoff between bot and human agents
- Other apps via Zapier and API
It’s not as broad as SendPulse when it comes to multi-channel, but it excels at website and support chat automation.
Key Features
- Visual drag-and-drop builder: Intuitive flow design with no coding.
- Pre-made templates: Ready-to-use scenarios for lead generation, customer support, and e-commerce.
- AI & keyword recognition: Build smarter bots that can respond naturally to queries.
- Human takeover: Smoothly transfer conversations to live agents when necessary.
- Analytics & reporting: Track usage, performance, and resolution rates.
- Integrations: Works with LiveChat, HelpDesk, Shopify, WordPress, and Zapier.
Why Marketers Love It
ChatBot.com is especially strong for small and medium businesses that want to automate repetitive questions, capture leads, or provide around-the-clock support. With its LiveChat connection, it delivers the best of both worlds: instant answers from bots plus human backup when needed.
Best for: Businesses focused on website chat automation and customer support efficiency.
6. Botsonic – Best for AI-Powered Custom Chatbots
Botsonic, developed by Writesonic, is an AI-driven chatbot builder that focuses on creating intelligent, context-aware bots. Unlike traditional rule-based platforms, Botsonic uses generative AI to understand natural language and provide human-like responses. This makes it especially appealing for businesses that want to deploy smarter, conversational bots without heavy setup.
Free Plan and Pricing
Botsonic offers a 7-day free trial, giving users the chance to experiment with AI-powered bots before committing. Paid plans start around $19/month, which usually allows 1 chatbot and up to 1,000 messages per month, making it accessible to startups and small businesses, while scaling options exist for enterprises with higher traffic.
Multi-Channel Reach
Botsonic is primarily designed for website bots, but it can also integrate with:
- WhatsApp (via API connections)
- Messenger
- Other apps through Zapier and API support
It’s not as multi-channel as SendPulse, but its strength lies in AI-driven interactions wherever it is deployed.
Key Features
- AI-powered conversations: Uses GPT technology to answer questions naturally.
- Custom knowledge base: Train your chatbot on FAQs, help docs, or product info by uploading files or linking to your website.
- No-code builder: Deploy bots quickly with minimal technical effort.
- Lead generation tools: Capture emails, phone numbers, and user details during conversations.
- Brand customization: Adjust colors, logos, and tone to match your identity.
- Analytics: Monitor performance, queries answered, and engagement rates.
Why Marketers Love It
Botsonic appeals to businesses that need smart automation without complex flows. For example, SaaS companies can train the bot on their documentation so it answers technical queries instantly, while e-commerce brands can provide AI-driven product guidance. It reduces dependency on manual scripting, saving marketers time while still offering quality customer engagement.
Best for: Companies seeking AI-powered chatbots that learn from their own content.
7. Flow XO – Best for Flexibility and Workflow Automation
Flow XO is a versatile chatbot platform designed for businesses that want highly customizable workflows without needing advanced coding skills. Unlike some tools that focus narrowly on marketing or support, Flow XO positions itself as a flexible solution that can handle a wide range of tasks, from customer service to lead capture to internal workflows.
Free Plan and Pricing
Flow XO offers a free forever plan, which includes up to 100 interactions per month and 5 bots or flows—perfect for experimenting. Paid plans scale at $25/month, covering 5,000 interactions, 15 bots/flows, 5 team members, and removal of branding.
Multi-Channel Reach
Flow XO supports a wide range of channels, including:
- Website chat widget
- Facebook Messenger
- Slack
- Telegram
- SMS (via Twilio integration)
This makes it one of the more channel-diverse platforms on the list, especially useful for teams that want to unify both external and internal communications.
Key Features
- Visual flow builder: Intuitive drag-and-drop tool for building conversation paths.
- Advanced integrations: Works with over 100 apps via native connections and Zapier.
- Live chat handover: Human agents can step in when automation isn’t enough.
- Payment processing: Accept payments directly within chat flows (e.g., Stripe, PayPal).
- Customizable triggers: Build bots that respond to user actions, events, or keywords.
- Analytics: Monitor interactions, performance, and conversion funnels.
Why Marketers Love It
Flow XO is especially appealing for businesses that want complete flexibility in how they design their automation. It can act as both a marketing chatbot and a customer support assistant, and its integrations allow it to fit neatly into existing workflows. For example, a business could capture leads in Messenger, push them into a CRM, and trigger a follow-up SMS—all from one bot.
Best for: Teams that need multi-channel flexibility and deep integrations.
Conclusion
With so many chatbot builders on the market, the choice comes down to what your business values most. Some tools shine in customer support, others specialize in interactive lead generation, while a few focus on B2B sales intelligence or tight CRM integration. Each of the platforms we explored—Tidio, Outgrow, Chatfuel, ChatBot.com, Botsonic, and Flow XO —offers a unique way to automate conversations and boost engagement.
But if you’re looking for one platform that balances power, flexibility, and ease of use, SendPulse leads the pack. It’s not just a chatbot builder—it’s an all-in-one marketing automation hub. From Instagram DMs to WhatsApp Business API, Messenger, Telegram, SMS, and website chat, SendPulse brings every channel into one simple, visual system. Add to that a free plan generous enough to get started without pressure, and you’ve got a tool that grows with your business.
The smartest chatbots will be those that connect conversations to real marketing outcomes. And that’s exactly where SendPulse excels—turning chats into leads, leads into customers, and customers into long-term relationships.