9 Best Botpress Alternatives in 2026

The best Botpress alternatives in 2026 are compared based on cost per conversation, build effort, free plans, and whether each AI chatbot platform requires a developer.

Team Nivon.AI

Team Nivon.AI

Sep 15, 2026

9 Best Botpress Alternatives in 2026

Botpress is a platform for building conversational AI agents. It combines a Visual Studio with JavaScript execution, an agent development kit, and a knowledge base with vector storage. You build a flow rather than fill in a form, which suits teams with engineering time and frustrates teams without it.

Botpress changed its pricing in May 2026. It now bills per conversation with AI Spend included, replacing the older model of a plan fee plus separately metered token usage. Bots became unlimited, and storage increased.

If you are looking for a Botpress alternative, this page compares nine alternatives in terms of cost per conversation, the amount of build work each requires, and what happens when you run out.

Quick picks

  • Closest builder alternative: Voiceflow, with a visual canvas and API steps.
  • Cheapest no-code flow builder: Chatling at $25/month.
  • If you wanted a support agent, try Nivon AI at $12 a month.
  • Best free plan: Nivon. 150 messages a month with no hard cap on your account.
  • Per-conversation billing like Botpress: Tidio Lyro at $0.50, eesel AI at $0.40.
  • Best for API actions without building: Chatwith from $19/month.

Why teams look for Botpress alternatives

Botpress does things that most tools on this page cannot. JavaScript runs inside conversations. The agent development kit handles logic that a form cannot express.

Bots are unlimited on paid plans, and there is no per-seat charge. Most usefully, AI Spend is included rather than marked up, so you are not doing token arithmetic on top of your plan fee.

Here is what prompts teams to look for an alternative to Botpress.

$150 for 250 conversations

Plus costs $150 for 250 conversations, which is $0.60 each. Team costs $750 for 1,500, which is $0.50 each.

For comparison, a support widget that handles 1,000 conversations a month would require the Team plan. Most AI chatbot platforms on this page handle that volume for under $100.

Extra conversations cost

Additional conversations come in packs of 100 for $65, or $0.65 each. That is more than the $0.60 rate on Plus and the $0.50 rate on Team.

Buying extra costs more per conversation than staying inside your plan. Chatling, SiteGPT, and My AskAI all price the extra unit at a rate below their plan rate.

Free plan cap

Free gives 100 conversations. When they run out, you cannot buy more, so the only route forward is the $150 Plus plan. Most free tiers here let you add credits or simply upgrade a smaller step.

You are building, not configuring

This is the real cost. Botpress gives you Studio, an ADK, a Help Center, and Botpress Desk. Designing flows, writing actions, and testing them takes engineering time that does not appear on any pricing page.

For a chatbot that answers questions from your documentation, that machinery is more than the job needs. For an agent that has to do something bespoke, it is exactly right.

Different pricing model for old account

Accounts created before May 2026 remain on the previous structure of a base plan plus separately billed AI Spend, with Plus at $89 and Team at $495. Check your billing page.

How to compare these tools

Ask every AI chatbot platform the same questions.

  • What is the cost per conversation, not just the plan price?
  • Do extra conversations cost more or less than the ones in your plan?
  • Is the AI model cost included, or billed separately on top?
  • How much engineering time does a working agent need?
  • Can the agent call APIs and take actions, or only answer questions?
  • Is there a free plan, and can you top it up or only upgrade?
  • Does the tool include human handoff?

Botpress alternatives compared

ToolBillable unitEntry price (monthly)Cost per unitAI cost includedNeeds a developerFree plan
NivonOne credit per message$12About $0.004YesNoYes, 150 credits
ChatwithMessages$19$0.019YesNoYes, 25 messages
BotsonicBot messages$19$0.019YesNoNo, 7-day free trial
ChatlingAI credit$25$0.0133YesNoYes, 200 credits
Tidio LyroLyro conversationFrom $32.50 add-on$0.50YesNo50 Lyro conversations, one-time
ChatbaseMessage credit$40$0.030YesNoYes, 50 credits
VoiceflowCredit, $0.005 eachFree tier, then paid1 credit per user message plus tokensNo, billed at costPartlyYes, limited credits
LandbotChatsFrom about $45Varies by tierYesNoYes, 100 chats
eesel AITicket or chat sessionNo base fee$0.40YesNo$50 free usage
BotpressConversation$150$0.60Yes, since May 2026YesYes, 100 conversations, hard cap

The 9 best Botpress alternatives

Voiceflow

Image

Voiceflow is a design-and-build platform for conversational agents across chat and voice channels. Teams design agent behavior on a visual canvas, test it, and deploy to web, phone, and messaging channels. It is the closest match to Botpress on this page, with a stronger collaborative design workflow and weaker code execution.

Key features:

  • Visual flow canvas with real-time collaboration
  • Chat and voice agents in one platform
  • Knowledge base with retrieval and multi-model routing
  • API and JavaScript steps inside flows
  • Dialogue Manager API for custom deployments
  • Testing and conversation analysis tools

Pros:

  • AI model costs are passed through at cost with no markup
  • API calls, function calls, and logic steps consume zero credits
  • Static messages the agent sends cost nothing, so only AI replies draw credits
  • Built for cross-functional teams rather than developers alone

Cons:

  • Two things draw credits: agent hosting and AI model tokens
  • Voice agents consume credits faster than chat because they run in real time
  • Extra editor seats are charged separately
  • Still a build platform, so it needs the same design effort as Botpress

Pricing: Voiceflow bills in credits covering agent hosting and AI usage. Each credit costs $0.005 on Business monthly plans. One user chat message costs 1 credit, and LLM usage is billed by token cost. Plan tiers run from a free tier through Pro, Business, and Enterprise, with additional editor seats billed monthly. Confirm current tier prices on the Voiceflow pricing page.

Best for: Teams that liked Botpress's canvas but want design collaboration and voice in the same tool. If you wanted to stop building, this is not the change.

Landbot

Image

Landbot is a no-code builder for web and WhatsApp conversations. It focuses on lead capture and guided flows rather than documentation answers. Marketing and sales teams use it to build branded conversational funnels without engineers, which is the main contrast with Botpress.

Key features:

  • Visual flow builder aimed at non-technical users
  • WhatsApp connectors and webhooks
  • Templates for lead generation funnels
  • Integrations, including Zapier and common CRMs
  • Conditional logic and data capture
  • Branded design controls

Pros:

  • Launches in hours rather than weeks, with no engineering time
  • Purpose-built for web and WhatsApp funnels
  • A free sandbox tier for testing
  • No token arithmetic, since AI cost sits inside the plan

Cons:

  • Complex branching flows become hard to manage at scale
  • Some integrations and analytics are gated to higher tiers
  • Published prices differ between sources and currencies, so confirm your region's rate
  • Weaker at open-ended question answering than a retrieval-first tool

Pricing: Landbot publishes a free sandbox tier and paid plans starting at roughly $45 a month, billed monthly, with a lower rate on annual billing. Higher tiers raise the chat allowance and the number of bots, and Business pricing is custom. Published figures vary between euro and dollar listings, so check the rate for your region before budgeting.

Best for: Marketing and sales teams building lead capture funnels on the web and WhatsApp.

Chatling

Image

Chatling is a no-code chatbot builder with a visual workflow builder. You drag blocks to design conversation paths, or let the AI answer from your knowledge base. It supports 29 AI models and publishes the cost of credit for each. Chats are unlimited on every plan, and only AI replies draw credits.

Key features:

  • Visual drag-and-drop workflow builder
  • 29 AI models across OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, xAI, and DeepSeek
  • Live chat with human handoff and an AI summary for the agent picking up
  • AI actions that complete tasks during a conversation
  • WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Telegram on paid plans
  • 30 million knowledge base characters on Growth

Pros:

  • A visual builder at a sixth of Botpress Plus's price
  • Unlimited chats on every plan, so only AI replies count
  • Add-on credits cost $10 per 1,000, less than the plan rate
  • The free plan gives 200 credits and does not expire

Cons:

  • Credits scale by model, from 0.5 per reply up to 25 on Claude Opus 5
  • No code execution, so bespoke logic is out of reach
  • Several parallel meters: AI credits, email credits, voice minutes, resync credits
  • Branding removal costs $35 a month unless you reach the Scale plan

Pricing: Free at $0 with 200 AI credits. Starter is $25 a month, or $21 annually at $250 a year, with 1,750 credits. Growth is $75 a month, or $63 annually at $750, with 6,000 credits. Scale is $295 per month, or $ 2,950 annually, with 35,000 credits.

Best for: Teams that want scripted conversation paths without writing code, at a fraction of the cost of Botpress.

Nivon AI

Image

Nivon is a configured AI support agent rather than a built platform. You connect your website, documents, FAQs, and past support tickets, and it answers from that knowledge base. When it cannot answer, it hands the conversation to your team, including the full thread. There is no flow to the design. Nivon AI, built by Pimjo, ran its own products for 45 days before release.

Key features:

  • Trains on website crawls, sitemaps, documents, Google Drive, OneDrive, FAQs, pasted text, and past support tickets
  • 20+ AI models across OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and xAI, switchable per agent
  • Guardrails defining what the agent handles, refuses, never shares, and escalates
  • Allowed domain rules restricting each agent to assigned sites
  • Separate workspaces with admin and member roles
  • Replies in 95+ languages

Pros:

  • Setup takes minutes and needs no developer
  • One credit per message on any AI model, with no token arithmetic
  • $12 entry price against Botpress Plus at $150
  • Free plan gives 150 messages with no card and no expiry

Cons:

  • No visual flow builder, so you cannot design scripted conversation paths
  • No code execution or agent development kit
  • No self-hosting, where Botpress has an open-source foundation
  • No API action layer, so the agent answers and escalates rather than executing tasks
  • SOC 2 Type II is in progress, not complete

Pricing: Free at $0 with 150 credits a month and 1 team member. Starter is $12 a month, or $9 on annual billing, with 3,000 credits and 3 members. Growth is $39 a month, or $29 annually, with 12,000 credits and 5 members. Business is $79 a month, or $59 annually, with 30,000 credits and 15 members.

Best for: Teams that chose Botpress for support deflection and found the build effort was more than the job required. If you need custom logic, Botpress and Voiceflow do that, and Nivon does not.

Tidio Lyro

Image

Tidio is a full support tool rather than a builder. You get live chat, ticketing, a visitor list, and analytics, with Lyro serving as the AI agent that answers questions from your knowledge sources. Lyro is also sold standalone, so you can add it to Zendesk or Salesforce without moving your inbox.

Key features:

  • Live chat, ticketing, and AI in one platform
  • Lyro answers from your knowledge sources with human handoff
  • Sold standalone or bundled with the Tidio inbox
  • Shopify and WordPress integrations
  • Analytics and permissions on higher tiers
  • Pay-per-resolution billing on the Premium tier

Pros:

  • Its unit definition is unusually clear: one Lyro conversation is a customer interaction with at least one AI reply, and extra AI replies still count as one
  • A customer who leaves and returns still counts as one conversation
  • 50 free Lyro conversations on every account to test answer quality
  • Premium offers a guaranteed 50% Lyro resolution rate with pay-per-resolution billing

Cons:

  • At $0.50 per conversation, it is the most expensive per-conversation rate here after Botpress
  • Two meters run at once: billable conversations and Lyro conversations
  • The 50 free Lyro conversations are one-off rather than monthly on lower tiers
  • The Premium guarantee needs 3,000 conversations and a sales conversation

Pricing: Free at $0 with 50 billable conversations and 50 one-time Lyro conversations. Starter is $24.17 a month on annual billing. Growth starts at $49.17. Plus starts at $749. The Lyro AI add-on starts at $32.50 a month for a bundle of 50 conversations at $0.50 each. Branding removal costs $16.67 per month on Starter and Growth plans.

Best for: Teams that do not already have a helpdesk and want chat, tickets, and AI from a single vendor.

Chatwith

Image

Chatwith builds AI agents trained on your files, website, sitemap, text, and YouTube videos. Its action layer is the closest thing here to Botpress's custom actions without having to write code. The agent calls APIs, checks Shopify and WooCommerce order status, and triggers webhooks.

Key features:

  • Connects to APIs and external services for real actions
  • MCP action calls are metered separately from messages
  • Shopify and WooCommerce order status and product search
  • Model switching, with your own LLM API key supported
  • Human escalation, guardrails, and lead collection
  • WordPress, WhatsApp, Slack, Telegram, and email channels

Pros:

  • API actions without building a flow or writing JavaScript
  • One message costs one message, with no model weighting
  • Unlimited training sources on every plan, including the free tier
  • $19 entry price against Botpress Plus at $150

Cons:

  • MCP action calls are a second meter at $6 per 1,000
  • The free plan allows 25 messages a month
  • The entry plan includes one agent, and extras cost $9 each
  • Hobby costs about twice as much per message as the Standard tier above it

Pricing: Free at $0 with 25 messages a month, 1 agent, and 500,000 training characters. Hobby is $19/month with 1,000 messages. The standard plan is $99 with 10,000 messages and 3 agents. Business is $399 with 40,000 messages and 5 agents. Add-ons cost $9 per 1,000 extra messages, $9 per extra agent, and $6 per 1,000 MCP action calls.

Best for: Teams that chose Botpress so the agent could call APIs, but do not want to build the flow around it.

Chatbase

Image

Chatbase is an AI chatbot platform trained on your documents, links, and text. It has the widest integration list in this category, and voice, telephony, and outbound campaigns from the Standard plan. It requires no build work, which is the main contrast with Botpress.

Key features:

  • AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, Meta, Mistral, MoonshotAI, and Z.ai
  • AI Actions that perform tasks during a conversation
  • Voice, telephony, and outbound campaigns from Standard
  • Integrations with Stripe, Zendesk, Salesforce, Intercom, HubSpot, Freshdesk, Gorgias, and Shopify
  • Auto-retrain and source suggestions on higher tiers

Pros:

  • Voice and telephony without building a voice flow
  • The widest integration list on this page
  • Free plan available for testing
  • No engineering time required to launch

Cons:

  • Auto-recharge credits cost $40 per 1,000, about a third more than the plan rate
  • Does not publish how many credits each AI model consumes
  • Branding removal costs $99 a month, and extra agents cost $25 each
  • Free plan agents are deleted after 14 days of inactivity

Pricing: Free at $0 with 50 message credits and 1 member. Hobby is $40 a month with 700 credits and 2 members. The standard is $150 with 4,000 credits and 3 members. The pro is $500 with 15,000 credits and 5 members. Enterprise is custom. Yearly billing takes 20% off.

Best for: Teams that need voice, telephony, or a specific CRM connector and do not want to build any of it.

Botsonic

Image

Botsonic is Writesonic's AI chatbot platform. You train it on your website and documents, then deploy it to your site and to WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Slack, and WordPress. Its Agentic Actions and workflows let the bot complete tasks, which is a lighter version of what Botpress lets you build.

Key features:

  • WhatsApp, Messenger, and Telegram from the entry plan
  • Agentic Actions, rising from 3 to 10 by tier
  • Industry-specific workflows on the Advanced plan
  • Auto-sync from your website and third-party platforms on the Advanced
  • Lead capture forms and sitemap upload
  • SOC 2 and GDPR compliance

Pros:

  • $19 entry price, an eighth of Botpress Plus
  • Agentic workflows without writing code
  • Messaging channels from the entry tier
  • Annual billing gives two months free

Cons:

  • Human handoff to Zendesk or Freshdesk costs $199 a month as an add-on
  • The per-message rate rises with tier. Advanced is $0.025 against Professional's $0.016
  • Branding removal costs $49 a month, and API access costs another $49
  • No free plan, only a 7-day free trial
  • Starter runs GPT-4o mini only

Pricing: Starter is $19/month or $16/year, with 1,000 messages and 1 chatbot. Professional is $49 monthly, or $41 annually, with 3,000 messages and 2 chatbots. Advanced is $299 monthly, or $249 annually, with 12,000 messages. Enterprise is custom. Extra messages cost $25 per 2,000.

Best for: Teams that want workflow automation on a small budget and do not need human handoff.

eesel AI

Image

eesel AI plugs into the helpdesk you already run and resolves tickets inside it. It trains on past tickets, help center articles, and documents in Confluence, Notion, and Google Drive. Like Botpress, it bills per conversation, but at a fraction of the rate and with no build work.

Key features:

  • Runs inside Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom, Slack, and Shopify
  • Trains on past tickets on any plan
  • Simulation mode that replays historical tickets before you go live
  • Spending cap with alerts at 50%, 75%, and 100%
  • Gradual rollout, routing only part of your queue to the AI
  • It’s own chat widget for marketing sites

Pros:

  • $0.40 per conversation against Botpress Plus at $0.60
  • No base fee at all, so low volume costs little
  • One ticket or chat session is one task; however many replies it takes
  • $50 in free usage with no credit card
  • SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and CCPA

Cons:

  • Tasks are billed regardless of outcome
  • No flow builder or code execution
  • Blog post drafts cost $4.00 each
  • Enterprise adds a $1,000 a month platform fee on top of usage

Pricing: $0.40 per support ticket or chat session. Light tasks, such as dashboard lookups, are free. Heavy tasks such as blog drafts cost $4.00. There is no platform fee, per-seat fee, or monthly minimum. Enterprise costs $1,000 a month plus usage. Annual commitment saves up to 25%.

Best for: Teams whose conversations arrive as support tickets and who want per-conversation billing without a base fee.

How to choose

  • Want to keep building: Choose Voiceflow. It is the closest match to Botpress's canvas, adds voice design, and passes AI model costs through at cost rather than marking them up.
  • Want to stop building: choose Nivon, Chatbase, or Chatling. All three are configured rather than constructed, and each costs less than Botpress Plus.
  • Cost per conversation is the problem: Choose eesel AI at $0.40 or Tidio Lyro at $0.50, versus Botpress at $0.60 on the Plus plan.
  • Need JavaScript, an SDK, or self-hosting: Stay on Botpress. Nothing else on this page gives you code execution inside conversations or an open-source foundation. That is a real reason to keep it.
  • If you selected Botpress for API actions: Choose Chatwith. It calls APIs and triggers webhooks from a $19 plan with no flow to build.
  • Need lead-capture funnels on WhatsApp: Choose Landbot.
  • Conversations arrive as support tickets: Choose eesel AI, which works inside your existing helpdesk.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Botpress alternative?

It depends on whether you want to keep building. Voiceflow is the closest builder, with a visual canvas and voice design. If you wanted a configured support agent instead, Nivon starts at $12 per month, and Chatling at $25 per month. For per-conversation billing at a lower rate, eesel AI charges $0.40 per conversation.

What is the cheapest Botpress alternative?

Nivon has the lowest entry price at $12 a month. Chatwith and Botsonic both start at $19, and Chatling at $25. eesel AI has no base fee, charging $0.40 per conversation. All four cost less than Botpress Plus, which is $150.

How much does Botpress cost?

Since its May 2026 pricing update, Botpress is free for 100 conversations, $150/month for 250 on Plus, $750 for 1,500 on Team, and $1,650 for Built For You. That works out to $0.60 per conversation on Plus and $0.50 on Team. Extra conversations come in packs of 100 for $65.

Does Botpress have a free plan?

Yes, with 100 conversations a month. It is a hard cap, so you cannot buy extra conversations on the free tier. The only way to continue is to move to the Plus plan at $150 a month.

Is there a free alternative to Botpress?

Yes. Nivon's free plan includes 150 messages per month, no card required, and no expiry. Chatling gives 200 AI credits plus unlimited chats. Chatbase gives 50 credits, though agents are deleted after 14 days of inactivity.

Are AI model costs included in Botpress pricing?

Since May 2026, yes. AI Spend is bundled into the per-conversation price rather than billed separately at provider rates.

Why do Botpress prices differ between sources?

Botpress changed its pricing model in May 2026, moving from a plan fee plus separate AI Spend to per-conversation billing that includes AI. Reviews published before then quote $89 for Plus and $495 for Team. The current figures are $150 and $750. Its pricing page also loads prices in the browser, which makes automated checks unreliable.

Do Botpress extra conversations cost more than plan conversations?

Yes. Extra conversations come in packs of 100 for $65, or $0.65 each. The Plus plan rate is $0.60, and the Team rate is $0.50. Chatling, SiteGPT, and My AskAI all charge extra units at rates below their plan rates.

Which Botpress alternatives let you write custom code?

Voiceflow supports API and JavaScript steps inside flows. Chatwith connects to external APIs and webhooks without code. Nivon, Chatling, Chatbase, Botsonic, Tidio Lyro, and eesel AI are configured rather than programmed, so none of them run custom code inside a conversation.

Do I still need a developer with these alternatives?

Voiceflow and Landbot need design time, but not necessarily engineering. Nivon, Chatbase, Chatling, Botsonic, Chatwith, Tidio Lyro, and eesel AI are set up by connecting sources and adjusting settings, so a support or marketing team can launch them without developer help.

Which one to pick

Botpress is a build platform, and judged as one, it is good. Code execution inside conversations, an SDK, unlimited bots, and AI Spend included rather than marked up are all genuine advantages. No other tool on this page gives you the first two.

The question is whether you need them. At $150 for 250 conversations, plus the engineering time to design and maintain flows, Botpress is expensive for a chatbot that answers questions from your documentation.

If that is the job, Nivon connects your content and answers to it, starting at $12 a month with a free plan that never expires.

Start free at Nivon