Website chatbots
Best AI website chatbots for small businesses
Chat widgets that answer questions and capture leads from your website while you are on the job.
Shops and offices: Barbers Retail
Food and fitness: Restaurants Gyms
Property: Property management Real estate Self storage
In this aisle the picks we would actually buy are Smith.ai at $150/mo and Tidio at $29/mo. Skip LiveChat if an ecommerce or SaaS team that staffs the website. Not a plumber, dentist, salon, HVAC shop, or law firm. Prices below are monthly prices on the review date, not annual teaser cards.
| Tool | Verdict | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai | Solid pick | $150/mo | Law firms and high-ticket home services that lose real jobs to voicemail |
| Tidio | Solid pick | $29/mo | A Shopify or WordPress shop that wants after-hours website chat. Missed-call trades should look elsewhere. |
| tawk.to | Situational | Free | A shop with a website that will actually sit on the bubble. Not a receptionist, not missed-call text-back. |
| Podium | Situational | Custom | High-volume home services, auto, or multi-location shops that will actually live in the inbox |
| Birdeye | Situational | Custom | Multi-location dental, franchise, or home-service groups that need reviews and listings in one dashboard |
| Chatbase | Situational | $40/mo | A shop that will train and babysit a FAQ bot on its own site. Not a live help desk, and not a phone receptionist. |
| LiveChat | Skip for most | $25/user/mo | An ecommerce or SaaS team that staffs the website. Not a plumber, dentist, salon, HVAC shop, or law firm. |
| Crisp | Skip for most | $45/mo | A SaaS or Shopify support team that wants one inbox for chat, email, and WhatsApp. Not a plumber, dentist, salon, HVAC shop, or law firm. |
| Broadly | Skip for most | $799/mo | A plumber who wants reviews, missed-call text-back, and an AI front desk in one bundle, and who gets cancel terms in writing that match the FAQ. |
FAQ
Which Website chatbots tools would we actually buy?
Smith.ai at $150/mo and Tidio at $29/mo are Solid picks.
What is the cheapest public monthly price in this aisle?
LiveChat lists $25/user/mo as the public monthly price on the review date.
Which tools in this aisle are Custom pricing?
Podium and Birdeye list Custom. There is no public monthly price on the review date.
Ranked reviews
Smith.ai
Solid pickPhone answering with a North America human safety net, priced per call, built for law firms first.
Tidio
Solid pickA cheap website chat widget with a real free plan. Lyro does not answer the phone.
tawk.to
SituationalGenuinely free website chat. You still have to answer it. The $29 branding is annualized.
Podium
SituationalMissed-call text-back and review texts that work, sold on a 12-month hook you cannot casually leave.
Birdeye
SituationalThe multi-location reviews-and-listings suite. A one-truck shop should not be on this contract.
Chatbase
SituationalTrain a bot on your PDFs and paste a widget. It is not Tidio, and a credit is not one message.
LiveChat
Skip for mostA 20-year chat widget billed per person. Starter is one seat. Tidio is $29.
Crisp
Skip for mostA real live-chat helpdesk from Nantes. WhatsApp starts at $95. Tidio is $29, and that is the closer widget.
Broadly
Skip for mostThe FAQ says cancel today. The terms still look like a 12-month auto-renew. List price is $799 a month.
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