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.
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The install route is How it works: website chat.
In this aisle the picks we would actually buy are Smith.ai at $150/mo and Tidio at $29/mo. LiveChat fits an ecommerce or SaaS team that staffs the website. Not a one-location service business. 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 business that wants after-hours website chat. Missed-call businesses should look elsewhere. |
| tawk.to | Situational | Free | A business 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 businesses 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 business 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 one-location service business. |
| Crisp | Skip for most | $45/mo | A SaaS or Shopify support team that wants one inbox for chat, email, and WhatsApp. Not a one-location service business. |
| 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
7.5/10
Solid pickPhone answering with a North America human safety net, priced per call, built for law firms first.
Tidio
7/10
Solid pickA cheap website chat widget with a real free plan. Lyro does not answer the phone.
tawk.to
7/10
SituationalGenuinely free website chat. You still have to answer it. The $29 branding is annualized.
Podium
6.5/10
SituationalMissed-call text-back and review texts that work, sold on a 12-month hook you cannot casually leave.
Birdeye
6/10
SituationalThe multi-location reviews-and-listings suite. A one-location business should not be on this contract.
Chatbase
6/10
SituationalTrain a bot on your PDFs and paste a widget. It is not Tidio, and a credit is not one message.
LiveChat
7/10
Skip for mostA per-person website chat widget. New trials are Text Essential at $25 a user. Tidio is $29.
Crisp
6.5/10
Skip for mostA real live-chat helpdesk from Nantes. WhatsApp starts at $95. Tidio is $29, and that is the closer widget.
Broadly
6/10
Skip for mostThe FAQ says cancel today. The terms still look like a 12-month auto-renew. List price is $799 a month.