Cheapest AI chatbots for customer support (2026)
Compare seven AI chatbots by entry price, usage limits and human handoff. See current billing caveats and where Breezaro fits for a small support team.
The short answer: If you only need an AI assistant trained on your content, Breezaro starts at $8.99/month. If a person must take over the conversation, Breezaro Pro starts at $28.99/month. Other products may be a better fit for your volume or workflow. Compare the actual included usage and channel needs before choosing.
Pricing snapshot, 27 September 2026: USD figures below come from the linked public pricing pages. Annual equivalents are marked; taxes, extra usage and add-ons may apply. Prices and features can change, so confirm them before buying. Different vendors count credits, messages, conversations or outcomes differently.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Entry price for ongoing AI | Usage at entry | Human support and important caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breezaro | $8.99/month Basic; $28.99/month Pro with Take Control | 1,000 AI credits on Basic; 4,000 on Pro, shared with actions and proactive messages | Human takeover and 3 Custom Actions from Pro; 30-day trial with 200 credits |
| Smartsupp | Mira AI Agent from $16/month, billed annually | 100 AI conversations/month | Mira lists human handoff; check the customer-care plan if you also need email or social channels |
| Chatling | Free with 200 AI credits; Starter $25/month ($21 annual equivalent) | 1,750 AI credits on Starter; model choice affects credit use | Live chat and handoff are available; check the plan's seats and routing |
| Tidio | Lyro AI Agent from $32.50/month | 50 AI conversations/month; first 50 free once | Lyro can be bought alone or with Tidio's customer-service product |
| Chatbase | Free with 50 credits; Hobby $40/month | 700 message credits/month on monthly Hobby | Helpdesk is listed from Standard ($150/month on monthly billing) |
| SiteGPT | Starter $59/month, or $39/month billed annually | Up to 4,000 GPT-4.1-mini messages or 400 GPT-4.1 messages/month | One chatbot and one member on Starter; live inbox is listed on higher tiers |
| Intercom | Fin from $0.99 per outcome, with a minimum monthly commitment | Charged per outcome rather than per message | Fin can run with an existing helpdesk without seat fees; Intercom Essential starts at $29/seat/month plus Fin usage |
These are entry points, not like-for-like quotes. For example, 1,000 Breezaro credits are not the same unit as 100 Smartsupp conversations. Model selection, the number of questions within one conversation and the definition of a billable outcome affect the final cost.
What Breezaro includes
Basic includes one AI chatbot, 1,000 monthly credits and a 100-page knowledge-base capacity. The bot answers from your connected content in the web widget. Standard ($18.99/month) adds WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram DM, but neither Basic nor Standard includes Take Control or Custom Actions.
Pro ($28.99/month) includes 4,000 monthly credits, five chatbots, a product catalog, human Take Control and three Custom Actions. To answer "where is my order?", you must connect an action to your store's HTTPS API and check that the visitor may see that order. This is not a ready-made native integration. The Custom Actions documentation and WooCommerce order-status guide show the setup.
The 30-day trial has no credit-card requirement and includes one Custom Action and Take Control, with a 200-credit monthly allowance. See the full plan comparison and start the trial to test your own questions and volume.
Where the other tools fit
Smartsupp is strong if your team primarily works in a shared human inbox. Its Mira AI Agent starts at $16/month on annual billing for 100 conversations and lists human handoff. Customer-care plans and extra channels have separate conditions, so compare the combination you need. See Breezaro vs Smartsupp.
Chatling is another low-price option, now with AI actions, live chat and handoff. Its free plan includes 200 AI credits and one seat. Starter costs $25/month, includes 1,750 credits and two seats, and is $21/month equivalent when billed annually. Credit use depends on the model.
Tidio offers Lyro for $32.50/month from 50 AI conversations. The first 50 are a one-time free allowance. Lyro can be purchased separately from its customer-service platform, so add a paid human-chat plan only if your workflow needs one.
Chatbase is an AI agent builder. Hobby is $40/month with 700 message credits on monthly billing, while its free plan includes 50 credits. If you need its built-in helpdesk, check the Standard tier and integrations rather than assuming Hobby includes it. See Breezaro vs Chatbase.
SiteGPT starts at $59/month on monthly billing or $39/month equivalent when paid yearly. Its Starter message allowance depends on the model: up to 4,000 messages with GPT-4.1-mini or 400 with GPT-4.1. A human live inbox is described on higher tiers.
Intercom suits teams that want an established support suite or Fin on an existing helpdesk. Fin is priced from $0.99 per outcome, with a minimum commitment for the standalone option. Its Essential suite lists $29 per seat per month plus Fin usage. It is not accurate to compare the $0.99 outcome fee alone with a whole monthly chatbot subscription.
How to choose by workload
- List your channels and handoff needs. A web-only AI bot has a different cost from multichannel support with people on duty.
- Estimate real usage. Count questions, conversations and monthly peaks, then compare each vendor's billing unit and limits.
- Test your own content. Include an easy FAQ, a product question, a missing answer and a request for a human. For order lookups, test ownership checks before enabling a live API action.
For a small team that needs an AI bot and optional human takeover, Breezaro is a low-cost option in this set. Your actual cost depends on credit usage and the plan you need. The savings calculator can help model your volume.
Sources
- Breezaro, pricing and Custom Actions
- Smartsupp, pricing
- Chatling, pricing
- Tidio, pricing
- Chatbase, pricing
- SiteGPT, pricing
- Intercom, pricing
FAQ
Which AI chatbot is the cheapest? For an AI bot using your own content, Breezaro Basic starts at $8.99/month in this comparison. If you need a human to take over, Breezaro Pro starts at $28.99/month. Chatling has a free tier and Smartsupp Mira has a lower annual entry price than Breezaro Pro, but their usage units and human-support conditions differ.
Does the entry price include human handoff? It depends on the plan. Breezaro includes Take Control from Pro and in the trial. Smartsupp Mira and Chatling list handoff; Tidio offers Lyro alone or alongside its human-support product. Check staffing, seats and channel costs.
Can a cheap AI chatbot look up an order? A chatbot needs access to the store's live order data and a way to verify ownership. Breezaro supports this through a configured Custom Action from Pro or in the trial, not through Basic or Standard.
Can I try before paying? Breezaro offers a 30-day trial without a card. Chatling and Chatbase have free tiers; Tidio gives the first 50 Lyro AI conversations once. Check each vendor's current trial terms.
Related: The best AI chatbots for customer support · Breezaro vs Smartsupp.