Katherine HaanContributor
Katherine Haan is a small business owner with nearly two decades of experience helping other business owners increase their incomes.
Kelly MainStaff Reviewer
Kelly Main is a Marketing Editor and Writer specializing in digital marketing, online advertising and web design and development. Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist covering small business marketing content. She is a former Google Tech Entrepreneur and she holds an MSc in International Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. Additionally, she is a Columnist at Inc. Magazine.
Katherine Haan,
Katherine HaanContributor
Katherine Haan is a small business owner with nearly two decades of experience helping other business owners increase their incomes.
Kelly Main
Kelly MainStaff Reviewer
Kelly Main is a Marketing Editor and Writer specializing in digital marketing, online advertising and web design and development. Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist covering small business marketing content. She is a former Google Tech Entrepreneur and she holds an MSc in International Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. Additionally, she is a Columnist at Inc. Magazine.
Contributor, Staff Reviewer
Rob WattsManaging Editor, SMB
With over a decade of editorial experience, Rob Watts breaks down complex topics for small businesses that want to grow and succeed. His work has been featured in outlets such as Keypoint Intelligence, FitSmallBusiness and PCMag.
Reviewed
Rob Watts
Rob WattsManaging Editor, SMB
With over a decade of editorial experience, Rob Watts breaks down complex topics for small businesses that want to grow and succeed. His work has been featured in outlets such as Keypoint Intelligence, FitSmallBusiness and PCMag.
Managing Editor, SMB
Reviewed
Updated: Apr 1, 2024, 7:17pm
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
Chatbots are computer programs that mimic human conversation and make it easy for people to interact with online services using natural language. They help businesses automate tasks such as customer support, marketing and even sales. With so many options on the market with differing price points and features, it can be difficult to choose the right one. To make the process easier, Forbes Advisor analyzed the top providers to find the best chatbots for a variety of business applications.
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Show Summary
- The Best Chatbots of 2024
- HubSpot Chatbot Builder
- Intercom
- Drift
- Salesforce Einstein
- WP-Chatbot
- LivePerson
- Genesys DX
- What To Look for in a Chatbot
- Methodology
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Featured Partners
Advertisem*nt
1
Tidio
Price
$25 per month for unlimited chats
Free Trial
7 days
AI Chatbot
50 AI conversations free
2
Salesforce
Starting price
$25 per user per month
Free Trial
14 days
Pipeline Management
Yes
The Best Chatbots of 2024
- HubSpot Chatbot Builder: Most user-friendly chatbot builder
- Intercom: Best chatbot for customization
- Drift: Best sales chatbot
- Salesforce Einstein: Best for Salesforce users
- WP-Chatbot: Best for WordPress sites
- LivePerson: Best for omnichannel messaging
- Genesys DX: Best for natural language processing
Most User-friendly Chatbot Builder
HubSpot Chatbot Builder
Starting Price
Free
Integrations
Yes
Multilingual
Yes
Free
Yes
Yes
Editor's Take
As part of the Sales Hub, users can get started with HubSpot Chatbot Builder for free. It’s a great option for businesses that want to automate tasks, such as booking meetings and qualifying leads. The chatbot builder is easy to use and does not require any coding knowledge.
With the HubSpot Chatbot Builder, you can create chatbot windows that are consistent with the aesthetic of your website or product. Create natural chatbot sequences and even personalize the messages using data you pull directly from your customer relationship management (CRM).
Who should use it:
Businesses of all sizes that are looking for an easy-to-use chatbot builder that requires no coding knowledge.
Pros & Cons
- Pulls data from your CRM for personalized messages
- Requires no coding
- Setup takes minutes
- Limited to HubSpot Sales Hub users
Best Chatbot for Customization
Intercom
Starting Price
$39 per month
(billed annually)
Integrations
Yes
Multilingual
Yes
$39 per month
(billed annually)
Yes
Yes
Editor's Take
Intercom’s newest iteration of its chatbot is called Resolution Bot and its pricing is custom, except for very small businesses. If your business fits that description, you’ll pay at least $74 per month when billed annually. This gets you customized logos, custom email templates, dynamic audience targeting and integrations.
Add-ons include product tours, WhatsApp and surveys. Its solutions for larger businesses include features for support, engagement and conversion.
Who should use it:
Businesses of all sizes that need a high degree of customization for their chatbots.
Pros & Cons
Best Sales Chatbot
Drift
Starting Price
Does not disclose
Integrations
Yes
Multilingual
Yes
Does not disclose
Yes
Yes
Editor's Take
Drift is best known as a sales artificial intelligence (AI) bot. It’s designed to help businesses qualify leads and book meetings. Each plan comes with a customer success manager, strategy reviews, onboarding and chat support.
With Drift, bring in other team members to discreetly help close a sale using Deal Room. This also helps train new sales representatives. It has more than 50 native integrations and, using Zapier, connects more than 500 third-party tools.
Who should use it:
Businesses of all sizes that are looking for a sales chatbot, especially those that need help qualifying leads and booking meetings.
Pros & Cons
- Each plan comes with a customer success manager
- Drift Deal Room
- A/B testing
- Pricing isn’t transparent
Best for Salesforce Users
Salesforce Einstein
Starting Price
$50
per month per user
Integrations
Yes
Multilingual
Yes
On Salesforce's Website
$50
per month per user
Yes
Yes
Editor's Take
If your business uses Salesforce, you’ll want to check out Salesforce Einstein. It’s a chatbot that’s designed to help you get the most out of Salesforce. With it, the bot can find information about leads and customers without ever leaving the comfort of the CRM.
Einstein is best used for customer support, but it can also be used for sales and marketing tasks. There’s even an Einstein Bot Framework so businesses can create their own bots.
Who should use it:
Businesses of all sizes that use Salesforce and need a chatbot to help them get the most out of their CRM.
Pros & Cons
- Works across your Salesforce channels
- Automatic triage and routing
- Offers a free trial
- Only available as part of Salesforce Service Cloud
- Plans and pricing can be confusing
Best for WordPress Sites
WP-Chatbot
Starting Price
Free
Integrations
Yes
Multilingual
Yes
Free
Yes
Yes
Editor's Take
If you have a WordPress site, WP-Chatbot is worth checking out. It’s a chatbot that helps you engage with your website visitors using their own Facebook Messenger. With it, you can create automatic or manual chatbots, all without knowing how to code: it’s plug and play.
With WP-Chatbot, conversation history stays in a user’s Facebook inbox, reducing the need for a separate CRM. Through the business page on Facebook, team members can access conversations and interact right through Facebook.
Who should use it:
Businesses of all sizes that have WordPress sites and need a chatbot to help engage with website visitors.
Pros & Cons
- Free chatbot
- One-click WordPress install
- Create custom greetings
- WordPress sites only
- Must have a Facebook business page
- Limited branding options
Best for Omnichannel Messaging
LivePerson
Starting Price
Does not disclose
Integrations
Yes
Multilingual
Yes
Does not disclose
Yes
Yes
Editor's Take
LivePerson is best known for its live chat capabilities, but it’s so much more than that. It’s an omnichannel messaging platform that helps businesses engage with their customers across channels.
What sets LivePerson apart is its focus on self-learning and Natural Language Understanding (NLU). It also offers features such as engagement insights, which help businesses understand how to best engage with their customers. With its Conversational Cloud, businesses can create bots and message flows without ever having to code.
Who should use it:
Businesses of all sizes that need an omnichannel messaging platform to help them engage with their customers across channels.
Pros & Cons
- Self-learning AI
- Uses NLU
- Annotation tools
- Pricing isn’t transparent
Best for Natural Language Processing
Genesys DX
Starting Price
$40 per month
Integrations
Yes
Multilingual
Yes
$40 per month
Yes
Yes
Editor's Take
Genesys DX is a chatbot platform that’s best known for its Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities. With it, businesses can create bots that can understand human language and respond accordingly.
What sets Genesys DX apart is its focus on engagement. It offers features such as engagement history, which help businesses understand how customers interact with their chatbots.
Who should use it:
Businesses of all sizes that need a chatbot platform with strong NLP capabilities to help them understand human language and respond accordingly.
Pros & Cons
- Natural language processing (NLP)
- Tons of prebuilt conversations
- Free trial
- Customize your branding
- Pricing isn’t transparent
What To Look for in a Chatbot
When choosing a chatbot, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, consider your needs. What do you need the chatbot for? Customer support? Sales? Marketing? Once you know what you need it for, you can narrow down your options.
Second, take a look at integrations. Does the chatbot integrate with the tools and platforms you already use? This will make your life a lot easier. Third, think about multilingual support. If you have customers or employees who speak different languages, you’ll want to make sure the chatbot can understand and respond in those languages.
Finally, consider the price. Chatbots can range from free to thousands of dollars per month.
Methodology
To find the best chatbots for small businesses we analyzed the leading providers in the space across a number of metrics. From pricing and plans to ease of use to the key features that matter most to businesses looking to use a chatbot to streamline customer service and supercharge sales, such as prebuilt conversations templates, AI-powered chatbots, natural language processing and more. We also considered user reviews and customer support to get a better understanding of real customer experience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a chatbot?
A chatbot is a computer program that simulates human conversation. It can help businesses automate tasks, such as customer support, sales and marketing.
How do chatbots work?
Chatbots use natural language processing (NLP) to understand human language and respond accordingly. Often, businesses embed these on its website to engage with customers.
What are some of the benefits of using a chatbot?
Chatbots can help businesses automate tasks, such as customer support, sales and marketing. They can also help businesses understand how customers interact with their chatbots. Chatbots are also available 24/7, so they’re around to interact with site visitors and potential customers when actual people are not. They can guide users to the proper pages or links they need to use your site properly and answer simple questions without too much trouble. As a result, this can save you money and time.
What types of chatbots exist?
There are three types of chatbots that a business can use: rule-based chatbots, independent chatbots and natural language processing chatbots. Rule-based chatbots are the most commonly used chatbots and require users to choose predefined questions and the chatbots respond to them accordingly. Independent chatbots are keyword-based chatbots and are artificial-intelligence (AI) machine learning (ML) chatbots that use keywords entered by users to respond to queries. Natural language processing chatbots, sometimes referred to as contextual chatbots, are more advanced and are a combination of rules-based and natural language processing chatbots. This combination makes it appear as if the chatbot is having a conversation with the user.
What features should a chatbot have?
If you are planning to use a chatbot, ensure that it:
- Can be customized to your business processes easily
- Possesses emotional intelligence
- Deploys easily across all channels
- Integrates with other tools you use
- Can talk in multiple languages
- Keeps your data secure
- Has a robust API
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