Category
Chatbot software: what they are and who makes them
Intercom, Tidio, Botpress and 6 more, sorted into types, with the company behind each and where it is based.
Types of chatbot software
Help desks with a built-in bot
Intercom, Zendesk and Gorgias start from the shared inbox and add an AI agent that answers before a person does. Pricing mixes seats or tickets with a usage fee. They fit teams whose chats end in a ticket, a refund or an order lookup.
Live chat with an AI layer for small sites
Tidio pairs a chat widget and flows with Lyro, an AI agent sold by conversation volume. A free plan and a short setup make it a common first install for small online shops and service businesses that have no developer and no support team yet.
Builders for custom agents and flows
Botpress, Voiceflow and Landbot let you design the conversation yourself, from scripted steps to agents with tools and knowledge. They need more setup time than a help desk bot, and they pay that back in control over logic and channels.
Document and social-DM bots
Chatbase turns a pile of documents and web pages into a support agent, and ManyChat automates replies to comments and direct messages on social apps. Both are quick to launch and narrow in scope, aimed at one job rather than a whole support operation.
Facts at a glance
| Tool | Publisher | Based in | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom | Intercom, Inc. | United States | Trial + API |
| Tidio | Tidio LLC and Tidio Poland Sp. z o.o. | United States and Poland | Free tier + API |
| Botpress | Botpress Technologies Inc. | Canada | Free tier + API |
| Voiceflow | Voiceflow, Inc. | Canada | Trial + API |
| Landbot | HELLO UMI, S.L. (Landbot) | Spain | Free tier + API |
| Chatbase | Chatbase Inc. | United States | Trial + API |
| ManyChat | Manychat, Inc. | United States | Free tier + API |
| Zendesk | Zendesk, Inc. | United States | Trial + API |
| Gorgias | Gorgias, Inc. | United States | Trial + API |
