Best Chatbot Builders in 2026: 10 Platforms Compared
A chatbot builder lets you create a bot without writing code: you design the conversation in a visual editor, connect it to messengers or your website, and add AI where it helps. Below are ten chatbot builders that are worth a look in 2026, with their free plans, starting prices, channels and AI features in one table.
We make Botmother, so it comes first in the list. Prices of the other tools were checked on their own pricing pages on November 5, 2026. Manychat and SendPulse block automated visits, so their prices are taken from October 2026 reviews. Prices change often — check the vendor’s page before you buy.
Chatbot builders compared
| Builder | Free plan | Paid plans from | Channels | AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botmother | Yes, Test plan with no time limit | $49/mo ($22/mo for the first 2 months), priced by live bots | Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Viber, MAX, VK, website | ChatGPT or any model with an OpenAI-compatible API |
| Manychat | Yes, 25 active contacts | $17/mo (250 contacts)* | Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok, SMS, email | Manychat AI on the Pro plan |
| Chatfuel | No, free trial | $18/mo billed annually | WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, website | AI agent, usage-based AI credits |
| Flow XO | Yes, 100 interactions/mo | $25/mo | Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, website, SMS | AI assistants with a knowledge base |
| SendPulse | Yes, 3 bots | about $10–12/mo (500 subscribers)* | Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Viber, TikTok, website | AI steps and AI assistant |
| Botpress | Yes, 100 conversations/mo | $150/mo billed annually | Website, WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, Instagram, Slack, Teams, Viber | LLM agents with a knowledge base |
| Tidio | Yes, 50 conversations/mo | $24.17/mo billed annually | Website live chat, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, email | Lyro AI agent, paid add-on |
| Landbot | Yes, 100 chats/mo (web only) | €40/mo | Website; Messenger and WhatsApp on higher plans | AI agents on your knowledge base |
| Chatbase | No, 7-day trial | $40/mo | Website, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Slack | AI agents on OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini models |
| BotHelp | 14-day trial | $18/mo (1,000 subscribers) | Telegram, Messenger, Viber, WhatsApp, Instagram | Not stated |
* Per October 2026 reviews; the vendor’s pricing page blocked our check.
In short: for bots in messengers with no limits on users and messages, look at Botmother; for Instagram and Messenger marketing — Manychat; for an AI agent on a website — Chatbase, Tidio or Botpress; for a free start with a few hundred interactions — Flow XO or SendPulse.
What is a chatbot builder?
A chatbot builder is a software platform that lets you create, customize and launch chatbots without programming. What to look for:
- Visual editor. Conversation flows are built from blocks with drag and drop: messages, buttons, conditions, forms.
- Templates. Ready-made bots for common tasks — lead collection, support, bookings, giveaways — that you can launch as is or adapt.
- Channels. One bot that works in several messengers and on your website saves you from building the same scenario twice.
- AI. Most builders now connect large language models: the bot answers free-form questions from your knowledge base and hands complex cases to a person.
- Integrations. CRM, Google Sheets, payments, and connectors such as Zapier or Albato for everything else.
- Pricing model. Builders charge by contacts, conversations, AI credits or bots. The same audience can cost very different amounts, so estimate your volume first.
Top 10 chatbot builders in 2026
Botmother
Botmother is a no-code chatbot builder for creating bots of any complexity without programming. You build one scenario, and the bot works in all connected channels at once.
Features:
- One bot, many channels: Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Viber, MAX, VK and a chat on your website.
- AI: ChatGPT or any model with an OpenAI-compatible API; the bot can answer from your knowledge base and recognize voice messages.
- Integrations: Google Sheets, Zapier, Albato, Usedesk, payments in Telegram, and requests to any external API (all integrations).
- Templates and visual editor: start from a ready-made template or build from blocks with drag and drop.
- No limits on users or messages: the price depends only on the number of live bots.
Price: the Test plan is free with no time limit (up to 10 test bots that reply to 5 testers). Paid plans start at $49/mo for one live bot; new users pay $22/mo for the first two months (pricing).
Manychat
Manychat is a chat marketing platform best known for Instagram and Facebook Messenger automation: replies to comments and story mentions, growth tools and broadcasts.
Features: visual flow builder, templates, audience segmentation, integrations with Shopify, HubSpot and Google Sheets. Manychat AI is available on the Pro plan.
Channels: Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok, SMS, email.
Price: free plan for up to 25 active contacts. Paid plans are priced by active contacts and start at $17/mo for 250 contacts (Essential) — per October 2026 reviews. If you need Telegram and WhatsApp, see ManyChat alternatives for Telegram and WhatsApp.
Chatfuel
Chatfuel focuses on AI agents for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook that answer customers, qualify leads and take orders.
Features: visual builder, AI agent, comment automation, integrations with Zapier and Google Sheets, analytics.
Channels: WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, website.
Price: no permanent free plan, only a free trial. Paid plans start at $18/mo billed annually and include a monthly allowance of AI credits.
Flow XO
Flow XO combines a chatbot builder with workflow automation: bots can book appointments, take payments and pass data to 100+ connected apps.
Features: visual flow editor, AI assistants with a knowledge base, webhooks, live chat, multilingual bots.
Channels: Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, website, SMS.
Price: free plan with 100 interactions a month and up to 5 bots; the Standard plan is $25/mo for 5,000 interactions.
SendPulse
SendPulse is a marketing platform where chatbots sit next to email, SMS, web push, a CRM and a landing page builder — handy for multichannel campaigns.
Features: chatbot builder with AI steps, broadcasts, CRM, email and SMS campaigns, analytics.
Channels: Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Viber, TikTok, website.
Price: free plan for up to 3 bots; paid chatbot plans start at about $10–12/mo for 500 subscribers — per October 2026 reviews.
Botpress
Botpress is a platform for building AI agents on large language models. It suits teams that want deep customization and are ready to spend more time on setup.
Features: LLM agents, knowledge base, visual studio with code where needed, many ready-made integrations.
Channels: website chat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Viber and more.
Price: free plan with 100 conversations a month; the Plus plan is $150/mo billed annually.
Tidio
Tidio is a live chat and help desk for online stores with the Lyro AI agent that answers customer questions on the website.
Features: live chat, help desk, Lyro AI agent (paid add-on), integrations with Shopify and WordPress.
Channels: website live chat, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, email.
Price: free plan with 50 conversations a month; paid plans start at $24.17/mo billed annually.
Landbot
Landbot is a no-code builder known for conversational landing pages and website chatbots for lead generation, surveys and support.
Features: visual editor, templates, AI agents grounded in your knowledge base, integrations with third-party tools.
Channels: website; Messenger and API on higher plans; WhatsApp from €160/mo or as an add-on.
Price: free plan with 100 chats a month on the web; paid plans start at €40/mo.
Chatbase
Chatbase builds AI agents trained on your data — documents, websites, help center — that answer customers and can perform actions.
Features: AI agents on OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and other models, actions and integrations, conversation analytics, support for many languages.
Channels: website, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Slack, email.
Price: no free plan, a 7-day trial; paid plans start at $40/mo.
BotHelp
BotHelp is a chatbot builder for messenger marketing: subscription funnels, broadcasts, webinars and quizzes.
Features: templates, drag-and-drop editor, lead generation tools, CRM, analytics, contact management.
Channels: Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Viber, WhatsApp, Instagram.
Price: 14-day trial; paid plans start at $18/mo for 1,000 subscribers on the pricing page.
Left out this year: Salebot now sells mostly in Russia with prices in rubles, and Manybot, a free Telegram-only builder, has not been updated for years.
How to choose a chatbot builder
- Start from the channels. Write down where your customers already are: Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, your website. Not every builder supports all of them, and some put WhatsApp on expensive plans only.
- Estimate the price at your volume. Builders charge by contacts, conversations, AI credits or bots. Calculate the cost for your expected audience a year from now, not only for the first month.
- Check how AI is connected. Can you choose the model, use your own API key, answer from your knowledge base and hand the conversation to an operator?
- Try it for free. Build a small bot on a free plan or trial and test it with real questions before you pay.
Ready to start? Sign up and build your first bot on the free Test plan.