EzyConn
Best overall for small business: free to start, hands chats to Slack and Teams
Pros
- Free forever plan with AI chatbot included
- Slack and Microsoft Teams (beta) hand-off
- 5-minute setup, no developer needed
- 5,000 messages a month on Starter
Tidio
Strong free tier and WhatsApp-first chatbot
Pros
- Generous free tier
- Solid Shopify integration
- Built-in WhatsApp Business support
Cons
- AI quality trails top tier
- Interface feels dated
- Limited Teams/Slack support
Intercom Fin
Premium AI quality, enterprise-grade
Pros
- Best-in-class AI resolution rate
- Deep product analytics
- Mature ecosystem
Cons
- Expensive: $0.99 per resolution adds up
- No true free tier
- Overkill for small teams
Crisp
Simple, European-built, affordable
Pros
- Clean UI
- Transparent pricing
- GDPR-first approach
Cons
- Less advanced AI than top 3
- Limited automation depth
Chatbase
Fast custom GPT chatbot for your website
Pros
- Train on your website in minutes
- Embed anywhere
- Low price for basics
Cons
- Chat-only, no shared inbox
- No Teams/Slack native app
- Limited agent features
HubSpot Chat
Included with HubSpot CRM
Pros
- Free with HubSpot CRM
- Tight CRM integration
- Good routing rules
Cons
- AI features locked behind paid tiers
- Not a standalone AI chatbot
LiveChat + ChatBot
Two-product bundle for live + AI
Pros
- Mature live chat
- Separate chatbot product
- Extensive integrations
Cons
- Pay for both products
- Fragmented UX
- Setup is non-trivial
Drift
Sales-focused conversational marketing
Pros
- Strong lead qualification
- Sales integrations
- Premium branding
Cons
- Expensive
- Sales-only orientation
- Overkill for support use cases
How We Ranked
Each tool was scored on five small-business-specific criteria: (1) free tier generosity, (2) ease of setup, (3) AI answer quality on a 50-question benchmark, (4) native integration with Microsoft Teams and Slack, and (5) price at 5 agents and 2,000 conversations per month.
If you want to start at no cost, our roundup of the best free AI chatbot for your website digs into the no-cost tiers, and our AI chatbot for small business guide covers fit and setup in more detail.
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