Chatbase alternative

ChatbotGen vs Chatbase

Both train a chatbot on your own content. They diverge on two things that decide the bill and the launch date: how you get onto WhatsApp, and how you pay per answer.

Chatbase pricing and docs checked in August 2026.

The short answer

Chatbase is the better tool if you want to choose the model behind each answer, or if your support already lives in Zendesk, Salesforce or Notion and you want the bot trained on those tickets. Its channel list is longer than ours and its actions catalogue is more mature.

ChatbotGen is the better tool if WhatsApp is where your customers are, if you work in Spanish, or if you want to know what the bill will be. WhatsApp connects by scanning a QR code in minutes rather than through Meta Business verification, and $29 a month buys 2,000 messages regardless of which model answers them.

ChatbotGen

Best for WhatsApp-first and Spanish-speaking small businesses

You want a number answering today, a predictable flat bill, and a product whose Spanish is native rather than translated.

Chatbase

Best for support teams that want model choice and deep integrations

You care which LLM writes the answer, your knowledge lives in Notion or a ticket history, and you need the bot to act inside Stripe, Zendesk or Shopify.

ChatbotGen vs Chatbase, feature by feature

Every cell comes from each product's own documentation or pricing page.

FeatureChatbotGenChatbase
Web widgetYes. One <script> line on any site.Yes. Chat bubble, help page and center-stage modes.
WhatsAppYes, by scanning a QR code from the dashboard. Live in minutes, with no Meta Business verification and no approved templates.Official Meta WhatsApp Business Platform only: a Meta Business profile, an approved display name, and a number not already in use on WhatsApp. The docs offer no QR path.
TelegramYes, by pasting a bot token.Not in its official channel list.
Other channelsNone yet. No Instagram, Messenger, SMS or voice.Email, phone and voice (Twilio/SIP), Slack, Messenger, Instagram, Zendesk, Salesforce, Shopify, Zapier, WordPress.
Training sourcesWebsite crawl, PDF/DOCX/TXT files, question-and-answer pairs, free text.PDF/TXT/DOC files, website crawl, text snippets, Q&A via .xlsx, Notion pages, and Zendesk or Salesforce tickets. 100 MB per agent.
LanguagesReplies in the visitor's language. Product, documentation and support in English and Spanish.95+ languages with automatic detection.
AI model choiceModel-agnostic via OpenRouter: Gemini by default, with Claude and GPT available.Yes, and it is their strongest card: pick from OpenAI, Google and Anthropic models. The credit cost per reply rises with the model (1 to 6 credits).
AI tools / actionsLead capture, human handoff, appointment booking, and live property search against the Wasi CRM.Prebuilt actions (Stripe, Calendly, Slack, Shopify, Salesforce, web search, escalation) plus custom actions against any API. Helpdesk, voice and API access start at the $150 tier.
Free tierYes. Build and train a chatbot free, no card, with a demo message allowance.Yes. $0 with 50 message credits a month and 1 agent; agents are deleted after 14 days of inactivity.
Trial7 days free on the Starter plan, card required.7-day free trial on paid plans.
List price$29 / $79 / $199 per month (USD).Hobby $40, Standard $150, Pro $500 per month (USD).
Billing modelFlat monthly subscription with a message allowance. No per-seat charge and no per-resolution charge.Message credits. A reply costs 1 to 6 credits depending on the model; extra credits are $40 per 1,000, and removing branding is $99 a month.

Chatbase figures read from its official site in August 2026. Prices change; verify before you decide. ChatbotGen prices are those on our own pricing page as of August 2026.

Pros and cons, both ways

ChatbotGen

Pros

  • WhatsApp by QR: a number is connected in minutes, with no Meta Business verification to sit through.
  • Spanish as a first-class language: interface, documentation and support, not half-translated.
  • Flat, predictable pricing: $29, $79 or $199 a month with a clear message allowance.
  • No per-seat charge: adding teammates to the workspace does not move the bill.
  • Training is direct: paste a URL or upload PDFs; there are no flows to design.
  • One bot across three channels: web, WhatsApp and Telegram share the same training.

Cons

  • No Instagram, Messenger, SMS or voice channels.
  • Not a visual flow builder: there are no decision trees to draw step by step.
  • Not a help desk suite with tickets, SLAs and a shared email inbox.
  • Fewer native third-party integrations than the largest platforms.
  • The message allowance is monthly: very high support volume needs a custom quote.

Chatbase

Pros

  • You pick the model: OpenAI, Google or Anthropic, per agent.
  • Many channels: email, voice, Slack, Instagram and Messenger on top of the widget.
  • Deep training sources: Notion and Zendesk or Salesforce tickets, not just files.
  • Mature actions: Stripe refunds, Zendesk ticket creation, Shopify order lookups.
  • Solid documentation and API.

Cons

  • Credit billing is hard to forecast: the same question costs 1 or 6 credits depending on the model.
  • The agent stops replying when credits run out unless auto-recharge is switched on.
  • Removing branding is a separate $99 a month.
  • Customer support is the most repeated complaint in Capterra reviews.
  • WhatsApp needs the full Meta process, plus separate Meta billing past the free message allowance.

Three differences that actually decide it

WhatsApp: a QR scan versus a Meta approval queue

Chatbase routes WhatsApp through Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform. That means a Meta Business profile, an approved business display name, and a phone number that is not already registered on WhatsApp — you have to delete the existing account on that number first. Past Meta's free monthly allowance you also add a payment method in Meta's billing settings, separate from your Chatbase bill. ChatbotGen connects the same number by scanning a QR code from the dashboard, the way WhatsApp Web does. Minutes, not days. The trade-off is real and worth knowing: the official API is the more durable, formally sanctioned route for a large brand, and it supports outbound template messaging that a QR connection does not.

A flat allowance versus credits that vary by model

Chatbase meters replies in credits, and a reply costs between one and six credits depending on which model answered it. Standard's 4,000 credits is 4,000 replies on a one-credit model and roughly 800 on the most expensive one — so the headline number tells you less than it appears to. Running out stops the agent replying unless auto-recharge is on at $40 per 1,000 credits. ChatbotGen bills a flat $29, $79 or $199 a month with a message count that means the same thing whichever model is behind it.

Model choice versus one less decision

This is the case where Chatbase genuinely wins something we do not offer: a per-agent model picker across OpenAI, Google and Anthropic. If you have a view on which model handles your domain best, that control is worth paying for. ChatbotGen runs model-agnostically on OpenRouter and picks a sensible default, which is one fewer decision for a small team but less control for someone who wants it.

Chatbase vs ChatbotGen

What people ask when comparing these two

Is ChatbotGen cheaper than Chatbase?

At entry level, yes. ChatbotGen's first paid plan is $29 a month; Chatbase's is $40 (Hobby), with Standard at $150. The larger difference is predictability: ChatbotGen's allowance is a flat message count, while Chatbase's credits are consumed one to six at a time depending on the model. Prices checked in August 2026.

Does Chatbase support WhatsApp?

Yes, through Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform. That path requires a Meta Business profile, an approved display name, and a number not already on WhatsApp, plus separate Meta billing past the free allowance. Chatbase's docs do not offer a QR-code option. ChatbotGen connects by QR from the dashboard.

Does Chatbase support Telegram?

Telegram is not listed among Chatbase's official channels. ChatbotGen supports Telegram by pasting a bot token.

Can I choose the AI model in ChatbotGen like I can in Chatbase?

Not as a per-agent picker in the dashboard. ChatbotGen runs on OpenRouter, so it is not locked to one vendor — Gemini is the default, with Claude and GPT available — but Chatbase's explicit model selector is a genuine advantage if that control matters to you.

Which one is better for Spanish?

Both answer in Spanish; Chatbase advertises 95+ languages with automatic detection. The difference is the product around the bot: ChatbotGen's interface, documentation and support are in Spanish, which matters when the person configuring it is not comfortable in English.

Which one trains on more sources?

Chatbase, clearly. It takes files, a website crawl, text, Q&A spreadsheets, Notion pages and Zendesk or Salesforce tickets, at 100 MB per agent. ChatbotGen takes a website crawl, PDF/DOCX/TXT files, Q&A pairs and free text — enough for most small businesses, but no ticket or Notion import.

The real comparison takes five minutes

Paste your website URL, let it train, and ask it the same questions you would ask Chatbase. Building and training is free, no card required.