Best AI website chatbots for small businesses

Phone answering with a North America human safety net, priced per call, built for law firms first.

From $150/mo · Crew score 7.5/10 · Best for: Law firms and high-ticket home services that lose real jobs to voicemail

A cheap website chat widget with a real free plan. Lyro does not answer the phone.

From $29/mo · Crew score 7/10 · Best for: A Shopify or WordPress shop that wants after-hours website chat. Missed-call trades should look elsewhere.

A 20-year chat widget billed per person. Starter is one seat. Tidio is $29.

From $25/user/mo · Crew score 7/10 · Best for: An ecommerce or SaaS team that staffs the website. Not a plumber, dentist, salon, HVAC shop, or law firm.

Genuinely free website chat. You still have to answer it. The $29 branding is annualized.

From Free · Crew score 7/10 · Best for: A shop with a website that will actually sit on the bubble. Not a receptionist, not missed-call text-back.

Missed-call text-back and review texts that work, sold on a 12-month hook you cannot casually leave.

From Custom · Crew score 6.5/10 · Best for: High-volume home services, auto, or multi-location shops that will actually live in the inbox

A real live-chat helpdesk from Nantes. WhatsApp starts at $95. Tidio is $29, and that is the closer widget.

From $45/mo · Crew score 6.5/10 · Best for: A SaaS or Shopify support team that wants one inbox for chat, email, and WhatsApp. Not a plumber, dentist, salon, HVAC shop, or law firm.

The multi-location reviews-and-listings suite. A one-truck shop should not be on this contract.

From Custom · Crew score 6/10 · Best for: Multi-location dental, franchise, or home-service groups that need reviews and listings in one dashboard

The FAQ says cancel today. The terms still look like a 12-month auto-renew. List price is $799 a month.

From $799/mo · Crew score 6/10 · Best for: A plumber who wants reviews, missed-call text-back, and an AI front desk in one bundle, and who gets cancel terms in writing that match the FAQ.

Train a bot on your PDFs and paste a widget. It is not Tidio, and a credit is not one message.

From $40/mo · Crew score 6/10 · Best for: A shop that will train and babysit a FAQ bot on its own site. Not a live help desk, and not a phone receptionist.