Best AI Chatbot Builders (September 2026)

What sets it apart autonomous nodes that let an LLM drive the flow

Best for developers building LLM-native agents · Pricing model Free pay-as-you-go tier, then Plus around $89/mo and Team $495/mo, plus separate AI Spend

Botpress is a chatbot and AI agent platform started in 2017 in Quebec City, originally one of the first open-source bot frameworks. It rebuilt around LLMs and now offers a cloud studio with a visual builder, autonomous nodes, and a knowledge base. A May 2026 pricing update added unlimited bots and free AI Spend for new workspaces, while Plus and Team paid plans stay at $89 and $495.

Sources botpress.com · botpress.com · crunchbase.com

What sets it apart block-based builder styled like assembling LEGO

Best for marketing and sales teams on WhatsApp · Pricing model Free Sandbox plan, paid plans from about $45/mo (priced in EUR) billed by monthly chats, WhatsApp sold as separate tiers

Landbot is a Barcelona no-code chatbot builder founded in 2017, known for a block-based visual editor that assembles conversations like LEGO. It runs bots on websites, WhatsApp, and Messenger and has repositioned around AI agents in recent years. The free Sandbox plan caps at 100 chats a month, with paid plans starting near $45 and WhatsApp broken out into its own track.

Sources landbot.io · eu-startups.com · capterra.com

What sets it apart deep Instagram and Messenger comment automation

Best for creators automating social DMs · Pricing model Free plan for 25 contacts, paid tiers from about $15/mo scaling by active contacts, AI add-on billed separately

ManyChat, founded in 2015, automates direct messages and comment replies across Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and TikTok. It targets creators and small businesses running marketing and lead-capture flows rather than support desks. In 2026 it restructured into five tiers, cut the free plan to 25 contacts, and now sells AI features as a separate add-on.

Sources manychat.com · setsmart.io · flowgent.ai

What sets it apart built specifically around Meta messaging commerce

Best for ecommerce stores selling on Meta channels · Pricing model No standing free plan, 7-day trial, contact-based plans from about $39/mo

Chatfuel, founded in 2015 and a Y Combinator alum, builds AI chatbots across WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and TikTok DMs. It focuses on ecommerce use cases like abandoned-cart recovery and lead qualification on Meta channels. In 2026 it moved to a contact-based pricing model with AI tiers, offering a 7-day trial and paid plans starting around $39.

Sources chatfuel.com · chatimize.com

What sets it apart native Gemini generative playbooks inside the flow builder

Best for developers on Google Cloud · Pricing model Usage-based per request, free quota plus Google Cloud trial credit

Dialogflow is Google Cloud's platform for building chat and voice agents, now folded into the Conversational Agents console alongside the former Vertex AI Agent Builder. It combines intent-based flows in Dialogflow CX with generative playbooks and data stores powered by Gemini. Billing is usage-based per request, with a free quota and standard Google Cloud trial credits.

Sources cloud.google.com · cloud.google.com · cloud.google.com

What sets it apart CALM separates LLM understanding from coded logic

Best for engineering teams needing on-prem control · Pricing model Free Developer Edition, Growth from roughly $35,000/yr, custom Enterprise

Rasa, founded in 2016, is a conversational AI framework favored by developers who want control and on-prem deployment. Its CALM approach lets a language model handle understanding while the agent's actions stay defined in code. The Developer Edition is free up to 1,000 conversations a month, with the Growth tier starting around $35,000 a year.

Sources rasa.com · rasa.com · crunchbase.com

What sets it apart drag-and-drop agents wired to enterprise data sources

Best for enterprises building internal AI agents · Pricing model Free tier with 500 runs/mo, Enterprise by custom quote

Stack AI, founded in 2023 out of Y Combinator, is a no-code platform for building AI agents and internal tools that connect LLMs to company data and back-office systems. Asana acquired it for about $75 million in May 2026, but it still runs as a standalone product. Pricing is two tiers: a free plan with 500 workflow runs a month and a custom Enterprise plan with SSO and SOC 2.

Sources stack-ai.com · ycombinator.com · techcrunch.com

What sets it apart multi-agent teams that delegate tasks to each other

Best for sales and ops teams running agent crews · Pricing model Free tier, paid from $19/mo split into Actions and Vendor Credits

Relevance AI, founded in 2020 in Sydney, is a no-code platform for building an AI workforce of agents that hand off tasks to each other. It is used heavily for sales, research, and operations automations rather than website chat widgets. Pricing starts at $19 a month and splits into Actions for task runs and Vendor Credits for AI compute.

Sources relevanceai.com · coldiq.com · crunchbase.com