The Best Chatbot Builders for Your Business?

Are you ready to future-proof your business with chatbots? You can implement chatbots in your operations without the need to hire a team of developers. Chatbots provide businesses with an opportunity to improve their customer service. This is particularly beneficial for small businesses or solo entrepreneurs who are heavily involved in other aspects of their business.

Chatbots can handle inquiries about your business, freeing up your time. The significant advantage is the option to have bots operate 24/7, ensuring that potential customers don’t have to wait until working hours for their questions to be answered or to receive sales assistance. In this article, we tell you about some of the best chatbot builders.

1. ChatBot

ChatBot, by Text, Inc., is a user-friendly platform that helps small businesses create automated chat experiences without coding. ChatBot helps improve the customer experience by letting you design conversation flows, add FAQs, and even integrate it with tools like Facebook Messenger or your website. It’s great for handling customer queries, booking appointments, or offering product details.

Pricing starts at around R 950 per month, making it affordable for small operations. The interface makes it simple to set up, even if you’ve never built a bot before. With ChatBot, you save time and give customers instant replies, boosting satisfaction and freeing you to focus on other tasks.

2. ChatGPT

ChatGPT is one of the popular AI tools for businesses. But did you know you can use it to build chatbots?

With ChatGPT, businesses can create a custom chatbot just by describing their needs in simple words, no need for technical expertise. This makes it easy to set up a bot that reflects your brand’s tone and handles customer interactions smoothly.

To ensure your chatbot remains effective, you’ll need to update your bot regularly, which is like giving it ongoing “training” to stay relevant and helpful. Accessing ChatGPT’s custom feature costs from R 370, however, depending on your needs and platform integration, you might pay more.

3. Zapier

Zapier stands out because it connects your chatbot to hundreds of other apps, like Gmail, Slack, or Shopify, to automate tasks across platforms. Zapier Chatbots lets you create a custom-branded chat directly within your website.

Zapier enables you to define how your chatbot responds within conversations through directives. These directives allow you to specify the chatbot’s role, target audience, objectives, and more. Additionally, you can guide user interaction with the chatbot by using either a static greeting or a personalised greeting that is generated at the beginning of the conversation.

Pricing starts with a free plan, then the paid plans start from R 370 per month for premium features. The limitation differences between the paid plans include the number of chatbots you can build, as well as what the chatbots can do.

4. ManyChat

ManyChat is a popular choice for businesses that want to automate conversations on Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and those using WhatsApp for business. It’s designed for non-technical users and has a drag-and-drop builder.

ManyChat offers a free plan for basic features, with paid plans starting at around R 280 per month. It’s especially good for businesses focused on marketing, lead generation, and customer engagement on social media. With its ease of use and wide reach, ManyChat helps small business owners stay connected with customers without spending hours on messages.

5. Tidio

Tidio combines live chat and chatbot tools, giving small businesses a flexible solution for handling customer interactions. You can chat live when you’re available or let the chatbot take over when you’re offline. It’s great for automating FAQs, sending order updates, or capturing leads.

Tidio offers a free plan with basic features, and paid plans start at about R 450 per month. Each pricing plan has various limitations, such as billable conversations, analytics, and more.

The platform is easy to install and doesn’t require coding, making it perfect for solo entrepreneurs or small teams.

6. Landbot

Landbot lets you build chatbots that feel human and engaging, with a strong focus on website interactions. You can create conversational forms, qualify leads, or guide customers through purchases, all without needing to code. It’s also a drag-and-drop builder, and it integrates with tools like Slack, Google Sheets, and WhatsApp.

Landbot has a free plan and premium plans that start around R 830 per month. It’s particularly useful for small businesses that want to turn more website visitors into paying customers. With its clean design and user-friendly tools, Landbot helps businesses create a seamless chat experience for their customers.