There’s so much speculation on social media about what AI chatbots and AI agents can do.

A lot of it is noise. With “gurus” claiming you can do everything in 5 minutes with AI.

We wrote this guide to show a REAL example of how you can build an AI chatbot for your website for free in under 10 minutes.

We’ll cover two methods (and mention ones that take longer than 10 minutes but are worth knowing):

🤖 Picking templates from a general-use AI platform

Our objective: Build and deploy an intelligent AI chatbot that can answer website visitors’ questions like a real human, in under 10 minutes.

Method #1: Leverage an AI Chatbot solution

For this example, we’ll use Big Sur AI (that’s us 👋)

Once you add your URL, Big Sur AI will automatically start crawling all of your site’s pages.

Step 3: Select which pages you want to use in the AI’s training

Step 4 (Optional): Add rules about what and what not to include in your AI chatbot

Messages and placeholders (placeholder message, default prompts, greeting message, etc.)

Styling (color, logo, background, banners, etc.)

Chatbot integration (where it’s placed on your site, mobile vs desktop layout, etc.)

Actions are workflows that AI can fire on its own, like asking a visitor for their information, or automatically firing emails or internal notifications.

Now, let’s ask a few complex questions to see if it can give human-level assistance to this site’s visitors.

The responses are excellent. It even adds buttons for people to click on and follow-up questions that one could ask ⤵️

💰 How much can you get on the free plan?

 allows up to 1,000 visitors a month and unlimited customer conversations on its free plan so that this AI chatbot can be 

Method #2: Pick templates from general AI agent platforms

Relay.app, Make, n8n, Zapier, Jotform, Botpress.

Platforms that allow you to custom-build an AI chatbot vary. Some are traditional workflow builders with recently added AI capabilities (Zapier, Make, n8n).

Others have been built to power AI workflows and agents (Relay.app).

Some, like Botpress, let you custom-build AI agents from scratch. The issue, however, is that it takes more than 10 minutes and will often cost you.

For the sake of this guide, we’ll use Jotform as an example, as we were able to deploy an agent from their template library for free in under 10 minutes ⤵️

Step 1: Head to Jotform’s AI Agents library

Step 3: Pick the template that best suits your site and click “Use chatbot”

Step 6: (Optional) Set actions and connect your agent to other tools to expand its capabilities

For example, you could connect your Shopify account to let the AI learn about your store’s products. 

Step 7: Create your Jotform account and publish your AI chatbot

With Jotform, you can build and launch 5 AI agents for free. The limitation comes with conversations. 

The free plan only allows for 100 monthly discussions.

Why AI chatbots are superior to regular support bots

 An AI chatbot isn’t just a fancier FAQ — it’s a 24/7 assistant that understands, learns, and takes action. It can engage visitors like humans without cost or complexity.

Traditional support bots have pre-defined answers and often refer visitors to support documentation. They annoy most visitors by popping up in their faces on web pages and often result in waiting for a human support agent to intervene…

🔍 Key differences between regular chatbots and AI-native chatbots

Benefits of switching to an AI chatbot in 2025

 → AI chatbots can answer even complex queries without escalation.

 → They proactively assist visitors, guiding them to take action (book, buy, register).

 → Many modern AI bots just need your website URL to start.

 → Feels more like chatting with a helpful human than a robotic flow.

Use one AI bot for support, sales, content, and onboarding, all from one interface.

How to choose the right chatbot for your website

1. Define your business goals & use cases

 Be specific. “Answer customer questions” is vague. “Guide users through a 3-step booking flow and hand off complex queries to a rep” is better.

As we mentioned above in this guide, you could pick from the following solutions for your website’s AI chatbot:

AI-powered chatbot (with a tool like Big Sur AI)

Custom-made AI agent (with a tool like Botpress)

If you just want to answer FAQs → traditional rule-based or hybrid chatbots are fine.If you want actions (e.g., booking, upselling, CRM updates) → An AI-powered agent or chatbot is better.

Prioritize features that matter based on your use case:

How to build a FREE AI Chatbot in less than 10 minutes

 is a system that can make decisions and take actions on its own to achieve a goal. Unlike traditional software that only follows fixed instructions, an AI agent can sense what’s happening around it, think through its options, and choose what to do next — often without human input. In simple terms, it's like a digital assistant that doesn't just wait to be told what to do, but figures out what needs to be done and goes ahead with it.

For example, imagine a travel booking agent powered by AI. You could tell it, “I want to go to Italy in July,” and instead of just giving you links, it checks flight prices, compares hotels, finds you a good deal, and sends you an itinerary — all in one go.

Or think of a smart home assistant that notices you always turn off the lights and lock the door at 10 p.m., and starts doing it automatically for you.

These AI agents aren’t just answering questions — they’re actively helping, based on your goals or habits.

AI agents show up in all kinds of real-world tools: customer service bots that handle support tickets, software that writes reports or creates content, self-driving cars that navigate roads, and even warehouse robots that organize shelves.

not just reacting based on pre-defined commands

AI Agent vs Automated Workflow: What’s the difference?

Many of the so-called “agents” showcased on social media these days are simply complex automated workflows, like this one ⤵️

Yes, running this system will “act” as an agent, meaning it will take automated actions and act on it’s own (based off a specific trigger).

However, it does not reason or act on it’s own.

Real AI agents can be simple systems like the one below ⤵️. The difference is that some steps, 

instead of being a pre-defined action or logic, are calls to AI models. 

AI agent vs ChatGPT or other AI models: What’s the difference?

🧠 AI Models (like ChatGPT, Claude, Groq)

, but they need someone to ask them questions.

They can generate text, understand language, summarize, answer questions, and even write code, but they don’t remember past tasks, use tools, or take action unless a human gives them specific prompts.

add memory, tools, goals, and initiative.

 It uses ChatGPT as its brain, but also checks your calendar, sends emails, books appointments, or tracks down files — all without asking you every step of the way.

Jacob Bank, founder and CEO of the AI agent builder Relay.app, summarized the difference really well in a 

He aimed to answer: "When should you use ChatGPT vs. an AI agent/workflow tool?"

1. Use ChatGPT (or another chatbot like Claude or Gemini) if:

- It's a one-off use case that you aren't doing very frequently

- If the input and output is primarily text

- If you want to chat and refine the output

For example, if you want to create an annual marketing strategy, ChatGPT is perfect. You don't do it very often, you want a text report as output based on your text prompt as input and you want to go back and forth and refine the report with the AI.

2. Use an AI agent/workflow tool (like Relay.app, Zapier, Lindy, or Gumloop) if:

- If it needs to access structured data from your tools

- If it needs to automatically take action in your tools

For example, if you want to create a weekly marketing performance report, this is a perfect fit. You do it every week. You need to pull data from spreadsheets, emails, docs, etc. And you need to put the output automatically in a doc or Slack.

AI agent vs AI chatbot: What’s the difference?

Same with a model, the difference between AI agents and AI chatbots is 

Most AI-powered chatbots will answer questions. Here’s an example 👇

Action agents will solve a problem and take action. Here’s an example 👇

AI agent vs AI-powered software: What’s the difference?

Basic rule-followers. These agents use pattern matching (like “if you see 

 to recognize specific words or phrases, with no deep understanding or continuous learning.

An AI support agent that can reorder a new credit card when yours is stolen and you’ve verified your identity (Fin AI example above).

Smarter agents that build a simple "map" of their environment to make better decisions.

They keep track of what’s going on — not just reacting blindly — and choose actions based on their model.

: a smart thermostat that adjusts your temperature settings based on past behaviour (e.g., you always lower the temperature at 10 p.m.).

They ask themselves: “Will this action get me closer to my goal?” — and choose accordingly.

An AI assistant aiming to book a vacation within your budget.

Goal-based agents, but smarter — they don't just want 

They score each option (“utility”) and choose the one with the highest benefit.

A software database AI agent that dynamically assigns smart storage to optimize performance

Agents that get better over time by learning from experience.

They adapt by watching what works and what doesn’t — sometimes with feedback, sometimes on their own.

A robot vacuum that remembers room layouts

 through problems like a human might — using logic, deduction, and memory.

They break down complex tasks into smaller steps and make decisions using structured reasoning.

An assistant that builds a to-do list based on your priorities and deadlines in your Google Suite systems (Gmail, Google Calendar, etc.)

AI agents that exist in the physical world — they 

They use sensors to understand their surroundings, make decisions, and take action (like moving or picking something up).

Many agents working together — like a team — to solve a problem.

Each agent has its own role, but they collaborate (or sometimes compete) to reach a shared outcome.

AI agents managing different departments in a company

Examples of what you can do with AI agents

15 Real-Life Examples of AI Agents in 2025

6 Free Out-of-the-box AI Agents you can try today

Big Sur AI: Delight your customers and drive more conversions with AI.

 AI-first chatbot assistant, personalization engine, and website content marketer. Big Sur’s AI agents interact naturally with visitors anywhere on your site, providing relevant, helpful answers that guide users toward their goals — whether that’s making a decision, finding information, or completing an action.

 WhatsApp AI Assistant designed to help master your inbox, control your schedule, and find anything. It integrates with all your Google Apps (Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Contacts), Notion and Slack.

 Canva AI is an integrated suite of AI-powered tools within Canva designed to simplify and enhance the creative process for users of all skill levels. It assists in generating, editing, and optimizing content efficiently.

Micro AI: An AI Agent that writes and fixes test-driven code from natural language descriptions.

 It uses unit tests as guardrails to ensure the generated code meets specified requirements. The tool constrains the AI to specific tasks, generates unit tests based on user prompts, writes code to pass these tests, and automatically iterates until all tests pass.

Garnit AI: Never dig through promo emails again

 Garnit finds the top deals in your promotional emails, saving you the headache of actually having to read them. It also reminds you when deals you've saved are about to expire.

What Are AI Agents? How They Work & How to Use Them in 2025?

 is a system that can make decisions and take actions independently to achieve a goal, often in a way that feels autonomous, proactive, or even helpful.

🧠 An AI agent figures out what you need, goes and does it for you.

 (like browsers, calendars, spreadsheets)

Example of What Makes an AI Agent Different

Let’s say you're planning a trip to Italy.

 might just answer: “The weather in Rome is 25°C in May.”

 to recognize specific words or phrases — no understanding, no learning.

A chatbot that replies “Hi there!” if it sees the word “hello”

Email filters that sort messages based on words like “invoice” or “unsubscribe”

 FAQ bots, spam filters, keyword-based triggers

A smart thermostat that remembers past temperature settings

A chatbot that knows the current stage of a booking process

 Dynamic web assistants, customer support flows, simple games

They ask themselves: “Will this action get me closer to my goal?”,  and choose accordingly.

A GPS system trying to find the shortest route

An AI assistant aiming to book a flight within your budget

 Trip planners, sales agents, productivity bots

A shopping agent that picks the best laptop based on price, reviews, and specs

A stock-trading bot that evaluates risk vs. reward

An electrical grid management system that dynamically assigns power

A database AI agent that dynamically assigns smart storage to optimize performance

 Product recommendation engines, decision-making tools, pricing optimizers, software performance optimization

They adapt by observing what works and what doesn’t, sometimes with feedback, sometimes on their own.

A chatbot that learns new ways to answer questions

 Customer service improvement, personalized recommendations, smart automation

A research assistant agent (i.e. Google Deep Research) that will research multiple paths to get to a consolidated report

An assistant that builds a to-do list based on your priorities and deadlines

Planning agents, legal/medical assistants, multi-step problem solvers

A warehouse robot that picks and sorts packages

Logistics, autonomous vehicles, smart homes, agriculture bots

Drones coordinating to scan a disaster area

AI characters in a game working together to beat the player

Smart traffic systems, collaborative task automation, swarm robotics, simulations

You can leverage solutions that offer “out-of-the-box” AI agents. These companies have built agent systems to solve specific problems without requiring customers to develop their own.

✅ Easy to set up without technical knowledge

❌ Some tools have free plans, but most solutions will incur a cost

Big Sur AI is one of them. Here’s how it works ⤵️

How to Launch Your AI Chatbot With Big Sur AI in Minutes

 Big Sur AI will automatically analyze your site content.

 Set up specific AI actions and decide where the AI agent will appear on your site.

 Your AI agent will be live in minutes, and you can track performance with real-time analytics.

 6 Free “Out-of-the-Box” AI Agents You Can Leverage Today

The other option is to use agent builder platforms to customize your own AI agent. This option requires more work upfront, but adds more flexibility. Some platforms are general AI agent builders, and others are specific to an industry or function (more on this below).

✅ Can be cheaper (although agent-building platforms have costs too)

15 AI Agent Examples Changing The World in 2025

Chatbase Alternatives for 2025: Smarter AI Chatbots to Boost Your Business

In 2025, AI chatbots aren’t just customer service tools—they’re your brand’s frontline, sales team, and lead generator. While Chatbase has been a popular option for businesses looking to add a chatbot to their site, it’s not the only game in town. If you’re looking for a solution that drives conversions, delivers high-quality responses, and integrates seamlessly with your business, you’re in the right place.


Let’s explore the best Chatbase alternatives and why Big Sur AI leads the pack for businesses that want more than just a basic Q&A bot.


👉 Looking for a detailed head-to-head comparison? Check out our 

Chatbase is known for its easy setup and multi-channel capabilities, but it comes with trade-offs:


 Chatbase focuses on text-based Q&A. It’s great for answering support questions, but it doesn’t proactively engage visitors or drive sales.


 With strict message limits, agent caps, and costly add-ons (like removing branding or using custom domains), Chatbase can become expensive as you scale.


The chat experience is functional but lacks advanced website integration or on-page personalization.


 On reviews platform G2, Chatbase users cite “training the model for right answer” as one of the biggest frustrations with using the tool.


You can read more vetted reviews from real customers by heading over to 

.

If you need a chatbot that goes beyond answering FAQs—one that drives engagement, captures leads, and boosts conversions—there are better options.


1️⃣ Big Sur AI – The Best Chatbase Alternative for Conversion-Driven Businesses

Big Sur AI (hey, that’s us!) isn’t just a chatbot; it’s an AI website assistant, sales agent, and content marketer rolled into one. Designed for businesses that want to increase sales, Big Sur AI offers:

 From e-commerce to SaaS, Big Sur AI helps visitors discover products, ask complex questions, and complete actions in real time.


Guide users through personalized product discovery.


 Automatically generate landing pages based on your content to drive SEO traffic and sales.


 Syncs with your site’s data and brand voice, offering context-aware, high-accuracy answers—no hallucinations.


 Full-screen immersion in the experience–not just your typical chatbot pop-up. Results in higher user focus and satisfaction.


 Industry-leading technology ensures precise, helpful answers for your users. All your documents, website information, and carefully-curated materials are surfaced with the perfect context to give the right answer, every time.


 No hidden fees, no message caps—just scalable plans that grow with your business.

✅ Best for: Businesses prioritizing sales, engagement, and conversions.


👉 Learn more about how Big Sur AI drives conversions in our 

2️⃣ Intercom – Best for AI-Powered Customer Support

Intercom combines AI with human agents, offering a robust solution for customer support teams. With Fin AI Agent, omnichannel messaging, and a powerful knowledge base, Intercom is ideal for handling complex support workflows.


✅ Best for: Support teams needing AI assistance with live agent backup.

3️⃣ Tidio – Best for Combining Live Chat and AI Automation

Tidio blends live chat, AI chatbots, and help desk tools in one platform. It’s easy to set up, supports multi-channel messaging, and includes visual automation flows.


✅ Best for: SMBs that want an all-in-one chat and automation solution.


4️⃣ Botpress – Best for Building Custom AI Agents

For developers who want full control, Botpress offers a visual flow builder and open-source flexibility. It’s ideal for technical teams ready to design complex, tailored AI experiences.


✅ Best for: Developers building custom AI workflows.


5️⃣ Chatbot.com – Best for No-Code Customer Support Bots

Chatbot.com offers a no-code builder for setting up simple customer support bots. It’s user-friendly but less advanced in AI capabilities.


✅ Best for: Businesses needing a quick, simple chatbot for FAQs.

Big Sur AI stands out for businesses that want to convert visitors, not just answer questions. Chatbase, on the other hand, is a solid choice for basic support but lacks the advanced capabilities to drive sales.

Final Thoughts: Choose the Right AI Chatbot for Your Goals

If your priority is sales, engagement, and conversions, 

Blog

How to build a FREE AI Chatbot in less than 10 minutes

What Are AI Agents? How They Work & How to Use Them in 2025?