Chatbase's pricing: Is it worth it & what to expect (2025)?
Chatbase’s plans start cheap but come with strict message and feature limits, making it essential to thoroughly evaluate whether its pricing aligns with your needs as you grow.
In this article, we break down Chatbase’s current pricing plans, their message limits, included features, and what users can really expect.
At the end, we highlight an alternative platform that better addresses Chatbase’s biggest product and pricing gaps.
Chatbase's pricing overview
Chatbase lets you build custom AI chatbots trained on your own data, ready to deploy on your website or other platforms.
Chatbase pricing is based on the number of chatbot messages processed each month, with four plans to fit different usage needs.
You can pick from four plans, scaling from a basic free chatbot to options with more messages and rich features. 👇🏼
- Free plan - $0/month, includes one chatbot with up to 100 message credits per month and basic customization.
- Starter plan - $19/month, includes two chatbots, up to 2,000 message credits per month, file uploads, and API access.
- Pro plan - $99/month, includes five chatbots, up to 10,000 message credits per month, advanced analytics and integrations, priority support, and more branding options.
- Enterprise plan - Custom pricing, includes unlimited chatbots and message credits, advanced access controls, white-labeling, and premium support.
💡Chatbase offers affordable entry-level access and competitive scaling, making it suitable for solopreneurs to large enterprises looking for custom AI chatbot solutions.
Does Chatbase offer a free trial or plan?
Yes, Chatbase offers a free plan based on information available directly on their pricing page.
What does it include?
The free plan allows users to create and test AI chatbots without upfront payment.
It includes 10 message credits per month. These can be used to interact with
the chatbot and evaluate core features, such as file uploads (one file per bot) and basic integrations.
Limitations of the free plan
With the free plan, message credits are limited to 10 each month.
Once these are used, you cannot interact with the bot until the next cycle.
You are limited to uploading only one file for chatbot training, and access to advanced features—like analytics, API usage, and multiple simultaneous bots—is not available on the free tier.
What do real customers think of the free plan?
Feedback on social platforms and forums like Reddit indicates users appreciate being able to try core features at no cost. Some mention the message limit feels restrictive, making it hard to fully evaluate the product.
Others say the simplicity is helpful for small experiments but not enough for ongoing projects or thorough prototyping. Most customers see the free tier as a low-risk way to determine if an upgrade is worth it.
Are there surprises at renewal?
Chatbase’s website lists monthly and annual subscription rates with clear usage limits and outlines automatic renewal unless canceled. They indicate that pricing is transparent and renewal charges align with the original plan unless the user upgrades, downgrades, or Chatbase changes rates with prior notice.
Looking at social media and review forums, most customers report that renewals happen at the expected rate. A few users on Reddit and Trustpilot mention surprise charges after hitting usage limits, which triggered auto-upgrades, but unexpected price jumps at normal renewal are rarely cited. Understanding plan terms and tracking usage can prevent unexpected costs.
Does Chatbase tend to change or increase pricing often?
Reports from customers on Reddit and indie hacker forums highlight that Chatbase has updated its pricing structure several times in the last year. Users noted subscription plan shifts in mid-2023, followed by another change in early 2024. Some customers on social media expressed frustration about sudden price increases and feature limitations introduced after these changes.
For example, here’s a recent Chatbase pricing page that’s almost 50% lower than today’s pricing 👇
On Vendr, vendor comparison data and customer feedback mention Chatbase altering plan tiers and increasing entry-level prices, sometimes with minimal prior notice.
This pattern has caused a few users to migrate to alternatives due to cost uncertainties.
How does Chatbase's pricing increase as you use it more?
Chatbase charges primarily based on usage volume rather than features. The main factors that trigger a price increase are the number of chatbot messages (user interactions) processed per month and the number of bots or sources you deploy.
According to the Chatbase pricing page, there are four main tiers:
- Free: Limited to 1,000 message credits/month and 1 chatbot.
- Starter ($19/month): Up to 2,000 messages/month, 2 chatbots, 4 sources.
- Pro ($99/month): Up to 10,000 messages/month, 5 chatbots, 20 sources.
- Ultra ($399/month): Up to 40,000 messages/month, 25 chatbots, 200 sources.
If you exceed a tier's message or chatbot limits, you must upgrade to the higher tier. Several users on Reddit and in review forums have flagged that Chatbase does not offer true metered billing past the top tier—you can't incrementally add capacity, so you hit "hard jumps" in cost if you exceed a cap.
For example, if you need 11,000 messages, you must upgrade from Pro ($99/month) to Ultra ($399/month), a steep jump.
Add-ons can quickly raise costs
Other costs can come from adding multiple bots or using advanced integrations, but the overwhelming driver is the monthly message cap.
Most customer complaints and review site feedback mention "surprise" jumps when usage peaks or when traffic is spiky. Also, unused messages don’t roll over to the next month.
Here is a breakdown of pricing triggers and thresholds:
| Usage threshold | Monthly cost | Key price jump trigger | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 messages, 1 bot | $0 (Free) | Crossing 1,000 messages or needing >1 bot | 1 source file, basic embed, branding on bot |
| 2,000 messages, 2 bots | $19 | Crossing 2,000 messages or 2 bots | 4 content sources, custom branding |
| 10,000 messages, 5 bots | $99 | Crossing 10,000 messages or 5 bots | 20 sources, upload docs, API/Slack integrations |
| 40,000 messages, 25 bots | $399 | Crossing 40,000 messages or 25 bots | 200 sources, priority support, more integrations |
| >40,000 messages, custom needs | Contact sales (custom) | Any major scale beyond Ultra | Enterprise contracts, unknown pricing |
Real users on Twitter and Reddit confirm these. If your business experiences seasonal spikes that exceed any threshold, you will be charged for the next full tier for that month.
There are no pay-as-you-go options. For startups and fast-growing sites, this makes budgeting more challenging, as a single successful campaign or traffic surge can instantly quadruple the cost.
Do customers believe Chatbase is worth the cost?
Many see steep pricing for essential features
On Reddit and G2, several users complain that essential features, like API access
or knowledge base updates, are locked behind pricey tiers. One review on G2
highlights paying $99 monthly for "basic chatbot capability," which felt
excessive compared to similar tools with more generous free plans.
Lack of flexibility in usage-based pricing frustrates startups
In threads on Indie Hackers and Twitter, startups mention being penalized for
short traffic spikes. Multiple founders noted that Chatbase’s token-based
pricing forced them to pay for higher plans even when usage was inconsistent.
One user commented, "We can’t optimize costs with unpredictable volume."
Paying for support quality is considered acceptable by some
On Product Hunt and X (formerly Twitter), a few customers say Chatbase’s
higher costs are justified due to fast, expert support. One praised "instant
responses even at midnight," saying the price made sense "when time is money,"
but still wished for tiers better matched to small teams.
Chatbase's Hobby plan
How much does it cost?
$19 per month, billed monthly.
What does it include?
- 2 chatbots
- Up to 2,000 message credits per month
- Up to 400,000 characters per chatbot
- Basic integrations including website widget embedding
- File uploads for chatbot training data (PDF, text)
Limitations
✖️ Only 2,000 messages per month
✖️ Maximum 2 chatbots
✖️ Limited data capacity at 400,000 characters per bot
✖️ No API access
✖️ Lacks advanced analytics or team collaboration features
Chatbase's Standard plan
How much does it cost?
$49 per month, billed monthly.
What does it include?
- 5 chatbots
- Up to 5,000 message credits per month
- Up to 2 million characters per chatbot
- API access for external integrations
- Slack and WhatsApp integrations
Limitations
✖️ 5,000 messages monthly cap
✖️ Limited to 5 chatbots
✖️ Lower priority support
✖️ Standard analytics only
✖️ No advanced role management
Chatbase's Pro plan
How much does it cost?
$99 per month, billed monthly.
What does it include?
- 10 chatbots
- Up to 15,000 message credits per month
- Up to 5 million characters per chatbot
- Access to API and all integrations
- White-labeling capability
Limitations
✖️ 15,000 messages monthly
✖️ Maximum 10 chatbots
✖️ No phone support
✖️ Limited to one user seat
✖️ No custom service-level agreement
Chatbase's Business plan
How much does it cost?
$399 per month, billed monthly.
What does it include?
- 40 chatbots
- Up to 100,000 message credits per month
- Up to 10 million characters per chatbot
- Priority support
- Role management and team collaboration features
Limitations
✖️ 100,000 messages per month
✖️ 40 chatbot limit
✖️ API rate limits apply
✖️ Onboarding fee may be required
✖️ Does not include all possible enterprise compliance features
Chatbase's Enterprise plan
How much does it cost?
Custom pricing; contact sales for a quote.
What does it include?
- Unlimited chatbots
- Custom message and character limits tailored to contract
- SLA and dedicated support
- Enterprise-level role management
- SAML single sign-on integration
Limitations
✖️ Pricing is not publicly listed
✖️ Requires custom contract negotiation
✖️ Minimum spend may be required
✖️ Features depend on agreement
✖️ Longer onboarding process
Is there a better alternative to Chatbase?
Big Sur AI is built for modern teams who want a high-performance, transparent, and scalable customer support automation platform. Many customers migrate from Chatbase to Big Sur AI to fix frustrations with rigid limits, surprise pricing jumps, and slow feature access.
How is Big Sur AI different from Chatbase?
Big Sur AI offers unlimited bot conversations and usage, so you never run into hard message caps that force you to upgrade suddenly. Chatbase’s plans jump steeply if you cross thresholds, causing surprise bills that are a common user complaint on Reddit and Trustpilot.
You get full access to data integrations, workflow automation, and analytics at every paid tier—not just in “enterprise” plans. Where Chatbase locks integrations, analytics, and API use behind higher prices, Big Sur AI includes Slack, Zendesk, CRM, cloud data connectors, and more out-of-the-box even on Growth plans.
Big Sur AI can train bots on unlimited documents, websites, and databases, while Chatbase restricts bot training on the free tier to a single file and sets tight data caps at each higher plan level. This means Big Sur AI users can unify all their support knowledge from day one.
Proactive automation is standard with Big Sur AI, enabling multi-step workflows, self-updating bots, and auto-escalation features. In contrast, Chatbase bots only react to customer questions, and more advanced automation requires expensive upgrades or isn’t available at all.
Team collaboration is available on all paid Big Sur AI plans, unlike Chatbase, which gates collaboration and role management behind business tiers. Shared inboxes, user permissions, and team analytics are easy to deploy regardless of plan size.
Lastly, every Big Sur AI paid plan comes with fast, reliable onboarding and support, instead of the slow, limited help frequently cited in Chatbase’s starter packs.
How does Big Sur AI's pricing differ from Chatbase's pricing?
Big Sur AI uses flat-rate pricing for unlimited messages and bots on all but its entry plan, so there’s no risk of surprise upgrades or steep jumps when your traffic grows.
Big Sur AI’s pricing gives you more volume than Chatbase, and doesn’t have as many volume paywalls that force you to upgrade (more on this below).
Choose from 3 plans:
- Free - $0/month, supports up to 1,000 monthly site visitors, unlimited user conversations, 100 web pages, 10 files (8MB each), and 5 team members.
- Pro 10K - $49/month (billed annually), supports up to 10,000 monthly site visitors, unlimited user conversations, 15,000 web pages, 50 files (8MB each), 50 team members, and one domain. Additional visitors at $6 per 1,000.
Custom - Contact for pricing, unlimited site visitors, conversations, pages, files, team members, multi-domain support, and a dedicated account manager with Slack channel.
The bottom line: Is Chatbase worth it or should you try Big Sur AI?
Chatbase is a leading name in AI chatbots, but its pricing model creates real obstacles for users who value scalability and flexibility. With Chatbase, costs grow steeply when you cross message or bot limits and there is no true pay-as-you-go option. This means businesses can be surprised by sudden jumps in price just because a campaign or support spike pushes them over a cap for a single month. Most advanced features, integrations, and analytics are also locked behind higher tiers—creating barriers for teams that want to grow or collaborate.
If you care about pricing scalability, then consider Big Sur AI for its predictable pricing at high volumes. Unlike Chatbase, Big Sur AI offers unlimited messages and bots on most paid plans, so you don't have to worry about unpredictable charges or artificial limits stifling your growth. All key integrations, analytics, and automation are available across plans, not just in the enterprise tier. You get transparent, flat-rate pricing, modern automation features, and fast, reliable support right from the start.
If you want chatbot automation that grows with your business and doesn't punish you for success, Big Sur AI is the more flexible and transparent choice.
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Ready to see the difference? Give Big Sur AI a try today at https://hub.bigsur.ai/login.
