Chatbase vs Zipchat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Zipchat grades higher than Chatbase: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zipchat grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Chatbase
Build AI support agents trained on your content, priced by credits
Which one is for you
Pick Chatbase if
- Fits if you want an AI agent on your site trained on your own help docs
- Works for teams already on Zendesk or Intercom that want AI in front of it, from Standard at $120
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if a team of people answers too, as 5 members means Pro at $400 a month
- Too light for a real help desk on the $32 plan, which is the bot alone with no API
- Skip it if you hate branding on the widget, since removing it costs $1,188 a year
- Watch out: extra message credits are $40 per 1,000, and each extra AI agent is $300 a year
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there's only a 7-day trial and no ticketing or help center on record
Pick Zipchat if
- Fits if you run a Shopify, WooCommerce or BigCommerce store and want shoppers answered round the clock
- Works for stores that want an AI agent to hand off to a person
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as every plan starts with a 7-day trial
- Tight if you get lots of chats, since Starter covers 750 AI replies and extra replies cost $49 per 250
- Not for you if you do not sell through an online store, as it is built for store platforms
- Watch out: Meta charges a per-chat fee for WhatsApp marketing campaigns, given as $0.02 per chat started in the US
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAChatbaseFair | 2.2GPAZipchatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DHobby is $32 a month billed yearly for 700 message credits and 2 members, at the dearer quarter of help desks. What a support team needs, the helpdesk inbox, API and Zendesk links, starts on Standard at $120 for 3 members, and five people need Pro at $400. | CStarter is $64 a month on annual billing for 750 replies, which is in the dearer end of support tools, where the middle is $29. Pro is $240 for 3,000. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 7-day trial of Hobby, Standard or Pro. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card, and there's no free plan. | C7-day free trial on every plan. No free plan, and the listing does not say a card is needed. |
| Features | CIt covers the AI agent job: trained on your files and site, a choice of AI models, actions in other tools, and voice from Standard. The human side is thinner, a hand-off inbox from Standard, and the listing shows no ticketing or help center. | CAI replies across channels, product recommendations, cart recovery, order tracking and returns, with human handoff. It is built for online stores, not general support. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You feed it documents and pages, pick a model, set up actions and channels, and check its answers. That's real setup before customers see it. | CNo store rating on record. You connect your store and teach it your policies. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web app with no desktop or phone app, but the agent goes out to websites, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Slack and email, with Zendesk, Salesforce, HubSpot, Intercom, Shopify and Zapier, and an API from Standard. | BWeb only, with 7 integrations on record. |
| Best for | building an AI agent from your own docs | an online store that wants an AI agent answering shoppers |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Chatbase and Zipchat. How we grade
Price against what you get
Chatbase starts at $32 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zipchat starts at $64 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Chatbase starts $32 a month lower. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 18 score higher than Chatbase for less, and 21 score higher than Zipchat for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Chatbase also covers help desk.
- Zipchat also covers whatsApp messaging and chatbots.
At a glance
| Chatbase | Zipchat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $32 per month for 700 message credits, billed annually ($40 billed monthly) | $64 per month for 750 replies, billed annually ($80 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day trial of the Hobby, Standard or Pro plan | 7-day free trial on every plan |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Chatbase Inc. | Zipchat |
| Price read from | chatbase.co | zipchat.ai |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Chatbase
- Every plan includes one AI agent; more cost $25 per agent a month.
- Message credits beyond the monthly allowance cost $40 per 1,000 through auto recharge; those credits do not expire.
- Removing the "Powered by Chatbase" branding costs $99 a month.
- Hobby has no API access and no help desk or CRM integrations; those, voice and the helpdesk inbox start on Standard.
Zipchat
- There is no free plan; every plan starts with a 7-day trial.
- Starter covers 750 AI replies a month, and extra replies cost $49 per 250 (500 on Scale Plus).
- It is built for online stores, with Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce listed as store platforms.
- Meta charges a per-chat fee for WhatsApp marketing campaigns; the page gives $0.02 per chat started in the US.
Key features
Chatbase
- AI agents trained on your content
- Agents learn from uploaded files, websites and, on Pro, past support tickets, and can re-sync their sources automatically from Standard up.
- Choice of AI model
- Every plan can run agents on models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Mistral, DeepSeek and others.
- AI actions
- Agents can take actions in other tools, with 5 actions per agent on Hobby, 8 on Standard and 12 on Pro.
- Channels
- Deploy on a website, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Slack and email; voice agents and phone calls start on Standard.
- Helpdesk hand-off
- Standard adds a Chatbase helpdesk inbox for human replies and integrations that pass conversations to Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, Gorgias and others.
- Analytics
- Basic conversation analytics on every plan; Pro adds advanced analytics and suggestions for content the agent is missing.
Zipchat
- AI replies across channels
- One AI agent answers on website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and email, drawing on the store's product catalog and trained pages.
- Product recommendations
- The agent recommends items from the live catalog and can add them to the cart without the shopper leaving the chat.
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Messages shoppers about carts they left behind, and WhatsApp broadcast campaigns can be sent from the same account.
- Order tracking and returns
- Handles where-is-my-order questions and, over email, returns and order changes, using store data from the connected platform.
- Human handoff
- Every plan includes unlimited team members, so staff can step in when a customer asks for a person or the question is complex.
Plans
Chatbase
Hobby$32
per month for 700 message credits, billed annually ($40 monthly)
1 AI agent, 2 members, 10 MB of training content, basic analytics and basic integrations such as Shopify, Slack, WhatsApp and WordPress.
Standard$120
per month for 4,000 message credits, billed annually ($150 monthly)
3 members, the Chatbase helpdesk inbox, voice and phone calls, outbound campaigns, API access and links to Zendesk, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier.
Pro$400
per month for 15,000 message credits, billed annually ($500 monthly)
5 members, 40 MB of training content, 12 AI actions per agent, advanced analytics, source suggestions and past tickets as a training source.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom usage and billing, SSO, HIPAA eligibility, audit logs, custom roles, white-labeling, SLAs and a success manager. Sold through sales.
Zipchat
Starter$64
per month for 750 replies, billed annually ($80 billed monthly)
About 300 conversations a month, 1 AI agent, 1,000 training pages, standard support, all channels and languages.
Pro$240
per month for 3,000 replies, billed annually
About 1,250 conversations a month, 3 AI agents, 75,000 training pages and priority support.
Scale$480
per month for 6,000 replies, billed annually
About 2,500 conversations a month, 5 AI agents, 300,000 training pages and priority support.
Scale Plus$960
per month for 14,000 replies, billed annually
About 6,000 conversations a month, 10 AI agents, unlimited training pages and priority support.
UnlimitedCustom
Fixed-price plan with unlimited replies, quoted on a demo call; the page says quotes start at $2,100 a month.
Ways to pay less
Chatbase
- Annual discount
20% off with yearly billing
Chatbase's pricing page gives 20% off for yearly billing: Hobby is $32 a month billed yearly against $40 monthly, a saving of $96 a year.
Zipchat
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
The pricing page shows $64 a month billed annually against $80 billed monthly on Starter, and labels annual billing as a 20% saving.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Chatbase or Zipchat?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Chatbase is cheaper to start with: $32 a month, against $64 a month for Zipchat. Chatbase starts at $32 per month for 700 message credits, billed annually ($40 billed monthly), and Zipchat starts at $64 per month for 750 replies, billed annually ($80 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Chatbase or Zipchat?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Chatbase nor Zipchat has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.