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Side-by-side comparison · Sales & Customer Support

Chatbase vs Retell AI

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Chatbase

3.7

From $32/mo

Best overall

Retell AI

4.1

From About $0.07–$0.31/min

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Small businesses and online stores that want an AI chatbot answering questions on their website without hiring a developer.

Best overallBest value

Pick it if: Service businesses and agencies that want an AI receptionist or phone agent without hiring developers.

Overview

AttributeChatbaseRetell AI
In one linePuts an AI chatbot on your website that answers from your own docs and pages.AI phone agents that answer calls, book appointments and make outbound calls.
Pricing modelPaidPaid
Starting price$32/moAbout $0.07–$0.31/min
Free plan No No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeChatbaseRetell AI
Overall rating3.74.1Winner
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
3.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
3.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeChatbaseRetell AI
Access & platform
Free plan No No
Mobile app––
Desktop app––
Browser extension––
API access Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes
Understands images––
Makes images No No
Makes video No No
Writes code No–
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style Yes–
Works in many languages Yes Yes
Capabilities score8/ 177/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeChatbaseRetell AI
Plans

Hobby

$32/mo billed yearly, or $40 monthly

A small site with light chat traffic.

Pay as you goOur pick

About $0.07–$0.31/min

Most small businesses and agencies.

StandardOur pick

$120/mo billed yearly, or $150 monthly

Businesses with steady daily chats.

Enterprise

Custom

High call volumes and compliance needs.

Pro

$400/mo billed yearly, or $500 monthly

Busy sites and support teams.

Enterprise

Custom

Larger companies needing security and white-labelling.

Which plan to pickStart on the 7-day trial and watch how fast credits go with your real traffic. Hobby works for a small site; most businesses with daily customer chats need Standard. Each extra agent is $300 a year, and removing the Chatbase badge is $1,188 a year.Start on pay as you go with the free credits, build one agent for your most common call and test it on your own phone. Talk to sales only once you run thousands of minutes a month.

Key features

AttributeChatbaseRetell AI
Standout features
  • Train on your content
  • Website widget
  • Actions
  • Messaging channels
  • Hand-off and analytics
  • Phone agents
  • Flow builder
  • Appointment booking
  • Knowledge base
  • Batch calling
  • Call analysis

Pros and cons

AttributeChatbaseRetell AI
Pros
  • Live on a website in under an hour with no code
  • Good answers from your own content for simple questions
  • Works on WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram as well as your site
  • API for developers who want to build on it
  • Natural voices and quick responses
  • Visual builder makes it usable for non-developers
  • Pay per minute with no platform fee
  • Strong reviews from small businesses and agencies
Cons
  • Credit-based pricing is hard to forecast and the bot stops when credits run out
  • Top-ups, extra agents and badge removal add noticeable cost
  • No free plan, only a 7-day trial
  • Users report slow billing and support responses
  • Not a helpdesk: no full inbox, ticketing or team reporting
  • Per-minute cost varies a lot with your model and voice choices
  • Takes testing to handle real callers reliably
  • Some users want more voice and customisation options

Who each one is for

AttributeChatbaseRetell AI
Best for
  • Website FAQ and support chatbot
  • Answering questions from your docs and policies
  • Capturing leads from website visitors
  • Chatbots on WhatsApp and Messenger
  • AI receptionist for a small business
  • Booking appointments by phone
  • Answering after-hours and overflow calls
  • Outbound reminder and follow-up calls
You'll find it used by
  • Small businesses
  • Online stores
  • Software companies
  • Agencies
  • Course creators
  • Small business owners
  • Clinics
  • Voice AI agencies
  • Customer service teams
  • Developers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Chatbase or Retell AI?

Retell AI scores highest overall in our ratings (Chatbase 3.7/5 and Retell AI 4.1/5). Chatbase is best for Website FAQ and support chatbot and answering questions from your docs and policies. Retell AI is best for AI receptionist for a small business and booking appointments by phone.

Which is cheaper, Chatbase or Retell AI?

Chatbase: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $32/mo. Retell AI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at About $0.07–$0.31/min.

Which is easier to use, Chatbase or Retell AI?

Chatbase rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Small businesses and online stores that want an AI chatbot answering questions on their website without hiring a developer.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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