Best Chatbot Builders in 2026
Updated
In short: IBM watsonx Assistant is ranked #1 of 257 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Amazon Lex and Chat Data. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Amazon Lex. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Amazon Lex at $0.50/mo.
When building a bot for customer or internal conversations, consider how it is created, where it can be deployed, and when a person should take over. Compare AI bot generation, visual flow builders, deployment channels, knowledge-base answers, and human handoff. Included conversations, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing offer practical context for setup and use. IBM watsonx Assistant and Gupshup open the ranked order, with Chat Data and Quickchat AI among the next entries. Weigh these capabilities against your support workflow and the channels where you need the bot to operate.
257 chatbot builders ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment channels | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IBM watsonx Assistant | 9.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $140/mo | Yes | — | multichannel | View |
| 2 | Amazon Lex | 8.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $0.50/mo | No | — | multichannel | View |
| 3 | Chat Data | 8.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $15.83/mo | Yes | $15.83/mo | multichannel | View |
| 4 | Botpress | 8.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $150/mo | Yes | $150/mo | multichannel | View |
| 5 | Gupshup | 8.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | No | — | multichannel | View |
| 6 | DocsBot AI | 8.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $49/mo | Yes | $49/mo | multichannel | View |
| 7 |  AiSensy | 8.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $6/mo | Yes | $45/mo | — | View |
| 8 |  Workato Agentic | 8.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $75/mo | Yes | $75/mo | — | View |
| 9 | Quickchat AI | 8.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $0.50/mo | Yes | $9/mo | — | View |
| 10 | ChatLab | 8.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $18/mo | Yes | $18/mo | multichannel | View |
| 11 | Ada | 8.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | multichannel | View |
| 12 | Inbenta | 7.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
| 13 | Respond.io | 7.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $79/mo | No | $79/mo | — | View |
| 14 |  Sarufi | 7.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 15 |  Tars | 7.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $499/mo | Yes | $499/mo | — | View |
| 16 | ChatbotX | 7.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $29/mo | Yes | $29/mo | multichannel | View |
| 17 | Rasa | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | multichannel | View |
| 18 | Landbot | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | €32/mo | Yes | — | multichannel | View |
| 19 | Interakt | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $12/mo | No | $55/mo | — | View |
| 20 | BOTfriends AI Voicebot | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | €500/mo | No | — | — | View |
| 21 | Yellow.ai | 7.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | multichannel | View |
| 22 |  Chatbase | 7.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $40/mo | Yes | $40/mo | multichannel | View |
| 23 |  Manychat | 7.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | multichannel | View |
| 24 |  Wonderchat | 7.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $124/mo | Yes | $124/mo | multichannel | View |
| 25 | DoubleTick | 7.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which chatbot builder is ranked first on Inferse?
IBM watsonx Assistant is ranked #1 of 257 with a score of 9.0. Amazon Lex is second and Chat Data third.
How many of these have a free plan?
19 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Amazon Lex has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.50/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.