How much does a website AI chat widget cost?
AnswerThe shelf is two layers. Intercom and Zendesk are support platforms; their AI bills per resolution. Chatbase, CustomGPT, Tidio Lyro, and Docuyond are a script tag on your site that answers from docs. Check vendor pages, then run a pack in Market—How do market research packs work, and what do I edit after the model runs?. Named example: What is Docuyond?.
Platforms bill a resolution. Widgets bill a pool.
Intercom Fin is public at $0.99 per outcome; seats $29 / $85 / $132. Page: https://www.intercom.com/pricing . Zendesk https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/ lists Support Team at $19/agent on annual, Suite Team $55, Suite Professional $115, Copilot +$50. Per-resolution dollars are not a hard public price. Do not invent one.
The widget layer meters conversations or credits. Tidio annual: Starter $24.17, Growth from $49.17; Lyro from $32.50/month from 50 AI conversations. Page: https://www.tidio.com/pricing . Crisp https://crisp.chat/en/pricing/ : Free / Mini $45 / Essentials $95 / Plus $295. Free has no AI credits.
Chatbase https://www.chatbase.co/pricing : Free 50 credits; Hobby $40 / 700; Standard $150 / 4,000; Pro $500 / 15,000; extra $40 / 1,000. CustomGPT https://customgpt.ai/pricing : Standard $99 ($89 annual), Premium $499 ($449 annual), 7-day trial needs a card. Docuyond homepage https://docuyond.com wins if it disagrees with the blog: Free $0 (5 docs / 200 replies); Standard $29 (50 / 5,000, human escalation); Pro $79 (100 / 10,000).
Buyers still want a person
Twilio wrote on 2026-08-28 that 78% of customers tried to bypass AI agents: https://www.twilio.com/en-us/blog/insights/why-customers-bypass-ai-agents . CMSWire, citing Gartner: 87% say they must reach a human when companies use genAI for customer service: https://www.cmswire.com/the-wire/gartner-survey-finds-87-of-customers-say-companies-using-genai-for-customer-service/ .
Price the job first: a resolved ticket, or an answer from docs. One sits on the support desk; the other is a site widget. Unsourced numbers stay in review—How do market research packs work, and what do I edit after the model runs?. If you want models to cite how you price the widget, write a checkable line—How do you get cited in AI answers?.
Do this
- Open Market, name the product (website AI chat, or Chatbase / Tidio / Fin), pick a model.
- Split the shelf: support platform per resolution, or a script widget on a credit pool.
- Check vendor pages for seats, credits, and conversation caps. Leave blank any dollar that is not hard-public.
- Review, then spawn topics. Keep rival copy out of corpus.
Public prices (Aug 2026; vendor pages win)
| Product | Meter | Public tiers |
|---|---|---|
| Intercom Fin | Per outcome + seats | $0.99/outcome; seats $29 / $85 / $132 |
| Zendesk | Per agent; per-resolution not hard-public | Support Team $19/agent annual; Suite Team $55; Suite Professional $115; Copilot +$50; per-resolution $ is not a hard public price |
| Tidio / Lyro | Annual seats + AI conversations | Annual Starter $24.17; Growth from $49.17; Lyro from $32.50/mo from 50 AI conversations |
| Crisp | Monthly tiers | Free / Mini $45 / Essentials $95 / Plus $295; Free has no AI credits |
| Chatbase | Credits | Free 50; Hobby $40/700; Standard $150/4,000; Pro $500/15,000; extra $40/1,000 |
| CustomGPT | Monthly / annual | Standard $99 ($89 annual); Premium $499 ($449 annual); 7-day trial needs a card |
| Docuyond | Docs / replies | Free $0 (5/200); Standard $29 (50/5,000, human escalation); Pro $79 (100/10,000); homepage wins over blog |
Short answers
- Is Chatbase the same purchase as Intercom Fin?
- No. Fin sits on a support platform, bills per resolution, and still needs seats. Chatbase, CustomGPT, Docuyond, and Tidio Lyro are a site script on credits or conversations. Tickets, escalation, and liability are not one line item.
- Can a docs bot replace human support?
- Public research does not say that. Twilio: 78% tried to bypass AI. Gartner via CMSWire: 87% must reach a human. A widget can catch common questions. Leave a path to a person.