Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head
Botpress vs Close

Botpress
Live Chat & Chatbots
Open-source chatbot platform and framework
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Botpress has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Botpress managed cloud version (Botpress Cloud) availability and pricing not accessible; open-source deployment requires managing infrastructure; Close hidden costs beyond subscription: calling charges (~$0.02/minute), SMS usage fees, phone numbers ($1-5/month), AI call assistant ($50/month + $0.02/min transcription)
- They diverge on capability: Botpress covers Visual bot builder, Close covers Built-in calling.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Botpress and Close actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Botpress
- Visual bot builder
- NLU integration
- Multi-channel support
- Analytics
- Teams
- Messenger
- On-premise support
Only in Close
- Built-in calling
- Email automation
- SMS messaging
- Pipeline management
- Lead management
- Activity tracking
- Reporting
- Mobile app
Both cover
- Slack
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Botpress
- Development teams building chatbots and conversational AI using MIT-licensed open-source frameworknot Close
- Organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via SDK/CLInot Close
Close
- Inside salesnot Botpress
- Outbound salesnot Botpress
- Lead managementnot Botpress
- Sales engagementnot Botpress
- Pipeline trackingnot Botpress
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Botpress
- Managed cloud version (Botpress Cloud) availability and pricing not accessible; open-source deployment requires managing infrastructure
- Dependent on OpenAI integration; users must provide and manage OpenAI API keys and costs
Close
- Hidden costs beyond subscription: calling charges (~$0.02/minute), SMS usage fees, phone numbers ($1-5/month), AI call assistant ($50/month + $0.02/min transcription)
- No built-in lead lists, company intelligence, or contact enrichment; must source leads separately
- Limited marketing automation compared to competitors like HubSpot; lacks lead scoring and nurturing campaigns
- Calling cost at scale can double effective monthly cost for high-volume SDR teams making 50+ calls per day
- Limited customization of data model compared to Salesforce; cannot create fully custom objects or complex relationships
Pricing, plan by plan
Botpress
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Botpress review.
Close
$9/month- Solo$9/month (annual)
- 1 user only
- 10,000 leads max
- Calling, email, SMS
- Essentials$35/month (annual)
- Unlimited contacts
- Team collaboration
- 1,000 AI credits/month
- Growth$99/month (annual)
- Automation workflows
- Power dialer
- Bulk email
- Scale$139/month (annual)
- Role-based permissions
- Predictive dialer
- Unlimited recording
Which should you pick?
Choose Botpress if
- You need visual bot builder.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud).
- You also want nlu integration.
Choose Close if
- You need built-in calling.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want email automation.
Questions people ask
- Is Botpress or Close better?
- Neither clearly leads. Botpress starts at Free and Close at $9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Botpress or Close?
- Botpress has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Botpress and $9/month for Close.
- Does Botpress or Close run on more platforms?
- Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud). Close runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Botpress for free?
- Yes. Botpress has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Close starts at $9/month.
- What is Botpress best used for?
- Botpress is most often used for development teams building chatbots and conversational ai using mit-licensed open-source framework, organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via sdk/cli. Of those, development teams building chatbots and conversational ai using mit-licensed open-source framework and organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via sdk/cli are not what Close is typically brought in for.
- What can Botpress do that Close cannot?
- Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Analytics. Close covers Built-in calling, Email automation, SMS messaging, Pipeline management. Both handle Slack.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Close: What are Close's pricing plans and what do they include?
Close offers four plans: Solo ($9-19/user/month), Essentials ($35-49), Growth ($99-109), and Scale ($139-149). All include calling, email, SMS, and Chloe AI agent access. Essentials adds unlimited contacts and team collaboration. Growth adds automation, power dialer, and custom activities. Scale adds role-based permissions and unlimited recording. Annual billing saves up to 50%.
SourceClose: What are the hidden costs in Close's pricing beyond the subscription?
Close charges usage-based fees for calling (~$0.02 per minute), SMS charges per message, and phone number rentals ($1-5/month). The AI Call Assistant add-on costs $50/month plus $0.02 per minute for transcription. Heavy outbound calling teams can see their total costs increase 30-50% beyond the base seat price.
SourceClose: What is Chloe, Close's AI sales agent, and what can it do?
Chloe is an AI sales agent built into Close that automatically calls leads, qualifies prospects through real conversations, and can book meetings while updating the CRM automatically. Chloe features AI-generated call summaries, transcripts, and action items automatically logged to contacts.
SourceClose: Does Close include lead lists, data enrichment, or contact information?
No. Close does not provide built-in lead lists, company intelligence, or contact enrichment features. Organizations must source leads separately or use third-party data providers. This differs from platforms like HubSpot which include integrated lead databases.
SourceClose: What communication features does Close include?
Close includes built-in calling with automatic call logging, email templates and bulk email capabilities, SMS messaging with tracking and automation, email syncing with Gmail, and automated follow-up workflows. All communication happens within the CRM platform.
SourceClose: Does Close have marketing automation capabilities?
Close's marketing automation features are limited compared to HubSpot. It includes basic email sequences, task reminders, and workflow automation, but lacks advanced lead scoring, nurturing campaigns, and detailed marketing analytics. Organizations requiring extensive marketing automation need separate tools.
SourceRelated pages
Other head to heads
- Botpress vs Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
- Botpress vs Amazon Lex
- Botpress vs Crisp
- Botpress vs Google Dialogflow
- Botpress vs Tidio
- Botpress vs IBM Watson Assistant
- Botpress vs Landbot
- Botpress vs ManyChat
- Botpress vs Bold360
- Botpress vs Gorgias
- Botpress vs HubSpot Live Chat
- Botpress vs Kore.ai
- Botpress vs LiveChat
- Botpress vs Olark
- Botpress vs Rasa
- Botpress vs Yellow.ai
- Botpress vs Zendesk Answer Bot
- Botpress vs Acquire
- Botpress vs Intercom
- Botpress vs Mixpanel
- Botpress vs Heap
- Botpress vs Canny
- Botpress vs Drift
- Botpress vs Pendo
- Botpress vs Userpilot
- Close vs Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
- Close vs Amazon Lex
- Close vs Crisp
- Close vs Google Dialogflow
- Close vs Tidio
- Close vs IBM Watson Assistant
- Close vs Landbot
- Close vs ManyChat
- Close vs Bold360
- Close vs Gorgias
- Close vs HubSpot Live Chat
- Close vs Kore.ai
- Close vs LiveChat
- Close vs Olark
- Close vs Rasa
- Close vs Yellow.ai
- Close vs Zendesk Answer Bot
- Close vs Acquire
- Close vs Intercom
- Close vs Mixpanel
- Close vs Heap
- Close vs Canny
- Close vs Drift
- Close vs Pendo
- Close vs Userpilot

