Software · head to head
Botpress vs Freshchat
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Botpress managed cloud version (Botpress Cloud) availability and pricing not accessible; open-source deployment requires managing infrastructure; Freshchat the free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting
- They diverge on capability: Botpress covers Visual bot builder, Freshchat covers Live chat.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Botpress and Freshchat actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
- Cloud support
Only in Freshchat
- Live chat
- Chatbots
- Campaigns
- Apple Business Chat
- Freshdesk
- Freshsales
- Shopify
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 Freshchat
- Organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via SDK/CLInot Freshchat
Freshchat
- Live chat on a website or in an appnot Botpress
- Shared inbox across chat, email and social messengersnot Botpress
- Chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agentnot Botpress
- Routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiersnot 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
Freshchat
- The free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting
- Reporting and social channels need Growth at $19 per agent per month billed annually
- Intelligent routing, multilingual support and custom dashboards require Pro at $49 per agent per month
- Skill-based routing, audit logs and IP whitelisting are Enterprise only at $79 per agent per month
- Freddy AI is charged on top of the seat price, at $49 per 100 agent sessions and $29 per agent per month for Copilot
Pricing, plan by plan
Botpress
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Botpress review.
Freshchat
Free- FreeFree
- 100 contacts
- Chatbot
- Inbox views
- Growth$19/month
- 2000 contacts
- Pro$49/month
- 5000 contacts
- Auto-resolve
- Advanced routing
- Enterprise$79/month
- Unlimited contacts
- Custom bots
- User authentication
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 Freshchat if
- You need live chat.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want chatbots.
Questions people ask
- Is Botpress or Freshchat better?
- Neither clearly leads. Botpress starts at Free and Freshchat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Botpress or Freshchat?
- Botpress starts at Free and Freshchat at Free.
- Does Botpress or Freshchat run on more platforms?
- Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud). Freshchat runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Botpress for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 Freshchat is typically brought in for.
- What can Botpress do that Freshchat cannot?
- Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Analytics. Freshchat covers Live chat, Chatbots, Campaigns, Instagram. Both handle Slack, WhatsApp.