Software · head to head
Botpress vs Rasa
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; Rasa free Developer Edition caps conversations at 1,000 external or 100 internal per company per month
- They diverge on capability: Botpress covers Visual bot builder, Rasa covers NLU engine.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Botpress and Rasa actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (open-source), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2016).
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
- Messenger
- Cloud support
- Self-hosted support
Only in Rasa
- NLU engine
- Dialogue management
- Multi-language support
- Testing tools
- Custom channels
- API
- Cloud deployment support
- Kubernetes support
Both cover
- Slack
- Teams
- On-premise support
- Docker support
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 Rasa
- Organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via SDK/CLInot Rasa
Rasa
- Developers self-hosting an open source conversational AI framework before needing enterprise scalenot 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
Rasa
- Free Developer Edition caps conversations at 1,000 external or 100 internal per company per month
- Rasa Pro and the Business Plan (Pro plus Studio) are not priced on the site and require contacting sales
Pricing, plan by plan
Botpress
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Botpress review.
Rasa
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full framework access
- Community support
- Rasa Pro$50/month
- Additional tools
- Priority support
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Advanced features
- Dedicated support
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 Rasa if
- You need nlu engine.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on On-premise, Cloud deployment, Docker, Kubernetes.
- You also want dialogue management.
Questions people ask
- Is Botpress or Rasa better?
- Neither clearly leads. Botpress starts at Free and Rasa at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Botpress or Rasa?
- Botpress starts at Free and Rasa at Free.
- Does Botpress or Rasa run on more platforms?
- Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud). Rasa runs on On-premise, Cloud deployment, Docker, Kubernetes.
- 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 Rasa is typically brought in for.
- What can Botpress do that Rasa cannot?
- Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Analytics. Rasa covers NLU engine, Dialogue management, Multi-language support, Testing tools. Both handle Slack, Teams, On-premise support, Docker support.