Software · head to head
Botpress vs tawk.to
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; tawk.to removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
- They diverge on capability: Botpress covers Visual bot builder, tawk.to covers Live chat.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Botpress and tawk.to 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
- Slack
- Teams
- Messenger
Only in tawk.to
- Live chat
- Ticketing
- Knowledge base
- CRM
- Video chat
- Screen sharing
- WordPress
- Shopify
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 tawk.to
- Organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via SDK/CLInot tawk.to
tawk.to
- Budget-conscious sites wanting free core live chat and paying only for specific add-ons like AI or staffed agentsnot 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
tawk.to
- Removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
- Enhanced AI Assist chatbot is a paid add-on starting at $29/month rather than included free
- Human staffed chat agents are billed at $1/hour as a separate add-on
Pricing, plan by plan
Botpress
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Botpress review.
tawk.to
Free- Free ForeverFree
- Unlimited agents
- Unlimited history
- Mobile apps
- Hired Agent$1/hour
- Professional agents
- 24/7 coverage
- Quality assured
- Remove Branding$19/month
- White label
- Custom branding
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 tawk.to if
- You need live chat.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
- You also want ticketing.
Questions people ask
- Is Botpress or tawk.to better?
- Neither clearly leads. Botpress starts at Free and tawk.to at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Botpress or tawk.to?
- Botpress starts at Free and tawk.to at Free.
- Does Botpress or tawk.to run on more platforms?
- Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud). tawk.to runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
- 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 tawk.to is typically brought in for.
- What can Botpress do that tawk.to cannot?
- Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Analytics. tawk.to covers Live chat, Ticketing, Knowledge base, CRM.