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IBM Watson Assistant vs Google Dialogflow

IBM Watson Assistant logo

IBM Watson Assistant

Software

IBM's enterprise AI platform for conversational experiences

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Google Dialogflow logo

Google Dialogflow

Software

Google's conversational AI platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: IBM Watson Assistant listed on UK G-Cloud 14 at £112 per instance per month, submitted directly by IBM United Kingdom Limited for IBM watsonx Assistant; Google Dialogflow google's own Dialogflow pricing page (cloud.google.com/dialogflow/pricing) prices Conversational Agents (CX) text requests at $0.007 per request, audio input at $0.0065 per 15 seconds and audio output from $4 per 1 million characters, all in USD, with a one-time $600 free credit for the first 12 months; Dialogflow ES (Essentials) is billed per request separately from CX and the two are not interchangeable, so a chatbot built on ES cannot simply switch to CX pricing without migration.
  • They diverge on capability: IBM Watson Assistant covers NLU engine, Google Dialogflow covers NLU and NLG.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IBM Watson Assistant and Google Dialogflow actually diverge.

Attributes where IBM Watson Assistant and Google Dialogflow differ
AttributeIBM Watson AssistantGoogle Dialogflow
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centersWeb, Mobile, Messaging apps, Voice assistants
Founded19111998

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 IBM Watson Assistant

  • NLU engine
  • Dialogue management
  • Integration with Watson services
  • Multi-language
  • Teams
  • Salesforce
  • SAP
  • Messaging support

Only in Google Dialogflow

  • NLU and NLG
  • Multi-language support
  • Integration with Google services
  • Webhooks
  • Google Cloud
  • Facebook
  • Telegram
  • Messaging apps support

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Web support
  • Mobile support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

IBM Watson Assistant

  • Customer engagement
  • Lead generation
  • Customer support
  • Sales automation

Google Dialogflow

  • Customer engagement
  • Lead generation
  • Customer support
  • Sales automation

Both are used for customer engagement, lead generation, customer support, sales automation, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

IBM Watson Assistant

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud 14 at £112 per instance per month, submitted directly by IBM United Kingdom Limited for IBM watsonx Assistant

Google Dialogflow

  • Google's own Dialogflow pricing page (cloud.google.com/dialogflow/pricing) prices Conversational Agents (CX) text requests at $0.007 per request, audio input at $0.0065 per 15 seconds and audio output from $4 per 1 million characters, all in USD, with a one-time $600 free credit for the first 12 months; Dialogflow ES (Essentials) is billed per request separately from CX and the two are not interchangeable, so a chatbot built on ES cannot simply switch to CX pricing without migration.

Pricing, plan by plan

IBM Watson Assistant

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic chatbot
    • Limited interactions
  • Plus$140/month
    • Unlimited interactions
    • Advanced features
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Full customization
    • Dedicated support

Google Dialogflow

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 100 requests/day
    • Basic NLU
  • Standard$0.005/month
    • Pay per request
    • Advanced features
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom SLAs
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose IBM Watson Assistant if

  • You need nlu engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centers.
  • You also want dialogue management.
IBM Watson Assistant review

Choose Google Dialogflow if

  • You need nlu and nlg.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Messaging apps, Voice assistants.
  • You also want multi-language support.
Google Dialogflow review

Questions people ask

Is IBM Watson Assistant or Google Dialogflow better?
Neither clearly leads. IBM Watson Assistant starts at Free and Google Dialogflow at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IBM Watson Assistant or Google Dialogflow?
IBM Watson Assistant starts at Free and Google Dialogflow at Free.
Does IBM Watson Assistant or Google Dialogflow run on more platforms?
IBM Watson Assistant runs on Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centers. Google Dialogflow runs on Web, Mobile, Messaging apps, Voice assistants.
Can I use IBM Watson Assistant for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is IBM Watson Assistant best used for?
IBM Watson Assistant is most often used for customer engagement, lead generation, customer support, sales automation.
What can IBM Watson Assistant do that Google Dialogflow cannot?
IBM Watson Assistant covers NLU engine, Dialogue management, Integration with Watson services, Multi-language. Google Dialogflow covers NLU and NLG, Multi-language support, Integration with Google services, Webhooks. Both handle Slack, Web support, Mobile support.
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