18 best AI chatbot software in 2024 | Key features, pros, and cons
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Imagine having the power to automate engaging customer conversations, provide round-the-clock assistance, qualify leads by asking relevant questions, and automate tasks of varying complexities without skipping a beat.
While this was the dream a few years ago, AI chatbot software makes this a reality today. From enhancing the website experience to addressing every customer query, AI chatbots can do it all.
With the market quickly flooding with a variety of chatbots, we take an in-depth look at some of the best AI chatbot software available today, offering insights into how they can transform your business and support operations.
18 leading AI chatbot software for modern businesses
1) DevRev
DevRev is an AI-native chatbot and support platform that can help deflect customer queries by engaging them in a conversation, providing relevant answers, and leading them to the right articles for more information.
By integrating AI agents alongside human intelligence, DevRev can help you automate labor-intensive tasks, offer self-service support without compromising customer experience, and enable your support and product teams to resolve complex customer issues more efficiently.
The best part about DevRev’s chatbot platform is that it can be deployed within minutes and is unrestricted by the limitations of chatbot builders and decision trees. This is a departure from the conventional way of building bots, towards a more dynamic, self-learning, and truly AI landscape.
Here’s a quick overview:
Key features:
- Natural language processing: DevRev’s chatbot, powered by Turing AI, comprehends customer queries with advanced natural language understanding. This enables the bot to provide human-like responses, moving beyond rigid scripted replies.
- Personalized interactions: It learns from every interaction, tailoring responses and recommendations to create a unique experience for each customer, fostering stronger customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
- Continuous self-learning: With DevRev’s AI chatbot, you can automate resolutions for L1 and L2 queries. As the AI chatbot performs an operation repeatedly, it learns and constantly improves the accuracy and relevance of its response with every answer that it generates, ensuring your customer service remains up-to-date.
- Routing: When a customer raises a query that is beyond the scope of what’s available in the knowledge repositories, the AI chatbot promptly and seamlessly escalates the conversation to a human agent. It first attempts to understand the query a little more and create a support ticket for it. Next, it quickly identifies and assigns the ticket to the human agent best suited to resolve the issue.
- Say goodbye to chatbot builders: DevRev’s chatbot can be deployed in minutes and is unrestricted by the limitations of the number of steps in flow builders. Deploying it is as easy as point, click, and deploy. There is zero decision tree management involved in the process.
The company: MAD Rewards is a global platform focused on helping businesses create loyalty programs that enhance customer engagement. They’re present in over 67 countries and have partnerships with over 10,000 to 12,000 merchants.
The challenge: MAD Rewards had a large in-house customer support team operating across 70 countries and supporting almost nine languages.
Before DevRev, when a customer required support, they’d have to email in a ticket. The team would then get the tickets from their previous support platform, assign them, and proceed to resolve the query.
The solution: In addition to email support, MAD Rewards wanted to support their customers on chat and cut down the time-consuming back-and-forth that comes with email.
With DevRev’s AI chatbot, they automated replies for basic questions that have straightforward answers where:
- The customer explains the problem
- The bot asks a follow-up question
- The customer explains the next level
Based on the customer reply, the chatbot provides clear, contextual replies and relevant links for further clarification.
The result: In addition to deflecting a large number of incoming queries, they scaled down their huge support team to handle only complex queries and optimized support operations, all while maintaining customer satisfaction.
“If there’s an opportunity to cut costs using modern technologies, artificial intelligence, and pattern learning, so that when a customer comes, you know exactly what they’re looking for, you better jump on it. So I was confident that DevRev ticked all the boxes and we decided to switch,”
Pradeep Venkat - Head of Technology, MAD Rewards
Use the power of GPT & Analytics to transform customer support
2) Intercom
| Use Case: | Customer support, sales, onboarding |
|---|---|
| Model(S): | AI-powered, NLP-driven |
| Features: | Instant responses, User guidance, Personalization |
| Price: | Variable |
Intercom is a comprehensive customer messaging platform that uses AI to enhance customer support. It integrates seamlessly with various business tools, offering a unified solution for customer engagement.
Key features:
- Instant inquiry handling, providing instant responses and reducing the need for human intervention.
- Proactive engagement, offering assistance and guiding them through the sales funnel.
- Lead qualification to identify potential customers, aiding businesses to qualify leads more effectively.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| User-friendly interface | Chatbot may need a more empathetic touch from human agents |
| Powerful automation capabilities | Higher pricing tier for advanced features |
| Excellent integration with other business tools | Can be complex to set up initially and requires a learning curve |
| Highly customisable worflows |
3) Drift
| Use cases: | Conversations |
|---|---|
| Model(S): | NLP,AI |
| Features: | Automation |
| Price: | Variable |
Drift is a conversational marketing and sales platform that leverages AI to automate customer interactions and qualify leads. It focuses on converting website visitors into customers through personalized engagement using its AI chatbot software.
Key features:
- AI-powered chatbots for lead qualification to identify and nurture potential leads.
- Real-time messaging and live chat for immediate engagement with visitors.
- Integration with marketing automation tools to streamline marketing efforts.
- Playbooks for automated workflows with predefined scripts for various scenarios.
- Advanced targeting and segmentation for personalized interactions based on user data.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Offers an intuitive and esay-to-use interface for users of varying technical expertise. | Drift mah have some limitations regarding fine-grained control over the chatbot's behaviour |
| Integrates smoothly with popular marketing tools for streamlined lead management. | Can be expensive for small businesses |
| Provides tools and AI features to capture visitors information and identify potential leads, helping businesses generate qualified leads. | Requires on going maintenance to optimize playbooks |
4) Zendesk Chat
| Use cases: | Support |
|---|---|
| Model(S): | AI,NLP |
| Features: | Integration |
| Price: | Customised |
Zendesk Chat, part of the Zendesk Suite, offers AI-driven customer support chatbots that enhance the customer service experience. It is known for its scalability and ease of integration with the Zendesk ecosystem.
Key features:
- AI-powered chatbots for automated responses that handle common queries efficiently.
- Real-time chat support features for customer issues.
- Integration with Zendesk’s CRM and support tools for unified customer management.
- Customizable chat widgets to match your brand’s look and feel.
- Comprehensive reporting and analytics with insights to improve support operations.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| The integration with other Zendesk products enables businesses to have a comprehensive | Customization may have some limitations regarding fine-grained control over chatbot behaviours and advanced customizations |
| Provides options for customizing chabot behaviors, appearance and conversation flow to align with specific business needs. | May not be as advanced compared to some other chatbot platforms, potentially limiting its ability to handle complex or nuanced conversations |
| Higher cost for advanced features |
5) Freshchat
| Use cases: | Customer support, marketing, sales |
|---|---|
| Model(S) | NLP |
| Features: | Multichannel |
| Price: | Variable |
Freshchat, by Freshworks, is yet another easy-to-use AI chatbot software with a chatbot builder that takes us down the low-code/no-code approach. Freshchat aims at converging crucial customer message delivery and allows companies to target customers through commonly used channels, all powered by AI.
Key features:
- Real-time chat capability allows businesses to connect with customers instantly, providing assistance and responsive service experience.
- Multi-channel messaging to engage across web, mobile, and social media.
- Integration with other Freshworks tools for unified customer data.
- Contextual and personalized messaging to enhance customer experience.
- In-depth analytics and performance tracking to optimize support strategies
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Enables businesses to provide immediate assistance and address customer inquires promptly | Limited advanced features in lower pricing tires |
| Supports deployment across multiple channels, providing businesses with flexibility in engaging with customers on their preferred platforms | Can be less powerful for complex workflows |
| Allows for seamless data synchronization, improving customer data management and tracking with CRM systems. |
6) Hubspot Chatbot Builder
| Use Cases: | CRM integration |
|---|---|
| Model(S): | N/A (Not explicitly specified) |
| Features: | Scalable conversations |
| Price: | Included (As part of HubSpot's overall pricing structure) |
HubSpot’s Chatbot Builder, while not technically an AI chatbot, synergizes effectively with its well-designed CRM system. It is part of its comprehensive CRM platform, designed to streamline customer interactions and automate support processes. It is particularly strong in aligning with sales and marketing efforts
Key features:
- AI-powered chatbot builder to easily create custom chatbots.
- Seamless integration with HubSpot CRM to centralize customer data.
- Customizable chat flows and templates that tailor interactions to your needs.
- Lead qualification and data capture for efficiently gathering customer information.
- Analytics and performance insights to measure and improve engagement.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. It is accessible to users with varying technical expertise. | Limited customization outside the HubSpot ecosystem |
| Use real-time engagement through integrated live chat for prompt inquiry resolution. | There may be certain limitations in fine-grained control over chatbot behavior and advanced customizations. |
| The tool empowers businesses with the flexibility to create personalized chatbot interactions. | The capabilities may be less advanced, impacting the handling of complex conversations. |
| Fully integrated with HubSpot’s ecosystem | Some advanced features may be available only in higher-priced plans, potentially limiting accessibility for smaller businesses with limited budgets. |
| Excellent for aligning marketing, sales, and support | |
| Free tier available with core features |
7) Activechat.ai
| Use cases: | Conversational Marketing |
|---|---|
| Model(S): | AI, NLP |
| Features: | Integration |
| Price: | Customized |
Activechat.ai is an AI chatbot software designed to automate customer support, sales, and marketing. It provides a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to enhance customer engagement and streamline operations.
Key features:
- Visual chatbot builder to create chatbots with a drag-and-drop interface.
- Natural language processing (NLP) to understand and respond to customer queries accurately.
- Multi-channel support to deploy chatbots on websites, Messenger, WhatsApp, and more.
- Integration with CRM and other tools that syncs customer data for personalized interactions.
- Automated workflows with triggers and actions to automate tasks and processes.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| User-friendly | Advanced customizations require technical knowledge or coding expertise. |
| Strong NLP capabilities for accurate responses | The pricing plans may be more geared towards medium to larger businesses, potentially challenging for smaller businesses with budget constraints. |
| Supports multiple messaging channels | Limited customization in the free plan |
| Good integration options with CRM and business tools | |
| Effective automation for various business processes |
8) Tidio
| Use cases: | Customer support |
|---|---|
| Model(S): | AI |
| Features: | Automation |
| Price: | Varied |
Tidio is a live chat and chatbot platform designed to help businesses improve customer support and engagement. It combines live chat, chatbots, and email integration to provide a seamless customer experience.
Key features:
- Live chat and AI chatbot for real-time support and automated responses.
- Multi-channel support to engage customers via web, Messenger, and email.
- Integration with CRM and e-commerce platforms that syncs customer data and streamline workflows.
- Pre-designed chatbot templates to quickly set up chatbots for various use cases.
- Analytics and reporting to monitor chat performance and customer interactions.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Easy to set up and use | Limited advanced features in the free plan |
| Combines live chat and chatbots for comprehensive support | Customization options can be basic for complex needs |
| Supports multiple communication channels | May require additional features for larger businesses |
| Affordable pricing with a free plan available | NLP capabilities may not be as advanced as some other platforms, potentially affecting its handling of complex conversations. |
| Good integration with popular CRM and e-commerce tools |
9) Infobip
| Use Cases: | Communication |
|---|---|
| Model(S): | Not specified |
| Features: | Messaging |
| Price: | Customized |
Infobip is a comprehensive cloud communication platform that offers a variety of solutions, including AI chatbot software, to enhance customer engagement. It supports multiple communication channels such as SMS, email, voice, and chat apps.
Key features:
- Multi-channel communication to engage customers across SMS, email, voice, chat apps, and more.
- AI chatbots to automate customer interactions with intelligent chatbots.
- Visual flow builder that can create conversational flows with a drag-and-drop interface.
- Real-time analytics and reporting to monitor and optimize communication campaigns.
- Integration with CRM and marketing tools to seamlessly connect with existing systems.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Wide range of communication channels | May have relatively fewer customization options for chatbot behaviors and conversation flows. |
| User-friendly visual flow builder | Pricing structure may not be as affordable for smaller businesses with limited budgets. |
| Strong integration capabilities | Initial setup can be complex |
| Comprehensive analytics and reporting | Requires technical expertise for advanced features |
10) DialogFlow
| Use Cases: | Conversational |
|---|---|
| Model(S): | NLP |
| Features: | Versatile |
| Price: | Variable |
DialogFlow, developed by Google, is a natural language understanding platform that allows developers to design and integrate conversational user interfaces into mobile apps, web applications, devices, and bots.
Key features:
- Multi-channel deployment that supports AI assistants such as Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Messenger, Slack, and more.
- Integration with Google Cloud that leverages Google’s cloud infrastructure and services.
- Leveraging AI models for designing and integrating conversational user interfaces.
- Pre-built agents and templates for quick setup for common use cases.
- Detailed analytics and reporting to track bot performance and user interactions.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Powerful NLU and AI capabilities | Offers a free tier; high usage or advanced features may incur costs, potentially becoming a consideration for budget-conscious users. |
| Extensive integration options with various platforms | Users have limited control over the training models, which may lead to occasional challenges in fine-tuning the system for specific use cases or industries. |
| Scalable and reliable Google Cloud infrastructure | Steeper learning curve for non-technical users |
| Free tier available for basic usage | Advanced features can be complex to implement |
| Regular updates and improvements from Google | Limited customer support for free tier |
11) Bold360
| Use Cases: | Engagement, conversational |
|---|---|
| Model(S): | AI, ML |
| Features: | Personalization |
| Price: | Customized |
Bold360 by LogMeIn is an AI-driven customer engagement platform that offers chatbots and live chat solutions to enhance customer service and sales. It excels in delivering personalized customer interactions.
Key features:
- AI chatbots and live chat to efficiently manage customer service interactions with a combination of AI and human support.
- Natural language processing that understands and responds to customer queries accurately.
- Integration with various business tools for a unified customer data management with CRM, helpdesk, and other systems.
- Real-time analytics and insights to optimize customer interactions and improve service quality.
- Omni-channel support that engages customers across web, mobile, and social platforms.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Leverages advanced NLP to understand user intents, entities, and context, enabling more natural and accurate interactions. | Advanced customizations or complex chatbot behaviors may require additional technical expertise. |
| The integration with live chat functionality allows businesses to provide real-time assistance to visitors and address their inquiries promptly. | Advanced features or additional functionalities may be available only in higher-priced plans, which could impact accessibility for smaller businesses. |
| NLP capabilities may not be as advanced as some other platforms, limiting its ability to handle complex or nuanced conversations. |
12) LivePerson
LivePerson offers AI-powered chatbot software designed to create personalized customer experiences at scale. It supports a wide range of messaging channels, making it a versatile solution for customer engagement.
Key Features:
- Conversational AI for personalized interactions that tailors responses to customer needs.
- Multi-channel messaging to engage on web, mobile, and social platforms.
- Real-time analytics and reporting to gain insights into performance.
- Integration with various CRM and business tools for a unified data management.
- Proactive messaging capabilities that initiate conversations based on user behavior.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Strong multi-channel support | Can be expensive for smaller businesses |
| Highly scalable | Initial setup can be complex |
| Excellent integration capabilities | |
| Robust analytics that help understand customer intent and tailor responses to customer needs |
13) Chatbot.com
Chatbot.com provides a user-friendly platform for creating AI chatbots without coding. It is ideal for businesses looking to quickly deploy chatbots to improve customer support and engagement.
Chatbot.com is an excellent platform for those looking to build their own AI chatbot without any coding knowledge. It empowers users to create customized chatbots tailored to their specific needs, utilizing integrations and tools such as Botpress, Zapier, and the latest AI technologies like OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 or GPT-4 via your own API key
Key Features:
- Drag-and-drop chatbot builder making it a no-code/low-code platform.
- Pre-designed templates that helps with a quick setup for various use cases.
- Multi-channel support that can be deployed on websites, messenger, and more.
- Detailed analytics to monitor performance and optimize.
- Integrations with popular tools for seamless workflow integration.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Easy to use | Limited advanced features |
| Fast deployment | Customization options can be basic |
| Affordable pricing | |
| Good for non-technical users |
14) Tars
Tars is a chatbot software designed to improve lead generation and customer engagement through conversational landing pages. It focuses on creating interactive and engaging user experiences.
Key Features:
- Conversational landing pages that enhance user engagement.
- No-code chatbot builder that makes it easy to create and deploy.
- Integrations with CRM and marketing tools for streamlining workflows.
- Detailed analytics with insights into chatbot performance.
- Multi-channel deployment on websites, SMS, and more.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Offers a user-friendly interface, enabling easy chatbot creation without coding. | Extensive features may lead to a steeper learning curve for users new to chatbot development. |
| Its versatility makes it effective for lead generation, alleviating the workload of human support agents, and interactive campaigns. | Customization options could be seen as somewhat limited compared to more flexible platforms. |
| Advanced analytics and integrations that empower businesses to optimize and automate conversational interactions. | Users might face challenges with the integration process, particularly when connecting Tars AI with specific external systems or services. |
15) Ada
Ada is an AI-powered chatbot platform designed for customer support automation. It focuses on providing instant, personalized responses to customer queries and integrating seamlessly with existing systems.
Key Features:
- Personalization capabilities to tailor responses to individual customers.
- Integration with CRM and support tools for a unified customer management.
- Multi-channel support that can be deployed across web, mobile, and social media.
- Detailed reporting and analytics to measure performance and optimize.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Easy to set up and use | Limited advanced features in the basic plan |
| Strong automation capabilities | Higher pricing for premium features |
| Good integration options | |
| Scalable for growing businesses |
16) ManyChat
ManyChat is an AI chatbot software primarily designed for Facebook Messenger but also supports other channels. It focuses on marketing and sales automation, making it ideal for businesses looking to enhance customer engagement on social media.
Key Features:
- Facebook Messenger automation to engage visitors on Messenger.
- Drag-and-drop builder to create chatbots without coding skills
- Integration with marketing tools for streamlining campaigns.
- Broadcast messaging to send mass messages to subscribers.
- Detailed analytics to track performance and engagement.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Easy to use | Limited to just a few channels |
| Effective for social media engagement | Advanced features require higher-tier plans |
| Good integration capabilities | |
| Affordable pricing |
17) Conversica
Conversica offers AI-driven sales and marketing assistants that automate lead engagement and follow-up. It is designed to help businesses convert more leads into customers through personalized, persistent outreach.
Key Features:
- AI-driven sales assistants to automate lead follow-up.
- Personalized email and messaging to tailor communication to leads.
- Integration with CRM and marketing tools for streamlined workflows.
- Detailed analytics and reporting to measure engagement and conversion.
- Multi-language support that engages visitors in their preferred language.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Highly effective for lead engagement | Higher pricing for advanced features |
| Strong personalization capabilities | Requires complex setup and customization |
| Excellent integration options | |
| Scalable for businesses of all sizes |
18) MobileMonkey
MobileMonkey is a versatile chatbot platform that supports multiple messaging channels, including Facebook Messenger, Instagram, SMS, and web chat. It is focused on helping businesses automate customer engagement and marketing.
Key Features:
- Multi-channel messaging to engage customers on various platforms.
- No-code chatbot builder to make it easy to create and deploy without coding skills
- Integration with marketing and CRM tools for unified customer data.
- Broadcast and drip campaigns to automate marketing efforts.
- Detailed analytics to track performance and optimize.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Supports multiple channels | Higher pricing for advanced features |
| Easy to use | Requires complex setup and customization |
| Effective for marketing automation | Limited customization for complex needs |
| Good integration capabilities |
Transform products into customer success stories with AI chatbots for customer service interactions
Selecting the right AI chatbot platform for customer support involves evaluating the specific needs of your business. Each platform offers unique features and benefits, from lead generation and marketing automation to personalized customer engagement and support. Assess their capabilities, integrations, and pricing to find the best fit for your organization’s goals and resources.
As the AI chatbot industry evolves, it’s essential to consider emerging players like DevRev, learning the potential of innovative solutions in shaping the future of AI-driven interactions. DevRev’s AI-native chatbot acts as an AI agent, automating labor-intensive tasks and offering self-service support, making it a valuable mini teammate for analyzing data, searching the web, or drafting responses to customers.
While established platforms offer robust features, keeping an eye on newcomers ensures businesses stay agile and adaptive in leveraging the full potential of AI chatbots. The key lies in aligning the preferred chatbot with specific business needs, whether it’s lead generation, customer support, or interactive campaigns, to foster efficient and meaningful interactions in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Scale your customer support effortlessly with DevRev’s Turing AI
Frequently Asked Questions
The best AI chatbot depends on the specific needs and preferences of the user. If the user needs a chatbot to help with writing or customer service, ChatGPT might be a good option. If the user wants a chatbot to find information regarding their product or service, then using DevRev knowledge-based articles might be a better choice.
DevRev AI-Powered CRM Built on the powerful OpenAI large language model, superior to ChatGPT and GPT-3.5, DevRev AI is designed to enhance search and quickly resolve customer tickets. This OneCRM tool prioritizes speed, accuracy, and efficiency.
What makes DevRev one of the best AI chatbots of 2024? DevRev's AI platform excels in automatically addressing customer service tickets across various channels such as email, chat, messaging, and voice. It excels by having the best accuracy among customer service chatbots, thanks to its advanced Natural Language Understanding (NLU) engine.
Determining the most powerful chatbot is subjective and depends on specific needs and preferences. However, Bard, ChatGPT, LaMDA, and DevRev-Turing stand out for their remarkable capabilities in engaging in natural conversations and understanding human language.
ChatGPT relies on data up to 2021, limiting access to the latest research and information. In contrast, Bard can gather real-time information using Google's latest language model, Palm 2. While ChatGPT uses GPT-3.5, its paid version, ChatGPT Plus, incorporates GPT-4 technology.
It is DevRev, one of the most advanced AI systems today, that will make your work better. The company possesses extensive expertise in designing and implementing intelligent, distributed systems for operations on a global scale, combining deep experience in both design and artificial intelligence. Companies can integrate this product into their business and get future-ready customer support.
Determining the best AI chatbot for personal use depends on individual preferences and needs. Several options cater to different requirements. ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is widely recognized for its natural language processing capabilities and versatility. Other popular choices include virtual assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa, each offering unique features. The selection depends on factors such as desired functionalities, platform preferences, and the specific tasks the user intends to accomplish.
An AI chatbot is a software that uses artificial intelligence to mimic human conversations through text. It uses NLP and machine learning algorithms to understand user queries, provide relevant responses, and improve over time through continuous learning, enhancing customer engagement and support.
