AI customer service software for small business
AI customer service software answers customer questions in chat or email, drafts replies for your team and hands harder cases to a person.
- Tools compared
- 20
- Publish a price
- 15
- Free plan or trial
- 15
Most of the AI customer service tools listed publish a price, with flat plans from $21 a month (Chatling).
Where should you start?
If price decides it: Chatling, from $21 per month, billed annually, is the cheapest flat plan of the 20 compared. Suits a small shop or service business that wants to start free and keep costs low later: the free plan gives 200 AI credits, and Starter is $21 a month billed $250 annually. The catch: usage runs on AI credits, with 1,750 on Starter, and no trial of paid plans is stated. Lyro AI Agent from Tidio also has a free plan, and paid use starts at $32.50 a month from 50 Lyro AI conversations.
How much does an AI customer service tool cost?
Flat monthly starting prices for AI customer service tools run from $21 (Chatling) to $299 (eesel AI). Seven price per user, minute or other unit instead. Four sell only through sales or a demo. Prices are as each vendor states them, never converted; the table below gives each tool's.
Compare them on price, trials, security and integrations
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Tools mainly for this job first, then those with a stated starting price (lowest monthly price first), then the most recently checked. No vendor pays for a place. How we order tools.
Filter by price, free plan or trial, who it's built for, compliance or integrations
20 tools
No tool matches all of these filters.
| Tool | Price as stated | Free plan or trial | Compliance it states | Checked | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatlingChatling · Vendor site | From $21 per month, billed annually | Free plan | GDPR | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| ChatbaseChatbase · Vendor site | From $32 per month, billed annually | Free trial (7 days) | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, Mentions HIPAA | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Lyro AI AgentTidio · Vendor site | From $32.50 per month | Free plan, Free trial (7 days) | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, Mentions HIPAA | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| HugoCrisp · Vendor site | From $45 per month | Free trial (14 days) | Not stated | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| BotpressBotpress · Vendor site | From $150 per month, billed annually | Free plan, Free trial | GDPR, Mentions HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| eesel AIeesel · Vendor site | From $299 per month | Free trial | Signs a HIPAA BAA | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Text AI AgentText · Vendor site | From $19 per user per month, billed annually | Free trial (14 days) | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| eDeskeDesk · Vendor site | From $39 per agent per month, billed annually + $0.99 per outcome (AI Agent) add-on | Free trial (14 days) | Not stated | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Zendesk AI agentsZendesk · Vendor site | From $19 per agent per month, billed annually | Free trial (14 days) | Not stated | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Agentforce for ServiceSalesforce · Vendor site | From $550 per user per month, billed annually | Not stated | Not stated | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Freddy AI AgentFreshworks · Vendor site | From $19 per agent per month, billed annually | Free trial (14 days) | Not stated | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Help Scout AIHelp Scout · Vendor site | From $25 per user per month + $0.75 per resolution (AI Answers) add-on | Free plan, Free trial | SOC 2 Type II, Mentions HIPAA | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Front AIFront · Vendor site | From $25 per seat per month, billed annually + $0.05 per conversation (Autopilot) add-on | Free trial (14 days) | SOC 2 Type II | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Kustomer ConciergeKustomer · Vendor site | Contact sales | Not stated | SOC 2 (type not stated), ISO 27001, GDPR, Mentions HIPAA | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| ForethoughtForethought · Vendor site | Contact sales | Not stated | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Customer AgentKlaviyo · Vendor site | Prices published, but not the plan with the AI | Not stated | Not stated | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| ZiaZoho · Vendor site | Prices published, but not the plan with the AI | Free plan, Free trial (15 days) | Not stated | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| Zoom Virtual AgentZoom · Vendor site | Contact sales | Not stated | Not stated | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| GlassixGlassix · Vendor site | No price shown on its pages | Free trial (30 days) | GDPR | Oct 17, 2026 | |
| VoiceflowVoiceflow · Vendor site | Contact sales | Free trial | ISO 27001, GDPR, Mentions HIPAA | Oct 17, 2026 |
Your picks side by side
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Questions people ask
Can I use AI for customer service?
Yes: AI customer service software answers common questions from your help content, drafts replies for your team and passes harder cases to a person. Most work alongside a help desk or chat widget rather than replacing your staff.
Is there a free AI customer service tool?
Yes: Chatling, Lyro AI Agent from Tidio, Botpress, Help Scout AI and Zia from Zoho have a free plan. 14 offer a free trial, so you can test one on your own help content first.
What is the best AI customer service tool for a small business?
No single AI customer service tool is best for every business: it comes down to the job and the budget. If price decides it, Chatling has the lowest flat monthly price listed, $21 a month. To try one free, Chatling, Lyro AI Agent from Tidio, Botpress and 2 others have a free plan. No vendor pays to be listed.
Is AI customer service software the same as an AI agent?
Often: most of the AI customer service software compared works as an AI agent (19 of 20), answering customer questions by itself before handing over to a person.