Comparisons, guides and honest takes on chatbots, lead capture and small-business tooling.
Verified pricing as of May 2026 across seven AI chatbot platforms, plus a decoder for the four metering models (message credits, conversations, per-outcome, per-contact) that make like-for-like comparison so hard.
Chatbase Standard runs $2,628/yr once you add branding removal and a second agent. PopABot Pro does the same job for $588/yr, with five chatbots, native SMS and Google Calendar booking built in.
Tidio's two-meter pricing (billable conversations + Lyro AI add-on) bills you twice for the same chatbot. PopABot does it on one meter, $19/mo all-in, with SMS notifications and native calendar booking included.
Direct 'Chat on WhatsApp' buttons send every stranger to your phone. A chatbot qualification gate filters by location, budget, timeline and eligibility before handing off, so only real leads land on WhatsApp — pre-typed with their answers.