When I first heard about AI chatbots, I was skeptical. Could a bot really hold a conversation as naturally as a human?
My skepticism wasn’t unfounded — earlier chatbots I’d interacted with felt clunky, unable to handle anything beyond basic inquiries. But as AI technology has rapidly evolved, so have the capabilities of these chatbots.
Today, machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) tools can interpret complex requests, adapt to unique situations, and even analyze emotions.
This transformation piqued my interest, so I decided to dive in and test some of the leading options myself. In this post, I’ll share what I’ve learned about AI chatbots — what they are, how they work, and the top tools you can explore for personal and professional use.
Table of Contents
An AI chatbot is a program within a website or app that uses machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) to interpret inputs and understand the intent behind a request. It is trained on large data sets to recognize patterns and understand natural language, allowing it to handle complex queries and generate more accurate results. Additionally, an AI chatbot learns from previous conversations, gradually improving its responses over time.
Recent advancements in generative AI and language models like GPT and LaMDA (the podcast below discusses how they work) have further enhanced AI chatbots.
These technologies enable conversational AI chatbots to mimic human conversation styles, find information online, and even produce unique content.
As a result, businesses now have powerful tools to streamline operations, improve customer experiences, and boost productivity.
The most important thing to know about an AI chatbot is that it combines ML and natural language understanding (NLU) to understand what people need and bring the best solutions.
Some AI chatbots are better for personal use — like conducting research — and others are best for business use, like website customer support.
Conversational AI and chatbots are closely related but differ in scope and capabilities.
Conversational AI is a broader term encompassing chatbots, virtual assistants, and other AI-generated applications.
It refers to an advanced technology that allows computer programs to understand, interpret, and respond to natural language inputs.
AI chatbots are a subset of conversational AI, but not all chatbots use conversational AI. For instance, rule-based chatbots rely on simple rules and decision trees to understand and respond to user inputs.
These are more limited in functionality, as they depend on specific keywords or phrases to trigger pre-programmed responses.
In contrast, AI chatbots use advanced ML and NLP, allowing them to provide more dynamic and accurate responses.
When I first started researching chatbots, I didn’t realize how distinct conversational AI and rule-based bots were.
Conversational AI’s ability to adapt to complex inquiries feels like a leap forward compared to the rigid logic of traditional bots.
That said, both technologies have their strengths. Understanding these differences isn’t just helpful for picking the right tool — it highlights why AI chatbots remain so effective in real-world scenarios.
From customer support to sales, their use cases are as varied as they are impactful, with conversational AI adding an extra layer of sophistication to the mix.
AI chatbots are incredibly versatile, and I’ve seen firsthand how they can streamline operations and enhance customer experiences across various industries.
They’ve become indispensable tools for businesses looking to improve productivity, provide better support, and engage users more effectively.
Here are some ways you can use AI chatbots to enhance processes within your organization.
Whenever I work with AI chatbots, I’m amazed at how seamlessly they integrate into workflows to solve real problems. Their ability to adapt and scale makes them valuable for small and large enterprises.
These use cases are just the beginning — you can customize AI chatbots to fit almost any organizational need.
Adding an AI chatbot to your company’s website can transform how you interact with customers and streamline your business operations.
As I’ve explored different chatbots, I’ve seen how they can save time, enhance customer experiences, and uncover valuable insights.
Here are some of the key benefits.
AI chatbots provide instant responses, personalized recommendations, and quick access to information. They’re available 24/7, meaning your website can engage with customers anytime, even outside regular business hours.
This round-the-clock availability is invaluable for businesses serving global audiences or dealing with high traffic during off-hours.
As your business grows, handling customer queries and requests can become more challenging. AI chatbots can handle multiple conversations simultaneously, reducing the burden on human teams.
They ensure faster response times and maintain service quality, even during peak times. I’ve seen how this scalability can support businesses experiencing rapid growth, where maintaining service quality is critical.
AI chatbots can collect valuable customer data, such as preferences, frequently asked questions, and recurring pain points.
This information helps businesses improve their marketing strategies, enhance products or services, and make more informed decisions. For instance, identifying patterns in chatbot interactions can reveal friction points in the customer journey.
AI chatbots can qualify leads, provide personalized experiences, and assist customers through every stage of their buyer journey.
They help businesses create meaningful customer experiences and boost conversion rates by delivering relevant information at the right time.
With this in mind, I’ve compiled a list of the best AI chatbots for 2025. Read on to find the right one for you.
AI chatbots often operate roughly the same way since many are powered by Open AI’s GPT models. However, some chatbots still outperform others thanks to key features.
Here are some features to look for when experimenting with AI chatbots.
Customers need to trust the information provided by your chatbot, so accuracy is critical. Studies suggest the standard for chatbot accuracy is at least 70%, but striving for higher precision ensures better user satisfaction.
I’ve found that chatbots with robust training data tend to provide the most reliable results. The more accurate, the better.
It’s not uncommon for customers to make mistakes when typing — especially when they’re in a rush. A chatbot’s ability to recognize and interpret inputs despite typos or grammatical inconsistencies can make or break the user experience.
This feature ensures smoother interactions and reduces frustration.
Chatbots must be able to assess the tone and overall feeling of the customer’s inquiry. Is the customer:
Chatbots with sentiment analysis can adapt to a customer’s mood and align their responses so their input is appropriate and tailored to the customer’s experience.
For example, an overly positive response to a customer’s disappointment could come off as dismissive and too robotic.
Sentimental analysis can also prompt a chatbot to reroute angry customers to a human agent who can provide a speedy solution.
Beyond answering questions, a good AI chatbot should also support your marketing efforts.
Features like promoting deals, suggesting products, and delivering personalized recommendations help strengthen your brand’s presence and drive engagement.
Testing AI-powered chatbots can reveal a lot about their strengths and limitations.
For this post, I evaluated several chatbots based on their ability to handle tasks like image generation, information gathering, and providing detailed explanations.
By comparing their outputs, I assessed their responsiveness, creativity, and accuracy. Most chatbots excelled at straightforward tasks, such as retrieving information or drafting basic content.
However, performance varied when handling my more complex or nuanced requests, highlighting the strengths and limitations of each tool.
With so many AI chatbots on the market, deciding which one is right for your needs can be challenging.
To help you make an informed decision, I’ve compiled a list of the best AI chatbots based on their features, usability, and performance in testing.
Whether you’re looking for a chatbot to support your business operations or enhance personal productivity, there’s an option here for everyone.
Note: The six chatbots below are conversational and generative bots best suited for internal business use for things like ideating, producing content, and getting answers to your queries.
Later, we’ll go over customer-facing AI chatbots.
Price: Free
Get Started with Breeze for Free
Breeze is HubSpot’s conversational CRM bot that uses GPT-powered technology to simplify workflows and enhance productivity.
Designed with HubSpot users in mind, it connects seamlessly to your CRM data, automating repetitive tasks like email drafting, analytics reporting, and prospecting.
Its intuitive interface and chat-based commands make it accessible for all experience levels.
When I tested Breeze, I focused on tasks that typically take up a lot of time, like generating follow-up emails and compiling reports. In seconds, Breeze delivered a polished email draft tailored to the lead’s activity history.
I also asked it to analyze webinar engagement metrics, and the results were accurate and accompanied by actionable insights — something that stood out as a major advantage.
Source
While Breeze excelled at these tasks, it sometimes needed additional clarification for more complex or multi-step queries. However, with refined inputs, it proved to be a reliable tool for streamlining everyday processes.
While Breeze is free for everyone, you experience its full potential when using it with HubSpot. It can help you automate tasks such as saving contacts, notes, and tasks.
It can also guide you through the HubSpot app and give you tips on how to use its tools best. Breeze is an invaluable resource for automating day-to-day tasks.
Breeze is a natural fit for HubSpot users, offering tools that integrate seamlessly into existing workflows. It’s ideal for teams looking to boost efficiency with minimal learning curves.
While not perfect for handling highly nuanced requests, it’s an invaluable resource for automating day-to-day tasks.
Price: Free; ChatGPT Plus: $20/month.
ChatGPT is OpenAI’s conversational chatbot, built on GPT-3.5 and GPT-4. It’s widely used for various tasks, from answering questions and solving problems to helping with creative work like writing or coding.
Thanks to its training on a massive dataset, ChatGPT can generate coherent, relevant responses across many domains, including finance, healthcare, customer service, and more.
Free users get access to GPT-3.5 with unlimited usage, but ChatGPT Plus subscribers enjoy a few perks: exclusive access to GPT-4, faster response speeds, and priority availability during peak times.
Recent updates include ChatGPT Search, allowing users to search the web directly for up-to-date information with source citations, and GPT-4o with Canvas, offering a collaborative workspace for writing and coding projects.
For users who prefer conversational interactions, Voice Mode adds real-time video chat capabilities, making ChatGPT even more versatile.
I took a cue from my colleague who tested ChatGPT for blog writing. I did the same to see how ChatGPT handled the different stages of blog creation, from ideation to a finished draft.
I started by asking it to generate ideas for a blog post about pygmy hippos. Within seconds, it provided several creative suggestions, ranging from “A Day in the Life of a Pygmy Hippo” to “What Pygmy Hippos Teach Us About Resilience.”
I picked one idea and asked ChatGPT to outline it, and it quickly produced a structured plan that was easy to follow.
Source
Next, I tested its ability to write an entire blog draft. While it delivered content quickly, I noticed that some of the statistics needed to be updated or verified, which reminded me of the importance of fact-checking.
The draft was a great starting point, but it needed additional editing to meet higher quality standards (and to include a mention of the world’s favorite pygmy hippo).
I also found some of ChatGPT’s newer features, like Search and GPT-4o with Canvas, surprisingly handy.
Search made grabbing up-to-date information a breeze, while Canvas offered a more interactive space for collaborative editing and refining.
Voice Mode was a nice touch, too — it felt natural and easy to use, even though it’s still being fine-tuned.
I found ChatGPT a solid tool for brainstorming ideas, organizing thoughts, and drafting content. It works best when paired with a human touch to fine-tune the details and make everything shine.
Price: Free
Source
Copilot is Microsoft’s AI-powered “research assistant, personal planner, and creative partner” designed to enhance your web search experience. It expands traditional search capabilities by combining the top results into a single, detailed response while citing its sources.
One standout feature is its ability to generate images based on detailed prompts.
Want an illustration of a sleepy koala sipping tea? Copilot will give it a try. You can customize the prompts with adjectives, styles, or locations to make the result match your vision.
While Copilot doesn’t require Microsoft Edge, the experience is definitely more polished in that browser. When I used it in Edge, workflows felt smoother, and the response times were faster. In other browsers, it worked fine but lacked that extra layer of integration and responsiveness that made it feel seamless.
Some newer features, especially Voice Mode and the enhanced Vision Tools, stood out. I could interact conversationally with Voice Mode, even pausing or clarifying mid-conversation — it felt surprisingly natural.
The Vision Tools added another layer, letting me analyze content like web pages and images directly, which was a game-changer for quick research and troubleshooting.
Pro tip: To get the most out of Copilot, be specific, ask for clarification when needed, and tell it how it can improve. You can also ask Copilot questions on how to use it so you know exactly how it can help you with something and its limitations.
Testing Copilot was pretty simple. Starting with its image generation tool, I asked it to generate an image of a cat wearing a hat to see how it would interpret the request. One look at the picture below, and you’ll see it passed with flying colors. The image popped up within seconds of my prompt.
Source
Next, I decided to see how Copilot handles questions that require quick, accurate responses. Curious about what lies ahead in marketing, I asked it to share the most significant trends for 2025.
In seconds, it delivered a detailed list of trends with links to credible sources so I could double-check the information. This made it easy to get a sense of what’s ahead and verify the accuracy of its insights.
Source
I also explored its Voice Mode, which felt surprisingly conversational and allowed for pauses and mid-conversation clarifications.
The Vision Tools impressed me, too — analyzing web pages and images for extra context made quick research feel seamless.
Price: Free; Gemini Advanced $20/month (Google One AI Premium plan).
Google’s Gemini (formerly called Bard) is a multi-use AI chatbot — it can generate text and spoken responses in over 40 languages, create images, code, answer math problems, and more.
One of Gemini’s strengths is that it is great with text. You can use it to write and edit things, such as emails, resumes, and cover letters. Because it was created by Google, it also features a “Google it” button to help you learn more about a given topic and exports to other Google products, like Google Docs and Gmail.
When I tested Gemini, I tried out two different experiments: generating images and finding hotels. The first task was to generate images of a cat wearing a hat.
Despite asking for multiple images initially, Gemini only gave me one. I followed up by explicitly asking for four images, but it only provided one.
This suggests that while Gemini’s image generation feature is creative, it might struggle with multi-image requests.
Next, I asked Gemini to help me find inexpensive, highly-rated hotels in Miami. The first attempt was underwhelming — Gemini pulled in results from Google Hotels, and while the ratings were high, many options were budget accommodations, including a hostel and 2-star hotels.
I tried again without using the Google Hotels extension, and the results were more refined, with nicer hotel options and even tips for finding affordable accommodations, like booking in advance or staying in nearby cities.
It was a clear improvement but demonstrated that Gemini benefits from more specific prompts and configurations.
Price: Starts at $39/month; 7-day free trial.
Jasper Chat is built with businesses in mind, allowing users to apply AI to their content creation processes. It can help you brainstorm content ideas, write photo captions, generate ad copy, create blog titles, edit text, and more.
Unlike ChatGPT, Jasper pulls knowledge straight from Google to ensure that it provides you with the most accurate information.
It also learns your brand’s voice and style, so the content it generates for you sounds less robotic and more like you.
When I tested Jasper Chat, I focused on how well it could handle common content creation tasks for marketing.
I asked it to draft a humorous LinkedIn post promoting HubSpot’s AI tools. Jasper quickly delivered an engaging and informative polished draft, though the humor felt a bit forced.
I tweaked it slightly, and it was ready to go with minimal effort. This showed me how useful Jasper can be for generating quick, on-brand social copy.
Next, I asked Jasper to create a blog outline for a post about small business marketing trends. The outline it provided was clear and well-structured, but what really stood out was Jasper’s ability to suggest additional content ideas I hadn’t considered, like creating a sidebar on AI’s role in local marketing.
This feature made it feel more collaborative compared to other tools I’ve used.
One thing to note is that Jasper Chat works best when you clearly define your goals upfront. Vague prompts tend to result in generic responses, so the more detail you provide, the better the output.
Price: Free; Pro: $20/month.
Source
Perplexity is an AI chatbot designed to act as a conversational search engine.
It uses a combination of AI models, including GPT-3.5, but it isn’t exclusively powered by it. For Pro users, Perplexity provides access to advanced models like GPT-4 Omni, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3 Opus, and Sonar Large (LLaMA 3.1 70B).
This mix of custom-built and external models allows Perplexity to deliver swift and precise answers tailored to your queries, whether you’re browsing or diving into detailed research.
With no setup required, Perplexity is pretty easy to access and use. Go to the website or mobile app, type your query into the search bar, and click the blue button. From there, Perplexity will generate an answer and a short list of related topics to read about.
When I tested Perplexity, I wanted to see how well it handled both straightforward and more niche queries. First, I asked it to predict Spring 2025 fashion trends for women. It delivered a concise but detailed breakdown, complete with citations to reliable sources, which gave me confidence in its accuracy.
Then, I tried a more obscure question: explaining the viral “very demure, very mindful” meme. Perplexity didn’t miss a beat — it provided a detailed explanation, cited its sources, and even suggested related topics to explore.
What I appreciated most about Perplexity is how it combines quick, accurate answers with credible sources, making it feel more like a research tool than just a chatbot. However, its simplicity means it’s best for finding information rather than generating creative content.
Price: Starts at $29/month.
Source
Tidio Lyro is a conversational AI chatbot created with small and medium businesses in mind. It helps free up the time of customer service reps by engaging in personalized conversations with customers.
Lyro instantly learns your company’s knowledge base so it can start resolving customer issues immediately, staying within the limits of your provided data set to minimize errors. It seamlessly directs the conversation to a human representative if it can’t answer a query.
When I looked into Lyro, I found its ability to instantly learn and use a company’s knowledge base particularly impressive. For small and medium businesses, this feature can make a huge difference in providing quick, accurate support without overburdening human teams.
When I tested Lyro, I focused on its ability to handle customer support tasks. I asked it common customer queries like, “How do I reset my account password?” and “What are your return policies?”
Lyro handled both questions effortlessly, providing accurate and well-structured responses. I also noticed that it asks follow-up questions to ensure customer satisfaction, which adds a nice human touch to the experience.
One standout feature was Lyro’s ability to escalate conversations when it couldn’t answer a query. For example, when I asked a question outside of its knowledge base, it flagged the issue and routed the conversation to a live customer service agent.
This ensures customers don’t hit a dead end, even if the bot doesn’t have all the answers.
Price: Lite: $10/month; Advanced: $200/month; Enterprise: Custom Pricing.
Source
Kommunicate is a human + chatbot hybrid platform designed to help businesses improve customer engagement and support.
The platform helps businesses build chatbots and manage customer interactions across multiple channels, including website chat, messenger apps, and email.
Although you can train your Kommunicate chatbot on various intents, it is designed to automatically route the conversation to a customer service rep whenever it can’t answer a query.
When I explored Kommunicate, I focused on its ease of setup and ability to manage FAQs.
The drag-and-drop builder made it simple to create a basic chatbot, and I quickly trained it with intents like “shipping policies” and “return processes.” Testing these intents showed that the bot could handle straightforward queries effectively.
I also looked into the live agent escalation feature, which seems like a game-changer for businesses managing high volumes of inquiries.
While I didn’t personally test the integration with a live agent, it’s clear from the interface how the transition would work — ensuring customers don’t experience dead ends.
This balance between automation and human support stood out as one of Kommunicate’s biggest strengths.
Price: Free
Free Chatbot Builder Software
HubSpot has a powerful and easy-to-use chatbot builder that allows you to automate and scale live chat conversations.
Keep in mind that HubSpot’s chat builder software doesn’t quite fall under the “AI chatbot” category of “AI chatbot” because it uses a rule-based system. However, HubSpot does have code snippets, allowing you to use the powerful AI of third-party NLP-driven bots such as Dialogflow.
When I tried out the HubSpot Chatbot Builder, I focused on how easy it was to set up a simple bot.
The interface is intuitive — I used the drag-and-drop builder to create a chatbot that could answer FAQs and direct visitors to specific pages on a website.
Testing these flows showed how well it integrates with HubSpot’s CRM to store customer data and automate follow-ups.
One feature I appreciated was the ability to trigger automation flows based on customer responses. For instance, when I set up a chatbot to qualify leads, it automatically created a new contact record in the CRM for potential follow-ups.
While this tool isn’t powered by AI, its ability to work seamlessly with other HubSpot features makes it a solid option for businesses looking to enhance their live chat capabilities.
Key Features:
Price: Requires Intercom subscription, which starts at $29/month.
Source
Intercom’s Fin has evolved into a robust AI-powered conversational agent, setting a new benchmark in customer service. Powered by Anthropic’s Claude, Fin 2 delivers human-like responses with an average resolution rate of 51% out of the box and an impressive 99.9% accuracy.
It integrates seamlessly across chat, email, and other channels, offering advanced features like tone customization, action automation, and omnichannel support to elevate customer interactions.
What sets Fin 2 apart is its Knowledge Hub, which centralizes internal and external content sources for real-time updates, ensuring accurate responses. Its Controlled Rollout feature adds flexibility, allowing businesses to deploy Fin strategically during high-volume periods or for specific customer segments.
While I wasn’t able to fully test Fin 2 due to its enterprise-focused setup, its feature set demonstrates why it’s a leader in the customer service space.
The ability to customize tone, handle complex tasks, and deploy strategically makes Fin an indispensable asset for modern support teams.
Price: Some plans are free to start, and others start at $19.99.
Source
DevRev’s modern support platform empowers customers and customer-facing teams to access relevant information, enabling more effective communication.
Tailored to user preferences, adjusted easily, and backed by valuable data about products and users, DevRev helps businesses enhance their customer experience.
Through my research, it’s clear that DevRev excels at fostering collaboration between support and product teams. It’s built to handle simpler queries with AI-powered deflection while enabling smooth escalation for complex issues.
This makes it a strong contender for businesses aiming to integrate customer support with product workflows and reduce ticket volume effectively.
Price: Free; Premium starts at $30/month.
Source
SmythOS is a multi-agent operating system that harnesses the power of AI to streamline complex business workflows. Their platform features a visual no-code builder, allowing you to customize agents for your needs.
From Fortune 100 companies to startups, SmythOS is setting the stage to transform every company into an AI-powered entity with efficiency, security, and scalability. With SmythOS, you can automate workflows to save your team time.
I explored SmythOS through detailed research, digging into its unique features and how it integrates with various team workflows. From what I uncovered, this tool seems built for operational efficiency and real-time collaboration. Its ability to sync team communication with task management seamlessly impressed me.
Price: Starting at $52/month for Starter, $142/month for Team, and $424/month for Business; Enterprise pricing available; Free 14-day trial.
Source
ChatBot is an AI-driven chatbot platform that blends simplicity and sophistication. It allows users to create chatbots that can seamlessly handle customer interactions across various channels like websites, social media, and messaging apps.
The platform uses ML, NLP, and generative AI to efficiently handle complex customer queries. With powerful analytics, businesses can continuously improve bot performance.
ChatBot is suitable for businesses of all sizes, providing flexible pricing plans and integrations with popular tools for a streamlined customer experience.
I researched ChatBot’s functionality, diving into its versatile features that cater to businesses of various sizes. The pre-built templates stood out to me as a timesaving solution, especially for those who want to get started quickly.
The no-code builder is particularly user-friendly, enabling seamless workflow creation without technical hurdles.
Based on what I’ve learned, ChatBot’s ability to provide consistent customer experiences across multiple channels makes it a reliable choice for scaling customer interactions efficiently.
Price: Free for Lite; $140/month for Plus; Enterprise pricing available.
Source
IBM watsonx Assistant is an AI-powered conversational bot that gives you impressive recommendations for further training so it gets better at its job.
Its intent recommendations flag topic clusters that should be added to the database, while its entity recommendations identify existing topics that need more depth.
Watsonx Assistant is trained with data unique to your industry and business, providing users with relevant information.
It can run on your website, messaging channels, customer service tools, and mobile app. The low-code chat builder also makes it quick to get started.
While exploring watsonx Assistant, I was impressed by its ability to handle complex customer queries precisely. Its intuitive interface allows businesses to set up workflows quickly, while the pre-built templates save significant time during deployment.
With its robust omnichannel support, watsonx Assistant is particularly well-suited for organizations looking to provide seamless customer interactions across multiple platforms.
Price: Contact for pricing.
Source
Juro’s AI Assistant is embedded within its contract management platform, designed to help legal and business teams handle contracts seamlessly from start to finish — all without leaving their browser.
By consolidating tools like eSigning platforms, Word files, and shared drives into one system, Juro simplifies contract management and integrates effortlessly into existing workflows. This enables quick adoption and increased efficiency.
While researching Juro’s AI Assistant, I explored its interactive demo, which offers a hands-on experience of the platform’s capabilities.
The demo made it clear how intuitive the AI Assistant is for drafting and editing contracts. I could see how easily users can prompt it to amend terms or generate summaries, streamlining processes that typically take much longer.
The interface was sleek and user-friendly, with workflows that felt natural for legal teams and other stakeholders.
The demo also showcased how the AI Assistant identifies key contract risks, helping users quickly spot deviations without manually combing every clause. This feature alone could save hours for legal teams working under tight deadlines.
Price: Contact for pricing.
Source
Checkbox’s AI Legal Chatbot is designed to make legal operations more efficient by automating routine tasks and providing instant, accurate legal advice.
Whether you’re drafting contracts or answering legal queries, this chatbot uses AI to minimize manual work and reduce errors. Its seamless integration with your existing tools ensures that legal teams can focus on complex, high-value tasks, enhancing overall productivity and compliance.
While researching Checkbox, I explored its capabilities through available demos and documentation. Its standout feature is the ability to deliver immediate and tailored legal assistance while seamlessly integrating into common workplace platforms like Slack and Teams.
The customizable workflows appeared especially powerful for streamlining repetitive tasks and maintaining compliance across legal processes.
Price: Contact for pricing.
Source
Drift has been making waves since its February 2024 acquisition by Salesloft. With its AI smarts now woven into Salesloft’s Revenue Orchestration Platform, it’s taken conversational AI to the next level. Consider it the ultimate one-two punch for managing the buyer journey — from the first interaction to closing the deal.
Drift still shines at what it does best: engaging site visitors based on their behavior, answering questions, booking meetings, and qualifying leads. But now, with new features like Drift Engage, Site Concierge, and Bionic Chatbots, it’s even better at delivering fast, personalized customer experiences.
What really stands out is how Drift’s intent detection reads between the lines of user questions to deliver meaningful answers — or hands things off to the right team when needed. And with integrations galore (Salesforce, Marketo, and more), it’s easy to slot Drift into your existing workflow.
I explored how businesses are using Drift in action. For example, the Site Concierge feature acts like a digital host, greeting visitors, answering their questions, and pointing them in the right direction, all in real time.
One thing that caught my attention was how Drift Engage helps sales teams tailor conversations based on visitors’ browsing behavior and previous chats. It’s like having an AI-powered assistant on your website, ready to qualify leads or book meetings on the spot.
The feedback on Drift’s integrations with tools like Salesforce and Marketo also seems pretty glowing. Businesses love how easy it is to plug Drift into their workflows without missing a beat.
Price: Contact for pricing.
Source
Infobip’s chatbot-building platform, Answers, makes creating effective chatbots simple and intuitive with its drag-and-drop interface.
It allows you to create both rules-based and intent-based chatbots, with the latter using AI and NLP to recognize user intent, process information, and provide a human-like conversational experience.
Plus, Infobip’s Experiences, a generative AI-powered conversation cloud, takes customer interaction to the next level with pre-built journey templates, deep integrations, and actionable analytics.
I took a closer look at Infobip’s demo capabilities and features to understand how the platform works. The drag-and-drop builder stood out for its ease of use, letting you visually map conversation flows and logic. I also explored Experiences, which felt promising with its customer journey templates and AI-driven analytics.
While I couldn’t dive into a live project, Infobip’s omnichannel usability and integration capabilities seemed like excellent tools for businesses managing diverse customer touchpoints.
Price: Starts at $11 per bot/month; Free 7-day trial.
Source
Appy Pie’s Chatbot Builder makes designing and deploying conversational AI solutions with a no-code platform easy.
With support for AI models like Claude, GPT-3.5 Turbo, and Meta Llama 2, Appy Pie empowers businesses to build tailored chatbots for customer engagement, lead generation, and workflow automation.
Its drag-and-drop interface, NLP capabilities, and customizable templates make it an accessible option for businesses of all sizes.
Appy Pie also features a GPT-4 powered AI Virtual Assistant Builder, designed to intelligently handle customer queries, reducing response times and improving efficiency.
While exploring Appy Pie’s Chatbot Builder, I found the platform’s simplicity and flexibility impressive. Its drag-and-drop builder made designing chatbot workflows seamless, even for someone with little coding experience.
I also appreciated the ability to switch between AI models, such as Claude and GPT-3.5 Turbo, depending on the complexity of the task.
For example, Claude was particularly useful for generating detailed, human-like responses, while GPT-3.5 Turbo excelled in delivering quick, context-aware replies.
The platform’s wide range of integrations and pre-built templates also stood out, offering an easy way to get started without building everything from scratch.
Overall, Appy Pie’s Chatbot Builder offers an intuitive experience, especially for businesses looking to quickly implement AI-driven conversational tools.
Price: Starting at $19/month on up to Enterprise pricing.
Source
Zendesk’s newly introduced AI Agents are the evolution of their chatbot technology, designed to autonomously handle a range of customer service requests — from basic FAQs to complex queries.
Powered by advanced AI, these agents aim to resolve customer issues end-to-end without human intervention, ensuring faster and more efficient support.
Available as part of all Zendesk Suite and Support plans, AI Agents replace previous bot models, introducing outcome-based pricing, where you only pay for successfully resolved issues.
For even more functionality, Zendesk offers an Advanced AI add-on ($50 per agent/month), which includes enhanced tools like intent suggestions and AI-generated responses.
While I didn’t test Zendesk AI Agents firsthand, I explored their capabilities through detailed research and user feedback.
The AI Agents integrate seamlessly into the Zendesk Suite, leveraging generative AI for advanced functions like intent detection, smart replies, and automated resolutions.
The introduction of outcome-based pricing ensures businesses only pay for successful interactions — a practical and cost-efficient model for scaling support.
Zendesk’s dashboard tools, like the Automated Resolutions Dashboard, also allow businesses to monitor performance and refine their customer support processes.
For companies already using Zendesk, these AI Agents represent a robust upgrade to their automation capabilities.
Price: Available through Cloud products.
Source
Salesforce Einstein is a conversational AI assistant that natively integrates with Salesforce products, making it easy to handle customer inquiries, provide support, and even complete transactions.
Its multilingual capabilities make scaling customer service across the globe effortless. With seamless integration into Salesforce Service Cloud, Einstein Bots can access customer data, update records, and trigger workflows, providing a unified view of interactions.
Since introducing Einstein Copilot in 2024, Salesforce has significantly enhanced its AI capabilities. Users can now enjoy a generative AI assistant that automates tasks and directly answers questions within Salesforce applications.
Combined with Einstein Copilot Studio and the Einstein Trust Layer, Einstein empowers businesses to customize AI workflows while maintaining the highest security standards.
Through research, I found that Einstein’s integration with Salesforce products gives it an edge in streamlining customer interactions.
The addition of Einstein Copilot and Copilot Studio means users can tailor AI workflows to meet specific needs, while the Einstein Trust Layer ensures data protection remains a top priority.
These updates make Salesforce Einstein a robust, secure choice for businesses already using Salesforce tools.
Price: Contact for pricing.
Source
LivePerson’s AI chatbot is built on over 20 years of messaging transcripts, enabling it to handle customer inquiries, schedule appointments, offer product recommendations, suggest upgrades, provide employee support, and manage incidents.
Plus, it can keep the conversation going over time without losing context, which is a lifesaver when customers need to pause and return later. And when the chatbot can’t handle something, it knows when to call in backup — seamlessly passing the conversation (and all the gathered info) to a human agent.
The latest updates are where things get really interesting. LivePerson has brought Generative AI into the mix, turning things like web pages, PDFs, and FAQs into dynamic, interactive chatbot conversations.
Combine that with tools like Proactive Messaging — which helps businesses start conversations via SMS, WhatsApp, and other channels — and it’s easy to see why LivePerson is a go-to for companies that want to boost efficiency and make things more personal.
I found the point-and-click builder to be super intuitive for creating and customizing a bot. I also really liked the Conversation Orchestrator, which scans chats in real time and recommends the best AI response or content for agents.
It’s like having a work bestie that ensures nothing falls through the cracks. The Generative AI tools also caught my eye — they make it easy to turn static info into actionable, engaging chatbot experiences.
Price: Contact for pricing.
Source
Ada is an automated AI chatbot with support for 50+ languages on key channels like Facebook, WhatsApp, and WeChat. It’s built on large language models (LLMs) that allow it to recognize and generate text in a human-like manner.
The drag-and-drop chat builder requires zero coding and offers smart suggestions to help quickly train your chatbot. That way, you can spend less time on fine-tuning your chatbot and more time on deep work.
What stood out the most is how Ada integrates with your business data to provide spot-on responses — whether that’s pulling up order details or guiding customers through complex workflows.
The intent detection is particularly impressive, making conversations feel natural and on-point. And with its wide language support, Ada is ideal for businesses looking to scale their customer service globally without missing a beat.
When I started exploring these AI chatbots, I thought I had a solid understanding of what they could do. But diving deeper into their features and recent updates gave me a fresh perspective on just how fast this technology is evolving.
I was particularly struck by how each platform brings something unique to the table — whether it’s Zendesk’s AI Agents transforming customer service or Ada’s generative AI enhancements making chatbots even smarter.
What stood out most to me was the sheer versatility of these tools. It’s not just about automating customer support anymore — it’s about creating personalized, dynamic experiences that genuinely solve problems.
Seeing how AI chatbots integrate with platforms like Salesforce or use advanced analytics like LivePerson made me realize how deeply they’re becoming embedded in business operations.
That said, the best way to figure out which chatbot is right for you is to give them a try. Each business has unique needs, and while I’ve tested many of these myself, I’m still figuring out which ones I like best.
Some excel at simplicity, others at power, and a few at seamlessly fitting into workflows. Exploring them firsthand helps you discover what will work best for your goals.
Want to learn more about artificial intelligence? Check out this learning path.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
As a content creator, I know brand identity is everything, which is why my personal…
I’ve tried and tried, but I can’t crack the TikTok algorithm. Friends and peers regularly…
Zoom backgrounds have been my lifesaver since I started scheduling remote meetings. With these backgrounds,…
As a marketer and pop-culture fanatic, I am fascinated by celebrity marketing. I love seeing…
By mid-December, my Instagram feed is overflowing with my friends' Spotify Wrapped playlists. So I…
Over the past three years, I’ve written over 200 marketing content pieces from blog posts…