In this guide
As of October 2026, Chatbase pricing is $40 a month for 700 message credits (Hobby), $150 for 4,000 (Standard) and $500 for 15,000 (Pro), with 20% off if you pay yearly. A reply uses 1 to 5 credits depending on the AI model, so 700 credits buys between 140 and 700 replies. Removing the Chatbase logo costs $1,188 a year on top.
That's the short version. Below we turn credits into replies for each plan, show how model choice and branding removal change the bill, and work through three realistic months. We make a competing chatbot, so we've kept to Chatbase's published figures and included the cases where Chatbase is the better buy.
Chatbase pricing plans (as of October 2026)
These are the plans on Chatbase's pricing page as we read it in October 2026:
| Plan | Monthly price | Paid yearly (20% off) | Message credits a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby | $40 | $32/mo | 700 |
| Standard | $150 | $120/mo | 4,000 |
| Pro | $500 | $400/mo | 15,000 |
There's also a custom Enterprise tier. All three paid plans give you access to the same set of AI models. What changes between them is the credit allowance, plus limits on things like team members and actions per agent.
A note on sources. Third-party pricing guides don't agree with each other, or with Chatbase's own page. One comparison by Boei, a chatbot vendor, lists the Hobby plan at 500 credits and some models at 6 credits per reply. That's different from the 700 credits on Chatbase's page when we checked. Plans change, so before you buy, treat chatbase.co/pricing as the authority, not any summary, ours included.
How Chatbase message credits turn into replies
A message credit isn't a message. Chatbase's FAQ says each response from your AI agent uses credits based on the AI model. In October 2026 it listed 1 credit for most models, described as the most economical, and 2, 4 or 5 credits for the more capable ones.
So the number of replies you get depends on the model you choose:
| Chatbase credits per message | Hobby (700) | Standard (4,000) | Pro (15,000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 credit | 700 replies | 4,000 replies | 15,000 replies |
| 2 credits | 350 replies | 2,000 replies | 7,500 replies |
| 4 credits | 175 replies | 1,000 replies | 3,750 replies |
| 5 credits | 140 replies | 800 replies | 3,000 replies |
And the cost per reply on Hobby at the monthly price:
| Model cost | Replies from 700 credits | Cost per reply |
|---|---|---|
| 1 credit | 700 | about 5.7¢ |
| 2 credits | 350 | about 11.4¢ |
| 5 credits | 140 | about 28.6¢ |
Which model should you assume?
If a 1-credit model answers your customers' questions accurately, use it. For a small business answering from its own shipping, returns and product pages, it can be. Test it on your hardest real questions before deciding.
If you need a pricier model for accuracy, budget at that model's rate from day one. The plan price stays the same. You just get fewer replies.
Which model you pick changes the bill
The only thing Chatbase's FAQ says changes what a reply costs is the AI model. As we read it in October 2026, it lists 1 credit for "all other models", 2 credits for a group of premium models including GPT-5.2 and Gemini 2.5 Pro, 4 for GPT-5.5 and 5 for Claude 5.5 Opus.
That means the model you choose decides which plan you need. Here's the plan each volume requires, at Chatbase's October 2026 prices:
| Replies a month | 1 credit | 2 credits | 4 credits | 5 credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | 300 credits: Hobby, $40 | 600: Hobby, $40 | 1,200: Standard, $150 | 1,500: Standard, $150 |
| 1,000 | 1,000: Standard, $150 | 2,000: Standard, $150 | 4,000: Standard, $150 | 5,000: Pro, $500 |
| 3,000 | 3,000: Standard, $150 | 6,000: Pro, $500 | 12,000: Pro, $500 | 15,000: Pro, $500 |
Add $99 a month to any of these if you want the Chatbase logo removed.
Lead capture is one of Chatbase's AI actions. Its pricing page lists 5 AI actions per agent on Hobby, 8 on Standard and 12 on Pro, and its documentation doesn't say that running an action costs extra credits.
For comparison, on our plans lead capture is included from Starter and doesn't change what an answer costs. One answer is one reply.
The branding fee
Chatbase widgets show "Powered by Chatbase" unless you pay to remove it. As of October 2026 that costs $1,188 a year, which works out to $99 a month.
On Hobby, that fee is about two and a half times the plan price:
| Hobby, as of October 2026 | Monthly | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Plan, monthly billing | $40 | $480 |
| Branding removal | $99 | $1,188 |
| Total, monthly billing | $139 | $1,668 |
| Plan paid yearly (20% off) + branding | about $131 | $1,572 |
If the logo doesn't bother you, skip the fee and Hobby stays $40. For how other vendors charge for this, see what it costs to remove the "Powered by" logo.
Three worked months
Each example uses Chatbase prices as of October 2026, and our own for comparison. Our plans are Starter at $49 for 1,000 replies, Growth at $149 for 5,000 and Scale at $449 for 20,000. Lead capture is included and there's no branding fee; details are on our pricing page.
Month 1: a quiet site, logo kept, no lead capture
A consultant's site gets about 250 questions a month. A 1-credit model is accurate enough. They don't need lead capture and don't mind the Chatbase logo.
- Chatbase: 250 credits, which fits Hobby. $40, or $32 a month paid yearly.
- Us: Starter. $49.
Chatbase is cheaper here, by $9 a month. If that's your situation, Hobby is a sensible choice.
Month 2: a small shop with leads and no logo
An online shop gets about 300 questions a month. The owner wants contact details captured when the bot can't help, and wants no vendor logo.
- Chatbase: 300 replies × 1 credit = 300 credits. That fits Hobby at $40, and lead capture is available as one of its AI actions. Add $99 branding: $139.
- Us: Starter. $49.
This is the case our Chatbase comparison is built around. The plan is cheap, and the extras are what make the bill.
Month 3: a busier shop on a better model
A shop gets about 1,500 questions a month. The owner has found a 1-credit model gets product details wrong, so uses a 2-credit model, with lead capture and no logo.
- Chatbase: 1,500 × 2 credits = 3,000 credits. That fits Standard at $150, plus $99 branding: $249.
- Chatbase on a 5-credit model: 1,500 × 5 = 7,500 credits. That's more than Standard's 4,000, so Pro at $500, plus $99: $599.
- Us: Growth (5,000 replies). $149.
The jump from Standard to Pro is model choice at work. The same number of customer questions costs more than twice as much on the most expensive model.
To run your own numbers across Chatbase and other vendors, use our chatbot cost calculator. For a wider look at credits versus replies, conversations and resolutions, see chatbot pricing models explained.
Where Chatbase is the better choice
Chatbase is popular for good reasons, and it's a better fit than us for several kinds of buyer:
- You're not running a business website. Chatbase is a general-purpose bot builder and will train on arbitrary documents for uses that have nothing to do with a shop. We're built only for a small business's website and products.
- You want to choose the AI model yourself. Chatbase offers a range of models. That's what the credit system pays for. We don't offer a model picker, and every answer bills the same.
- You rely on its integrations and custom actions. Chatbase has more integrations and actions than we do. If your bot needs to trigger things in other systems, check what you'd lose before moving.
- You need only a few hundred replies on a cheap model and don't mind the logo. Hobby at $40 costs less than our $49 Starter, as Month 1 shows, and it offers lead capture as an AI action.
And where we'd suggest looking at us instead: you want lead capture, no logo and a bill that doesn't depend on the model you pick. On our plans one answer is one reply, and when you hit your monthly limit visitors get a lead form instead of an answer, so you're never billed extra.
We're not the cheapest per reply overall, either. As of October 2026, Botsonic ($19 for 1,000 messages), SiteGPT on its cheaper model ($59 for 4,000) and Chatling ($25 for 1,750 credits) all cost less per message than our Starter plan.
Frequently asked questions
How many messages is 700 Chatbase credits?
It depends on the AI model. Chatbase's FAQ lists 1 credit per reply for most models and 2, 4 or 5 for pricier ones, so 700 credits is 700 replies on a 1-credit model, 350 at 2 credits, 175 at 4 and 140 at 5.
How much is Chatbase per month?
As of October 2026, Chatbase costs $40 a month for Hobby (700 credits), $150 for Standard (4,000) and $500 for Pro (15,000). Paying yearly takes 20% off, bringing them to $32, $120 and $400 a month. Removing the branding is an extra $1,188 a year.
How do I remove Chatbase branding?
Chatbase sells branding removal as a paid add-on, listed at $1,188 a year on its pricing page as of October 2026. Once you've bought it, the "Powered by Chatbase" line no longer shows in your widget. Check the pricing page for current terms before buying.
Is Chatbase worth it?
It's worth it if you want a general-purpose bot builder, want to choose your own AI model, or rely on its integrations and actions. For a small business that wants no logo on a few hundred replies a month, the branding fee takes the bill from $40 to about $139, for at most 700 replies. Cost your own volume with every fee included before deciding.