Getting started
Free vs paid website chatbots: what you give up
Free website chatbots exist, but they cap conversations, show their own branding or answer from scripts. Here is exactly where the line sits.
In short
Free website chatbots are usually rule-based scripts, capped AI trials, or free tiers that show the vendor's branding and limit monthly conversations.
Paid plans buy you answers grounded in your own content, no conversation counter, and your own branding. Defaltam starts at €79/month with a 5-day free trial.
Key facts
Key facts
- Rule-based free bots follow buttons and scripts; they cannot answer an unexpected question.
- Most free AI tiers cap monthly conversations or messages.
- Free tiers typically display the vendor's logo in your widget.
- Defaltam's plans are flat monthly, with no per-conversation billing.
The three kinds of 'free'
| Type | What it does | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Rule-based widget | Button menus and canned replies | Breaks on any unexpected question |
| Free AI tier | Real AI answers | Monthly message cap, vendor branding |
| Trial | Full product | Ends after a fixed period |
When free is genuinely enough
If your site gets a handful of visitors a week and your questions never change, a rule-based widget with four buttons will do the job. Nobody needs AI to publish opening hours.
Free stops being enough the moment visitors ask things you did not anticipate — which is most of the time on a site that sells something considered.
What you are actually paying for
- · Answers grounded in your own pages rather than a generic script.
- · No conversation counter to watch during a busy month.
- · Your branding, not the vendor's, in front of your customers.
- · Lead capture that lands in your inbox with context attached.
- · Someone to ask when it misbehaves.
The product behind this guide
A chatbot trained on your own website, live today
Defaltam builds AI chatbots that read your public pages and answer with your real prices, services and policies. Support is €79/month, Sales is €149/month, both start with a 5-day free trial, and installation is one script tag.
FAQ
Questions people ask about this
Is there a genuinely free AI chatbot for a website?
There are free tiers, but they cap monthly conversations, show the vendor's branding, or only offer rule-based button menus. A free trial of a paid product usually gives a more realistic picture — Defaltam's is 5 days.
What is the cheapest way to get AI chat on my site?
A free tier for very low traffic, or a flat monthly plan once real visitors start asking real questions. Defaltam's support bot is €79/month with no per-conversation charges.
Do free chatbots hurt conversions?
They can. A bot that answers 'I didn't understand that' to a buying question does more damage than no bot at all.
Can I remove the vendor branding?
On Defaltam's paid plans branding visibility is a setting you control.
Related
Keep reading.
How to build a chatbot on your own site →
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How to train a chatbot on your website content →
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A chatbot implementation checklist for small teams →
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Where to put a chatbot on your website →
Placement, timing and page choice decide whether a chatbot gets used or ignored. Practical rules for position, auto-open delay and which pages to run it on.
Giving your chatbot a tone of voice that sells →
Chatbot tone decides whether visitors keep typing. Rules for length, honesty, personality and the corporate phrases to cut from your bot's replies.
AI chatbot plans and pricing →
Support €79/mo, Sales €149/mo, 5-day free trial.
How to add an AI chatbot to your website →
The ten-minute install guide, platform by platform.