Chatbase and Askvo solve the same core problem: train an AI chatbot on your own content and embed it on your site. The real differences show up in how each one is priced and packaged, not in whether the basic idea works. This comparison covers both plainly, including the add-on costs that don't show up on the main pricing page until you go looking.
The core difference: flat plans vs metered credits plus add-ons
Chatbase runs on a credit system: each paid tier includes a set number of monthly credits, and once you're through them the bot stops responding unless you enable auto-recharge, which adds to the bill automatically. On top of the base plan, several things that most small businesses assume are included cost extra: removing Chatbase's own branding runs $199/month, a custom domain is a separate $199/month, additional AI agents are $25/month each, and credit top-ups beyond your plan run $15–20 per 1,000.
Askvo uses flat monthly plans with a fixed, account-wide message-credit pool and no auto-recharge mechanism. Hit the cap and the widget shows visitors a polite notice instead of silently billing you more. Branding removal is included starting on the Pro plan at €29/month, not sold separately.
Pricing side by side
| Plan tier | Chatbase | Askvo |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Very limited, credit-capped | 1 chatbot, 50 pages crawled, 50 messages/mo, forever free |
| Entry paid plan | Hobby, $40/mo, 1,500 credits | Pro, €29/mo, 3 chatbots, 2,000 messages/mo |
| Mid plan | Standard, $150/mo, 10,000 credits | Business, €79/mo, 10 chatbots, 10,000 messages/mo |
| Top plan | Pro, $500/mo, 40,000 credits | Agency, €199/mo, 25 chatbots, 40,000 messages/mo |
| Remove branding | +$199/mo, separate add-on | Included from Pro (€29/mo) |
| Custom domain | +$199/mo, separate add-on | Not a separate charge |
| Extra credits when you run out | $15–20 per 1,000, or auto-recharge | No overage. Flat cap, upgrade when you outgrow it |
Run the numbers for a small business that wants its branding off and a custom domain: Chatbase's Hobby plan at $40/mo becomes $438/mo once you add both. Askvo's Pro plan at €29/mo already includes both, with more chatbots and messages included.
Where Chatbase has an edge
- Model choice: Chatbase lets you pick between models like GPT-3.5-turbo and GPT-4 per bot, which matters if you want fine control over the cost/quality tradeoff on a specific agent.
- Multiple agents per account: running several distinct bots (different personas, different knowledge bases) is a core Chatbase workflow, at the cost of $25/mo per extra agent beyond your plan's included count.
- A longer track record as a dedicated AI-chatbot platform: Chatbase has a broader library of pre-built integrations for teams already living in a wider automation stack.
Where Askvo has an edge
- Predictable total cost: no separate line items for branding, domain, or credit top-ups. What's on the pricing page is what you pay. See pricing for the full breakdown.
- Built-in human hand-off: a visitor can tap "Talk to a human" at any point, and the conversation moves to your dashboard for a live reply in the same chat window the visitor started in, not a separate tool to wire up.
- Lead capture from Pro without a separate integration, so out-of-hours chats become contacts instead of anonymous sessions. See the chatbot lead generation guide.
- Honest fallback by design: strict mode keeps answers grounded in your actual content and logs every unanswered question, so gaps in your knowledge base become a visible to-do list rather than a source of confidently wrong answers. See how Askvo avoids hallucinations.
- One free chatbot, forever, not a time-limited trial credit balance that runs out.
Switching from Chatbase to Askvo
- Create a free Askvo account. No card required for the Free plan.
- Paste your website URL. Askvo's crawler reads your live pages directly, so you're not exporting or migrating anything out of Chatbase. You're re-training on the same source content you already have.
- Re-add anything you'd manually uploaded to Chatbase (documents, pasted text, Q&A pairs) the same way in Askvo. See how to train a chatbot on your own data.
- Swap the embed snippet on your site: one script tag and a custom element, the same install pattern across every platform. If you're on WordPress or Shopify, see our WordPress or Shopify guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chatbase or Askvo cheaper for a small business?
It depends heavily on whether you need branding removed or a custom domain. Chatbase's base tiers look competitive until those two add-ons ($199/mo each) enter the picture. At that point Askvo's all-inclusive plans are typically cheaper for a small business running one or a few bots.
Does Askvo have a credit system like Chatbase?
Askvo meters usage in message credits too, but as a flat monthly pool included in your plan price with no per-message top-up purchases or auto-recharge. You either have room left this month or you don't, and the widget tells visitors politely instead of billing you more.
Can I run multiple chatbots on Askvo the way I can with multiple agents on Chatbase?
Yes. Every paid plan includes multiple chatbots (3 on Pro, 10 on Business, 25 on Agency), with no per-bot add-on fee.
What happens if the bot doesn't know an answer, on either platform?
On Askvo, a well-configured bot says so using a fallback message you control, and logs the miss in your Unanswered Questions report so you can close the gap.