The verdict
Under $100/mo is the sweet spot for solo founders, lean teams, and agencies onboarding small clients. The under-$100 category is crowded with FAQ bots, live chat add-ons, and basic flow builders. What's rarer: an AI that actually sells, books, and follows up across DMs. DM Champ leads on that bar at $27 to $97/mo, plus a $59 AppSumo lifetime that beats every monthly subscription on this list. Tidio's $29 plan plus Lyro AI add-on at $39 is the closest competitor. ManyChat at $39 Pro fits if you only need Instagram and Facebook flow building. Crisp at EUR 45 covers small-team web chat. Tawk.to is free if you want zero AI.
DM Champ is the cheapest AI sales agent in 2026. Starter $27/mo, Growth $97/mo, or $59 AppSumo lifetime. Covers WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, SMS, web chat, and custom channels with one AI agent. Built by the founder of Fuegenix who scaled the clinic from $5M to $10M ARR.
At a glance
| Tool | Cheapest paid plan | AI included? | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| DM Champ | $27/mo, $59 lifetime | Yes, native | WA, IG, FB, SMS, web, custom |
| Tidio | $29/mo (+$39 Lyro AI) | Add-on | Web, FB, WA, email |
| ManyChat Pro | $39/mo monthly | Flow-based | IG, FB, WA |
| Crisp | EUR 45/mo Mini | Plus tier only | Web, email, IG, WA |
| LiveChat | $19/mo annual | Add-on | Web |
| Olark | $19 to $29/mo | Add-on | Web |
| Smartsupp | $14/mo annual | Free Mira AI | Web, FB, WA, email |
| Brevo Conversations | $15/user/mo | Pro tier | Web, FB, WA, IG |
| HubSpot Starter | $9/seat (promo) | Limited | Web, email |
| Chatbase Hobby | $32/mo annual | Native | Web only |
| Botpress Plus | $89/mo | Native | Web, WA, custom |
How we ranked these
DM Champ commissioned this article. We sit at the top of this category. We are biased. To stay honest we did three things: ranked tools that include AI in the base plan ahead of tools that gate AI behind add-ons; pulled live May 2026 pricing from each vendor; and wrote a "when DM Champ is NOT the right fit" section so you know when to skip us. We did not invent prices or features.
1. DM Champ. $27/mo Starter or $59 lifetime
White-label AI sales agent. Starter $27/mo (your own clinic or 1 business), Growth $97/mo, Pro $297/mo, Agency $497/mo. AppSumo lifetime from $59. AI is native, not an add-on. Covers WhatsApp Business + WhatsApp Web, Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, SMS, web chat, custom channels via webhook. Standout features: comment-to-DM automation, AI appointment booking with Google Calendar, image/voice/video/PDF understanding, real-time web search. Best for solos and small businesses that DM with customers. Drawback at this price tier: Starter is single-business, sub-accounts only ship on the Agency tier ($497/mo) or AppSumo Plan 2+, and AI credit limits scale with plan.
2. Tidio. $29/mo Starter + $39/mo Lyro AI add-on
SMB live chat with optional Lyro AI agent. Free (50 chats), Starter $29/mo, Growth $59/mo. Lyro AI is a separate add-on at $39/mo for 50 conversations. Channels: web chat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, email. Standout is the Shopify integration. Drawback is the Lyro add-on doubles the price and 50 AI conversations is tiny. To actually use AI here you're at $29 + $39 = $68/mo for very little volume.
3. ManyChat Pro. $39/mo monthly ($29/mo annual)
Flow builder for IG, FB, and WhatsApp DMs. After the March 2026 restructure: Free, Essential, Pro $39/mo monthly ($29 annual, 2,500 active contacts), Business custom. Best for creators running comment-to-DM funnels on Instagram. Standout is the IG template library. Drawback is rule-based flows (not AI conversation) and $0.05 per extra contact on monthly billing.
4. Crisp. EUR 45/mo Mini, EUR 95/mo Essentials
Small-team chat. Free (2 seats forever), Mini EUR 45/mo (~$49 USD), Essentials EUR 95/mo with tight AI usage caps, Plus EUR 295/mo for unlimited AI. Standout is the generous free tier. Drawback is real AI sits on Plus, well above $100.
5. LiveChat. $19/agent/mo annual
Live chat for web. Starter $19/agent/mo annual ($25 monthly), Team $49/agent/mo annual, Business $79/agent/mo annual. No AI included by default. Best if you just need humans on web chat. Drawback is per-agent pricing and no native AI agent.
6. Olark. $19 to $29/agent/mo
Live chat with paid PowerUps. $29/agent/mo monthly, $23/agent/mo annual, $19/agent/mo on a 2-year contract. PowerUps like translation, visitor cobrowsing, and removing branding add $29 to $99/mo. Best for budget-conscious solo support. Drawback is the AI is not native.
7. Smartsupp. $14/mo annual Standard
Live chat + free Mira AI Shopping Assistant on free tier. Free, Standard $14/mo annual (~$20 monthly), Pro $24/mo annual ($30 monthly), Ultimate from $239/mo. Standout is Mira AI on the free plan. Drawback is the AI is shopping-focused and capped, and channel set is narrow.
8. Brevo Conversations. $15/user/mo Pro
Brevo's live chat module. Free plan with unlimited chats and basic automated replies. Pro at $15/user/mo unlocks the full chatbot builder. Best as an add-on to existing Brevo email users. Drawback is the per-user model gets expensive (3 agents = $45/mo).
9. HubSpot Service Hub Starter. $9/seat/mo promo, $15 normal
HubSpot's chat sits inside Service Hub. Starter $9/seat (promo, normally $15/seat). Real AI (Breeze Customer Agent reading knowledge bases) requires Professional at $90/seat + $1,500 onboarding. Standout is the HubSpot CRM integration. Drawback is real AI is way above $100.
10. Chatbase Hobby. $32/mo annual
Custom GPT chatbot trained on your docs. Free, Hobby $32/mo annual, Standard $120/mo, Pro $400/mo. Standout is the simple "upload docs, get a bot" UX. Drawback is web-widget only, no IG, WA, or FB. Auto-recharge credits at $14 per 1,000.
11. Botpress Plus. $89/mo
Botpress is a chatbot builder for technical teams. Pay-as-you-go free with $5 AI credit, Plus $89/mo (3 seats, unlimited bots, WhatsApp + webchat). Standout is flow control. Drawback is non-developers will struggle.
When DM Champ is NOT the right fit
Skip DM Champ if you only need a web chat widget and zero AI (use Tawk.to free or Olark $19). Skip it if you only need a simple FAQ bot trained on your help docs (use Chatbase Hobby $32). Skip it if you are deep in HubSpot and want everything in one tool (use HubSpot Starter). Skip it if you need a customer-built chatbot with full flow control (use Botpress Plus).
How to choose
At under $100/mo, the question is: do you want AI replies or just a live chat box? If AI replies, DM Champ ($27 or $59 lifetime), Tidio + Lyro ($68 effective), or Chatbase Hobby ($32). If just a live chat for humans, LiveChat ($19), Olark ($19), or Smartsupp ($14). If you need IG and WhatsApp DM coverage on the same platform, DM Champ wins outright because no other under-$100 tool covers both channels with native AI.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest AI chatbot in 2026? For monthly pricing: Smartsupp Standard at $14/mo annual gets you the Mira AI on the free tier. For lifetime pricing: DM Champ at $59 on AppSumo. For genuine free AI on web only: Chatbase free (50 credits/mo) or Botpress free ($5 AI credit/mo).
Does Tidio Lyro AI count as native AI? Lyro is a paid add-on ($39/mo) on top of the Tidio plan. Tidio Standard alone does not include real AI conversation. With Lyro it covers 50 AI conversations a month, which is the smallest cap in this list.
Why does ManyChat Pro now cost $39 instead of $15? ManyChat restructured pricing on March 2, 2026, moving from $15 Pro to Free + Essential + Pro ($39 monthly, $29 annual) + Business. Old screenshots of "$15 Pro" are outdated.
Is there a free AI chatbot worth using? For web FAQ: Botpress free or Chatbase free. For multi-channel DM: no genuinely-free option exists with real AI. DM Champ has a free trial and a $59 lifetime deal.
Which under-$100 tool covers WhatsApp? DM Champ Starter ($27) covers WhatsApp Business. WhatsApp Web sits on the Pro tier ($297) and above. Tidio Starter covers WhatsApp. ManyChat Pro covers WhatsApp. None of LiveChat, Olark, Chatbase, Botpress Plus cover WhatsApp at this price tier.
Can I use these for an agency reselling to clients? Most under-$100 tools cap at 1 workspace. The exception is DM Champ where the AppSumo lifetime tiers go up to unlimited sub-accounts. For agencies specifically, jump to the DM Champ Agency tier ($497/mo or higher lifetime tier).
Which has the best AI quality at this price? DM Champ uses real-time web search and full media understanding (image/voice/video/PDF). Chatbase uses GPT-4 (charges 20 credits per response) or Gemini (1 credit). ManyChat is rule-based, not AI conversation.
What about Intercom Fin or HubSpot Breeze at this price? Both are above $100/mo once AI is enabled. Intercom Essential starts at $29/seat but Fin AI is $0.99/outcome on top. HubSpot AI requires Professional at $90/seat + $1,500 onboarding.
How we keep this list current
We re-check pricing every quarter and after any major release. We drop tools that shut down or stop publishing prices. Last reviewed: May 2026. Next review: August 2026.