If you’re just starting in marketing, chatbots might feel like a “nice to have” rather than a necessity. But here’s the reality: chatbots are transforming how brands engage with customers.
If you’re just starting in marketing, chatbots might feel like a “nice to have” rather than a necessity. But here’s the reality: chatbots are transforming how brands engage with customers. According to Intercom, chatbots boost sales by an average of 67%, with 26% of all sales starting from users launching an interaction with a company’s chatbot. With customer expectations growing, chatbots help you respond instantly, capture leads 24/7, and build more personalized connections without needing a large support team.
For beginners, choosing the right chatbot builder is crucial. You want something easy to use, affordable (ideally with a free plan or trial), and packed with features that don’t overwhelm you. In this listicle, we’ll walk you through five great chatbot building tools: SendPulse, Chatbase, Tidio, TARS, and Warmly. Each section highlights features that matter most to beginners—things like drag-and-drop builders, AI integrations, free trials, and tools that directly help with marketing goals.
1. SendPulse
SendPulse is like having an all-in-one marketing assistant in your pocket. Designed with beginners in mind, it offers a clean, drag-and-drop chatbot builder that feels intuitive even if you’ve never created a bot before. It integrates easily with popular platforms like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and even email or SMS, giving you the flexibility to reach customers wherever they are. More importantly, SendPulse makes it possible to automate conversations while still leaving room for personal touches—perfect for marketers who want to sound human, not robotic.
Key Features for Beginners
- Free Plan – Includes up to 3 chatbots and 10,000 messages monthly.
- Cheapest Paid Plan – Starts at $8/month, includes unlimited chatbots and messages per month.
- Drag-and-Drop Flow Builder – Build conversations visually without coding.
- Omnichannel Messaging – Manage Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, and more from a single system.
- AI Integration – Use AI to power FAQ responses and create more natural conversations.
- Personalization Tools – Add custom fields (like name, preferences) to tailor conversations.
- Unified Inbox – Manage all bot and human conversations across channels in one place.
- Human Takeover – Switch from bot to live agent when needed, with full conversation context.
- E-commerce Features – Abandoned cart recovery, product catalog cards, and order tracking.
- Analytics Dashboard – Track open rates, clicks, and conversions to see what works.
- Compliance Tools – Built-in GDPR support and official WhatsApp Business API compliance.
With SendPulse, you’re not just getting a chatbot tool—you’re stepping into a full marketing automation ecosystem that grows as you do.
2. Chatbase
Chatbase takes a very different approach. Instead of building flows from scratch, you feed it your website, documents, or FAQs, and it automatically trains an AI chatbot that answers questions based on your content. This makes it especially appealing if your goal is to reduce repetitive customer support queries rather than create complex marketing funnels. Beginners love it because there’s almost no setup required—you just upload your content and let the AI do the rest.
Key Features for Beginners
- Free Plan – 100 message credits monthly.
- Cheapest Paid Plan – $32/month for 2,000 message credits and access to advanced models.
- AI-Powered Q&A – Instantly creates bots trained on your own knowledge base.
- Natural Language Processing – Bots understand real questions, not just keywords.
- Website Integration – Easily embed your bot on your site with a widget.
- Multilingual Support – Handles conversations in multiple languages.
- No-Code Setup – Upload documents or URLs, and the chatbot is ready.
- Custom Branding – Match chatbot design to your brand.
- Analytics – Track which questions get asked most and identify gaps in content.
- Easy Scaling – Add more knowledge sources as your business grows.
- AI Improvements Over Time – Bots learn and adapt with usage.
Chatbase is ideal for beginners who want fast, AI-driven support without spending hours mapping conversation flows. Check out this guide by Chatbase on how to create a WhatsApp chatbot in 5 minutes to get step-by-step instructions and insights on leveraging WhatsApp for better customer communication.
3. Tidio
Tidio is a favorite among small businesses because it combines chatbot automation with live chat in one sleek platform. Beginners like how it balances automation with human interaction—perfect if you want to catch leads without losing the personal touch. Tidio also integrates with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, making it a natural fit for online stores.
Key Features for Beginners
- Free Plan – 50 chats.
- Cheapest Paid Plan – $25/month for 100 billable conversations and 50 Lyro AI Agent conversations (one-time).
- Visual Builder – Easy drag-and-drop flow creation.
- Multichannel Support – Live chat + chatbots across Messenger, Instagram, email, and web.
- AI Chatbots – AI responses for FAQs and customer queries.
- Pre-Built Templates – Ready-made conversation templates for lead capture, FAQs, and more.
- Live Chat Integration – Switch seamlessly between bot and human support.
- E-commerce Features – Cart recovery messages and order tracking for online stores.
- Mobile App – Chat with customers on the go.
- Analytics – Measure customer satisfaction and performance.
- Integrations – Works with CRM tools and platforms like Zapier.
Tidio feels approachable and practical for any beginner looking to boost sales and support with minimal setup.
4. TARS
TARS markets itself as a conversational landing page builder—which means it’s great if you want a chatbot to replace or enhance forms on your website. Instead of filling out long forms, customers walk through an interactive chat experience. For beginners, this means higher engagement and better conversion rates without complicated technical steps.
Key Features for Beginners
- Free Plan – 50 conversations monthly
- Cheapest Paid Plan – $499/month for 500 conversations.
- Conversational Landing Pages – Replace static forms with engaging chatbot flows.
- Drag-and-Drop Builder – Easy setup for non-technical users.
- AI Integration – Use TARS Prime AI mode to train bots on your content.
- Personalized Conversations – Capture data and use it in real-time replies.
- Human Takeover – Agents can jump in from a unified inbox.
- Appointment Booking – Calendar integration for demos or meetings.
- Analytics Dashboard – Track conversation drop-offs and optimize flows.
- Multi-Channel Use – Works on websites and chat apps (including WhatsApp via integration).
- Security & Compliance – GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO certifications.
TARS is especially useful for marketers focused on lead generation, replacing traditional forms with a smoother chatbot journey.
👉With conversational interfaces evolving rapidly, combining visual chatbot builders like TARS with emerging AI voice generator trends
5. Warmly
Warmly is different from the rest: it’s built with sales and lead qualification in mind. Instead of trying to do everything, it focuses on creating warm, personalized conversations that guide prospects toward booking meetings. For beginners in marketing or sales, Warmly’s simplicity and sales-first approach make it easy to capture, qualify, and move leads down the funnel.
Key Features for Beginners
- Free Plan – demo is available.
- Cheapest Paid Plan – $900/month for 5,000 credits.
- Sales-Focused Bots – Chatbots designed for lead qualification and appointment setting.
- Personalization – Tailor conversations based on visitor data and behavior.
- Meeting Booking – Built-in calendar scheduling to secure appointments instantly.
- AI-Powered Conversations – Helps bots respond naturally to common sales questions.
- CRM Integrations – Syncs directly with tools like HubSpot or Salesforce.
- Simple Setup – Minimal learning curve for beginners.
- Analytics – Measure lead quality and track conversions.
- Human Handoff – Escalate chats to a sales rep when needed.
- Targeting Options – Trigger bots based on visitor actions for better timing.
Warmly is a great fit for marketers who want to focus on generating qualified sales leads rather than building broad customer service bots.
Wrapping It All Up: Which Chatbot Tool Should You Choose?
Choosing the right chatbot builder depends on your e-commerce business needs and growth goals, and to create a seamless customer journey that boosts conversions, it’s smart to pair your chatbot strategy with other channels like email—check out this guide to the best email marketing tools to find platforms that work perfectly together. Chatbase makes sense if you need instant AI-powered support bots with no setup. Warmly is perfect if your priority is sales and appointment booking. TARS works best when you want to replace clunky forms with conversational experiences. Tidio helps small businesses balance automation with live chat across multiple channels.
But if you want an all-in-one tool that grows with you, SendPulse is the strongest choice. It combines omnichannel messaging, AI-driven features, personalization, and robust e-commerce tools—all while offering a generous free plan for beginners. With its unified inbox, analytics, and compliance features, it helps marketers handle customer communication in one place. Whether you’re nurturing leads, running campaigns, or automating support, SendPulse provides everything you need without forcing you to juggle multiple tools.
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