The 7 best AI chatbots for business in 2025
Kenneth Pangan
Last edited August 6, 2025
The AI chatbot market is getting pretty crowded, and let’s be honest, it’s tough to sort out the real tools from the hype. A lot of platforms say they’ll fix everything, but their “fix” often means you have to get rid of the helpdesk and other tools your team already uses every day. So how do you find a chatbot that actually makes your current setup better, instead of forcing you into a massive, expensive switch?
This guide is here to help with that. We’ve looked at the best AI chatbots for businesses in 2025, paying close attention to features that actually work, smooth integrations, and what they offer in the real world. We’ll walk you through the tools that can truly help automate tasks and support your team without making you rebuild your entire workflow.
So, what are the Best AI chatbots?
In a business setting, an AI chatbot is a tool that uses artificial intelligence (specifically Natural Language Processing, or NLP) to have human-like conversations. Think of them as a massive upgrade from the old, rule-based bots that would get stuck if you didn’t type the exact right keyword. These modern bots actually understand what a user is trying to say.
They learn from past conversations and can tackle tricky questions across different channels, whether it’s on your website, in a Slack channel, or right inside your helpdesk. The real point is to take repetitive work off your team’s plate, answer questions instantly, and free up your people to handle the issues that really need a human touch.
How we picked the best AI chatbots
To put together a list you can actually use, we went beyond the marketing fluff. We judged each chatbot on a clear set of things that matter to today’s support, IT, and sales teams.
Here’s what we focused on:
- Real integrations. We looked for bots that play well with the helpdesks, CRMs, and knowledge bases you already have. The goal is to boost your current tools, not replace them.
- AI that does more than talk. Can the chatbot just answer simple questions, or can it actually do things? We wanted to see bots that could sort tickets, suggest replies for agents, and handle tasks on their own.
- Simple setup and use. We picked tools that you can get running without needing a developer. Platforms with no-code builders and straightforward controls got extra points.
- Built for business. Is it a general AI, or was it designed with specific business jobs in mind, like customer service or IT support? We looked for tools built for the job.
- Fair pricing and room to grow. Does the cost make sense as your company gets bigger? We looked for plans that scale with you and can handle more work over time.
The best AI chatbots at a glance
| Tool | Best For | Pricing Starts From | Standout Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| eesel AI | Improving the tools you already have | $239/month (annual) | Works on top of your current helpdesk & Slack |
| Intercom | All-in-one customer communication | $29 per seat/month | Fin AI Agent & integrated Messenger |
| Zendesk AI | Teams already using the Zendesk ecosystem | $55/user/month (Suite Team) | Deep integration with Zendesk Agent Workspace |
| HubSpot Chatbot | Automating sales and marketing tasks | $890/month (Marketing Hub Pro) | Native connection to HubSpot Smart CRM |
| Claude | General creative and analytical jobs | $20/month (Pro) | Large context window and strong reasoning |
| ChatGPT | Versatile content writing and research | $20/month (Plus) | Powerful models and a huge feature set |
| Tidio | Small e-commerce websites | $24.17/month | Lyro AI and sales-focused flows |
A deep dive into the 7 best AI chatbots for 2025
Here’s our breakdown of the top AI chatbots, starting with a flexible option for businesses that want to improve, not replace, their current software.
1. eesel AI
eesel AI is an AI platform designed to work with the tools you already have. It adds a layer on top of your helpdesk (like Zendesk or Freshdesk), internal chat (like Slack), and knowledge sources (like Confluence, Google Docs, and past tickets). This "bring your own helpdesk" setup makes it a great choice for teams who want powerful AI without a painful migration process.
What really makes it stand out is how it layers on top of everything. It trains on your company’s private information like old support tickets and internal documents to give answers that are spot-on and relevant to your business. It also has a "Simulate" feature that lets you test the AI on your past tickets before you turn it on for customers, so you can see exactly how well it will work from the get-go.
Pros:
- No migration needed. It plugs right into the software you already use, so your team doesn’t have to learn a new system.
- Learns from your data. It studies past tickets, macros, and internal wikis to give answers that are super relevant and match your brand’s voice.
- Different bots for different jobs. You can set up separate, specialized bots for Support, IT, and HR, each with its own knowledge and purpose.
- It takes action. It goes beyond just chatting to sort tickets, pull order data from Shopify, or automatically send an issue to the right team.
Cons:
- Because it’s a full automation platform, it has more features to explore during setup compared to a basic, single-job chatbot.
Pricing:
- Team Plan: Starts at $239/month (billed annually) for up to 1,000 AI interactions and 3 bots.
- Business Plan: $639/month (billed annually) for unlimited bots, 3,000 interactions, and the ability to train on past tickets.
2. Intercom
Intercom is a well-known, all-in-one platform for customer communication. Its AI agent, Fin, is really good at solving support issues by learning from your help center articles. It provides a slick Messenger widget and a single inbox for managing conversations from all your channels.
Intercom is a leader in this space, mostly because of its clean design and wide range of features. It’s a solid pick for businesses that want one platform to handle every customer chat, from support tickets to marketing messages.
The catch? The biggest drawback with Intercom is that you have to go all-in. If you like your current helpdesk, moving your entire team, data, and workflows over can be a huge project. In contrast, a tool like eesel AI works with your existing setup, giving you top-notch AI without forcing you to switch platforms and lose your conversation history.
Pricing: Starts at $29 per seat/month, but the Fin AI agent costs an extra $0.99 for every issue it solves, which can get expensive.
3. Zendesk AI
The Zendesk AI is built right into the Zendesk Suite, offering AI agents that are tightly connected to the Agent Workspace. It uses your Zendesk data macros, help articles, and tickets to automate chats and give agents helpful suggestions.
For teams that are already all-in on Zendesk, its built-in AI makes a lot of sense. The setup is fairly simple, and the AI gets a big head start by having direct access to all your support data.
The catch? Zendesk’s AI is great, but it pretty much only works with Zendesk. If your company’s knowledge is spread out in other places like Confluence or Google Docs, the bot won’t see it and will likely give incomplete answers. This is where a tool like eesel AI comes in handy, as it connects to all your different knowledge sources to give the bot the full story.
Pricing: AI tools are part of the Zendesk Suite plans, starting at $55/user/month (paid annually). You’ll have to pay extra for the more advanced AI features.
4. HubSpot Chatbot
HubSpot’s chatbot builder is a free tool that’s especially useful for sales and marketing. It connects directly with the HubSpot Smart CRM to qualify leads, book meetings, and organize contacts. Its visual, no-code editor makes it easy for anyone on the team to build out conversation flows.
If your business uses HubSpot for all things marketing and sales, this chatbot is a no-brainer. It’s designed specifically to turn chats into new business.
The catch? While it’s great for getting leads, HubSpot’s chatbot isn’t really cut out for complex customer support. It can’t learn from old support tickets or handle advanced ticket sorting like a dedicated support tool such as eesel AI can. If you need a bot that can actually solve customer problems, you’ll want something more specialized.
Pricing: The chatbot builder is free. But to get the good stuff, you need a paid HubSpot Hub, like Marketing Hub Professional, which starts at a hefty $890/month.
5. Claude
Claude, made by Anthropic, is a general-purpose AI that’s known for its ability to understand long documents and its strong reasoning skills. It’s great for summarizing texts, writing creatively, and answering complicated questions. It’s not a ready-to-go business platform, but developers can build it into custom tools.
Claude’s technology is seriously impressive and shows where language models are headed. It also has a strong focus on AI safety, which is a big plus for businesses thinking about ethics.
The catch? Claude is just the engine, not the whole car. It doesn’t come with the business-focused parts you need for support, like integrations, agent-assist tools, or security rules. Platforms like eesel AI take powerful models like Claude and wrap them in a secure, business-ready package that has all those necessary controls and connections built-in.
Pricing: The free version has limits; the Pro plan is $20/month.
6. ChatGPT
We couldn’t make a list of the best AI chatbots without mentioning ChatGPT. It’s the tool that kicked off the current AI boom and is incredibly flexible for everything from writing code to analyzing data. You can customize it a bit with GPTs, but at its heart, it’s still a general-purpose tool.
Its power and flexibility have set the bar for generative AI. It’s a fantastic tool for an individual looking to brainstorm or get work done faster.
The catch? Like Claude, ChatGPT wasn’t built for specific business tasks like sorting tickets or helping agents. You’d need a lot of custom development work to plug it safely and effectively into your support system. eesel AI gives you that business-ready structure from day one, turning a powerful model into a reliable, automated agent you can trust with customers.
Pricing: There’s a free version available; the Plus plan is $20/month.
7. Tidio
Tidio is an all-in-one customer service platform designed mostly for small to medium-sized e-commerce companies. It bundles live chat with its AI chatbot, Lyro, and includes features meant to boost sales, like product suggestions and follow-ups for abandoned carts.
For online stores needing a simple and affordable way to handle customer chats and increase sales, Tidio is a good starting point.
The catch? Tidio is very focused on e-commerce. It might not be the right fit for B2B or SaaS companies, or for businesses that have complex internal support needs (like IT helpdesks). eesel AI is a more flexible platform that can be set up for a wider variety of industries and tasks, covering both external customer service and internal employee support.
Pricing: Starts at $24.17/month, but you’re billed separately for conversations handled by the Lyro AI.
How to choose the Best AI chatbots for your business
Feeling a bit lost in all the options? Don’t worry. Picking the right tool gets a lot easier if you ask yourself a few key questions.
- What problem are you trying to solve? Getting rid of common support questions is very different from finding sales leads or handling internal IT requests. Figure out your main goal first, and you’ll quickly narrow down your choices.
- Improve or replace? This is the big one. Do you want an all-in-one platform that means moving your entire team over (like Intercom or Zendesk)? Or would you rather have a flexible AI layer that improves the tools you already have (like eesel AI)?
- Where does your knowledge live? A bot is only as smart as the information it can access. Make sure the platform you choose can connect to all your knowledge sources, not just a public FAQ page. That includes internal wikis, spreadsheets, and past conversations.
- Test it out first. The best platforms let you try before you buy. Look for a tool with a sandbox or simulation mode. This lets you see how accurate it is with your own data before it ever talks to a real customer.
So, what’s the best AI chatbots?
When it comes to the best AI chatbots in 2025, it all boils down to one thing: finding a tool that works with your team, not against it. While all-in-one platforms are powerful, they often bring the huge headache of switching systems, forcing your team to learn new software and leave valuable history behind.
A smarter way is to improve the tools your team already knows and uses. eesel AI adds a powerful AI layer that plugs right into your current setup, delivering real value right away without all the disruption. It handles the repetitive work, so your team can focus on what they do best: helping your customers.
Ready to see how AI can work with your tools? Try eesel AI for free and build your first AI agent in just a few minutes.
Frequently asked questions
You don’t necessarily have to switch. Some of the most effective solutions are designed as an AI layer that works on top of your current helpdesk and communication tools, which saves you from a painful migration and lets your team keep using the software they know.
Not at all. Most modern platforms are built for non-technical users and feature no-code builders that let you create and manage conversation flows with simple interfaces. This makes them accessible to your support or IT teams without needing any developer help.
Pricing varies widely, so there are definitely affordable options. While some all-in-one enterprise platforms can be costly, many modern tools offer scalable plans based on usage. This allows you to start small and ensure the cost makes sense as your business grows.
Reputable providers prioritize security with features like SOC 2 compliance, data encryption, and strict privacy policies. Always look for platforms that guarantee your data is kept private and is never used to train general AI models.
The key is to match the chatbot’s features to your primary goal. A good sales bot will integrate with your CRM to qualify leads, while a top support bot will learn from your help center and past tickets to resolve issues. Some flexible platforms can even be configured for both roles.
