# Best Botpress Alternative for Agencies & Builders

> Powerful rails, but you're the builder, the host, and the integrator. SeldonFrame ships the finished front office — agent, website, CRM, booking — from one conversation, for $29/mo flat.

Last updated: July 2026. HTML version: https://www.seldonframe.com/alternative-to-botpress

Reviewed by Maxime Houle, Founder, SeldonFrame — facts checked July 2026.

## The short version

- **Botpress pricing:** Free tier, then **$89–$495/mo** + AI spend; channel fees historically billed separately
- **SeldonFrame pricing:** **$29/mo** **flat**, **unlimited workspaces**, first workspace **free forever**
- **Pick Botpress if:** You have engineers and need code-level control
- **Pick SeldonFrame if:** You want the finished result, not the rails to build it yourself

## Botpress vs SeldonFrame: what you need to know

Most people looking for a Botpress alternative hit the same wall: it takes real engineering to get value out of it. AI usage historically billed at raw provider rates on top of the $89–$495/mo subscription. Channel fees (WhatsApp, Twilio) billed separately and could add up to more than the platform itself. Advanced multi-bot setups meant digging through sample projects to figure things out. The May 2026 pricing update simplified some of this, but the platform still assumes a developer is running the show.

That said, Botpress is impressive. The open-source core is a real advantage, self-hosting is possible, and for teams with engineers it's one of the most extensible agent platforms out there. But an agency putting receptionists in front of plumbers and med-spas doesn't want an extensible platform. It wants a finished result.

## Features & pricing comparison

| Feature | Botpress | SeldonFrame |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Developer teams building custom bots with code-level control | Agencies & builders running AI front offices for clients |
| Pricing model | Free tier, then **$89–$495/mo** + AI spend; channel fees historically billed separately | From **$29/mo** **flat** — **unlimited workspaces** (agency whitelabel from **$99/mo**) |
| AI receptionist (calls, SMS, chat) | Chat-first; voice needs to be built separately — no ready-made phone receptionist | Native — AI receptionist answers, qualifies & books across voice, SMS & web chat |
| Website, CRM & booking behind the agent | None — bot infrastructure only | Included — multi-page website, CRM, booking calendar, intake forms, review requests in every workspace |
| Whitelabel & client workspaces | Branding removal on paid plans; no full agency resale program | Included — whitelabel client portal, per-client workspaces, custom domains, one-click multi-client deploy |
| AI usage costs | AI spend bundled per plan (post-May-2026); previously billed on top at raw provider rates | BYOK — bring your own AI (and Twilio) keys and pay providers at raw cost, zero markup |
| Sell / resell what you build | No native agency reseller motion | Built in — publish agents to the marketplace or rent them via MCP (**5%** marketplace fee) |

Prices checked July 2026 on [Botpress's pricing page](https://botpress.com/pricing).

## Pros & cons

### Botpress

- **Pro:** An open-source core — real extensibility and self-hosting
- **Pro:** Developer-friendly for custom logic and running multiple bots
- **Pro:** The May 2026 pricing update bundled AI spend and unlimited bots
- **Pro:** A generous free tier (100 conversations/mo)
- **Con:** Needs real engineering to set up and maintain
- **Con:** A history of costs stacking (subscription plus AI spend plus channel fees)
- **Con:** Chat-first — a ready-made phone receptionist isn't the product
- **Con:** No built-in agency resale program

### SeldonFrame

- **Pro:** An AI receptionist that answers calls, SMS, and web chat — and books real jobs into a real calendar and CRM
- **Pro:** The whole front office included: multi-page website, CRM, booking, intake forms, review automation
- **Pro:** $29/mo flat with unlimited workspaces — bring your own key and AI and phone service run at raw provider cost
- **Pro:** Whitelabel built in: branded client portal, per-client workspaces, custom domains, one-click multi-client deploy
- **Pro:** Build it free before you sign up — paste a URL, get a working workspace in about 3 minutes
- **Pro:** Open core and portable — your agents are plain, editable skill files, and your data lives in your workspace
- **Con:** No funnel-builder or email-campaign suite — it's a front office, not a marketing automation platform
- **Con:** You bring your own key (Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini, plus optional Twilio) — setup takes a few minutes
- **Con:** Newer platform — a smaller template library and community than decade-old incumbents
- **Con:** No native mobile app yet (the dashboard works fine on a phone browser)

## Why agencies & builders switch from Botpress

- **A finished result, not raw infrastructure** — Botpress gives you rails to build on. SeldonFrame builds the working agent AND the business system it runs on — site, CRM, booking — just from a description of the client.
- **No engineer needed per client** — Advanced Botpress setups mean custom build work and upkeep for each bot. SeldonFrame deploys per client in one click from a template, with per-client customization built in.
- **Phones, not just chat widgets** — Local businesses win or lose on answered calls. SeldonFrame's receptionist is voice-first, with SMS and chat on the same brain — nothing to wire up yourself.
- **Flat, easy-to-read pricing** — Subscription plus AI spend plus channel fees is three separate bills. SeldonFrame is one flat $29/mo, with usage on your own keys at provider cost.

## Who should use Botpress vs SeldonFrame

Choose Botpress if:
1. You have engineers and need code-level control
2. You want to self-host the conversational layer
3. You're building a custom conversational product, not client front offices

Choose SeldonFrame if:
1. You want the finished result, not the rails to build it yourself
2. Phones matter: a voice-first receptionist with SMS and chat on one brain
3. You deploy per client in one click instead of custom build work per bot
4. You want one flat bill instead of three separate ones

To be fair: Choose Botpress if you have engineers and need code-level control, or want to self-host a custom conversational product.

## How to switch from Botpress to SeldonFrame

1. **Build the replacement free (3 minutes)** — Paste the business's website into seldonframe.com. SeldonFrame pulls out services, FAQs, and business facts and builds the workspace: site, CRM, booking calendar, intake, and the AI agent. No account needed until you claim it.
2. **Bring what matters over** — Your knowledge bases and intents map onto the agent's knowledge and skills. Most Botpress front-office bots come down to SeldonFrame's built-in receptionist plus a few FAQ entries.
3. **Connect your keys and number** — Add your AI key (Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini — about 30 seconds) and, for phone, connect your Twilio number so calls and missed-call text-back run at carrier cost.
4. **Test the agent, then go live** — Every agent ships with automatic tests. Talk to it, watch it book into the calendar, then publish. Point your domain over when the site's ready.
5. **Run both in parallel for a week** — Keep the old tool running while SeldonFrame answers the phones. Cancel it once the CRM shows the bookings landing — cancel-anytime on both sides means zero risk.

## FAQ

**Is SeldonFrame open too?**

SeldonFrame is open-source at its core, and everything you build is portable. Your agents are defined in plain, editable skill files, your data lives in your workspace, and bringing your own key means the AI relationship is yours.

**Can I still customize deeply without code?**

Yes. Agents are built from six pieces — surface, skill, tools, knowledge, guardrails, voice — that you edit in plain language. Developers can go deeper through the MCP/API layer.

**How can SeldonFrame be $29/mo flat when competitors charge per minute or per credit?**

Because you use your own keys. Your agents run on your own AI key (Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini) and, for phone, your own Twilio account. You pay the providers at raw cost. SeldonFrame never marks up tokens or minutes. You pay for the platform, not a meter.

**Do you take a cut of what I charge my clients?**

SeldonFrame works like Shopify: $29/mo flat, plus 2% on sales made through SeldonFrame checkout, plus 5% when you sell agents on the SeldonFrame marketplace. Client retainers you bill outside SeldonFrame cost nothing extra.

**How fast can I see it working?**

Paste in a business's website (or just describe it in a sentence). SeldonFrame builds the whole workspace — site, CRM, booking, intake, and the AI agent — in about 3 minutes. It's free, and you don't need to sign up first.

## Get started

- Start free (build the workspace in ~3 minutes, before signing up): https://www.seldonframe.com/signup
- Book a 15-minute demo: https://app.seldonframe.com/book/seldonframes-workspace-7798/default
- All comparisons: https://www.seldonframe.com/alternatives