SeldonFrame vs Chatbase: Which Should You Choose? (2026)
A chatbot that can't answer the phone or book the job is only half a receptionist. SeldonFrame's agent handles calls, SMS, and chat — and books into a real calendar and CRM — for $29/mo flat, no message credits.
Chatbase and SeldonFrame usually end up on the same shortlist for different reasons. Chatbase is a no-code platform for building AI chatbots trained on your own data and putting them on a website. SeldonFrame comes at the same problem from the other direction: one flat $29/mo workspace where the AI receptionist, website, CRM, booking calendar and intake forms arrive pre-wired — generated from a single conversation in about 3 minutes.
Choose Chatbase if you need a pure documentation or support chatbot on a content-heavy site and message volume is modest. SeldonFrame's case is the opposite one: when the outcome you're buying is answered calls, qualified leads and jobs booked into a CRM you own, that whole front office ships on day one and the economics stay flat as you grow. The rest of this page walks the differences row by row — pricing model, the AI receptionist, the business system behind it, whitelabel, and what switching actually takes.
We make SeldonFrame, so read this comparison with that in mind — but we've tried to be specific about where Chatbase genuinely wins below, not just where it doesn't.
- Chatbase pricing: $40–$400/mo credit-metered + $40/1,000 overage; branding removal $1,188/yr below Enterprise
- SeldonFrame pricing: $29/mo flat, unlimited workspaces, first workspace free forever
- Pick Chatbase if: You need a pure documentation or support chatbot on a content site
- Pick SeldonFrame if: Your clients lose money on unanswered PHONES, not unanswered FAQs
SeldonFrame
$29/mo flat · unlimited workspaces · first workspace free forever
- +An AI receptionist that answers calls, SMS, and web chat — and books real jobs into a real calendar and CRM
- +The whole front office included: multi-page website, CRM, booking, intake forms, review automation
- +$29/mo flat with unlimited workspaces — bring your own key and AI and phone service run at raw provider cost
- +Your clients lose money on unanswered PHONES, not unanswered FAQs
- +You want the bot to actually book jobs into a real calendar and CRM
- +You don't want message credits to outgrow — your key, provider cost
Chatbase
$40–$400/mo credit-metered + $40/1,000 overage; branding removal $1,188/yr below Enterprise
- +The fastest setup for a train-on-your-data support chatbot
- +Strong content ingestion and a long list of integrations
- +A category-defining product with lots of tutorials
- +You need a pure documentation or support chatbot on a content site
- +Message volume is modest and predictable
- +Deflecting chats — not booking revenue — is the goal
SeldonFrame vs Chatbase: full feature & pricing breakdown
| Features | ★ RecommendedSeldonFrame | Chatbase |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Agencies & builders running AI front offices for clients | Support/FAQ chatbots trained on docs and websites |
| Pricing model | From $29/mo flat — unlimited workspaces (agency whitelabel from $99/mo) | $40–$400/mo credit-metered + $40/1,000 overage; branding removal $1,188/yr below Enterprise |
| AI receptionist (calls, SMS, chat) | Native — AI receptionist answers, qualifies & books across voice, SMS & web chat | Chat only — no phone answering, no SMS receptionist |
| Website, CRM & booking behind the agent | Included — multi-page website, CRM, booking calendar, intake forms, review requests in every workspace | None — no CRM, website builder or booking calendar |
| Whitelabel & client workspaces | Included — whitelabel client portal, per-client workspaces, custom domains, one-click multi-client deploy | Enterprise-gated (or paid branding removal) |
| AI usage costs | BYOK — bring your own AI (and Twilio) keys and pay providers at raw cost, zero markup | Credit-metered; better models burn more credits |
| Sell / resell what you build | Built in — publish agents to the marketplace or rent them via MCP (5% marketplace fee) | No agency resale program |
The old way: gluing tools together
a AI chatbot builder covers one or two of these boxes
✗ leads fall through the gaps
The SeldonFrame way: one connected flow
Prices checked July 2026 on Chatbase's pricing page.
Where Chatbase wins
- +The fastest setup for a train-on-your-data support chatbot
- +Strong content ingestion and a long list of integrations
- +A category-defining product with lots of tutorials
- +A reasonable entry price for low-volume FAQ bots
The honest take: Choose Chatbase if you need a pure documentation or support chatbot on a content-heavy site and message volume is modest.
Where SeldonFrame wins
Calls are where the money is
Chatbase can't answer the phone. SeldonFrame's receptionist handles voice, SMS, and web chat with the same brain — and missed-call text-back turns a missed ring into a booked job.
No credit cliffs
The jump from $120 to $400 and per-credit overages make growth expensive. SeldonFrame is $29/mo flat, with AI usage on your own key at provider cost.
The bot can actually book
On Chatbase, booking and writing to a CRM are custom-action projects you build yourself. SeldonFrame's agent books into the workspace calendar and logs the lead in the CRM automatically — that's the whole point of it.
Whitelabel isn't an enterprise privilege
Client workspaces, your branding, and custom domains are included at $29/mo — not locked behind a custom Enterprise contract or a $1,188/yr branding fee.
Pros & cons, side by side
SeldonFrame
- +An AI receptionist that answers calls, SMS, and web chat — and books real jobs into a real calendar and CRM
- +The whole front office included: multi-page website, CRM, booking, intake forms, review automation
- +$29/mo flat with unlimited workspaces — bring your own key and AI and phone service run at raw provider cost
- +Whitelabel built in: branded client portal, per-client workspaces, custom domains, one-click multi-client deploy
- +Build it free before you sign up — paste a URL, get a working workspace in about 3 minutes
- +Open core and portable — your agents are plain, editable skill files, and your data lives in your workspace
- −No funnel-builder or email-campaign suite — it's a front office, not a marketing automation platform
- −You bring your own key (Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini, plus optional Twilio) — setup takes a few minutes
- −Newer platform — a smaller template library and community than decade-old incumbents
- −No native mobile app yet (the dashboard works fine on a phone browser)
Chatbase
- +The fastest setup for a train-on-your-data support chatbot
- +Strong content ingestion and a long list of integrations
- +A category-defining product with lots of tutorials
- +A reasonable entry price for low-volume FAQ bots
- −Credit cliffs: $120/mo jumps to $400/mo with nothing in between; $40/1,000 overage
- −Chat-only — no phone answering, no SMS receptionist
- −Booking and CRM writes require you to build custom actions yourself
- −Removing the branding costs $1,188/yr below Enterprise
How to switch from Chatbase 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
Point SeldonFrame at the same website you trained Chatbase on. The agent grounds itself on the same content, and the site, CRM, and booking build alongside it.
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
Can SeldonFrame's chatbot train on my client's website like Chatbase?
Yes. Paste in the business's URL and SeldonFrame pulls out services, FAQs, and business facts to ground the agent — and builds the workspace site from that same information.
Is there a message limit?
SeldonFrame doesn't sell message credits. Conversations run on your own AI key at provider cost, so there's no platform limit to outgrow.
Is SeldonFrame a good Chatbase alternative?
For most agencies and builders, yes — SeldonFrame replaces the AI-front-office job (answering, qualifying, booking, tracking in a CRM) at $29/mo flat instead of Chatbase's stacked pricing. See the full switching guide: /alternative-to-chatbase.
How much does Chatbase cost compared to SeldonFrame?
Chatbase: $40–$400/mo credit-metered + $40/1,000 overage; branding removal $1,188/yr below Enterprise. SeldonFrame: $29/mo flat, unlimited workspaces, first workspace free forever, with AI and telephony on your own keys at raw provider cost — no per-minute or per-credit meter.
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.
See it built for YOUR business
Don't take the table's word for it. Paste your website and get your own site, booking calendar, CRM and AI receptionist built in about 3 minutes — free, before you ever sign up.
No card. No call. Your data exports as JSON if you leave.
See it side by side before you decide
Paste a business's website and SeldonFrame builds the site, CRM, booking calendar and AI receptionist in about 3 minutes — free, before you sign up. Then it's $29/mo flat for unlimited workspaces.