AI chatbot platforms compared for Philippine businesses
Short answer
Six platforms are compared on what each vendor publishes. Chatfuel lists Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Website, Tidio lists Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email, and Botpress lists a Viber integration. Entry prices run from a free plan to US$150 a month on Botpress Plus, billed annually (about PHP 9,423). ManyChat’s prices could not be read. Pick the channel first, then volume.
On this page
Comparison basis
- Sources
- Each vendor’s own pricing and documentation pages, read 12 Oct 2026
- Currencies published
- US dollars. Botpress, Tidio, Chatfuel and respond.io show a “$” sign or “US$”; only some name the currency. Treated as US dollars
- Exchange rate used
- USD 1 = PHP 62.821, derived from the ECB euro reference rates for 9 Oct 2026
- Not readable
- ManyChat’s pages returned an access block (HTTP 403)
- Testing
- Documentation-based. No platform was built on for this page
Fit by need
Verdict by use case
- Messenger selling
- Check Chatfuel, Tidio and ManyChat Chatfuel and Tidio list Messenger-family channels. ManyChat’s channel list could not be read.
- WhatsApp support
- Check respond.io, Chatfuel and Tidio All three list WhatsApp. WhatsApp fees are charged by Meta, not by the subscription, according to respond.io.
- Website help desk
- Tidio or Botpress Tidio lists a website chat product with Lyro AI conversations. Botpress prices by conversations.
- Viber
- Botpress, or a Viber partner Botpress lists a Viber integration. Viber bots need commercial terms from Viber or an official partner.
- Multi-channel team inbox
- respond.io or HighLevel respond.io lists a plan structure around users and monthly active contacts. HighLevel is a wider CRM.
Criteria table
| Platform | Channels as listed | AI features as listed | Pricing model | Entry price (annual billing unless stated) | Approx. pesos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ManyChat | Not read | Not read | Not read | Not quoted | Not quoted |
| Chatfuel | Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Website | AI chatbots, lead scoring, automatic comment replies | Plans with AI credits | Business $18 a month, billed yearly ($216 a year) | About PHP 1,131 |
| Botpress | Viber integration listed in its docs; other channels not read | AI usage included per plan | Conversations per month | Free $0 (100 conversations). Plus $150 a month, billed annually | Plus: about PHP 9,423 |
| Tidio | Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, email | Lyro AI conversations | Billable conversations | Free $0 (50 conversations). Starter $24.17 a month | Starter: about PHP 1,518 |
| respond.io | WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook named on the page | AI Agents on Growth and above | Users and monthly active contacts | Starter $79 a month billed yearly, $99 monthly | About PHP 4,963 yearly, PHP 6,219 monthly |
| HighLevel | Wider CRM. WhatsApp add-on listed | Conversation AI with usage-based charges | Plan plus add-ons and usage | Starter $97 a month | About PHP 6,094 |
Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.
Last verified: 12 Oct 2026. Tidio’s page does not say whether its per-month figures are billed monthly or annually.
Platforms reviewed
Chatfuel
A builder with AI chatbots, automatic lead scoring and comment replies. It lists Business at US$18 a month billed yearly and Agency S at US$90 (about PHP 5,654). Each plan has a free trial with no credit card required. Usage limits sit on a separate page that was not read.
Botpress
Plans are priced by conversations. Free has 100 conversations with 3 seats. Plus is $150 a month billed annually with 250 conversations, and extra packs of 100 for $65. Team is $750 a month (about PHP 47,116) with 1,500 conversations. Annual billing saves 20%, and the page shows no monthly price. Each conversation includes $0.10 of AI usage. Botpress is the only platform here whose documentation was found to include a Viber integration.
Tidio
Free includes 50 billable conversations and 10 seats, with the first 50 Lyro AI conversations free for life. Starter is $24.17 a month for 100 conversations. Growth starts at $49.17 (about PHP 3,089). All plans list Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email integrations. Custom channels are on Plus and Premium only.
respond.io
Starter is $79 a month billed yearly for 5 users, Growth is $159 (about PHP 9,989) and Advanced is $279 (about PHP 17,527). Monthly billing costs more at each tier. Growth starts at 1,000 monthly active contacts, with overage billed in 100-contact increments. A 7-day trial needs no credit card. The page states that WhatsApp fees are charged by Meta based on usage and are not part of any subscription. Whether Messenger, Viber or SMS are supported was not confirmed from the pages read.
HighLevel
A CRM and marketing platform whose Conversation AI is billed by usage on top of the plan. Plan prices are on GoHighLevel pricing in the Philippines. A WhatsApp integration is listed there as a $10 per sub-account add-on. It suits businesses that want chat inside a wider CRM, and it is more than a chatbot tool.
ManyChat
Its pages were blocked to this site’s reader. What is confirmed about its connectors is on the ManyChat page.
Viber and local channel coverage
Viber is widely used in the Philippines, but a bot on it is not a self-service sign-up. Viber’s developer documentation says that “since 5.02.24, Viber bots can only be created on commercial terms,” with applications going to Rakuten Viber directly or through its verified official partners. Viber’s partner directory shows the Philippines in its destination filters and describes Promotexter and m360 as partners with a Philippine focus. It filters by product (Business Messages, Chatbots, Business Calls) and by partner status.
Platforms that list a Viber integration still need that commercial approval. Botpress is the one platform here whose docs list it, with a Viber account and a Botpress Cloud account as prerequisites. The other platforms’ Viber support was not confirmed. SMS options were not researched for this page.
Cost sheet
One scenario: a Page or website with about 500 conversations a month. Counting units differ, so the sheet shows only what each vendor’s published units imply.
| Platform | Unit | Fit for 500 conversations | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botpress | Conversations | Plus includes 250. Packs of 100 cost $65, so 500 needs 250 plus 3 packs | $150 + $195 = $345 (about PHP 21,673) |
| Tidio | Billable conversations | Growth starts at 250 and goes up to 2,000. The price for 500 was not read | Starts at $49.17 |
| respond.io | Monthly active contacts | Counts contacts, not conversations. Growth starts at 1,000 | $159 yearly (about PHP 9,989) |
| Chatfuel | Not stated | Limits are on a separate page | Business $18 |
Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.
Method. Botpress is multiplication on its published pack price. Other rows show the published entry price because a like-for-like figure cannot be made from the pages read. Taxes, WhatsApp channel fees and AI model costs are excluded.
Setup effort
Documentation describes each platform as a visual or no-code builder. Chatfuel and Tidio list free trials or a free plan. This page did not build a first bot on any of them, so it makes no claim about how long setup takes or what skills it needs. The editor’s notes will be added here.
How to choose
- Channel first. List where your customers write: Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Viber, your website.
- Then volume. Compare each vendor’s unit, conversations, contacts or credits, against your monthly numbers.
- Then who maintains it. Someone has to update answers and review conversations. Review the human in the loop approach.
Build on a platform yourself or have it built
A platform with a visual builder suits an owner who can update answers weekly and is happy to review conversations. A build by a specialist suits a bot connected to a CRM, a booking system or a Viber partner. See conversational AI explained for what a bot can and cannot do.
Frequently asked questions
Which chatbot platform works best for Facebook Messenger?
Chatfuel lists Facebook and Tidio lists Messenger. ManyChat’s channel list could not be read. No platform is declared best, since none was tested here.
Which platforms support Viber?
Botpress lists a Viber integration in its documentation. Viber requires commercial terms for any bot, from Viber or an official partner.
Which chatbot platforms have a free plan?
Botpress (100 conversations) and Tidio (50 conversations) list free plans. Chatfuel lists a free trial. respond.io lists a 7-day trial.
What does a chatbot platform cost in pesos?
Entry prices on annual billing run from about PHP 1,131 a month on Chatfuel Business to about PHP 9,423 on Botpress Plus, at the rate of 9 Oct 2026.
Which platform is easiest for a non-technical owner?
Not tested, so no claim is made.
Disclosure
Brainnex Digital Marketing also operates AI Automation Services, which builds chatbots for businesses. This page lists no affiliate links, and the vendors have not reviewed it.
Sources
All sources were read on 12 Oct 2026.
- Chatfuel, Pricing: plans, channels, AI features.
- Botpress, Pricing: plans and conversations.
- Botpress, Viber integration: prerequisites.
- Tidio, Pricing: plans and channels.
- respond.io, Pricing: plans, contacts, trial.
- HighLevel, Pricing: see the pricing page on this site for details.
- Viber, REST bot API documentation: commercial terms for bots.
- Rakuten Viber, Messaging partners: partner directory.
- European Central Bank euro reference rates, retrieved through the Frankfurter API (api.frankfurter.dev): EUR to PHP and USD, 9 Oct 2026.