Chatbase alternative for small businesses: MAVRK
Chatbase is an AI agent platform for customer experience teams, priced by message credits and sold to brands with support departments. MAVRK is a website chatbot for the owner of a small business: it reads the site you already have, answers visitors from your real prices and hours, takes the booking, and can answer your phone too, for one flat monthly price. Both put an AI on your website. They are built for different businesses, and this page is honest about which is which.
Chatbase is good for
Companies with a support team that want one AI agent across chat, email, Slack and WhatsApp, with an API and actions a developer can build on. Their homepage leads with enterprise customers and calls it "the leading AI agent for CX".
MAVRK is for
Owner-run businesses that want the website to answer questions and take bookings while they are with a customer, and the phone answered when they add it, at one price they can forget about. Paste your address, check the answers, paste one line on your site.
Chatbase vs MAVRK, side by side
Chatbase figures were read from chatbase.co on 26 September 2026; the sources are at the bottom of the page. MAVRK figures are our current pricing.
| Compare | MAVRK | Chatbase |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | MAVRK:Owner-run local businesses: salons, clinics, trades, cafes, studios. One chatbot on the site you already have, plus the phone when you want it. | Chatbase:"The leading AI agent for CX" on their homepage, with enterprise logos (Dolby, Pearson, Roche, National Grid) and "trusted by over 10,000 brands". |
| How it learns your business | MAVRK:Paste your website address; it reads your public pages (services, prices, hours, policies). Add a price list PDF or FAQ file in the dashboard. | Chatbase:Add a website by URL, sitemap or individual links, plus files and other sources, per their data-sources documentation. |
| Pricing model | MAVRK:One flat price. Site chatbot $29/month. Starter, which adds the AI receptionist on your phone with 500 minutes, $49/month. | Chatbase:Plans priced by message credits: Free ($0, 50 credits a month), Hobby ($40/month, 700 credits), Standard ($150/month, 4,000 credits), Pro ($500/month, 15,000 credits), Enterprise on request, per their pricing page. |
| What happens when you get busy | MAVRK:Nothing changes on the bill. There is no per-conversation meter on the site chatbot. | Chatbase:Credits are consumed per message; a busier month means a higher tier or extra credits. See their pricing page for overage terms. |
| Free option | MAVRK:7-day free trial on every plan, no card needed. You can also chat with your own site before signing up. | Chatbase:A free plan with 50 message credits a month and one workspace member. Their page says agents on the free plan are deleted after 14 days of inactivity. |
| Takes bookings | MAVRK:Yes. It takes bookings and messages for you in every plan, and texts you what happened when the phone is connected. | Chatbase:Not listed as a native feature on the pages we checked. Actions and integrations are available; see their site. |
| Answers your phone | MAVRK:Yes, on Starter: an AI receptionist on your own number, 24/7, 500 minutes included. | Chatbase:Their homepage lists a voice channel ("customers call and get instant answers"). Pricing for it: see their site. |
| Channels | MAVRK:Website chat in every plan; phone on Starter. WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram on Custom, once Meta approves the app. Channels → | Chatbase:Website chat, Meta apps (WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram), email, Slack and voice, per their homepage. |
| Install | MAVRK:One script line, or the WordPress plugin. Step-by-step guides for Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and GoDaddy. | Chatbase:An embed script for the chat widget; "publish across chat, WhatsApp, email, Slack, and more with a single click", per their homepage. |
| Company | MAVRK:Australian company, based in Sydney, serving Australia and the US. Data stored in AWS Sydney. | Chatbase:US company. Data location and compliance: see their site. |
When to choose Chatbase
- You run a support team, not a front desk. Chatbase is built as a customer-experience agent across email, Slack and chat, with a team behind it.
- You want developer control. Their API, actions and integrations let a technical team build custom behaviour.
- You want a free plan indefinitely and can live within 50 message credits a month.
- You need enterprise procurement: SSO, compliance paperwork and the logos to reassure a board.
When to choose MAVRK
- You are the owner and the front desk. You want the chat to answer prices and hours and take the booking, not open a ticket.
- You want one number on the bill. $29/month flat for the site chatbot, no credits to watch.
- You want the phone answered too. Starter adds an AI receptionist on your number with 500 minutes for $49/month.
- You are in Australia. MAVRK is an Australian company with data in Sydney and a demo line you can call now.
Common questions
Is MAVRK a direct replacement for Chatbase?
For a small-business website, yes: both read your site and answer visitors from it. The differences are what happens next and what you pay. MAVRK takes bookings and messages and can answer your phone, for a flat price. Chatbase is a broader agent platform priced by message credits, with developer tooling MAVRK does not try to match.
How does the pricing compare?
MAVRK’s site chatbot is $29/month flat after a 7-day free trial. Chatbase’s pricing page on 26 September 2026 listed a free plan with 50 message credits, Hobby at $40/month with 700 credits and Standard at $150/month with 4,000 credits. If you send more than the credits allow, you move up a tier. Check their page for current figures.
Does MAVRK have a free plan?
MAVRK has a 7-day free trial with no card, and you can chat with a version trained on your own site before signing up at all. It does not have a permanently free tier; Chatbase does.
Can I move from Chatbase to MAVRK?
Yes. Sign up, paste your website address, and MAVRK reads your pages the same way. Upload any files you had trained Chatbase on, test the answers, then swap the embed line on your site.
A chatbot that reads your site and takes the booking, for one flat price
Paste your website address. MAVRK reads your pages, answers visitors from your real services, prices and hours, and takes bookings — $29/month after a 7-day free trial, no message credits to watch.
7-day free trial on every plan. No card needed. Cancel any time.