Honest comparison, written by the ReachClaw team
A Chatbase alternative with a flat price, from $6.99 a month
People look for a Chatbase alternative when the credits run out faster than expected or the $99 a month to hide the badge feels steep. ReachClaw puts an AI chat on your website that answers from your own pages, for one flat price. It runs on your own Anthropic API key, so the AI usage is billed by Anthropic, not marked up by us.
Below: the prices side by side, what each tool does, and when Chatbase is the better choice.
Why people look for a Chatbase alternative
Chatbase is priced in message credits. Its pricing page (read on 12 October 2026) lists Hobby at $40 a month for 700 credits, Standard at $150 for 4,000 and Pro at $500 for 15,000. Extra credits cost $40 per 1,000, an extra agent $25 a month, and removing the "Powered by Chatbase" line $99 a month.
A credit isn't an answer. Chatbase's FAQ says each reply uses 1 to 5 credits depending on the model, so 700 credits on a 2-credit model is about 350 answers a month. When the credits are gone, the agent shows a "currently unavailable" message until you buy more.
For a small business that wants a chat on its website to answer the same twenty questions all day, that adds up to $40 to $139 a month before the AI has done anything unusual. That is the gap ReachClaw is built for.
Chatbase and ReachClaw, side by side
Chatbase figures are from its pricing page and docs as read on 12 October 2026. ReachClaw figures are current.
| What | Chatbase | ReachClaw |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Hobby, $40/mo for 700 message credits | Solo, $6.99/mo for 500 AI answers |
| What the AI usage costs | Included in the credits. One reply uses 1 to 5 credits depending on the model. Extra credits are $40 per 1,000. | Not in the price. The chat runs on your own Anthropic API key, and Anthropic bills that usage to you. |
| When the monthly allowance runs out | The agent shows a "currently unavailable" message until you add credits. | The chat stays on your site and asks visitors to leave a message for you. |
| Removing the vendor's branding | "Powered by Chatbase" comes off for $99/mo extra. | "Chat by ReachClaw" comes off on Growth ($29.99/mo) and Scale. |
| What it answers from | Content you add: your website, files and text. | Your website pages, uploaded documents and notes, with a link to the page it used. |
| Where it runs | Website, WhatsApp, Slack, Meta apps, email and voice. | Your website only. |
| Doing things for the visitor | AI actions, such as order status, invoices or cancelling a subscription. | Look-ups only, on Scale, through MCP servers you connect. It never changes anything. |
| Handing over to a person | A helpdesk where AI and humans work from the same conversation. | The visitor leaves an email, you reply from Live chat or by email. One account owner replies. |
| AI models | A choice of models from several providers. | Anthropic's Claude, the model you pick in Settings. |
| Also in the same plan | Chat agents and the channels above. | AI replies to your Gmail, lead search and outbound emails. |
What you get instead
A chat for your website that handles the questions your pages already answer, and passes the rest to you with the visitor's email.
Answers from your own pages
ReachClaw reads your website, plus the documents and notes you add. The chat answers from that only, and says so when your pages don't cover a question.
Links to the page it used
When one of your pages covers the question, the answer links to it, so the visitor can read the rest themselves.
Hands over to you
When it can't answer, the visitor can ask for a person and leave their email. You get an alert and reply from the Live chat page or by email.
Email replies in the same plan
The same knowledge answers your support emails from Gmail, drafts outbound emails and finds leads. One plan, one place to keep facts up to date.
You add it with one line of code; no plugin or developer needed. How the website chat works.
When Chatbase is the better choice
- You want the same agent on WhatsApp, Slack, Meta apps, email or the phone. ReachClaw's chat works on your website only.
- You want the chat to do things, such as cancel a subscription or pull up an invoice. ReachClaw's chat can only look things up, and only on the Scale plan.
- Several people need to answer chats from a shared helpdesk. In ReachClaw one account owner replies.
- You want to switch between models from different providers. ReachClaw runs on Anthropic's Claude.
- You'd rather not create an Anthropic account. Chatbase includes the AI in its credits; ReachClaw needs your own API key.
If none of that applies, and what you want is a chat on your website that answers from your pages and brings you the questions it can't answer, read on.
What ReachClaw costs
The website chat is in every paid plan, next to email replies and lead search. The AI runs on your own Anthropic API key, so that usage is billed by Anthropic at their published prices, on top of the plan.
| Plan | Price | Chat answers per month | Also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | $6.99/mo | 500 | Shows "Chat by ReachClaw" under the chat |
| Growth | $29.99/mo | 2,000 | You can hide "Chat by ReachClaw" |
| Scale | $69.99/mo | 10,000 | Hide "Chat by ReachClaw", look things up in your own systems, recognise signed-in visitors |
An answer is one AI reply in the chat, whichever Claude model you pick. If you run out, the chat stays on your site and asks visitors to leave a message. Compare all plans.
Switching from Chatbase
- Sign up and enter your website. ReachClaw reads your pages and builds its knowledge from them.
- Upload the documents you gave Chatbase (PDF, TXT or CSV) and write notes for anything else.
- Add your Anthropic API key in Settings and pick a plan.
- Open Live chat, turn it on, and try it on the test page with your usual questions.
- Replace the Chatbase script on your site with the one line from the Install tab.
Past Chatbase conversations don't carry over; there is no import. The chat starts fresh and keeps each chat for 180 days after its last message.
Keep reading
How the website chat works
What it answers from, the hand-over to a person, and how to add it to your site.
SiteGPT alternative
SiteGPT's $59 to $429 a month against ReachClaw's flat plans.
Zendesk AI alternative
When a full helpdesk is worth it, and when it isn't.
Plans and prices
What each plan includes, from $6.99 a month.
Questions people ask
How much does Chatbase cost?
On its pricing page (read on 12 October 2026) Chatbase lists Hobby at $40 a month for 700 message credits, Standard at $150 for 4,000 credits and Pro at $500 for 15,000, with 20% off on yearly billing and an Enterprise tier on request. Add-ons are $40 per extra 1,000 credits, $25 a month per extra agent and $99 a month to remove the "Powered by Chatbase" line. Check their page for the latest figures.
How many answers do 700 message credits give you?
It depends on the model. Chatbase's FAQ says each reply uses credits based on the model: 1 credit for most models, 2 for models like Claude Sonnet, and up to 5 for the largest ones. So 700 credits is 700 answers on a 1-credit model, or about 350 answers on a 2-credit model. ReachClaw counts answers, not credits: Solo includes 500 AI answers a month, Growth 2,000 and Scale 10,000, whichever Claude model you choose.
Why is ReachClaw so much cheaper, and what's the catch?
The catch is the API key. ReachClaw's price covers the software; the AI itself runs on your own Anthropic API key, and Anthropic bills that usage to you at its published prices. Chatbase folds the AI into its credits. So compare the ReachClaw plan plus your Anthropic bill against the Chatbase plan. You can see that usage in your Anthropic console at any time.
Does ReachClaw learn from my website like Chatbase does?
Yes. When you sign up, ReachClaw reads the pages of your website. You can add documents (PDF, TXT or CSV) and write notes in Knowledge. The chat is told to answer only from that, to link to the page it used, and to say so when your pages don't cover a question. The same knowledge is used for your email replies.
What happens when I run out of answers?
The chat stays on your site. Instead of answering, it asks visitors to leave their email and a message. You see it in Live chat and get an alert by email, Telegram or a dashboard pop-up, depending on your notification settings. The same happens if your API key stops working. Chatbase's FAQ says its agent shows a "currently unavailable" message when credits run out.
Can I remove the "Chat by ReachClaw" line?
Yes, on the Growth and Scale plans, at no extra cost. On Solo the line stays at the bottom of the chat. Chatbase charges $99 a month to remove its "Powered by Chatbase" line.
Does ReachClaw work on WhatsApp, Messenger or Slack?
No. The ReachClaw chat works on your website only, through one line of code you paste into your site. If you need the same agent on messaging apps or the phone, Chatbase is the better fit.
Can the chat look up an order or an account?
On the Scale plan, the chat can look things up in your own systems through MCP servers you connect, for the servers you allow. It only reads; it never changes, cancels or refunds anything. Answers about a person's own account are given only to visitors your website has signed in.
Can my team answer chats too?
The account owner answers hand-overs from the Live chat page. There are no agent seats, shared queues or assignments. If several people need to work the same chats, that's a helpdesk job, and Chatbase or a tool like Zendesk fits better.
Is this comparison written by ReachClaw?
Yes, so read it with that in mind. Chatbase is a capable product with channels, actions and team features we don't have. The Chatbase figures come from its pricing page and docs as read on 12 October 2026; check their pages for the latest. Our argument is narrow: if you want an AI chat on your website that answers from your pages, at a flat price, with email replies in the same plan, ReachClaw costs a fraction of Chatbase.
Try the chat on your own pages
Sign up, let ReachClaw read your website, turn on the chat and paste one line of code.
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