Chatbase charges a monthly plan fee that includes a set number of message credits, and each AI response spends credits depending on the model you pick. At the time of writing (October 2026), Chatbase's pricing page lists Hobby at $40 a month with 700 credits, Standard at $150 with 4,000, and Pro at $500 with 15,000, plus add-ons for extra credits, extra agents and removing branding. For a small business the real bill is the tier, plus any top-ups, plus the branding add-on if you want your own name on the widget.
Below: how credits work, what each tier includes, and three worked examples. Prices change, so check Chatbase's own pricing page before you budget.
The tiers at a glance
These figures are from Chatbase's pricing page, checked in October 2026.
| Tier | Monthly price | Annual billing, per month | Message credits a month | Team seats | Training data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 50 | 1 | 1 MB |
| Hobby | $40 | $32 | 700 | 2 | 10 MB |
| Standard | $150 | $120 | 4,000 | 3 | 20 MB |
| Pro | $500 | $400 | 15,000 | 5 | 40 MB |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
The free tier is a single agent with limited model access, and the pricing page notes that free agents are deleted after 14 days of inactivity. Feature lists grow with each tier: Standard adds things like helpdesk, voice and API access, and Pro adds advanced analytics.
The add-ons listed on the same page:
- Extra message credits: $40 per 1,000.
- Extra AI agents: $25 per agent per month.
- Remove branding: $99 per month.
How message credits are spent
A credit is spent when the AI agent responds, not per conversation. Chatbase's FAQ lists the cost by model. Most models, including the default "Auto" option, cost 1 credit per response. Stronger models cost more: 2 credits for several current GPT and Gemini models, 3 to 4 for others, and 5 to 6 for the top Claude Opus models.
That makes the model a pricing choice. 700 credits is 700 responses on a 1-credit model, 350 on a 2-credit model, and under 120 on a 6-credit one.
Two more details from the FAQ. Credits renew on the 1st of each month, whatever date you subscribed. And when credits run out, the agent displays a message saying it is currently unavailable until credits are added or renewed.
Worked examples at three volumes
To turn conversations into credits you need replies per conversation. We assume 3 for all three examples; read some of your own chats to check yours. Each example shows a 1-credit model and a 2-credit model, monthly billing, before the branding add-on.
Example 1: a quiet site, 150 conversations a month. That is about 450 responses.
- 1-credit model: 450 credits, inside Hobby's 700. $40 a month.
- 2-credit model: 900 credits, so Hobby plus one 1,000-credit top-up. $80 a month.
Example 2: a busy small business, 400 conversations a month. About 1,200 responses.
- 1-credit model: 1,200 credits, so Hobby plus one top-up. $80 a month.
- 2-credit model: 2,400 credits, so Hobby plus two top-ups at $120, or Standard at $150 with 4,000 credits and more seats.
Example 3: a store with steady traffic, 1,000 conversations a month. About 3,000 responses.
- 1-credit model: 3,000 credits. Standard covers it at $150, slightly cheaper than Hobby plus three top-ups at $160.
- 2-credit model: 6,000 credits, so Standard plus two top-ups. $230 a month.
Then add branding removal if you want it: $99 a month on top of each figure. On the 400-conversation example with a 1-credit model, that takes the bill from $80 to $179.
Check one thing on Chatbase's page before relying on these sums: whether credit top-ups recur monthly or are bought once. It changes the yearly total.
What moves the bill
Model choice. Switching from a 1-credit to a 2-credit model doubles credit use overnight.
Conversation length. A visitor who asks five follow-ups uses five responses. Sites with complex products tend to run longer conversations.
Branding. For many small businesses, the $99 branding add-on is larger than the plan itself.
Seats and agents. A second person on the team or a second bot for another site can push you up a tier or into the $25 agent add-on.
For a wider view of how credit, per-resolution and flat pricing compare, see how AI chatbot pricing models work and the hidden costs of AI chatbot pricing.
The flat-price contrast
A flat-priced chatbot trades credits for a fixed monthly allowance. SpideyChat meters AI tokens rather than credits. At the same 3 replies per conversation:
| Conversations a month | Replies | SpideyChat plan that covers it | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | about 450 | Starter (about 750 replies) | $9.99 |
| 400 | about 1,200 | Pro (about 3,750 replies) | $29.99 |
| 1,000 | about 3,000 | Pro (about 3,750 replies) | $29.99 |
Branding removal is included with Pro rather than sold as an add-on, and the price doesn't change with the AI model. The trade-offs are real, though. SpideyChat is a website chatbot only: it answers from your content, captures leads, opens numbered tickets and hands over to a person when one is online, but it has no voice, telephony or helpdesk features. If an account uses its month's allowance, replies pause until the next month or an upgrade. Our SpideyChat vs Chatbase comparison sets the features side by side.
If Chatbase's credit model doesn't suit your volume, the Chatbase alternatives list compares other options with prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page.