None of these three is open source in the strict sense. Typebot publishes its code under the Functional Source License (FSL), which it calls fair source: you may read, change and self-host it, but not resell it as a competing service. Botpress has sunset its self-hosted versions, and Voiceflow is not open source.
So the deciding criterion is the control you need. To run the bot on your own servers, only Typebot documents it. For code hooks, model choice and export in the cloud, all three qualify to different degrees.
Quick picks
The ranking
Botpress
Support teams with a developer on hand that want agent building and a helpdesk in one tool8.0- Paid plans from
- $150 per month
- Pricing model
- Plan plus usage meter
- Free plan
- Yes
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, Email, Slack, Voice
Botpress is a cloud platform for building AI agents: a visual Studio, LLM-driven steps the docs call Autonomous Nodes, a code SDK and, since May 2026, its own helpdesk called Desk. It is built for support teams that have someone technical on hand. Workspaces created after May 14, 2026 pay a flat plan fee for a monthly conversation allowance, and extra conversations are bought automatically in packs of 100.
The catch: On paid plans you cannot switch off overage: at 95% of your allowance Botpress buys a pack of 100 conversations for you, and that pack stays on the bill every month until you remove it.
Typebot
Developers and technical marketers who want cheap per-chat pricing or a self-hosted bot builder6.7- Paid plans from
- $39 per month
- Pricing model
- Plan plus usage meter
- Free plan
- Yes
- Channels
- Website widget, WhatsApp
Typebot is a visual builder for chatbots and conversational forms that you can run on Typebot's cloud or host yourself. It is built for teams that want lead capture and scripted flows on a website, and that are comfortable adding their own AI provider key when they want AI. The cloud charges a flat monthly fee with a set number of chats included, starting at $39 a month; self-hosting is free under a source-available licence.
The catch: On a paid cloud plan, reaching your chat limit does not pause the bot: after two warning emails Typebot moves your workspace to the next usage tier, so the bill goes up instead.
Voiceflow
Technical CX teams and agencies that want a voice and web-chat agent with model choice, staging environments and code6.6- Paid plans from
- $60 per month
- Pricing model
- Credits
- Free plan
- Partly
- Channels
- Website widget, Voice, SMS
Voiceflow is a visual platform for building AI agents that answer customers by web chat, phone and SMS, with code, APIs and environments for developers. It is built for customer-experience teams and agencies with technical staff, not for a small business that wants a bot running in an afternoon. It charges a monthly plan fee that includes a pool of credits, and every user message, AI model call and phone minute uses credits.
The catch: Voiceflow's pricing page shows no plan prices, and a credit is not a conversation: every user message costs a credit before the AI model's own credit charge is added.
Comparison table
| Product | Score | Type of tool | Paid plans from | Free plan | What the bill grows with | EU data hosting | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botpress | 8.0 | Agent-building platform | $150 per month | Yes | conversations | Partly | Support teams with a developer on hand that want agent building and a helpdesk in one tool |
| Typebot | 6.7 | Open-source builder | $39 per month | Yes | chats | Partly | Developers and technical marketers who want cheap per-chat pricing or a self-hosted bot builder |
| Voiceflow | 6.6 | Agent-building platform | $60 per month | Partly | credits | Not documented | Technical CX teams and agencies that want a voice and web-chat agent with model choice, staging environments and code |
What it costs at three volumes
| Product | What the bill grows with | 100 | 1,000 | 5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botpress | conversations | $150 (Plus) | $750 (Team) | Custom quote |
| Typebot | chats | $0 (Personal) | $39 (Starter) | $89 (Pro) |
| Voiceflow | credits | $60 (Pro) | $60 (Pro) | $60 (Pro) |
How to choose
If you must host the bot on your own infrastructure, pick Typebot because it is the only one of the three with documented self-hosting. Have the FSL licence reviewed if you plan to offer the bot as a service to others.
If you want to build AI agents that call your own systems and hand off to a built-in helpdesk, pick Botpress because it combines code tools with its Desk helpdesk. See Botpress vs Typebot.
If you need phone agents and control over which model answers, pick Voiceflow because it documents model choice on paid plans and phone and SMS channels. Compare it in Botpress vs Voiceflow.
If you chose Botpress years ago because it was open source, plan a move: its documentation says v12 and all self-hosted versions are sunset. The Botpress alternatives page lists options.
Verdict
Botpress is the default pick for a developer building AI agents in the cloud: it scores highest here, with code tools, a helpdesk and a free plan to start. Ignore it if you need self-hosting or open code, because Botpress no longer offers either; Typebot is the option on this list you can run on your own servers.
For buyers in the United States
No federal law is written for chatbots, but three rules do most of the work. Some states make you say the bot is a bot: California when a bot is used to sell, Maine for any chatbot in commerce, and Colorado for public-facing conversational AI from January 1, 2027. Marketing texts need prior express written consent under the TCPA. And what your bot tells a customer falls under the FTC Act and state consumer-protection law, the same as any other statement you make.
Vendors in this category publish prices in US dollars, a few in euros; this site shows the published currency and never converts. There is no US cookie-consent law for a chat widget, but California chat-wiretap suits make a short notice above the chat box worth adding. If you serve customers in the EU or UK, check that the vendor documents EU or UK data hosting and offers a data processing agreement. If your customers also write in Spanish, check that the vendor documents AI answers in that language rather than assuming it.
Chatbots and the law in the United States
Frequently asked questions
Is Botpress open source?
Not any more. Botpress's documentation says v12 and all self-hosted versions are sunset, and the current product runs on Botpress's cloud. Teams that need to self-host should look at Typebot, which publishes its code under a fair-source licence.
Is Typebot open source?
Not in the strict sense. Typebot's LICENSE file says Functional Source License (FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0), which Typebot calls fair source: you can read, modify and self-host the code, but not offer it as a competing commercial service, and each release becomes Apache 2.0 after 2 years. The README still shows an outdated AGPLv3 badge.
Is Voiceflow open source?
No. Voiceflow is not open source and cannot be self-hosted; its private-cloud option on Enterprise is hosted by Voiceflow, not by you. Voiceflow does let you export projects as a .vf file and choose models on paid plans.
Which chatbot builder can I self-host?
Of the nine chatbot builders we review, only Typebot documents self-hosting, at no licence cost; you pay for your own servers. Botpress's self-hosted versions are sunset, and Voiceflow, Intercom Fin, Tidio Lyro, Landbot, Manychat, Chatfuel and HubSpot's builder run only in the vendor's cloud.
Keep reading
- Best chatbot buildersbest list
- Best chatbot builders for small businessbest list
- Best chatbots for ecommercebest list
- Best chatbots for customer supportbest list
- Best chatbot builders for lead generationbest list
- Best chatbot builders for WhatsAppbest list
- Best chatbot builders for Instagram and Facebook Messengerbest list
- Best free chatbot buildersbest list
- What is the difference between a chatbot and an AI agent?guide
- How is chatbot software priced?guide
Sources
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- Customer story: hostifAI — Botpress · September 18, 2026
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- Billing constants (plan prices and chat tiers) in the public source repository — Typebot (GitHub) · September 18, 2026
- LICENSE: Functional Source License 1.1, Apache 2.0 Future License — Typebot (GitHub) · September 18, 2026
- Repository README — Typebot (GitHub) · September 18, 2026
- Self-hosting: get started — Typebot Docs · September 18, 2026
- Export and import a typebot — Typebot Docs · September 18, 2026
- Documentation index (blocks and integrations) — Typebot Docs · September 18, 2026
- Deploy on WhatsApp: overview — Typebot Docs · September 18, 2026
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- Repository metadata for baptisteArno/typebot.io (stars, forks, latest release) — GitHub · September 18, 2026
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- Voiceflow pricing service (JSON loaded by the docs credit table) — Voiceflow · September 18, 2026
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- Credits pricing table — Voiceflow Docs · September 18, 2026
- Managing your subscription — Voiceflow Docs · September 18, 2026
- Introducing Voiceflow credits (April 2025) — Voiceflow · September 18, 2026
- Collaboration — Voiceflow Docs · September 18, 2026
- Importing data sources — Voiceflow Docs · September 18, 2026
- Handoff step — Voiceflow Docs · September 18, 2026
- Export environment (API reference) — Voiceflow Docs · September 18, 2026
- Connect a phone number — Voiceflow Docs · September 18, 2026
- Voiceflow documentation index (llms.txt) — Voiceflow Docs · September 18, 2026
- PII redaction — Voiceflow Docs · September 18, 2026
- Voiceflow integrations — Voiceflow · September 18, 2026
- Voiceflow security — Voiceflow · September 18, 2026
- Security overview (legal) — Voiceflow · September 18, 2026
- Data Processing Addendum — Voiceflow · September 18, 2026
- GDPR statement — Voiceflow · September 18, 2026
- How AI automation transformed Trilogy's customer support — Voiceflow · September 18, 2026
- Voiceflow, a platform for building conversational AI experiences, raises $15M — TechCrunch · September 18, 2026
Researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on this page. We have not built or tested bots on these platforms yet. Method: How we review