Chatbase vs CustomGPT
Both platforms turn your documentation into a support agent that answers from your content rather than general knowledge, and both deploy quickly. The split is flexibility versus traceability. Chatbase offers many AI models, wide channel coverage including WhatsApp, Slack and email, a free plan and a lower entry price, but its credit-based billing is hard to forecast. CustomGPT links every answer to its source, exposes an API on paid plans and states it does not train on customer data, at a higher price and with no model choice.
 Chatbase
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 CustomGPT
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| Best for | Small businesses deflecting repetitive questions across web and messaging channels | Mid-market support teams in regulated sectors needing cited answers |
| Category | Assistant | Agent |
| Pricing | See vendor pricing | See vendor pricing |
| Pricing (per month) | Hobby $40, Standard $150, Pro $500 | Standard $99, Premium $499 on monthly billing |
| Usage unit | Message credits; consumption varies by model | 1,000 or 5,000 queries per month |
| Free option | Free plan: 50 credits, one agent | 7-day trial; credit card required |
| Model choice | Many models, switchable per agent | No choice of underlying model |
| Channels | Website, WhatsApp, Messenger, Slack, email, voice | Website widget, API and workplace tools |
| Agents included | Two to five per paid plan; extras $25 each | 10 on Standard, 25 on Premium |
| Compliance | GDPR and SOC 2 Type II stated | SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR; no training on customer data |
| Links | Full review · Website | Full review · Website |
Verdict
Choose Chatbase if you are a small or mid-sized business that wants to deflect repetitive support questions on your website and messaging channels without a large commitment. It has a real free plan, a lower entry price, deployment in minutes and the flexibility to pick a model per agent to trade cost against quality. The tradeoff is billing: credits are consumed at different rates depending on the model, reportedly expire monthly, and when they run out the agent stops responding unless auto-recharge is on. Branding removal and extra agents cost extra, and reviewers report occasional incorrect answers.
Choose CustomGPT if answer traceability and compliance matter more than price. Responses link to their sources, every paid plan reportedly includes a REST API, and the company states customer data is never used to train models, which is why legal, education and government buyers appear in its customer base. The tradeoffs are cost, its most consistent criticism, plus no model choice, no self-hosting and a card required even for the trial. Reviewers suggest it is hard to justify below roughly fifty questions a week.
With either, test answers on your own awkward questions before committing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper to run, Chatbase or CustomGPT?
Chatbase has the lower entry price and a free plan, but credit consumption varies by model and can be hard to forecast. CustomGPT costs more, starting at $99 per month on monthly billing, with a fixed query allowance per plan.
Does either show sources for its answers?
CustomGPT links each response to its source material, which our review treats as its core value. Our Chatbase review describes answers grounded in your content but does not mention source citations.
Can I choose the AI model?
Chatbase lets you switch between many models from several providers for each agent. CustomGPT does not offer a choice of underlying model.