For a small business under $100 monthly, Chatbase is the strongest pick. The Hobby plan costs $32 to $40 and covers no code building, multi channel deployment, tool connections, and a built in helpdesk. Tidio starts at $29 but its Lyro AI add on costs $39 more, pushing total costs near $68 before overages. Zendesk AI, Intercom Fin, and Voiceflow all exceed your budget once core features and AI are included. If AI first automation matters most, choose Chatbase. If live chat matters most, Tidio works but needs close usage monitoring.