How to Add an AI Chatbot to Your Website (Free & Paid Options)

A chatbot on your website works 24/7, answers questions instantly, captures leads while you sleep, and never calls in sick. Adding one used to require a developer. Today it takes about 15 minutes.

This guide covers how to add an AI chatbot to any website — from WordPress to Shopify to a plain HTML site — with both free and paid options.

Why Add an AI Chatbot to Your Website?

The numbers make the case:

79% of customers prefer live chat over phone or email (Salesforce)
Average response time with a chatbot: under 1 second vs. 10+ hours for email
Businesses using chatbots report up to 67% reduction in support tickets
Chatbots capture leads even at 2am when no one's at their desk

For small businesses especially, a chatbot is like adding a full-time customer service rep at near-zero cost.

Option 1: Tidio (Best for Most Websites)

Platform support: WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, custom HTML Price: Free plan | Paid from $19/month Setup time: ~10 minutes

Tidio's Lyro AI is the easiest way to add a GPT-powered chatbot to any website. It learns from your FAQ content and answers customer questions automatically.

How to Install Tidio on WordPress

Log into your WordPress dashboard
Go to Plugins → Add New
Search "Tidio" and click Install Now, then Activate
Click the Tidio icon in your left sidebar
Create a free Tidio account or log in
The chat widget appears on your site immediately

How to Install Tidio on a Custom HTML Site

Sign up at tidio.com
Go to Settings → Developer and copy the JavaScript snippet
Paste it before the </body> tag on every page (or in your site's footer template)

<!-- Paste this before </body> -->
<script src="//code.tidio.co/YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY.js" async></script>

Setting Up Lyro AI

After installing the widget:

Go to Lyro AI in your Tidio dashboard
Click Add Content — paste your FAQ page URL or manually add Q&A pairs
Set the fallback message (what Lyro says when it doesn't know the answer)
Test it by chatting with your own widget
Go live

Pro tip: Add your most common support questions manually first. The more context Lyro has, the better it performs out of the box.

Start with Tidio Free →

Option 2: Chatbase (Best for Custom GPT Chatbots)

Platform support: Any website (embed code) Price: Free (30 message credits/month) | Plus from $19/month Setup time: ~20 minutes

Chatbase lets you train a ChatGPT-powered chatbot on your own documents, PDFs, website content, or Google Docs. Great if you want a highly customized bot that knows your business deeply.

How to Set Up Chatbase

Sign up at chatbase.co
Click New Chatbot
Choose your data source: website URL, PDF, Google Doc, or manual text
Chatbase crawls your content and trains the model (takes 2-5 minutes)
Customize the look and feel (colors, avatar, welcome message)
Copy the embed code and paste it into your site

Option 3: Botpress (Best Free Open-Source Option)

Platform support: Any website Price: Free (self-hosted) | Cloud from free tier Setup time: 30-60 minutes

Botpress is more complex but completely free and highly customizable. Good for developers or businesses with very specific chatbot logic.

Option 4: Intercom Fin (Best for SaaS / Enterprise)

Platform support: Any website Price: From $39/month per seat Setup time: 1-2 hours

Intercom Fin is a GPT-4 powered AI that integrates with your help docs and support tickets. It's the premium option — used by Notion, Loom, and other SaaS companies.

Option 5: Free ChatGPT Widget (DIY)

If you're on a very tight budget, you can embed a basic ChatGPT interface using the OpenAI API directly.

Cost: ~$0.002 per 1,000 tokens (essentially free for most small sites)

<!-- Simple ChatGPT embed example -->
<script>
  // Add your OpenAI API key and a basic chat UI
  // See: platform.openai.com/docs/quickstart
</script>

This requires basic JavaScript knowledge and your own OpenAI API key. Not recommended for non-developers.

Platform-Specific Instructions

Adding a Chatbot to Shopify

From Shopify Admin → Apps → App Store
Search "Tidio" or "Chatbase"
Install and connect — it syncs with your product catalog automatically
For Tidio: enable the Shopify integration to let the bot answer product questions

Adding a Chatbot to Wix

From Wix Editor → Add Apps
Search "Tidio" in the Wix App Market
One-click install, no code needed
Alternatively: use Wix's built-in Wix Chat (limited AI features)

Adding a Chatbot to Webflow

In Webflow Designer, open Page Settings → Custom Code
Paste your Tidio or Chatbase script in the Footer Code section
Publish your site — the widget appears on all pages

Comparing AI Chatbot Options

| Tool | Best For | Free Plan | Ease of Setup | AI Quality | |------|----------|-----------|---------------|------------| | Tidio | Most websites | ✓ (50 chats/mo) | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | | Chatbase | Custom GPT | ✓ (30 credits) | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | | Botpress | Developers | ✓ (unlimited) | ★★★ | ★★★★ | | Intercom Fin | SaaS / Enterprise | ✗ | ★★★ | ★★★★★ | | DIY OpenAI | Tech-savvy owners | ✓ | ★★ | ★★★★★ |

What Should Your Chatbot Be Able to Do?

Before launching, train your chatbot to answer:

FAQs — pricing, shipping, return policy, hours
Product/service questions — what you offer and who it's for
Lead capture — collect name and email when users ask to be contacted
Escalation — know when to hand off to a human ("I'll connect you with our team")

The more specific the training data, the fewer frustrated customers.

Our Recommendation

For 90% of website owners, Tidio's free plan is the right starting point. It's:

Live in 10 minutes on any platform
No code required
Good enough AI to handle your most common questions
Upgradeable when you need more capacity

Add Tidio to your website free →

Disclosure: Tidio links above are affiliate links.