What you'll have
A chat bubble on a business's website that answers from its own docs, FAQs and policies, and hands over to a person when it isn't sure.
Who pays for it: Shops, clinics, agencies and software companies with repetitive customer questions. Setup fee plus a monthly fee.
The stack and what it costs
| Tool | Month 1 | Ongoing (per month) | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botpress Chatbot builder | Free (100 conversations) $0 | Plus $150 | Billing period not stated on the pricing page · Pricing page, read 17 October 2026 |
| Chatbase Simpler document-trained bot | Free tier – | Paid tier – | Price not verified by us |
| Total | $0 | $150/mo Estimate | Sum of the rows. Excludes tax, per-sale fees and anything marked "–" (not verified or usage-based). |
Plan prices are list prices in USD from each tool's pricing page; plan choices for month 1 and ongoing are our estimate for one person doing this part time.
Step by step
5 of 5 steps are checked against official docs. Menu names are quoted from the linked docs as of the date shown; apps change, so follow the doc if what you see differs.
Don't base a client product on custom GPTs
OpenAI says it plans to retire custom GPTs, starting with Enterprise workspaces (planned for 11 Dec 2026) with other plans expected to follow, and recommends moving workflows to Plugins. Use a dedicated chatbot platform.
Source: OpenAI Help: Creating and editing GPTs, read 20 October 2026
Create an agent in Chatbase
From the dashboard, click New AI Agent, add sources such as the website, documents and FAQs, then click Create Agent. Training typically takes 2–5 minutes.
Source: Chatbase Docs: Your first agent, read 20 October 2026
Test in the Playground
Ask the questions customers actually ask, including ones the docs don't cover, and adjust until it says it doesn't know instead of guessing.
Source: Chatbase Docs: Your first agent, read 20 October 2026
Embed it on the website
Add the agent to the site with Chatbase's embed code.
Source: Chatbase Docs: Your first agent, read 20 October 2026
Or build it in Botpress
Select Start building and follow the setup. Botpress previews a bot trained on your sources in Webchat, its front end, which you can restyle.
Source: Botpress Docs: Quick start, read 20 October 2026
Common mistakes
- Letting the bot answer pricing or legal questions it isn't sure of. Add a handoff.
- Not reading conversation logs in the first weeks.
- Building on an account the client can't take over if you part ways.
Rights and terms check
Chatbot builders don't create content you sell. Make sure the client's privacy policy covers chat data, and only train on documents the client owns.
A summary of public terms, not legal advice. Commercial-rights matrix
Alternatives and when to pick them
| Tool | When to choose it | Free plan | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voiceflow | Pick it if you need complex multi-step conversations and team collaboration. | Yes | Free plan + paid plans |
| Tidio | Pick it if the business wants live chat plus AI in one help desk. | Yes | Free plan + paid plans |
| ManyChat | Pick it if conversations happen in Instagram or WhatsApp. | Yes | Free plan + paid plans |
Prices for tools without an in-depth profile aren't verified by us; we show the pricing model only.
Still choosing? What's the best chatbot builders tool? · All chatbot builders tools compared
How to get your first customer
- Build a demo bot from a prospect's public website and send them the link.
- Show 10 real questions from their reviews or FAQ answered correctly.
Our suggestions, not guarantees. Earnings vary.
FAQ
Can I still sell custom GPTs?
OpenAI's help center says custom GPTs are being retired, starting with Enterprise workspaces on 11 Dec 2026 (read 20 Oct 2026). Don't base a new product on them.
How much does Botpress cost?
Free for 100 conversations; Plus is $150/month (read 17 Oct 2026).
Sources
- Botpress Docs: Quick start (read 20 October 2026)
- Chatbase Docs: Your first agent (read 20 October 2026)
- OpenAI Help: Creating and editing GPTs (read 20 October 2026)
- Botpress pricing (read 17 October 2026)
Steps checked 20 October 2026; prices checked 17 October 2026. Corrections: hello@agenthustles.com.