7 Best AI Chatbots for Customer Service in 2025 for Businesses

This isn’t 2015 anymore. AI chatbots have grown up. They’re no longer the clunky FAQ machines we used to roll our eyes at. The best AI chatbots in 2025 feel like actual teammates. They understand intent, tackle tricky problems, update records on the fly and know just when to bring in a human agent.

But why does this matter? Because customer service is under more pressure than ever. 80% of customers say their experience with a company is as important as its products or services, and by 2025, 89% of businesses will compete on customer experience over price or product alone. Customers expect instant help across channels, and they won’t tolerate long waits or fragmented experiences.

If you’re looking for the best AI chatbots to power your customer service, you’re in the right place. We’ll walk you through what to look for, then break down the top platforms so you can pick the one that fits your business best.

What do AI chatbots offer for customer service?

Before we dive into picking tools, let’s clear the air on what customer service actually means. Customer service is about helping people before, during and after they buy: from answering questions and guiding choices to making sure they leave happy and come back again. Think of it as relationship-building.

That’s different from customer support, which usually kicks in when something breaks. Support is fixing the glitchy login or refunding the order that went sideways. Service is making sure customers never feel like just another ticket in the queue.

AI chatbots fit neatly into this picture. They’re not just spitting out canned replies, they’re handling real conversations, smoothing out the customer journey and taking pressure off your team. Here’s what they actually do in practice:

1. Understand intent

AI chatbots in the past needed the exact keyword or they’d crumble. AI chatbots today can easily read between the lines, figure out what the customer’s really asking and respond in plain language. It feels more like chatting with a person than shouting at a search bar.

2. Resolve everyday requests instantly

Want to check an order status, update a delivery address or get the return policy? A chatbot can handle that in seconds. Customers get quick wins, and your human team is freed up to tackle the gnarlier, higher-value conversations.

3. Keep conversations connected across channels

A customer might start on WhatsApp, switch to Instagram and follow up by email. Instead of scattering those chats into different silos, the chatbot keeps it all linked as one conversation. To the customer, it feels seamless. To your team, it’s less chaos.

4. Hand off to humans

When things get too complex, a good chatbot doesn’t panic or stall. Instead, it routes the chat to the right human agent with a tidy summary of what’s already been said. No one likes repeating themselves, and this makes sure they don’t have to.

What to look for in an AI chatbot for customer service?

Now that we’ve nailed down what these bots actually do, let’s talk about how to spot a good one. Not every platform that slaps “AI” on the label is worth your time.

Here’s what separates the real deal from the rest:

Depth of service

A good AI chatbot should handle everyday service tasks, not just spit out answers. Think booking appointments, checking order status, updating delivery details or nudging a customer to the right next step. These are the routine requests that make or break a customer’s impression of your brand.

Ability to close conversations

Great service means resolution, not loose ends. Look for chatbots that can summarize a chat, mark why it ended and trigger a follow-up task or survey. This keeps inboxes tidy, helps with reporting and reassures customers that their request was actually taken care of.

CRM integrations

In customer service, nothing kills trust faster than having to repeat yourself. A strong chatbot should pull customer history from your CRM and push updates back in as it chats. That way, if someone asks about their last order today and comes back with a new question tomorrow, your team already has the full picture.

Omnichannel coverage

Your customers will message you wherever it’s easiest for them, not where it’s easiest for you. A strong service chatbot doesn’t just appear on multiple channels, it makes the experience consistent, so tone, data and context stay aligned whether the chat happens on WhatsApp, Instagram, VoIP, TikTok and beyond.

Flexibility

Customer service looks different before and after a purchase. Sometimes you need a friendly receptionist to greet new inquiries, sometimes a product guide to answer pre-sale questions, and sometimes an aftercare agent to handle returns or warranty checks. The best platforms let you create flexible AI chatbots that can fit any role, so customers get the right kind of help at the right time.

The 7 best AI chatbots for customer service in 2025

There’s no shortage of “AI chatbots” out there, but not all of them are built for customer service. Some are campaign tools, some are helpdesk add-ons and a few are genuinely strong service platforms.

To save you the trouble of sifting through the noise, here’s a quick snapshot of the seven standouts worth your attention:

This table gives you the quick lay of the land. Next, let’s break each one down.

#1 Respond.io

Best for: Mid to large B2C companies that need reliable automation across multiple channels

Respond.io pulls WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok, email and voice into one inbox. Its AI Agents can act as receptionists, sales or support, or be customized for specific workflows. They handle FAQs, qualify leads, send links, update CRM fields and escalate complex issues with full context, backed by GDPR compliance, ISO 27001 certification and 99.999% uptime.

Key Features

• Shared omnichannel inbox across WhatsApp, VoIP, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, email and more

• Smart routing to the right human agent with full conversation context

• No-code automation for routing, auto replies, reminders and handoffs

• Test AI Agent feature that lets you run trial chats before launching

• Smarter, more efficient AI that responds faster and avoids unnecessary processing or errors.

• Seamless human takeover — the AI stops instantly, ensuring smooth handoffs in every module.

• Lifecycle view to qualify leads, track funnel stages and prioritize follow-ups

• Native CRM integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce and more

• AI assist for suggested replies and handling routine questions

• Transparent pricing with no hidden broadcast markups

• Reliable 24/7 always-on customer support with live calls, chats and guided onboarding

• Enterprise-grade safeguards with GDPR, ISO 27001 and 99.999% uptime

Pricing

The Growth plan starts at $159/month for 10 users, with unlimited AI agent use and advanced automation.

#2 Freshchat

Best for: teams already using Freshdesk or Freshsales who want quick AI wins

Freshchat blends live chat with Freddy AI across web, WhatsApp, Instagram and other channels. Its real strength is how smoothly it plugs into the rest of Freshworks. If you already use Freshdesk for tickets or Freshsales for CRM, adding Freshchat feels less like a new tool and more like flipping on an extra feature.

Key Features

• Freddy AI detects intent and suggests service replies

• Summarizes chats for smoother agent pickup

• Answers simple FAQs across WhatsApp, Instagram and web

• Routes conversations directly into Freshdesk or Freshsales

• Supports multilingual chats for global service teams

Pricing

Freshchat’s Growth plan starts at $23/month and includes access to the Freddy AI Agent with 500 free sessions. Additional sessions are billed at $100 per 1,000.

#3 Intercom

Best for: SaaS teams that want in-app service plus proactive guidance

Intercom is known for its in-app messenger and Fin AI agent, which answers routine questions by pulling from your help docs. It also offers proactive messages and product tours, making it practical if most of your service happens inside your product rather than on external channels.

Key Features

• Fin AI answers questions from your help center and docs

• Provides service directly inside your app’s messenger

• Uses product tours and proactive prompts to cut down on questions

• Flags complex issues and summarizes them for human agents

• Strong fit for SaaS teams where most service happens in-app

Pricing

Intercom’s Advanced plan starts at $99/seat/month and includes full access to the Fin AI Agent, which is billed at $0.99 per resolution.

#4 Zendesk

Best for: Large teams already standardized on Zendesk

Zendesk is the enterprise classic. Its ticketing backbone is battle-tested, and the AI layer now adds answer suggestions, conversation summaries and intent detection. For companies already running on Zendesk, enabling AI is less about learning a new product and more about upgrading what you already know. It’s serious, structured and built for scale.

Key Features

• AI bots deflect simple service requests before they hit agents

• Summarizes chats and suggests replies to speed up work

• Escalates to human agents with tickets and full history

• Runs across email, chat and voice for consistent service

• Ideal for high-volume enterprise teams already on Zendesk

Pricing

Zendesk’s Suite Professional plan is $149/agent/month and includes AI agents, generative replies and customizable reporting.

#5 Kommunicate

Best for: SMBs that want a low-cost bot

Kommunicate focuses on practicality. It gives you a no-code bot, smooth handoff to human agents, and integrations with WhatsApp, web and mobile apps. It’s not overloaded with features, but it’s affordable, easy to use and helps small teams save time on repetitive queries while still keeping the human touch.

Key Features

• No-code AI bot for FAQ-level service requests

• Smooth handoff to human agents mid-conversation

• Supports WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS and more

• Multilingual responses for small global teams

Pricing

Kommunicate’s Professional plan is $200/month and includes 2 AI agents and 2,000 conversations. Additional agents can be added for $30/month.

#6 Chatfuel

Best for: Smaller businesses handling customer service in WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger

Chatfuel lives where your customers most likely scroll: WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. It lets you build bots with visual flows, automate replies to comments and messages, and use templates to get started fast. It’s not for complex, enterprise-level service, but if most of your customer interactions happen in social DMs, Chatfuel is a simple and affordable way to stay responsive.

Key Features

• Automates replies in WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger

• Templates for FAQs, product inquiries and promotions

• Comment-to-DM and story reply flows for quick engagement

• Escalates to human agents when chats go beyond the bot

Pricing

Chatfuel’s Business plan starts at $39/month for WhatsApp and Instagram, and $23.99/month for Messenger. Both include chatbots, auto-replies, a shared inbox and live chat.

#7 Lindy

Best for: Teams that want flexible AI workflows without too many technical barriers

Lindy pitches itself as the no-code agent builder for modern teams. You can spin up a chatbot by describing what you want it to do, then connect it to your apps and data. It’s not as deep as enterprise tools, but for small to mid-sized teams that want automation without engineering headaches, it’s a clever way to get started.

Key Features

• No-code builder for designing custom service agents

• Handles tasks like scheduling, triage and record updates

• Template library for quick start with common service flows

• Multilingual prompts to handle international customers

Pricing

Lindy’s Pro plan starts at $29.99/month. It includes up to 20 million characters in the knowledge base and the ability to invite team members.

What is the Best AI Chatbot for customer service?

Most tools that call themselves “AI chatbots” still act like glorified FAQ machines. They can answer one or two questions, but fall apart when a customer needs something more.

Respond.io stands out because its AI Agents behave like real teammates instead of simple chatbots. You can deploy them as receptionists, sales reps or support agents or even build a custom agent specific to your industry. They greet customers, qualify leads, answer FAQs, even read images as well as PDFs and send payment or booking links. When an issue gets complex, they escalate with full context so no one repeats themselves.

But even beyond providing the best AI chatbots for customer service, respond.io also provides:

• A Lifecycle view to track customers across every stage of the funnel, from first touch to repeat purchase

• Full support for VoIP and WhatsApp calling, so your team can jump from chat to voice without losing context

• Detailed reporting and analytics to monitor response times, resolution rates and team performance

• True omnichannel messaging that unifies WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, email and more in one inbox

• Seamless CRM integrations and no-code automation that keep data synced and service workflows running smoothly

But don't take just our word for it. Businesses from noonmar to Automax®, Praga Medica and Yoho are already scaling rapidly with respond.io—growing customers, boosting ROI and cutting response times to deliver the best possible customer service experience.

FAQs about the best AI chatbots for customer service

Further reading

If you enjoyed our article, you should check these out:

• Top 10 WhatsApp Chatbots in 2025: Pros, Cons & Pricing Compared

• Best AI Lead Generation Tools & How to Choose One

• How to Create a WhatsApp Chatbot: 3 Use Cases (+Examples)