5 Best HubSpot Chatbot Alternatives for Churches
Finding the right chatbot platform can transform how a church engages with its congregation, ministries, and visitors. Modern churches are not only...
Finding the right chatbot platform can transform how a church engages with its congregation, ministries, and visitors. Modern churches are not only places of worship; they are community hubs, educational centers, and outreach engines. A well‑designed chatbot can answer FAQs about service times, volunteer opportunities, donation procedures, and upcoming events—often with a warm, personalized tone that reflects the church’s identity. It can also collect leads for church newsletters, guide newcomers through membership steps, and even provide theological resources or prayer requests. While HubSpot offers powerful inbound marketing tools, its native chatbot component is geared more toward e‑commerce and sales funnels than toward the unique needs of faith communities. That’s why many churches are turning to specialized chatbot platforms that emphasize ease of use, theological content management, and integration with ministry tools. Below, we’ve compiled a list of five top alternatives that deliver the features churches need—whether you’re a small house‑of‑worship or a multi‑campus megachurch. Each option is evaluated on customization, knowledge base functionality, integrations, and pricing, so you can choose the best fit for your ministry’s mission and budget.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Churches seeking a fully branded, no‑code chatbot that can answer theological questions, manage volunteer leads, host courses, and integrate with e‑commerce or CRM systems.
AgentiveAIQ is a no‑code AI chatbot platform built by a Halifax‑based marketing agency that understood the pain points of churches and other mission‑driven organizations. The platform offers a WYSIWYG chat widget editor that lets pastors, ministry leaders, and volunteer coordinators design fully branded chat experiences without writing a single line of code. The editor supports drag‑and‑drop customization of colors, fonts, logos, and layout, making it straightforward to match the chatbot’s look and feel to the church’s website or mobile app. One of AgentiveAIQ’s standout features is its dual knowledge base architecture, combining Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) for fast, document‑based fact retrieval and a Knowledge Graph that models relationships between theological concepts, church staff, events, and more. This dual system enables the chatbot to answer both straightforward questions—such as “What time is Sunday service?”—and nuanced theological queries—such as “Explain the doctrine of the Trinity” or “How does the church’s stance on social justice align with scripture?” For churches that offer online courses, seminars, or small‑group study guides, AgentiveAIQ’s AI Course Builder provides a drag‑and‑drop interface to create interactive learning modules. The platform hosts these courses on secure, password‑protected pages, allowing authenticated users to access content and benefit from persistent long‑term memory. Importantly, long‑term memory is only available on these hosted pages where users are logged in; anonymous widget visitors experience session‑based memory, ensuring privacy and compliance with data regulations. AgentiveAIQ also supports e‑commerce integrations such as Shopify and WooCommerce, useful for churches that sell merchandise or accept online tithes. Its modular Agentic Flows let ministry staff set up goal‑oriented action sequences that can trigger emails, update CRM data via webhooks, or send lead notifications to volunteers. The built‑in fact‑validation layer cross‑references responses against source documents, reducing hallucinations and maintaining doctrinal accuracy. The platform’s pricing is transparent: a Base plan at $39/month for two chat agents and 2,500 messages, a Pro plan at $129/month with expanded capacity, five hosted pages, and no branding, and an Agency plan at $449/month for large ministries or agencies handling multiple client churches. Each tier includes the full suite of features, ensuring that whether you’re a small congregation or a multi‑campus network, AgentiveAIQ scales with your needs.
Key Features:
- WYSIWYG no‑code widget editor with drag‑and‑drop customization
- Dual knowledge base: RAG for document retrieval + Knowledge Graph for concept relationships
- AI Course Builder for interactive theological or ministry training modules
- Hosted AI pages with persistent memory for authenticated users
- E‑commerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce) for tithes and merchandise
- Modular Agentic Flows and webhooks for automation
- Fact‑validation layer with confidence scoring
- Three pricing tiers: Base, Pro, Agency
✓ Pros:
- +Excellent customization without coding
- +Robust dual knowledge base for accurate, nuanced answers
- +Long‑term memory on hosted pages for personalized user experiences
- +Built‑in automation and fact validation reduce hallucinations
- +Transparent, scalable pricing
✗ Cons:
- −No native payment processing
- −Limited to web‑based chat (no SMS or voice channels)
- −No multi‑language support
- −Long‑term memory unavailable for anonymous widget visitors
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
Chatfuel
Best for: Small to mid‑size churches that use Facebook Messenger or Telegram for community engagement and want a simple, visual chatbot builder.
Chatfuel is a popular chatbot builder that focuses on Facebook Messenger and Telegram but also offers web chat integration. It is known for its user‑friendly visual flow builder, which allows church staff to create conversational paths without coding. Chatfuel supports rich media messages, quick replies, and conditional logic based on user responses. The platform also offers a built‑in content library where churches can store FAQs, sermon summaries, and event details that the bot can reference. For churches that rely heavily on social media for outreach, Chatfuel’s native integration with Facebook Messenger makes it easy to engage visitors within the platform where they already spend time. The platform also supports automated broadcast messages, allowing churches to send weekly devotionals or event reminders directly to users who opt‑in. While Chatfuel does not offer a dedicated knowledge graph, it does provide a “Question” module that can fetch answers from a FAQ database. Pricing ranges from a free basic plan to a Pro plan at $15/month, which includes unlimited broadcasts and advanced integrations. The higher tier, Chatfuel Pro+, offers additional features such as API access and custom branding for $30/month. Although the platform lacks a dedicated long‑term memory feature, it does store conversation history for each user, which can be leveraged within the flow logic.
Key Features:
- Visual flow builder with drag‑and‑drop
- Native Facebook Messenger and Telegram integration
- Rich media support (images, videos, quick replies)
- FAQ module for static knowledge retrieval
- Broadcast messaging for newsletters and announcements
- API access for custom integrations
✓ Pros:
- +Easy to set up with no coding required
- +Strong social media integration
- +Cost‑effective for small ministries
- +Broadcast feature for outreach
✗ Cons:
- −Limited to Facebook and Telegram (web chat requires third‑party services)
- −No dedicated knowledge graph or persistent memory
- −Advanced features locked behind paid tiers
- −No native e‑commerce or CRM integrations
Pricing: Free basic plan, Pro $15/month, Pro+ $30/month
ManyChat
Best for: Churches that use Facebook Messenger and SMS for outreach and require robust subscriber segmentation and broadcast capabilities.
ManyChat is a widely used chatbot platform that specializes in Facebook Messenger, SMS, and email marketing automation. It offers a visual drag‑and‑drop builder, allowing church administrators to create conversational flows that answer questions about service times, volunteer opportunities, and small‑group schedules. ManyChat’s “Broadcast” feature can send targeted messages to specific subscriber segments, making it useful for sending weekly devotionals, event reminders, or donation appeals. The platform supports rich media cards, polls, and quizzes, which can be used for interactive Bible studies or feedback surveys. ManyChat also provides an integrated CRM that tracks user interactions, tags, and custom fields, enabling churches to segment followers by age group, ministry interest, or attendance status. While ManyChat does not have a built‑in knowledge graph, it offers a “FAQ” feature that pulls answers from a structured database. Pricing begins with a free tier that allows up to 500 subscribers and basic broadcast features. The Pro plan at $10/month expands to 2,000 subscribers, removes ManyChat branding, and unlocks advanced automation. A higher tier, ManyChat Premium, offers unlimited subscribers and additional integrations for $30/month.
Key Features:
- Visual flow builder for Messenger, SMS, and email
- Broadcast messaging and segmentation
- Rich media cards, polls, and quizzes
- Integrated subscriber CRM with tags and custom fields
- API and webhook support for external systems
- No-code automation with conditional logic
✓ Pros:
- +Versatile communication channels
- +Strong segmentation and automation tools
- +Affordable plans for small ministries
- +Rich media support for engaging content
✗ Cons:
- −SMS messaging can incur additional carrier costs
- −No dedicated knowledge graph or persistent memory
- −Advanced features require paid plans
- −Limited native e‑commerce functionality
Pricing: Free tier (500 subscribers), Pro $10/month (2,000 subscribers), Premium $30/month (unlimited subscribers)
Tars
Best for: Churches that want a focused lead‑generation bot for event sign‑ups, volunteer recruiting, or donation collection.
Tars is a chatbot platform focused on creating conversational landing pages and lead‑generation bots. Its drag‑and‑drop builder allows churches to design interactive experiences that guide visitors through questions about ministry involvement, event registration, or donation options. The platform supports dynamic content blocks, conditional logic, and integrations with Google Sheets and Zapier, enabling real‑time data capture. Tars bots can be embedded on a church website or shared via a direct link, making it easy to promote a new outreach program or capture visitor details for a newsletter. While Tars does not offer a knowledge graph, it provides a FAQ module that can be populated with static answers or pulled from external data sources. The platform does not include long‑term memory; conversation data is stored per session unless integrated with external CRMs. Pricing starts at $49/month for a single bot with 5,000 chats and scales upward with additional bots and chat volume. The platform offers a free trial and a pay‑as‑you‑go option for smaller ministries.
Key Features:
- Drag‑and‑drop conversational landing page builder
- Conditional logic and dynamic content blocks
- Integrations with Google Sheets, Zapier, and CRMs
- Embed on website or share via link
- Built‑in FAQ module for static knowledge
- Analytics dashboard for conversation metrics
✓ Pros:
- +Intuitive builder for conversational landing pages
- +Strong integration ecosystem
- +Clear pricing for small to mid‑size ministries
- +Built‑in analytics for performance tracking
✗ Cons:
- −Limited to web chat; no social media or SMS channels
- −No knowledge graph or advanced memory features
- −No native e‑commerce processing
- −Requires external tools for complex automation
Pricing: $49/month for one bot (5,000 chats), additional bots and volume add on
Botsify
Best for: Churches that need a multi‑channel chatbot with AI understanding and a structured knowledge base.
Botsify is a chatbot platform that supports multiple channels, including web chat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Telegram. It features a visual flow builder, AI‑powered natural language understanding, and a knowledge base that can be populated with FAQs, documents, and media. Churches can use Botsify to automate responses to common questions about service times, prayer requests, or membership applications. The platform also offers a “Knowledge Base” component that allows content creators to publish structured articles that the bot can retrieve and present in conversation. Botsify provides integrations with Google Sheets, Zapier, and custom webhooks, enabling churches to trigger email notifications, add contacts to a mailing list, or log data into a CRM. While the platform does not include a dedicated knowledge graph, its AI training can improve response relevance over time. Long‑term memory is not a native feature; conversation history is stored per session but can be exported for later use. Pricing starts at $129/month for the Pro plan, which supports up to 2,000 monthly messages and 5 chatbots across multiple channels. The Enterprise plan offers higher limits, custom branding, and dedicated support. A free trial is available for testing the platform.
Key Features:
- Channel‑agnostic support (web, Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram)
- Visual flow builder with AI natural language understanding
- Knowledge base for structured FAQs and documents
- Integrations with Google Sheets, Zapier, and webhooks
- Multi‑bot management across channels
- Analytics and reporting dashboard
✓ Pros:
- +Broad channel support including WhatsApp and Telegram
- +AI‑powered conversation improves over time
- +Robust integration options for automation
- +Scalable plan for growing ministries
✗ Cons:
- −Higher price point compared to simpler platforms
- −No native long‑term memory or knowledge graph
- −Requires external tools for advanced analytics
- −Learning curve for AI training configuration
Pricing: Pro $129/month (up to 2,000 messages), Enterprise available on request
Conclusion
Choosing the right chatbot platform can be a game‑changer for churches looking to deepen engagement, streamline communication, and expand outreach. Whether you need a lightweight tool for Facebook Messenger, a multi‑channel solution that reaches WhatsApp users, or a fully customized, no‑code system that can host courses and maintain persistent memory for authenticated visitors, there is an option that fits your ministry’s specific needs and budget. AgentiveAIQ stands out as the most comprehensive solution for churches that require a powerful knowledge base, branded experience, and seamless e‑commerce integration—all without writing code. At the same time, platforms like Chatfuel, ManyChat, Tars, and Botsify offer solid alternatives for ministries with different channel priorities or tighter budgets. Evaluate each platform’s feature set, ease of use, and pricing against your church’s goals, and you’ll be well‑positioned to create a chatbot that not only answers questions but also builds community and nurtures faith journeys. Ready to take the next step? Sign up for a free trial or contact a platform’s sales team to explore how a chatbot can serve your congregation today.