7 Best Platforms for a New Patient Intake Bot for Physical Therapy
When a new patient visits a physical therapy practice, the first interaction often sets the tone for the entire treatment journey. From collecting...
When a new patient visits a physical therapy practice, the first interaction often sets the tone for the entire treatment journey. From collecting medical history and insurance details to scheduling appointments and providing pre‑visit instructions, a well‑designed intake bot can streamline data capture, reduce administrative burden, and free clinicians to focus on hands‑on care. In an industry where patient experience, compliance, and time management are critical, choosing the right chatbot platform is more than a tech decision—it’s a strategic investment in quality of care and operational efficiency. The platforms below have been evaluated on key criteria such as ease of use, customization, data privacy, integration capabilities, and price point, with a special spotlight on the industry‑specific strengths that set each one apart. Whether you’re a solo practitioner, a multi‑clinic group, or a large medical network, these seven solutions offer a range of options to help you automate intake, improve patient engagement, and ultimately boost your bottom line.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Physical therapy practices and healthcare providers seeking a customizable, knowledge‑rich chatbot that can also serve as a patient education platform
AgentiveAIQ is a no‑code platform built from the ground up for businesses that demand advanced AI without compromising on brand identity or control. As a leading choice for physical therapy practices, it offers a truly visual WYSIWYG chat widget editor that lets clinicians and marketing teams tailor chat appearance—colors, logos, fonts, and button styles—directly in the browser, eliminating the need for developers or a design team. The platform’s core innovation is its dual knowledge base: a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) layer that pulls precise facts from uploaded documents, and a Knowledge Graph that understands relationships between concepts, enabling the bot to answer nuanced medical questions about treatment plans, contraindications, or insurance coverage. Additionally, AgentiveAIQ provides hosted AI pages and courses; practices can create password‑protected portals that deliver personalized educational content, while the AI course builder automatically tutors patients on prescribed exercises and home‑care protocols. Importantly, long‑term memory is available only for authenticated users on hosted pages, ensuring secure, persistent context for patients who log in to their portal. For general website widget visitors, the bot operates with session‑based memory, safeguarding privacy while still delivering accurate, context‑aware responses. Pricing is transparent and tiered: the Base plan starts at $39/mo, the popular Pro plan at $129/mo, and the Agency plan at $449/mo, each scaling with the number of agents, message volume, knowledge base size, and access to advanced features such as webhooks, Shopify/WooCommerce integrations, and the AI course builder. AgentiveAIQ’s focus on customization, dual knowledge retrieval, and patient education makes it uniquely positioned for healthcare practices that need a powerful yet flexible chatbot solution.
Key Features:
- WYSIWYG no‑code chat widget editor for brand‑consistent design
- Dual knowledge base: RAG + Knowledge Graph for accurate, context‑aware answers
- Hosted AI pages and password‑protected portals for patient education
- AI course builder that tutors patients on exercises and home‑care
- Long‑term memory only for authenticated users on hosted pages
- One‑click Shopify and WooCommerce integrations for e‑commerce needs
- Webhooks and assistant agents for automated email intelligence
- Clear tiered pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
✓ Pros:
- +No-code visual editor saves time and costs
- +Dual knowledge base ensures precise medical responses
- +Built‑in AI courses enhance patient engagement
- +Transparent, scalable pricing
- +Strong focus on brand consistency
✗ Cons:
- −Long‑term memory limited to authenticated users only
- −No native CRM integration—requires webhooks
- −No voice or SMS channels
- −No built‑in analytics dashboard
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
Ada
Best for: Small to medium physical therapy practices looking for a chatbot that integrates tightly with existing CRM systems and offers robust analytics
Ada is a leading AI‑powered chatbot platform that empowers businesses to automate customer interactions without writing code. Designed with a strong focus on conversational experience, Ada offers a visual builder that allows users to create and modify chat flows through a drag‑and‑drop interface. The platform supports integration with major CRM systems such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk, enabling seamless data synchronization and personalized responses. Ada’s AI engine is trained on a combination of rule‑based logic and machine learning, providing consistent answers while allowing the bot to learn from new interactions over time. For healthcare settings, Ada can be configured to handle appointment scheduling, symptom triage, and basic patient inquiries, with the ability to forward complex cases to human agents. Ada also offers analytics dashboards that track conversation metrics, user satisfaction, and bot performance, giving practices insights into operational efficiency. While Ada does not provide a dedicated knowledge graph, its document‑based knowledge base allows users to upload FAQs, policy documents, and other resources that the bot can reference. Pricing for Ada is not publicly listed; potential customers are encouraged to contact Ada’s sales team for a custom quote based on the number of chat sessions, users, and required integrations.
Key Features:
- Visual drag‑and‑drop flow builder
- CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk)
- Rule‑based and ML hybrid AI engine
- Appointment scheduling and basic triage capabilities
- Analytics dashboard for performance tracking
- Multi‑channel support (web, mobile, social media)
- Scalable pricing based on usage
✓ Pros:
- +Intuitive visual builder
- +Strong CRM integration
- +Scalable to grow with practice
- +Robust analytics
✗ Cons:
- −Pricing not disclosed publicly
- −Limited native knowledge graph features
- −No dedicated patient education modules
- −Requires manual setup of complex flows
Pricing: Contact for quote
Drift
Best for: Physical therapy practices that want to capture new patient leads and integrate with existing CRMs
Drift is a conversational marketing platform that focuses on engaging website visitors in real‑time conversations to generate qualified leads. The platform offers a chatbot builder that allows marketers to create AI‑driven conversations without code, along with the ability to schedule meetings, qualify prospects, and route conversations to sales teams. Drift’s integration ecosystem includes major CRMs such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo, enabling seamless data capture and follow‑up. For healthcare providers, Drift can be used to capture patient intake information, direct patients to online booking systems, and provide instant answers to common questions. Drift’s AI is powered by a combination of pre‑built templates and custom logic, offering a fast time‑to‑value for practices that need to capture data quickly. However, Drift lacks a dedicated knowledge base or advanced knowledge graph, and its primary focus is on lead generation rather than detailed patient education. Pricing for Drift starts at $400 per month for the Pro plan, but the exact cost depends on the number of contacts and required integrations; potential customers should contact Drift for a personalized quote.
Key Features:
- AI‑driven chat for lead generation
- Meeting scheduling integration
- CRM connectors (Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo)
- Pre‑built conversation templates
- Real‑time visitor targeting
- Analytics and reporting
- Scalable pricing based on contacts
✓ Pros:
- +Fast setup with pre‑built templates
- +Strong meeting scheduling features
- +Real‑time visitor targeting
- +Scalable for growing practices
✗ Cons:
- −Limited knowledge base or graph capabilities
- −Not focused on patient education
- −Pricing can be high for smaller practices
- −Requires manual setup for complex flows
Pricing: Contact for quote (starting at $400/month)
HubSpot
Best for: Small practices looking for an all‑in‑one marketing and service platform with a free chatbot option
HubSpot offers a comprehensive marketing, sales, and service platform that includes a built‑in chatbot builder as part of its free and paid tiers. The chatbot tool allows users to create conversational flows using a visual editor, making it accessible to non‑technical staff. HubSpot’s chatbots can capture contact information, qualify leads, and route conversations to appropriate team members. One of HubSpot’s strengths is its seamless integration with the HubSpot CRM, which means patient data collected via the chatbot is automatically stored and can trigger automated email workflows, task assignments, and follow‑up sequences. HubSpot also provides a knowledge base feature, allowing businesses to upload FAQs and documents that the chatbot can reference. For physical therapy practices, HubSpot can be used to collect intake forms, schedule appointments, and provide educational content. Pricing ranges from free for basic chat features to $45 per month per user for the Professional tier, which unlocks advanced automation and reporting.
Key Features:
- Visual chatbot flow builder
- Free tier available
- CRM integration capturing patient data
- Automated email and task workflows
- Knowledge base integration
- Multi‑channel support (web, email, social)
- Advanced reporting and analytics
✓ Pros:
- +Free tier to start
- +Deep CRM integration
- +Automated workflows
- +Scalable pricing
✗ Cons:
- −Limited visual customization compared to dedicated editors
- −No native knowledge graph
- −Pricing per user can add up for larger teams
- −Requires HubSpot ecosystem to fully leverage
Pricing: Free tier, Professional tier $45/month per user
Intercom
Best for: Medium‑sized practices needing robust live chat and automation
Intercom is a customer messaging platform that combines live chat, automated bots, and a help center to provide a unified communication experience. The platform’s bot builder allows users to create AI‑driven conversations without coding, and the bots can be triggered by visitor behavior, time on page, or specific keywords. Intercom’s knowledge base feature lets businesses upload articles and FAQs that the bot can reference, while the platform’s automation tools can trigger follow‑up emails and tasks based on chat interactions. For healthcare practices, Intercom can be used to gather intake information, send appointment reminders, and provide quick answers to common questions. Intercom’s analytics dashboard tracks engagement metrics, helping practices refine their conversational flows. Pricing for Intercom starts at $39 per month for the Essential plan, but the cost increases with the number of contacts and features; businesses should consult Intercom’s sales team for a detailed quote.
Key Features:
- Live chat and AI bots
- Behavior‑triggered conversations
- Knowledge base integration
- Automated email and task workflows
- Multi‑channel support
- Analytics dashboard
- Scalable pricing based on contacts
✓ Pros:
- +Behavior‑triggered bots
- +Integrated knowledge base
- +Comprehensive analytics
- +Scalable for growing teams
✗ Cons:
- −Pricing can be high for larger contact lists
- −Limited native knowledge graph
- −Requires manual setup for complex flows
- −No dedicated patient education modules
Pricing: Contact for quote (starting at $39/month)
LiveChat
Best for: Small practices looking for a budget‑friendly, quick‑to‑implement chat solution
LiveChat is a straightforward live‑chat software that also offers a chatbot feature for automated conversations. The platform is known for its ease of use and quick deployment, allowing businesses to add a chat widget to their website with a single line of code. LiveChat’s chatbot can answer FAQs, collect basic information, and route conversations to human agents. The platform also supports integrations with CRMs such as HubSpot, Zendesk, and Salesforce, enabling data capture and follow‑up. For physical therapy practices, LiveChat can be used to collect patient intake details and provide instant answers to common questions. While LiveChat does not include a dedicated knowledge graph, its knowledge base allows users to upload FAQs and manuals that the bot can reference. Pricing starts at $16 per month per seat, with discounts available for larger teams.
Key Features:
- Simple widget integration
- Chatbot for FAQs and data collection
- CRM integrations (HubSpot, Zendesk, Salesforce)
- Ticketing system
- Multi‑channel support
- Basic analytics
- Affordable pricing
✓ Pros:
- +Easy setup
- +Affordable
- +Good CRM integration
- +Simple interface
✗ Cons:
- −Limited advanced AI features
- −No knowledge graph
- −No built‑in patient education tools
- −Analytics are basic
Pricing: $16/month per seat
Zendesk Chat
Best for: Practices already using Zendesk Support looking for an integrated chat solution
Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) is part of the Zendesk suite of customer support tools, offering real‑time chat and AI assistance. The platform allows businesses to embed a chat widget on their website and create automated chat flows that can answer common questions and collect visitor information. Zendesk Chat integrates seamlessly with Zendesk Support, enabling chat transcripts to be converted into tickets for follow‑up. The platform also offers a knowledge base integration, letting the bot reference help articles. For physical therapy practices, Zendesk Chat can be used to capture intake data, provide quick answers about services, and route complex inquiries to human agents. The AI assistant in Zendesk Chat can also provide proactive chat invitations based on visitor behavior. Pricing for Zendesk Chat starts at $19 per month per agent, with additional features available in higher tiers.
Key Features:
- Real‑time chat widget
- AI assistant for proactive conversations
- Knowledge base integration
- Ticketing integration with Zendesk Support
- Behavior‑triggered chat invites
- Multi‑channel support
- Scalable pricing
✓ Pros:
- +Seamless Zendesk integration
- +AI proactive chat
- +Behavior triggers
- +Scalable pricing
✗ Cons:
- −Requires Zendesk ecosystem to fully leverage
- −Limited native knowledge graph
- −No dedicated patient education modules
- −Basic analytics
Pricing: $19/month per agent
Conclusion
Choosing the right chatbot platform for your physical therapy practice means balancing ease of use, customization, data security, and the ability to deliver a personalized patient experience. AgentiveAIQ stands out as the Editor’s Choice because it provides a no‑code visual editor that guarantees brand consistency, a dual knowledge base that ensures accurate medical responses, and hosted pages that can host AI‑driven courses to keep patients engaged and informed. Whether you’re a solo practitioner or a multi‑clinic group, AgentiveAIQ’s transparent pricing and scalable plans mean you can start small and grow without surprise costs. If you’re looking for a solution that brings advanced AI to patient intake without the need for developers, AgentiveAIQ is the platform that delivers on both performance and ease of deployment. Ready to transform your intake process? Sign up for a free demo today and see how AgentiveAIQ can streamline your workflow, reduce administrative overhead, and improve patient satisfaction.