7 Must-Have Platforms for a Prayer Request Bot for Churches

ManyChat is a widely used no‑code chatbot builder that specializes in Facebook Messenger, SMS, and web chat automation. Its visual drag‑and‑drop interface allows church administrators to create conversational flows without any coding knowledge, making it accessible to volunteers and small ministry teams. ManyChat supports broadcasting, automated response sequences, and audience segmentation, which are essential for managing large congregations and targeting specific prayer groups. The platform offers a variety of integrations, including Zapier, Mailchimp, and Google Sheets, enabling churches to automatically sync prayer requests with their email lists or CRM systems. ManyChat’s audience insights provide real‑time metrics on engagement, message open rates, and conversion funnels, helping ministries refine their outreach strategies. Additionally, the platform’s keyword-based triggers allow congregants to initiate prayer requests by simply texting or messaging a keyword, providing a low‑friction entry point. ManyChat’s pricing structure is tiered: a free plan supports up to 500 subscribers, a Pro plan at $15/month for 2,000 subscribers, and a Premium plan at $49/month for 10,000 subscribers. The free tier is ideal for small churches, while the Pro and Premium tiers cater to larger congregations with higher messaging volumes.

Chatfuel is a popular chatbot platform that primarily targets Facebook Messenger but also supports Telegram and web chat. It offers a user‑friendly visual editor, AI training capabilities, and modular conversation blocks that allow churches to build complex prayer request flows. Chatfuel’s AI assistant can understand natural language inputs and route them to the appropriate response or human operator, ensuring that prayer requests are handled promptly. The platform provides integration with third‑party services such as Zapier, Google Sheets, and Mailchimp, enabling automated data capture of prayer requests and follow‑up emails. Chatfuel’s broadcasting feature lets ministries send mass messages to their community, while its subscriber segmentation tool helps tailor content to specific groups (e.g., youth, elders). Additionally, Chatfuel offers analytics dashboards that track conversation metrics, such as conversation volume, average response time, and user retention. Chatfuel’s pricing is structured as follows: a free plan with basic features, a Plus plan at $15/month, and a Pro plan at $60/month. The free tier is suitable for small congregations, whereas the Plus and Pro tiers provide more advanced AI training and higher messaging limits.

MobileMonkey is an omni‑channel chatbot platform that supports Facebook Messenger, SMS, web chat, and even Instagram Direct. It focuses on conversational marketing and customer engagement, providing churches with tools to automate prayer request collection and follow‑up. The platform’s visual builder allows the creation of branching dialogues without coding, and its AI engine can interpret user inputs and route them to the correct response. Key features include audience segmentation, keyword triggers, and automated broadcasting across multiple channels. MobileMonkey also offers integration with Zapier, Mailchimp, and Google Sheets, enabling churches to sync prayer data with their existing tools. The platform’s analytics provide insights into conversation volume, response times, and engagement rates, helping ministries optimize their outreach. Pricing options include a free plan for up to 1,000 contacts, a Pro plan at $25/month, and an Enterprise plan that offers custom pricing for larger organizations.

Intercom is a comprehensive customer messaging platform that combines live chat, automated bots, and rich knowledge base functionality. Churches can use its chatbot features to capture prayer requests, route them to pastoral staff, and provide automated responses to frequently asked questions. Intercom’s visual flow editor allows non‑technical users to set up conversation paths, while its AI assistant can handle simple queries and pass complex requests to human operators. The platform offers deep integration with CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zapier, ensuring that prayer data can be tracked and followed up within existing systems. Intercom’s built‑in knowledge base and help center allow churches to publish FAQs and theological resources that the bot can reference. Real‑time analytics track conversation volume, agent performance, and customer satisfaction. Intercom’s pricing begins at $39/month for the Standard plan (up to 1,000 contacts) and scales to $99/month for the Pro plan (up to 5,000 contacts). Enterprise pricing is available for larger ministries.

Drift is a conversational marketing platform that blends chatbots, email, and video messaging to drive engagement. For churches, Drift can be used to capture prayer requests, provide immediate responses, and schedule follow‑up meetings with pastoral staff. The platform’s AI can automatically suggest relevant content or resources based on user intent. Drift offers robust integration with CRMs such as Salesforce and HubSpot, allowing prayer data to be automatically logged and tracked. Its analytics dashboard provides insights into conversation volume, conversion rates, and lead quality. Drift also supports multi‑channel messaging, including web chat, email, and mobile push notifications. Pricing for Drift starts at $400/month for the Standard plan, $800/month for the Pro plan, and custom Enterprise pricing for larger organizations.

Landbot is a no‑code chatbot builder that specializes in web chat experiences. Its drag‑and‑drop interface allows churches to design conversational flows that feel natural and engaging. Landbot supports forms, surveys, and quizzes, making it suitable for collecting prayer requests, feedback, or volunteer sign‑ups. The platform integrates with Zapier, Google Sheets, and many other third‑party services, enabling automated syncing of prayer data. Landbot’s analytics provide insights into conversation paths, drop‑off points, and user engagement. It also offers a mobile‑optimized chat experience, ensuring that congregants on smartphones receive a seamless interaction. Landbot’s pricing tiers include Starter at $30/month, Professional at $50/month, and Enterprise plans with custom pricing.