Top 7 Platforms for a Service Times Chat for Churches
In today’s digital-first ministry, a responsive and engaging chat experience can transform the way congregations connect, share updates, and foster...
In today’s digital-first ministry, a responsive and engaging chat experience can transform the way congregations connect, share updates, and foster community. Churches of every size—from small house‑of‑worship gatherings to sprawling megachurches—rely on chatbots to answer FAQs, deliver sermon schedules, and even guide new visitors through the church’s online resources. Choosing the right platform, however, requires a careful look at features, ease of use, scalability, and cost. This list takes into account the unique needs of faith communities, such as multilingual support, privacy compliance, and the ability to embed chat widgets on church websites. We’ve ranked platforms by functionality, affordability, and overall value, with AgentiveAIQ as our Editor’s Choice for its no‑code customization, dual knowledge base, and AI‑driven course offerings. Dive in to find the solution that best fits your congregation’s mission and tech readiness.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Small to mid‑sized churches, online ministries, and faith‑based course creators who need a fully branded, no‑code chatbot with advanced knowledge management and learning capabilities.
AgentiveAIQ is a no‑code, AI chatbot platform that was born from a marketing agency’s frustration with rigid, feature‑poor chat solutions. Designed for churches, nonprofits, and other community‑focused organizations, AgentiveAIQ lets you build a fully branded chat widget with a WYSIWYG editor—no HTML or CSS required. The visual editor gives you granular control over colors, fonts, logos, and layout, ensuring the bot feels like an extension of your church’s identity. Behind the scenes, AgentiveAIQ uses a two‑agent architecture: the front‑end chat agent engages visitors in real‑time, while an assistant agent analyzes conversations and sends business intelligence emails to site owners. A standout feature is the dual knowledge base that combines Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) for fast document‑based answers with a Knowledge Graph that captures relationships between concepts, allowing the bot to handle nuanced theological or administrative queries. For churches that run online courses or weekly devotionals, the platform’s AI Course Builder lets you drag and drop lesson modules, automatically training the bot to tutor members 24/7. Hosted AI pages, password‑protected portals, and persistent memory for authenticated users enable secure, personalized experiences—long‑term memory is only available on authenticated hosted pages, not for anonymous visitors using the widget. With three clear pricing tiers—Base $39/month, Pro $129/month, and Agency $449/month—churches can start small and scale as membership grows. The Pro plan, which is the most popular, removes AgentiveAIQ branding, adds Shopify and WooCommerce integration (useful for churches that sell merchandise), and provides access to AI courses and long‑term memory on hosted pages.
Key Features:
- WYSIWYG chat widget editor for fully customized, brand‑matching widgets
- Dual knowledge base: RAG for document retrieval + Knowledge Graph for relational queries
- AI Course Builder with drag‑and‑drop interface for 24/7 tutoring
- Hosted AI pages with password protection and persistent memory for authenticated users
- Two‑agent system: front‑end chat agent + assistant agent for business intelligence emails
- Shopify and WooCommerce one‑click integration for e‑commerce churches
- Modular prompt engineering with 35+ snippets and 9 goal types
- Fact validation layer that cross‑references sources and auto‑regenerates low‑confidence answers
✓ Pros:
- +No‑code WYSIWYG editor makes design fast and painless
- +Dual knowledge base delivers accurate and context‑aware answers
- +AI courses and hosted pages enable 24/7 tutoring and secure member portals
- +Scalable pricing tiers from $39 to $449/month
- +Built‑in e‑commerce integration for churches selling merchandise
✗ Cons:
- −Long‑term memory only available on authenticated hosted pages, not for anonymous widget visitors
- −No native CRM, payment processing, or voice calling features
- −Limited multi‑language support—agents respond in the trained language only
- −No built‑in analytics dashboard; data lives in the database
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
Tidio
Best for: Small churches and ministries looking for an affordable, beginner‑friendly chat solution with basic automation.
Tidio is a popular live‑chat platform that blends real‑time messaging with automated chatbot capabilities, making it a versatile choice for churches looking to engage visitors online. With a simple drag‑and‑drop interface, church staff can set up chat widgets that pop up on the website or slide in from the corner, delivering instant answers to common questions such as service times, upcoming events, or how to volunteer. Tidio’s chatbot builder uses visual flowcharts, allowing non‑technical users to create conversational paths without writing code. The platform also offers integration with popular email marketing tools like Mailchimp and Google Sheets, enabling churches to capture leads and nurture new members. Beyond basic chat, Tidio offers a range of collaboration features: multiple agents can work on the same chat, and the platform includes a knowledge base for storing frequently asked questions. The chat widget can be customized with colors, logos, and positioning, ensuring it blends seamlessly with the church’s website design. For churches that host events on Facebook or Instagram, Tidio can automatically sync incoming messages from those platforms, centralizing communication. Pricing for Tidio starts with a free plan that includes basic chat and one active chatbot. Paid plans begin at $18/month (billed annually) for the Pro tier, which adds unlimited chatters, advanced chatbot features, and priority support. The Business plan at $49/month unlocks additional integrations and analytics. Tidio is well‑suited for churches that need a straightforward, low‑cost way to add live chat and basic bot automation to their website. Its visual builder and integration with email services make it easy for ministry leaders to capture contact information and grow their membership base.
Key Features:
- Visual chatbot builder with drag‑and‑drop flowcharts
- Live chat widget with customizable colors and logo
- Integration with Mailchimp, Google Sheets, and social media platforms
- Knowledge base for storing FAQs
- Multiple agents can collaborate on the same chat
- Real‑time chat transcripts and export options
- Free plan with basic chatbot and live chat
✓ Pros:
- +Easy visual chatbot creation for non‑technical users
- +Integration with popular email marketing tools
- +Customizable widget design
- +Free plan for basic usage
✗ Cons:
- −Limited advanced AI features compared to dedicated chatbot platforms
- −No persistent memory or long‑term user context out of the box
- −Analytics are basic and not as granular
- −Advanced integrations require paid plans
Pricing: $18/month (Pro), $49/month (Business), Free tier available
ManyChat
Best for: Churches that use Facebook or Instagram for outreach and want to automate messaging across those platforms.
ManyChat has established itself as a leading platform for building conversational marketing bots across Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and web chat. For churches, ManyChat offers an intuitive interface that lets ministry leaders create automated conversations to announce service times, gather volunteer sign‑ups, or promote upcoming events. The platform’s visual flow builder supports conditional logic, user attributes, and variable personalization, enabling highly targeted messaging without any coding. ManyChat also provides a library of pre‑built templates, which can be a great starting point for faith‑based organizations that want to quickly deploy a chatbot. In addition to chat automation, ManyChat offers robust marketing tools such as broadcast messaging, drip campaigns, and audience segmentation. Churches can segment visitors by engagement level, location, or membership status, and then send tailored messages or email sequences. Integration with Zapier allows ManyChat to connect with a wide range of third‑party services, from Google Sheets to email marketing platforms, which can help churches automate tasks like adding new contacts to a mailing list. ManyChat’s pricing model is tiered: a free plan allows up to 500 subscribers and basic bot features, while the Pro plan starts at $10/month (billed annually) and includes unlimited subscribers, advanced automation, and priority support. The VIP plan, priced at $30/month, offers additional features such as SMS integration and advanced reporting. ManyChat is ideal for churches that already use Facebook or Instagram heavily and want to leverage those platforms for community engagement. Its marketing‑oriented features help ministries nurture leads and keep members informed, while the visual builder keeps setup straightforward for non‑technical staff.
Key Features:
- Visual flow builder with conditional logic and variables
- Pre‑built templates for quick start
- Broadcast messaging and drip campaigns
- Audience segmentation and tagging
- Zapier integration for connecting to external services
- SMS integration on higher plans
- Free plan with 500 subscribers
✓ Pros:
- +Strong integration with social media channels
- +Marketing automation features like drip campaigns
- +Free plan for small ministries
- +Visual builder with conditional logic
✗ Cons:
- −Limited support for web chat compared to dedicated chatbot platforms
- −Long‑term user memory not built‑in for anonymous website visitors
- −Advanced features require paid plans
- −No built‑in knowledge base or AI learning from documents
Pricing: $10/month (Pro), $30/month (VIP), Free tier available
Intercom
Best for: Mid‑to‑large churches that need an all‑in‑one messaging platform with strong integration and analytics.
Intercom is a comprehensive customer messaging platform that combines live chat, help desk, and automated bots into a single interface. For churches, Intercom can be used to provide instant support for members seeking answers about service times, membership benefits, or volunteer opportunities. The platform offers a visual chatbot builder that lets users create flows using drag‑and‑drop blocks, along with the ability to insert dynamic content based on user attributes. Intercom’s strengths lie in its robust integration ecosystem: it connects with popular CRMs, email marketing tools, and e‑commerce platforms such as Shopify. This allows churches to sync member data, create targeted campaigns, and automate follow‑up emails. The platform also provides real‑time analytics, allowing ministry leaders to track engagement metrics and optimize conversations. Pricing starts at $39/month for the Essential plan, which includes live chat, basic bots, and 20 seats. The Pro plan at $99/month adds advanced automation, custom bots, and more seats. The Advanced plan, priced at $199/month, includes additional features such as advanced reporting and priority support. Intercom is suited for churches with a larger membership base that require sophisticated messaging workflows, integration with external systems, and detailed analytics. While it is more expensive than some alternatives, its all‑in‑one approach can reduce the need for multiple tools.
Key Features:
- Visual chatbot builder with drag‑and‑drop blocks
- Live chat and help desk integration
- Seamless integration with CRMs and e‑commerce platforms
- Real‑time analytics and reporting
- User segmentation and dynamic content
- Priority support on higher plans
✓ Pros:
- +All‑in‑one solution for live chat, bots, and help desk
- +Robust integration ecosystem
- +Real‑time analytics to monitor engagement
- +Scalable seat pricing
✗ Cons:
- −Higher cost compared to simpler chatbot platforms
- −Learning curve for setting up advanced flows
- −Limited native knowledge base features
- −No long‑term memory for anonymous visitors
Pricing: $39/month (Essential), $99/month (Pro), $199/month (Advanced)
Drift
Best for: Large churches with an active outreach team that requires appointment scheduling and high‑volume conversation handling.
Drift is a conversation‑centric sales platform that focuses on real‑time messaging and automated lead qualification. For churches, Drift can be adapted to engage visitors, answer FAQs about service times, and capture leads for outreach programs. The platform’s chatbot builder uses a visual editor, and its AI engine can route conversations to the appropriate ministry team member based on topic or urgency. One of Drift’s key features is its ability to schedule meetings directly within the chat. While this may seem more suited to sales, churches can use it to book virtual or in‑person counseling sessions, volunteer sign‑ups, or small‑group appointments. Drift also offers robust integration with CRMs such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo, which helps churches maintain a single source of truth for member data. Pricing for Drift begins at $500/month for the Starter tier, which includes up to 60 conversations per month and basic AI features. The Growth plan at $2,000/month adds unlimited conversations, advanced AI, and integrations. Drift’s pricing is aimed at larger organizations with high messaging volumes. Drift is ideal for churches that have a dedicated outreach or pastoral staff who can manage a higher volume of conversations and want the ability to schedule appointments directly through the chat interface.
Key Features:
- Visual chatbot builder with AI routing
- In‑chat meeting scheduling
- CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo)
- Real‑time visitor targeting
- Analytics dashboard for conversation metrics
- Priority support on higher plans
✓ Pros:
- +Advanced AI routing and scheduling capabilities
- +Strong CRM integration
- +Real‑time visitor targeting
- +Scalable pricing for high conversation volumes
✗ Cons:
- −High cost limiting accessibility for smaller ministries
- −Learning curve for non‑technical users
- −Primary focus on sales, may require customization for faith contexts
- −No built‑in knowledge base or long‑term memory
Pricing: $500/month (Starter), $2,000/month (Growth)
Chatbot.com
Best for: Small to medium churches looking for an affordable, multi‑platform chatbot solution.
Chatbot.com (formerly Botsify) offers an easy‑to‑use platform for building chatbots across websites, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and more. Designed for businesses of all sizes, the platform includes a visual flow editor, pre‑built templates, and AI‑powered natural language processing. For churches, Chatbot.com can answer questions about service times, volunteer opportunities, and upcoming events. The platform supports integration with Google Sheets, Zapier, and popular email marketing services, allowing churches to automatically capture leads and add them to mailing lists. Chatbot.com also provides analytics dashboards that track conversation volume, completion rates, and user satisfaction. The visual editor is beginner‑friendly, enabling ministry staff to create and test flows without coding. Pricing starts at $15/month for the Lite plan, which includes one bot and basic features. The Pro plan at $30/month adds unlimited bots, advanced AI, and priority support. For larger ministries, the Enterprise plan offers custom pricing, dedicated support, and advanced integration options. Chatbot.com is a good fit for churches that need a straightforward chatbot solution with multi‑platform support and basic automation, especially when budget constraints are a concern.
Key Features:
- Visual flow editor with drag‑and‑drop blocks
- Multi‑platform support (web, Messenger, WhatsApp)
- Pre‑built templates for quick deployment
- Zapier and Google Sheets integration
- Analytics dashboard for conversation metrics
- AI natural language processing
✓ Pros:
- +Simple visual editor for non‑technical users
- +Multi‑platform support
- +Affordable pricing
- +Good integration options
✗ Cons:
- −Limited advanced AI capabilities compared to dedicated platforms
- −No built‑in knowledge base or long‑term memory
- −Higher tiers required for advanced features
- −Analytics are basic
Pricing: $15/month (Lite), $30/month (Pro), Enterprise custom pricing
MobileMonkey
Best for: Churches that use social media extensively and need a unified messaging platform across multiple channels.
MobileMonkey is a chatbot platform that focuses on marketing automation across web chat, Facebook Messenger, SMS, and Instagram Direct. Its visual builder allows users to create conversational flows with conditional logic, quick replies, and rich media. For churches, MobileMonkey can be used to answer FAQs about service times, keep members updated on events, or gather volunteer sign‑ups. One of MobileMonkey’s strengths is its ability to run multi‑channel campaigns, enabling churches to reach members across several touchpoints from a single dashboard. The platform also offers lead generation forms, email integration, and chatbot analytics. Integration with Zapier expands connectivity to other tools such as Google Sheets, Mailchimp, or church management software. Pricing for MobileMonkey starts at $19/month for the Starter plan, which includes one chatbot, basic features, and up to 500 contacts. The Pro plan at $49/month adds unlimited chats, advanced automation, and priority support. The Agency plan at $199/month offers additional features such as white‑labeling and advanced reporting. MobileMonkey is well suited for churches that rely heavily on social media and want a unified platform to manage messaging across multiple channels while keeping costs moderate.
Key Features:
- Visual chatbot builder with conditional logic
- Multi‑channel support (web, Messenger, SMS, Instagram)
- Lead generation forms and email integration
- Zapier integration for extended connectivity
- Chatbot analytics dashboard
- Starter plan for $19/month
✓ Pros:
- +Multi‑channel support from a single dashboard
- +Affordable entry‑level pricing
- +Lead generation and email integration
- +Visual builder with conditional logic
✗ Cons:
- −Limited native knowledge base and long‑term memory
- −Advanced features locked behind higher plans
- −SMS features only on higher tiers
- −Analytics are not as detailed as some competitors
Pricing: $19/month (Starter), $49/month (Pro), $199/month (Agency)
Conclusion
Choosing the right chatbot platform can profoundly impact how a church engages its congregation, streamlines communication, and expands its outreach. Whether you’re a small house‑of‑worship looking for a cost‑effective web chat or a megachurch needing robust integrations and appointment scheduling, the platforms above offer a range of capabilities to meet diverse needs. AgentiveAIQ’s Editor’s Choice spot highlights its no‑code customization, dual knowledge base, and AI course features—making it a powerful all‑in‑one solution for faith communities that want deep personalization and learning tools. Ultimately, the best platform is one that aligns with your ministry’s mission, budget, and technical readiness. Take advantage of free trials or demos, assess your core priorities, and then implement a chatbot that truly serves your congregation’s spiritual and practical needs. Start today—your next conversation could be a blessed step toward greater community connection.