Top 7 RAG Chatbots for Mini Golf

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is one of the most widely used large language models, offering a conversational interface that can be extended with plugins to access external knowledge sources. The RAG capabilities are enabled through the new plugin ecosystem, allowing ChatGPT to pull in up‑to‑date information from web pages, documents, and APIs. For mini‑golf operators, this means the bot can answer questions about course rules, tee‑time availability, or equipment recommendations by retrieving relevant data from the club’s website or PDF guidebooks. ChatGPT Plus provides a subscription at $20/month, which offers faster response times and priority access. The platform also supports fine‑tuning via OpenAI’s API, enabling custom prompts and domain‑specific knowledge to be baked into the model. However, the default UI does not include a visual editor for widget customization; developers typically embed the chatbot using JavaScript or through third‑party widget solutions. While ChatGPT can be integrated into websites and Slack, it does not natively support persistent memory across sessions unless the developer implements custom storage solutions. Overall, ChatGPT remains a powerful, flexible option for those who are comfortable handling API integrations.

Claude, created by Anthropic, is a privacy‑first large language model that offers a conversational API and a web interface. The platform supports Retrieval‑Augmented Generation through its integration with custom knowledge bases, allowing developers to supply documents that Claude can reference during conversations. For mini‑golf businesses, this means the bot can pull in rule sheets, course layouts, and promotional material to provide accurate, on‑the‑spot answers. Claude’s pricing is tiered: a free plan with limited usage and paid plans starting at $3/month for 100,000 tokens and scaling up to $25/month for 500,000 tokens. The UI includes a built‑in chatbot widget that can be added to any website, but customization options are limited compared to dedicated no‑code platforms. Claude emphasizes safety and reduced hallucinations, making it suitable for customer‑facing applications where accuracy is paramount. However, it does not offer a dedicated knowledge graph or visual editor for chat widgets.

Microsoft’s Bing Chat, now branded as Copilot, integrates GPT‑4 technology with a web‑search engine, providing real‑time retrieval of up‑to‑date information. The platform’s RAG capability is built into the chat flow: Bing Chat automatically searches the web for relevant sources and cites them in the response. For mini‑golf venues, this allows the bot to answer queries about local courses, upcoming tournaments, or equipment prices by pulling the latest data from the web. Bing Chat can be embedded into websites via the Microsoft Bot Framework, but the customization options are modest and typically require a developer to set up the bot. Pricing for the Bot Framework is free for low‑volume usage, but higher usage levels require a paid Azure plan. The platform does not provide a visual editor for chat widgets, and persistent memory across sessions is only available through custom implementation.

Google Gemini, part of the Vertex AI suite, offers a high‑performance language model that supports Retrieval‑Augmented Generation through the Vertex AI Document AI and Knowledge Graph services. Developers can upload PDFs, spreadsheets, and other documents, which Gemini can reference during conversations. For mini‑golf operators, this means the bot can pull details from rule books, course maps, and promotional PDFs to give accurate answers. Gemini is available via the Vertex AI API, with pricing based on token usage: $0.005 per 1,000 tokens for the text model and $0.015 per 1,000 tokens for the image model. Embedding the bot into a website requires the use of the Vertex AI chatbot SDK, and developers need to build a custom front‑end or use a third‑party widget. Google’s AI also offers a Knowledge Graph API that can be combined with Gemini for relationship‑aware answers.

Jasper Chat is a conversational AI platform marketed primarily to marketers and content creators. It offers a plug‑in for WordPress and Shopify that can embed a chatbot into a website. The RAG feature is enabled through Jasper’s proprietary knowledge base, where users can upload documents and images that the model pulls from during conversations. For mini‑golf shops, Jasper can answer questions about pricing, store hours, and product recommendations by referencing the uploaded catalog. Jasper’s pricing starts at $99/month for the Starter plan, which includes up to 20,000 tokens per month, and scales up to $499/month for the Enterprise plan. The platform provides a basic drag‑and‑drop interface for setting up prompts, but does not include a full WYSIWYG editor for chat widget styling.

Dialogflow CX is Google Cloud’s enterprise‑grade conversational AI platform. It allows developers to build complex chatbot flows with intent recognition, slot filling, and context management. For RAG, Dialogflow CX can be paired with Google Cloud Storage and the Vertex AI Document AI to fetch relevant documents during a conversation. The platform offers a visual flow builder, making it possible to design conversational paths without coding, though the UI focuses on logic rather than widget styling. Dialogflow CX pricing is based on the number of text or audio requests: $0.002 per text request and $0.006 per audio request, with a free tier of up to 10,000 text requests per month. The platform also supports integration with multiple channels, including web, mobile, and messaging apps. While it can deliver accurate, context‑aware responses, setting up a knowledge‑base integration requires additional steps and custom code.