botBrains vs. BOTfriends
Why teams choose botBrains over BOTfriends
Both are German AI agent vendors with EU hosting. The difference is who they build for: BOTfriends for the upper mid-market to enterprise, botBrains for SMB support teams.
Comparison table
botBrains and BOTfriends, side by side
| botBrains | BOTfriends | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Support teams in DACHSMBs with at least two support agents, mostly in ecommerce, sports, events and SaaS. | Upper mid-market to enterpriseAccording to BOTfriends, for high request volumes with a focus on phone, e.g. utilities, housing companies and transit operators. It recommends its trial from 2,500 requests a month. | |
| Company | Independent, based in BerlinbotBrains GmbH, founded in 2023. Your first call is with one of the founders. | Since 2017, from Würzburg and MunichBOTfriends GmbH, registered at the Würzburg local court. Solutions and success managers guide projects, backed by the BOTfriends Academy. BOTfriends: Official informationBOTfriends: Imprintbotfriends.de | |
| Data residency | EU hosting for every customerApplication data in Frankfurt, servers in Germany, AI processing in the EU. No third-country transfer, for every customer. | EU hosting, data in GermanyAccording to BOTfriends, all components run in the EU and customer data is stored encrypted on certified servers in Germany. A DPA is available to every customer. | |
| AI models | Fixed models, in the EUOpenAI with EU data residency and zero data retention, Azure OpenAI in the EU, Claude via AWS Bedrock in Frankfurt. No training on your data. | Free model choice, including your ownManaged models from Microsoft or Google, or your own Azure OpenAI, OpenAI or Google instances. Plus NLU, with fixed rules for critical process steps. | |
| Helpdesk | Works inside Zendesk and SalesforceAnswers tickets, sets fields and status, escalates with an internal note. botBrains is not a helpdesk: your team stays in its tool. | Own handover inbox plus integrationsHandover in its own human handover tool or in Lime Connect and iAdvize. In Zendesk the agent creates tickets; in Salesforce it reads and writes customer data and cases. BOTfriends Docs: HandoverBOTfriends: ZendeskBOTfriends: Salesforce | |
| Channels | Chat, email and phoneWebsite chat, app and Slack, email via Zendesk and Salesforce, inbound and outbound phone. WhatsApp Business by invitation. | Phone, chat, messengers and emailWebsite, app, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, Slack, Microsoft Teams and other messengers, plus phone, SMS and email. BOTfriends: Official informationBOTfriends Docs: Channelsbotfriends.de | |
| Phone | Own number, call forwarding or SIPGerman number right away, forwarding of your existing number or SIP on request. Live transfer to your team, SMS and outbound calls. | SIP, forwarding and contact centerConnects via call forwarding or SIP, with integrations for Genesys, Avaya and CASERIS. Voices from ElevenLabs, Google, Microsoft and Azure OpenAI to choose from. BOTfriends: AI VoicebotBOTfriends: IntegrationsBOTfriends: CASERIS | |
| Actions & systems | Unitools: actions as codePython code in an isolated environment reaches APIs, databases and ERP systems, plus MCP servers such as Shopify and Stripe. | AI Workflows in a no-code editorWorkflows read and write via API to CRM, ERP and billing systems, with connectors such as Schleupen, Wilken and SAP. A human supervisor can review and approve runs. BOTfriends: AI WorkflowsBOTfriends: Official informationBOTfriends: Integrations | |
| Implementation | Guided rolloutWe connect systems, set up processes and test together, with a dedicated rollout manager for ticketing. Most customers go live in 1 to 2 weeks. | Guided, usually under four weeksAccording to BOTfriends, an FAQ agent is ready in minutes, first AI agents typically go live in under four weeks, and complex projects take 4 to 8 weeks. Solution managers handle integrations. | |
| Trial & contract | Paid pilot with an exitNo free trial. Every contract starts with a special right of termination, usually in the first 30 days. Terms are usually 12 months. | 14-day free trialGuided trial access with no credit card, intended for 2,500+ requests a month. After that, BOTfriends offers a pilot from €500 a month, fully creditable. | |
| Pricing: chat | €0.19 per AI answerOn average 2 answers per chat, so €0.38 per conversation. No per-seat fees, so invite your whole team. AI analytics included. | Platform license from €1,500 a monthPer BOTfriends, including onboarding, a success manager and support. The license includes a fixed request volume; tier prices above it are not on the pricing page. BOTfriends: Official informationBOTfriends: AI agent costsBOTfriends: Pricing | |
| Pricing: ticketing | €0.56 per AI answerAbout €0.85 per ticket, from €1,700 a month. No seats, rollout manager included. | Email within the platform packageEmail automation is part of BOTfriends X; no price per email or ticket is listed. The pricing page shows BOTfriends X from €3,000 a month. | |
| Pricing: phone | €0.40 per minuteOne per-minute price, number included, from €400 a month. Time after a transfer is free. botbrains.io/pricingbotbrains.io/ki-telefonassistentDocs: Phone | Minute allowance within the licenseThe platform fee includes a fixed allowance of call minutes, with tiered pricing above it. BOTfriends lists no per-minute price, and there are no setup fees. |
As of October 12, 2026. BOTfriends information from public sources by BOTfriends (website, pricing page and documentation). botBrains and BOTfriends prices in euros. Where BOTfriends lists different entry prices, we quote the linked page.
The top reasons teams choose botBrains
Built for teams your size.
BOTfriends targets the upper mid-market to enterprise and recommends its trial from 2,500 requests a month. botBrains is built for SMBs with two or more support agents, with chat from €570 a month.
Works right inside your helpdesk.
botBrains answers email tickets in Zendesk and Salesforce, sets fields and status and escalates with an internal note. According to its product page, BOTfriends email automation starts by forwarding mail to a BOTfriends address.
Live fast, on the phone too.
Most botBrains customers go live in 1 to 2 weeks, and phone usually in under two hours. BOTfriends cites under four weeks for first AI agents and 4 to 8 weeks for complex projects.
What AI customer service looks like with botBrains
90% of requests automated
Ballsportdirekt answers about 14,000 requests a year with AI, including order status from its own ERP.
90.4% CSAT in fan service
ERWIN resolves more than 90% of fan requests directly in chat and supports the team in Salesforce.
79.6% resolution rate
AI lighting advisor Kira held more than 5,000 conversations in three months, with live product data from Shopify.
1,000+ prospects advised
OMR Education recommends the right courses to website visitors and answers questions in real time.
botBrains is a strong service offering for skapetze® that we can provide to our customers as 24-hour support. The setup as well as the support are remarkably good.
Guido HuberSenior Management at skapetze®How we make switching from BOTfriends easy.
Switching AI agents is nobody’s favorite project. So here is exactly how it works.
Book a demo- 1
You don’t pay twice.
Still under contract with BOTfriends? On a 12-month deal, we waive our fees for the months you’re still paying BOTfriends, up to the amount you pay there.
- 2
We build on your setup.
Together we go through your requests, channels and the processes BOTfriends handles today. botBrains reads your help center, website, PDFs and past tickets, and we rebuild your integrations with you.
- 3
We switch over step by step.
You forward your hotline to your botBrains number, and it is usually live in under two hours. Chat and email start with drafts for your team before the agent answers on its own. You keep a special right of termination early on.
Our honest comparison promise
Most comparison pages are sales collateral in table form. Pick the rows carefully and you win every table.
Competition is good. One-sided comparisons are not.
So here is our rule: every row cites public sources, both products get the same level of detail, and we show where BOTfriends is the better choice. If you spot a wrong or outdated claim, email us at info@botbrains.io. We will check it and correct it.
Liam van der Viven
Co-Founder & CEO, botBrains
Where BOTfriends may be a better fit.
Your contact center runs on Genesys or Avaya.
BOTfriends connects voice and chat agents to Genesys, Avaya and CASERIS and comes with its own handover inbox. botBrains connects phone via forwarding or SIP and has no ready-made Genesys or Avaya integration.
You want to use your own language model.
With BOTfriends you pick managed models or connect your own Azure OpenAI, OpenAI or Google instances, plus voices from ElevenLabs to Microsoft. botBrains works with fixed models in the EU.
You are a utility or transit operator.
BOTfriends connects industry systems such as Schleupen, Wilken and PTnova and names around 30 municipal utilities as customers. botBrains comes mostly from ecommerce, sports, events and SaaS.
Questions and answers.
What teams ask most often when they compare botBrains and BOTfriends.
BOTfriends is a vendor from Würzburg and Munich, founded in 2017. Its platform BOTfriends X routes requests to several specialized AI agents for phone, chat and email, with a focus on the phone hotline. According to BOTfriends, it targets the upper mid-market to enterprise and is billed as a platform license.
botBrains is an AI agent from Berlin for SMB support teams. It works inside Zendesk and Salesforce, in website chat and on the phone, and we guide the rollout personally. It is billed per AI answer and per phone minute, at prices listed on our website.