Chatbot and conversational AI builder · checked 28 Sept 2026
DeskFerry vs Botpress
Botpress is for building the bot your customers talk to: a Studio of workflows, nodes and knowledge bases, deployed to WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram and web chat. DeskFerry is for the work your team does, not the conversation. Plenty of teams need both.
Choose Botpress when
- you're building a customer-facing chatbot for WhatsApp, Telegram or web chat
- you need precise control over each turn of the conversation
- you want a free tier to prototype on
Choose DeskFerry when
- the job is internal: reconciling, reporting, updating records
- you want to brief an agent, not design a conversation tree
- the people using it are your team, in Slack
01 · Built for
Botpress: customer conversations
DeskFerry: back-office jobs
02 · Builder
Botpress: Studio: workflows, nodes, cards
DeskFerry: a written brief
03 · Priced by
Botpress: conversations per month
DeskFerry: credits per job
04 · Entry price
Botpress: free 25 conversations, Plus $150/mo yearly
DeskFerry: $49/mo, 7-day trial
A bot vs an agent
An order-status question comes in on WhatsApp. Then what?
In Botpress you design how the bot talks: nodes, instructions, a knowledge base. DeskFerry picks up the internal work that comes after, when the answer is 'we'll sort that out'.
Help customers with order status. Look up the order by number. If it's late, apologise and open a case.
Precise control over what the customer hears on every channel. Resolving the case itself, in the warehouse and courier systems, happens elsewhere.
Brief
When a late-order case is opened, check the shipment with the courier, chase the warehouse if it hasn't left, and if it's more than five days late issue a 10% credit in Shopify. Update the case with what you did.
Allowed apps
Last run
- Picked up case #2207 for order 55120
- Courier shows the label created but no scan for 6 days
- Emailed the warehouse lead with the order and SKU
- Six days late: issued a 10% store credit in Shopify
- Posted a summary in #ops; replied on the case
The bot keeps the customer informed; the agent fixes the underlying problem.
Feature by feature
Where each one wins
| Feature | Botpress | DeskFerry | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer-facing chatbot | The core product | Simple chat widget only | Botpress |
| Channels | WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Viber, SMS, web chat; voice on Enterprise | Web app, Slack, chat widget | Botpress |
| Conversation control | Standard and Autonomous Nodes, cards, knowledge bases | Not a conversation designer | Botpress |
| Back-office work across apps | Via API cards you build | The core product: 1,500+ apps | DeskFerry |
| Who builds it | Visual Studio, with code when needed | Anyone who can describe the job | DeskFerry |
| Pricing basis | Conversations per month, AI spend bundled | Credits per job | Depends |
| Free option | Free plan: 25 conversations a month | 7-day free trial | Botpress |
Sources: botpress.com/pricing · Botpress pricing update, May 2026 · Botpress docs: nodes · checked 28 Sept 2026
Straight talk
When to stay on Botpress
You're building the bot customers talk to
A multi-channel customer bot with precise turn-by-turn control is what Botpress is for. DeskFerry doesn't do that.
WhatsApp or Telegram is the channel
Botpress has native channel integrations. DeskFerry's surfaces are the web app, Slack and a web chat widget.
Developers want to own the bot
Studio supports code-based building, which suits teams embedding a custom bot in their product.
FAQ
Botpress questions
How is Botpress priced?
Per conversation. Free includes 25 conversations a month; Plus is $150 a month billed yearly for 250; Team is $750 a month billed yearly for 1,500. Since May 2026, AI spend is bundled into each plan.
Does Botpress do voice?
A voice channel is part of the Enterprise plan. DeskFerry has no voice channel at all.
Can DeskFerry replace my Botpress bot?
Usually not. DeskFerry isn't a customer chatbot builder. It pairs well with one: the bot opens a case, and a DeskFerry agent resolves it across your internal tools.
Do I need a developer for Botpress?
Not for simple bots, since Studio is visual. Complex bots with API cards and custom logic usually get a developer involved. DeskFerry agents are set up with a brief and connected apps.
Let the bot talk. Let an agent fix it.
Brief an agent on what happens after your bot opens a case.