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Rankings · Worldwide · the PixelCrayons Index

Best Chatbot Development Companies
(October 2026)

By The PixelCrayons team · Updated 26 October 2026 · 11 firms scored

October 2026 edition

Plavno leads with 72.8 out of 100, followed by Azumo and Softermii. We scored 11 firms from 23 candidates on the same public evidence. That means Clutch reviews, chatbot development case studies, published pricing, track record and recent work. PixelCrayons publishes this list and is scored the same way.

The ranking

11 firms
ranked by their score.

Scored out of 100 by the PixelCrayons Index from 23 candidates. Open a firm's scorecard for every source and the date we checked it.

Best Chatbot Development Companies: rank, firm, PixelCrayons Index score, Clutch rating and reviews, minimum project, hourly rate and headquarters
#FirmIndex scoreClutchMin projectHourlyHQ
1Plavno

Banks, insurers and consumer apps wanting voice or text assistants that handle routine customer calls and chats, with handoff to live agents

72.8out of 100
4.9 · 55 reviews$25,000+$25 - $49Alexandria, VA, United States
2Azumo

Companies wanting an LLM chatbot or voice app built into their own systems by a nearshore AI team

70.1out of 100
4.9 · 27 reviews$10,000+$25 - $49San Francisco, CA, United States
3Softermii

Healthcare and startup teams wanting a RAG chat widget built for a fixed price

68.2out of 100
4.9 · 48 reviews$5,000+$25 - $49Los Angeles, CA, United States
4RaftLabs

Startups wanting a conversational interview or chatbot product built in about 12 weeks, text or phone

67.9out of 100
4.9 · 20 reviews$10,000+$25 - $49Dublin, Ireland and Ahmedabad, India
5ScienceSoft

Regulated firms (banking, healthcare, insurance) wanting a chatbot or assistant added to an app or help desk, with indicative chatbot cost ranges on its service page

67.7out of 100
4.8 · 43 reviews$5,000+$50 - $99McKinney, TX, United States
6DATAFOREST

Software platforms wanting an LLM chatbot or voice agent added to their own product, grounded in their data

67.4out of 100
5.0 · 29 reviews$10,000+$50 - $99Kyiv, Ukraine
7Itransition

Retailers and insurers wanting an LLM shopping or staff-onboarding assistant tied into existing systems

66.3out of 100
4.9 · 42 reviews$25,000+$25 - $49Decatur, GA, United States
8NineTwoThree AI Studio

Consumer brands and publishers wanting a public-facing LLM chatbot with guardrails, from campaign bots to RAG search over their own content

65.8out of 100
4.9 · 41 reviews$100,000+$100 - $149Danvers, MA, United States
9EffectiveSoft

Product companies wanting a voice or chat assistant layered onto an existing app and back end

62.6out of 100
4.9 · 19 reviews$25,000+$50 - $99San Diego, CA, United States
10deepsense.ai

Enterprises wanting a voicebot or support chatbot rebuilt or built with evaluation and monitoring, on its own ragbits framework

60.8out of 100
5.0 · 10 reviews$25,000+$100 - $149Warsaw, Poland
11HatchWorks AI

Companies wanting an internal question-answering assistant over their own records and data (technicians, franchise operators)

54.7out of 100
4.9 · 29 reviews$25,000+$50 - $99Atlanta, GA, United States

Clutch figures as shown on each firm's Clutch profile on the date in its scorecard. Profiles: Plavno, Azumo, Softermii, RaftLabs, ScienceSoft, DATAFOREST, Itransition, NineTwoThree AI Studio, EffectiveSoft, deepsense.ai, HatchWorks AI.

What the data shows

What the figures show
about these firms.

Worked out from the 11 firms on this list, as checked on 26 Oct 2026. They change when the figures change.

4.9
Median Clutch rating across the firms listed
29
Median number of Clutch reviews per firm
3 of 11
Firms that publish prices on their own site
0 of 11
Firms with a Clutch minimum project under $5,000
10 of 11
Firms with a dedicated chatbot development service page
11 of 11
Firms with dated work or news in the last 12 months
How to choose

How to choose
the right firm for you.

The score ranks firms overall. Your project decides which one fits. This list is written for businesses that want a chatbot or conversational assistant for support, sales or internal use, built on their own content and systems.

Support that cuts tickets
Look for chatbots tied to your help centre and ticket system, with the share of questions resolved.
A bot that answers from your documents
Look for how the firm grounds answers in your content and what happens when it does not know.
Voice or messaging channels
Look for experience on WhatsApp, web chat or voice, with a live client example.
Scorecards

Every score,
with its sources.

For each firm: its points on each part of the score, who it suits, one thing to check before you choose, and the pages we read.

  1. 1Plavno

    72.8 / 100

    Client evidence
    29.4/35
    Discipline depth
    16.3/30
    Transparency
    8.0/15
    Track record
    9.1/10
    Recent activity
    10.0/10
    Best for
    Banks, insurers and consumer apps wanting voice or text assistants that handle routine customer calls and chats, with handoff to live agents
    Check before you choose
    Clutch shows a $25,000 minimum project; its chatbot cases lean to voice assistants, and none carries a date
    Team
    US address (Alexandria, VA); its counted cases are for clients in Hungary, Bulgaria and Sweden
    Sources
    • Clutch profile: 4.9 from 55 reviews (adjusted 4.82), checked 12 Oct 2026
    • Google reviews: 5.0 from 9 reviews, checked 13 Oct 2026
    • Service page for chatbot development on plavno.io
    • 3 chatbot development case studies counted on the firm's site, for example case 1, 2, 3
    • Most recent: Blog post published, 10 Oct 2026
    • No prices published on the firm's own site.

    Plavno: full profile and score history

  2. 2Azumo

    70.1 / 100

    Client evidence
    25.6/35
    Discipline depth
    13.5/30
    Transparency
    15.0/15
    Track record
    6.0/10
    Recent activity
    10.0/10
    Best for
    Companies wanting an LLM chatbot or voice app built into their own systems by a nearshore AI team
    Check before you choose
    Two client chatbot or voice cases on its own site (its AI receptionist and Charlibot are its own products); Clutch shows a $10,000 minimum project
    Team
    US-based (San Francisco, CA)
    Sources
    • Clutch profile: 4.9 from 27 reviews (adjusted 4.71), checked 12 Oct 2026
    • Google reviews: 4.6 from 20 reviews, checked 13 Oct 2026
    • Service page for chatbot development on azumo.com
    • 2 chatbot development case studies counted on the firm's site, for example case 1, 2
    • Most recent: Clutch review published, 24 Aug 2026
    • Published pricing: Pricing page lists software and AI development at $499 to $899 per Delivery Unit (Starter $899, Growth $699, Platform $499)

    Azumo: full profile and score history

  3. 3Softermii

    68.2 / 100

    Client evidence
    25.8/35
    Discipline depth
    10.8/30
    Transparency
    15.0/15
    Track record
    6.7/10
    Recent activity
    10.0/10
    Best for
    Healthcare and startup teams wanting a RAG chat widget built for a fixed price
    Check before you choose
    One chatbot case study on its own site; its chatbot page says projects are fixed-price but gives no chatbot figures (separate APEX packs are priced from $2,995)
    Team
    US address (Los Angeles, CA)
    Sources
    • Clutch profile: 4.9 from 48 reviews (adjusted 4.68), checked 12 Oct 2026
    • Google reviews: 3.6 from 12 reviews, checked 13 Oct 2026
    • Service page for chatbot development on softermii.com
    • 1 chatbot development case study counted on the firm's site, for example case 1
    • Most recent: Clutch review published, 27 Jul 2026
    • Published pricing: APEX pricing page lists fixed delivery packs: Proof $2,995, Build $10,995, Scale $29,995, plus Care+ at $995 or $2,995 a year

    Softermii: full profile and score history

  4. 4RaftLabs

    67.9 / 100

    Client evidence
    24.1/35
    Discipline depth
    13.5/30
    Transparency
    15.0/15
    Track record
    5.4/10
    Recent activity
    10.0/10
    Best for
    Startups wanting a conversational interview or chatbot product built in about 12 weeks, text or phone
    Check before you choose
    Both counted cases are for one client (Perceptional); its site states projects start at $10,000
    Team
    Offices in Dublin, Ireland and Ahmedabad, India
    Sources
    • Clutch profile: 4.9 from 20 reviews (adjusted 4.70), checked 23 Oct 2026
    • No Google Business listing found, checked 23 Oct 2026.
    • Service page for chatbot development on raftlabs.com
    • 2 chatbot development case studies counted on the firm's site, for example case 1, 2
    • Most recent: Clutch review, 30 Aug 2026
    • Published pricing: Homepage states every project starts at $10,000, an MVP with 1 to 2 core features typically $10,000 to $20,000 and full-featured products typically $20,000 to $40,000; its SaaS page repeats the $10,000 starting price

    RaftLabs: full profile and score history

  5. 5ScienceSoft

    67.7 / 100

    Client evidence
    26.2/35
    Discipline depth
    13.5/30
    Transparency
    8.0/15
    Track record
    10.0/10
    Recent activity
    10.0/10
    Best for
    Regulated firms (banking, healthcare, insurance) wanting a chatbot or assistant added to an app or help desk, with indicative chatbot cost ranges on its service page
    Check before you choose
    Of its two counted cases, one is a chatbot inside a wider app rebuild and one is a configured Dynamics 365 Copilot; its voice scheduler study gives estimated, not measured, results
    Team
    US address (McKinney, TX)
    Sources
    • Clutch profile: 4.8 from 43 reviews (adjusted 4.72), checked 12 Oct 2026
    • Google reviews: 5.0 from 4 reviews, checked 13 Oct 2026
    • Service page for chatbot development on scnsoft.com
    • 2 chatbot development case studies counted on the firm's site, for example case 1, 2
    • Most recent: Case study published, 2 Aug 2026
    • No prices published on the firm's own site.

    ScienceSoft: full profile and score history

  6. 6DATAFOREST

    67.4 / 100

    Client evidence
    27.9/35
    Discipline depth
    16.3/30
    Transparency
    8.0/15
    Track record
    5.3/10
    Recent activity
    10.0/10
    Best for
    Software platforms wanting an LLM chatbot or voice agent added to their own product, grounded in their data
    Check before you choose
    Clutch shows a $10,000 minimum project and a $50 to $99 hourly band; its chatbot cases are anonymised and undated
    Team
    Team in Kyiv, Ukraine
    Sources
    • Clutch profile: 5.0 from 29 reviews (adjusted 4.82), checked 12 Oct 2026
    • Service page for chatbot development on dataforest.ai
    • 3 chatbot development case studies counted on the firm's site, for example case 1, 2, 3
    • Most recent: Clutch review published, 29 Jul 2026
    • No prices published on the firm's own site.

    DATAFOREST: full profile and score history

  7. 7Itransition

    66.3 / 100

    Client evidence
    27.8/35
    Discipline depth
    13.5/30
    Transparency
    8.0/15
    Track record
    7.0/10
    Recent activity
    10.0/10
    Best for
    Retailers and insurers wanting an LLM shopping or staff-onboarding assistant tied into existing systems
    Check before you choose
    Its chatbot cases appear only as summaries on its service page, not as standalone case studies; Clutch shows a $25,000 minimum project
    Team
    US address (Decatur, GA)
    Sources
    • Clutch profile: 4.9 from 42 reviews (adjusted 4.78), checked 12 Oct 2026
    • No Google Business listing found, checked 13 Oct 2026.
    • Service page for chatbot development on itransition.com
    • 2 chatbot development case studies counted on the firm's site, for example case 1, 2
    • Most recent: News item published, 28 Sept 2026
    • No prices published on the firm's own site.

    Itransition: full profile and score history

  8. 8NineTwoThree AI Studio

    65.8 / 100

    Client evidence
    27.2/35
    Discipline depth
    13.5/30
    Transparency
    8.0/15
    Track record
    7.1/10
    Recent activity
    10.0/10
    Best for
    Consumer brands and publishers wanting a public-facing LLM chatbot with guardrails, from campaign bots to RAG search over their own content
    Check before you choose
    Clutch shows a $100,000 minimum project and a $100 to $149 hourly band, the highest floor in this list
    Team
    US-based (Danvers, MA)
    Sources
    • Clutch profile: 4.9 from 41 reviews (adjusted 4.76), checked 12 Oct 2026
    • Google reviews: 4.4 from 7 reviews, checked 13 Oct 2026
    • Service page for chatbot development on ninetwothree.co
    • 2 chatbot development case studies counted on the firm's site, for example case 1, 2
    • Most recent: Case study published, 26 Aug 2026
    • No prices published on the firm's own site.

    NineTwoThree AI Studio: full profile and score history

  9. 9EffectiveSoft

    62.6 / 100

    Client evidence
    23.8/35
    Discipline depth
    10.8/30
    Transparency
    8.0/15
    Track record
    10.0/10
    Recent activity
    10.0/10
    Best for
    Product companies wanting a voice or chat assistant layered onto an existing app and back end
    Check before you choose
    One assistant case study on its own site (a voice assistant for a Tesla owners' app); Clutch shows a $25,000 minimum project
    Team
    US-based (San Diego, CA)
    Sources

    EffectiveSoft: full profile and score history

  10. 10deepsense.ai

    60.8 / 100

    Client evidence
    22.6/35
    Discipline depth
    13.5/30
    Transparency
    8.0/15
    Track record
    6.7/10
    Recent activity
    10.0/10
    Best for
    Enterprises wanting a voicebot or support chatbot rebuilt or built with evaluation and monitoring, on its own ragbits framework
    Check before you choose
    Clutch shows a $25,000 minimum project, a $100 to $149 hourly band and 10 reviews; the telecom chatbot study reports no figures
    Team
    Team in Warsaw, Poland serving US and European clients
    Sources

    deepsense.ai: full profile and score history

  11. 11HatchWorks AI

    54.7 / 100

    Client evidence
    24.7/35
    Discipline depth
    5.5/30
    Transparency
    8.0/15
    Track record
    6.5/10
    Recent activity
    10.0/10
    Best for
    Companies wanting an internal question-answering assistant over their own records and data (technicians, franchise operators)
    Check before you choose
    No dedicated chatbot service page found; its assistants are staff-facing rather than customer-facing; Clutch shows a $25,000 minimum project
    Team
    US-based (Atlanta, GA)
    Sources

    HatchWorks AI: full profile and score history

How this list is made

How this list is made,
and our interest in it.

PixelCrayons publishes this list and is a chatbot development firm itself. It is not on this list. It has no published chatbot development case study yet, and every firm needs one to be listed. ValueCoders, our sister company in the Vinove group, is left out of every list. That way the group never holds two places.

No firm paid to be listed or asked to be. We considered 23 firms and scored those with enough public evidence to score fairly. Every figure links to the page we read it from, with the date.

Read the full PixelCrayons Index method, or download this list as CSV. You are free to reuse our scores and this compilation under CC BY 4.0 if you credit PixelCrayons. The figures we read from Clutch and the firms’ own sites remain theirs. A listed firm can correct its data: email hello@pixelcrayons.com with Rankings correction in the subject line.

If you are weighing PixelCrayons too: Chatbot development at PixelCrayons.

From PixelCrayons

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This box is PixelCrayons's own offer. It plays no part in any score or position on this list.

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Questions

Frequently
asked.

It designs the conversations, connects the bot to your content and systems, tests it, launches it and keeps improving it. Modern builds use large language models grounded in your own documents, and the better firms say how they limit wrong answers.

Every firm is scored out of 100 by the PixelCrayons Index: client reviews on Clutch, depth of chatbot development work, published pricing, track record and recent activity. The weights are fixed and published, and no firm paid to be listed.

Only where it qualifies like any other firm: it must offer the service and show at least one case study in it. When it's listed, it's scored on the same evidence and weights as everyone else and sits wherever that score puts it.

Every month. Each firm's figures are checked again, the scores are recalculated, and the changelog on this page says what moved and why.

Yes. Any listed firm can send a correction with a source to hello@pixelcrayons.com with Rankings correction in the subject line. We check it, update the figure and log the change on this page.

Changelog

What changed
in each edition.

Updated every month. Each edition is checked again from the sources.

  1. First edition: service pages, case studies and recent work read on 26 October 2026, with Clutch and Google figures read by hand.
More rankings

More rankings
scored the same way.