What are the main differences between Chatbase and SimplyRetrieve?

Chatbase excels in Very easy to use with no-code interface and Quick setup (minutes to deploy), scoring 86/100 in user ratings with 87% accuracy. SimplyRetrieve leads in Completely free and open source and Strong privacy focus - fully localized with 82/100 overall rating and 86% accuracy. Key technical difference: Chatbase focuses on No-code chatbot builder while SimplyRetrieve emphasizes Retrieval-Centric Generation (RCG). Pricing differs by $15/month.

Which is better for enterprises: Chatbase or SimplyRetrieve?

Chatbase offers SOC 2 compliance for enterprise security. HIPAA compliance is available in SimplyRetrieve. For scalability, both offer cloud-based deployment options. Chatbase leads with 86/100 enterprise readiness score (65/100 enterprise features).

How much does Chatbase cost vs SimplyRetrieve?

Chatbase starts at $15/monthly (freemium model), while SimplyRetrieve begins at contact sales/forever (open-source model). Both offer free tiers to get started. Pricing is relatively comparable. See our detailed pricing breakdown for complete tier comparisons.

Can I migrate from SimplyRetrieve to Chatbase?

Migration from SimplyRetrieve to Chatbase typically requires API-based data export/import, which Chatbase provides. Chatbase provides comprehensive API access good documentation for the migration process. Estimated migration time: 1-2 days for cloud setup. Contact Chatbase support for migration assistance and best practices.

What integrations do Chatbase and SimplyRetrieve support?

Chatbase integrates with WhatsApp, Slack, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Zapier (10 integrations total). SimplyRetrieve supports Hugging Face models, Gradio, PyTorch, FAISS, Various open-source LLMs (6 integrations available). Both offer REST APIs for custom integrations. Chatbase offers 67% more integrations, with webhook support for real-time data sync.

What are the main differences between Chatbase and SimplyRetrieve?

Chatbase offers strong capabilities, scoring 0/100 in user ratings. SimplyRetrieve provides unique strengths with 0/100 overall rating. Key technical difference: Chatbase focuses on advanced features while SimplyRetrieve emphasizes specialized capabilities.

Which is better for enterprises: Chatbase or SimplyRetrieve?

Both platforms provide enterprise-grade security. HIPAA compliance varies - contact vendors for details. For scalability, both offer cloud-based deployment options. SimplyRetrieve leads with strong/100 enterprise readiness score.

How much does Chatbase cost vs SimplyRetrieve?

Chatbase starts at custom pricing/month (subscription model), while SimplyRetrieve begins at contact sales/month (subscription model). Both require paid plans. Pricing is relatively comparable. See our detailed pricing breakdown for complete tier comparisons.

Can I migrate from Chatbase to SimplyRetrieve?

Migration from Chatbase to SimplyRetrieve typically requires manual data transfer since API access may be limited. SimplyRetrieve offers standard documentation for the migration process. Estimated migration time: 1-2 days for cloud setup. Contact SimplyRetrieve support for migration assistance and best practices.

What integrations do Chatbase and SimplyRetrieve support?

Chatbase integrates with (multiple platforms). SimplyRetrieve supports (various tools). API availability varies by plan. Integration coverage is comparable.

Chatbase vs SimplyRetrieve

Make an informed decision with our comprehensive comparison. Discover which RAG solution perfectly fits your needs.

More about SimplyRetrieve More about Chatbase Get Started Today

Priyansh KhodiyarDevRel at CustomGPT.ai

Fact checked and reviewed by Bill Cava

Published: 01.04.2025Updated: 25.04.2025

In this comprehensive guide, we compare Chatbase and SimplyRetrieve across various parameters including features, pricing, performance, and customer support to help you make the best decision for your business needs.

Overview

When choosing between Chatbase and SimplyRetrieve, understanding their unique strengths and architectural differences is crucial for making an informed decision. Both platforms serve the RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) space but cater to different use cases and organizational needs.

Quick Decision Guide

Choose Chatbase if: you value very easy to use with no-code interface
Choose SimplyRetrieve if: you value completely free and open source

About Chatbase

Chatbase is easy ai chatbot builder for customer service automation. Chatbase is a no-code AI chatbot platform that enables businesses to build custom chatbots trained on their data for customer support, lead generation, and engagement across multiple channels. Founded in 2023, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, the platform has established itself as a reliable solution in the RAG space.

Overall Rating

86/100

Starting Price

$15/mo

About SimplyRetrieve

SimplyRetrieve is lightweight retrieval-centric generative ai platform. SimplyRetrieve is an open-source tool providing a fully localized, lightweight, and user-friendly GUI and API platform for Retrieval-Centric Generation (RCG). It emphasizes privacy and can run on a single GPU while maintaining clear separation between LLM context interpretation and knowledge memorization. Founded in 2019, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the platform has established itself as a reliable solution in the RAG space.

Overall Rating

82/100

Starting Price

Custom

Key Differences at a Glance

In terms of user ratings, both platforms score similarly in overall satisfaction. From a cost perspective, pricing is comparable. The platforms also differ in their primary focus: AI Chatbot versus RAG Platform. These differences make each platform better suited for specific use cases and organizational requirements.

⚠️ What This Comparison Covers

We'll analyze features, pricing, performance benchmarks, security compliance, integration capabilities, and real-world use cases to help you determine which platform best fits your organization's needs. All data is independently verified from official documentation and third-party review platforms.

Detailed Feature Comparison

Chatbase	SimplyRetrieve	CustomGPTRECOMMENDED
Data Ingestion & Knowledge Sources
✅ File Upload – PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, or website URLs/sitemaps for rapid knowledge building ✅ Cloud Storage – Notion, Google Drive, Dropbox integration for automatic updates Learn more ✅ Auto-Retraining – Manual and automatic options keep chatbot current Retraining options	File-Based Workflow – Drop PDFs, DOCX, PPTX, HTML into folder and embed via script GUI Knowledge Editor – Add documents on-the-fly through basic interface Manual Processing – ⚠️ No web crawler or automatic refresh capabilities Local Storage – ✅ All data stays on your machine for air-gapped deployments	1,400+ file formats – PDF, DOCX, Excel, PowerPoint, Markdown, HTML + auto-extraction from ZIP/RAR/7Z archives Website crawling – Sitemap indexing with configurable depth for help docs, FAQs, and public content Multimedia transcription – AI Vision, OCR, YouTube/Vimeo/podcast speech-to-text built-in Cloud integrations – Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive, Dropbox, Notion with auto-sync Knowledge platforms – Zendesk, Freshdesk, HubSpot, Confluence, Shopify connectors Massive scale – 60M words (Standard) / 300M words (Premium) per bot with no performance degradation
Integrations & Channels
✅ Embeddable Widget – Quick snippet drops chatbot onto any site or app ✅ Multi-Platform – Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Teams native connectors View integrations ✅ Zapier Integration – Trigger actions in 5,000+ external apps via chats See Zapier integration	Local Gradio GUI – Python scripts for queries with no pre-built channels No Native Integrations – ⚠️ No Slack, Teams, or website widgets out-of-box Custom Wrappers Required – Build your own connectors to forward messages	Website embedding – Lightweight JS widget or iframe with customizable positioning CMS plugins – WordPress, WIX, Webflow, Framer, SquareSpace native support 5,000+ app ecosystem – Zapier connects CRMs, marketing, e-commerce tools MCP Server – Integrate with Claude Desktop, Cursor, ChatGPT, Windsurf OpenAI SDK compatible – Drop-in replacement for OpenAI API endpoints LiveChat + Slack – Native chat widgets with human handoff capabilities
Core Chatbot Features
✅ RAG Q&A – Retrieval-augmented answers stick to content, reduce hallucinations effectively ✅ 95+ Languages – Global multilingual support without additional configuration Language support ✅ Conversation History – Full chat logs viewable in admin dashboard Conversation history ✅ Lead Capture – Built-in lead generation and human-handoff for complex questions	Open-Source RAG Bot – Runs on local LLMs with streaming responses Single-Turn Q&A – ⚠️ Limited multi-turn conversation and long-term memory Retrieval Tuning Module – Transparency layer showing answer construction process Basic Interactions – No lead capture or human handoff features	✅ #1 accuracy – Median 5/5 in independent benchmarks, 10% lower hallucination than OpenAI ✅ Source citations – Every response includes clickable links to original documents ✅ 93% resolution rate – Handles queries autonomously, reducing human workload ✅ 92 languages – Native multilingual support without per-language config ✅ Lead capture – Built-in email collection, custom forms, real-time notifications ✅ Human handoff – Escalation with full conversation context preserved
Customization & Branding
✅ Brand Customization – Logos, colors, welcome text, icons match your brand perfectly ✅ White-Label – Remove Chatbase branding for polished professional look White-label info ✅ Domain Allowlisting – Bot only runs on approved sites for security Domain restrictions	Plain Gradio Interface – Minimal theming with developer-focused design Source Code Customization – Tweak code or build custom front-end for branding	Full white-labeling included – Colors, logos, CSS, custom domains at no extra cost 2-minute setup – No-code wizard with drag-and-drop interface Persona customization – Control AI personality, tone, response style via pre-prompts Visual theme editor – Real-time preview of branding changes Domain allowlisting – Restrict embedding to approved sites only
L L M Model Options
✅ OpenAI Models – GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 with fast/quality mode toggles Model options ⚠️ Limited Selection – No Claude, Gemini, or open-source LLM options available	WizardVicuna-13B Default – Instruction-tuned open-source model included Hugging Face Compatible – Swap any model with sufficient GPU resources Full Local Control – ✅ No external APIs or cloud dependencies Model Limitations – ⚠️ Smaller models won't match GPT-4 depth	GPT-5.1 models – Latest thinking models (Optimal & Smart variants) GPT-4 series – GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4o available Claude 4.5 – Anthropic's Opus available for Enterprise Auto model routing – Balances cost/performance automatically Zero API key management – All models managed behind the scenes
Developer Experience ( A P I & S D Ks)
✅ REST API – Create, update, query bots with clear documentation and examples API docs ✅ Visual Builder – Drag-and-drop interface speeds initial setup for non-developers	Python Script Interface – No formal REST API or SDK Subprocess Integration – Call scripts directly or build custom wrapper Open Source Access – ✅ Full code access for modification	REST API – Full-featured for agents, projects, data ingestion, chat queries Python SDK – Open-source `customgpt-client` with full API coverage Postman collections – Pre-built requests for rapid prototyping Webhooks – Real-time event notifications for conversations and leads OpenAI compatible – Use existing OpenAI SDK code with minimal changes
Performance & Accuracy
✅ RAG Accuracy – Retrieval-augmented generation keeps answers factual and in context ✅ Model Modes – Fast (speed) or accurate (detail) modes Model modes ✅ Fallback Handling – Human escalation handles edge-case or ambiguous questions gracefully	Slower Inference – ⚠️ 3-10+ seconds per reply on single GPU Decent Accuracy – Good when relevant docs found, struggles with complexity FAISS Vector Search – Fast retrieval using Facebook's library	Sub-second responses – Optimized RAG with vector search and multi-layer caching Benchmark-proven – 13% higher accuracy, 34% faster than OpenAI Assistants API Anti-hallucination tech – Responses grounded only in your provided content OpenGraph citations – Rich visual cards with titles, descriptions, images 99.9% uptime – Auto-scaling infrastructure handles traffic spikes
Customization & Flexibility ( Behavior & Knowledge)
✅ Easy Updates – Re-crawl sites or add files anytime via no-code dashboard ✅ Personas & Prompts – Steer tone and guide conversations easily Persona settings ✅ Multiple Bots – Create multiple bots per account with different domain focus	Deep Parameter Control – Tweak retrieval params, system prompts, knowledge weighting Embedding Model Swap – Replace multilingual-e5-base with alternatives Pipeline Modification – ✅ Full source access for custom logic	Live content updates – Add/remove content with automatic re-indexing System prompts – Shape agent behavior and voice through instructions Multi-agent support – Different bots for different teams Smart defaults – No ML expertise required for custom behavior
Pricing & Scalability
✅ Tiered Plans – Growth $79/mo, Pro/Scale $259/mo, Enterprise custom View pricing ✅ Flexible Limits – Message credits, bots, pages crawled, uploads with add-ons available	MIT Licensed – ✅ Completely free with no subscription fees Infrastructure Costs – Pay only for GPU hardware or cloud servers Manual Scaling – ⚠️ Spin up and manage your own hardware	Standard: $99/mo – 60M words, 10 bots Premium: $449/mo – 300M words, 100 bots Auto-scaling – Managed cloud scales with demand Flat rates – No per-query charges
Security & Privacy
✅ Encryption – HTTPS/TLS in transit, encrypted storage at rest standard ✅ Data Isolation – Workspace-level data isolation with access controls ⚠️ Compliance – Best practices followed but formal certs (SOC 2, HIPAA) not highlighted	100% Local Execution – ✅ Perfect for sensitive data and air-gapped environments No External Transmission – All processing stays on-premises DIY Security – ⚠️ No built-in auth, you implement access controls	SOC 2 Type II + GDPR – Third-party audited compliance Encryption – 256-bit AES at rest, SSL/TLS in transit Access controls – RBAC, 2FA, SSO, domain allowlisting Data isolation – Never trains on your data
Observability & Monitoring
✅ Dashboard Analytics – Chat history, sentiment, usage metrics at a glance ✅ Email Summaries – Daily reports keep teams informed without constant logins	Analysis Tab – Shows retrieved docs and query construction process Console Logging – Basic logs printed to terminal No Dashboard – ⚠️ Add your own monitoring for stats	Real-time dashboard – Query volumes, token usage, response times Customer Intelligence – User behavior patterns, popular queries, knowledge gaps Conversation analytics – Full transcripts, resolution rates, common questions Export capabilities – API export to BI tools and data warehouses
Support & Ecosystem
✅ Email Support – Submit a Request channel for integrations and assistance ✅ Growing Ecosystem – Blog, Product Hunt, agency partner program Submit a request ⚠️ Support Quality – Mixed reviews with complaints about slow response times	Community-Driven – GitHub issues and lightweight documentation Research Foundation – Academic paper (arXiv 2308.03983) on RCG approach No Paid Support – ⚠️ No SLA or enterprise help desk	Comprehensive docs – Tutorials, cookbooks, API references Email + in-app support – Under 24hr response time Premium support – Dedicated account managers for Premium/Enterprise Open-source SDK – Python SDK, Postman, GitHub examples 5,000+ Zapier apps – CRMs, e-commerce, marketing integrations
Additional Considerations
✅ Functions – Bot performs tasks like opening tickets, requires technical configuration ⚠️ OpenAI Only – No Claude, Gemini, or open-source options, vendor lock-in ⚠️ Document Limits – Slices text, struggles with whole-document questions and large knowledge ⚠️ Accuracy Issues – Users report problems transitioning between GPT versions with errors ⚠️ Reliability – Trustpilot reviews cite production breaks, crashes, billing issues post-cancellation	N/A	Time-to-value – 2-minute deployment vs weeks with DIY Always current – Auto-updates to latest GPT models Proven scale – 6,000+ organizations, millions of queries Multi-LLM – OpenAI + Claude reduces vendor lock-in
No- Code Interface & Usability
✅ Guided Dashboard – Non-tech users create bots by entering URLs or uploading files ✅ Quick Deployment – Templates, demos, copy-paste embed snippet Embed instructions ✅ 7-Day Trial – Try everything free before committing to paid plan	N/A	2-minute deployment – Fastest time-to-value in the industry Wizard interface – Step-by-step with visual previews Drag-and-drop – Upload files, paste URLs, connect cloud storage In-browser testing – Test before deploying to production Zero learning curve – Productive on day one
Competitive Positioning
✅ Market Position – No-code chatbot for rapid multi-channel deployment targeting SMBs and support ✅ Target Customers – SMBs needing quick setup, 95+ languages, minimal technical complexity ✅ Key Competitors – Botsonic, SiteGPT, Wonderchat, CustomGPT, other no-code SMB platforms ✅ Advantages – 5+ native messaging platforms, Zapier 5,000+ apps, white-label, RAG accuracy ✅ Pricing Edge – Mid-range $79-$259/mo, straightforward message-credit model, 7-day trial ✅ Best Fit – SMBs needing multi-channel deployment, widget embedding, Zapier automation without developers	Market Position – MIT open-source local RAG for on-premises deployment Target Customers – Developers experimenting locally, strict data isolation orgs Key Competitors – LangChain, LlamaIndex, PrivateGPT, LocalGPT Advantages – ✅ Free MIT license, 100% local, full model control Best For – Offline environments, GPU infrastructure teams, zero cloud costs	Market position – Leading RAG platform balancing enterprise accuracy with no-code usability. Trusted by 6,000+ orgs including Adobe, MIT, Dropbox. Key differentiators – #1 benchmarked accuracy • 1,400+ formats • Full white-labeling included • Flat-rate pricing vs OpenAI – 10% lower hallucination, 13% higher accuracy, 34% faster vs Botsonic/Chatbase – More file formats, source citations, no hidden costs vs LangChain – Production-ready in 2 min vs weeks of development
A I Models
✅ OpenAI Models – GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 with fast/accurate mode toggles ✅ Mode Selection – Fast (speed, GPT-3.5) or accurate (detail, GPT-4) with clear docs ⚠️ Limited Options – OpenAI only, no Claude, Gemini, or open-source LLMs available	WizardVicuna-13B – Default uncensored instruction-tuned model Any Hugging Face Model – Llama 2, Falcon, Mistral with GPU capacity No Vendor Lock-In – ✅ Complete flexibility without API limits Performance Trade-Off – ⚠️ Open models slower than managed cloud APIs	OpenAI – GPT-5.1 (Optimal/Smart), GPT-4 series Anthropic – Claude 4.5 Opus/Sonnet (Enterprise) Auto-routing – Intelligent model selection for cost/performance Managed – No API keys or fine-tuning required
R A G Capabilities
✅ RAG Engine – Factual answers via document grounding and semantic search ✅ Knowledge Base – PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown uploads or website URL/sitemap crawling ✅ Cloud Integration – Notion, Google Drive, Dropbox auto-updates and retraining ✅ Auto-Retraining – Manual and automatic options keep chatbot knowledge current ✅ Fallback Handling – Human escalation for edge-case or ambiguous questions	Retrieval-Centric Generation – Research-backed approach separating LLM from knowledge memorization Mixtures-of-Knowledge-Bases – Multiple knowledge bases with intelligent routing Explicit Prompt-Weighting – Control retrieved content influence on answers Retrieval Transparency – ✅ Visual debugging showing document selection FAISS Search – Fast approximate nearest neighbor retrieval	GPT-4 + RAG – Outperforms OpenAI in independent benchmarks Anti-hallucination – Responses grounded in your content only Automatic citations – Clickable source links in every response Sub-second latency – Optimized vector search and caching Scale to 300M words – No performance degradation at scale
Use Cases
✅ Multi-Channel Support – Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Teams native connectors ✅ Website Embedding – Quick snippet drops widget onto any site for immediate deployment ✅ Lead Generation – Built-in capture and contact collection for sales pipeline ✅ Multilingual – 95+ languages for global audiences without extra configuration ✅ Zapier Automation – Trigger actions in 5,000+ apps based on chat interactions ✅ Task Automation – Functions perform tasks like opening tickets without leaving chat	Air-Gapped Environments – ✅ Defense, classified research requiring offline operation Healthcare PHI Compliance – HIPAA organizations needing 100% data isolation RAG Research – Developers learning internals with full transparency Zero-Cost RAG – Teams with GPU infrastructure avoiding subscriptions Data Sovereignty – Strict data residency preventing cloud processing	Customer support – 24/7 AI handling common queries with citations Internal knowledge – HR policies, onboarding, technical docs Sales enablement – Product info, lead qualification, education Documentation – Help centers, FAQs with auto-crawling E-commerce – Product recommendations, order assistance
Security & Compliance
✅ Encryption – HTTPS/TLS in transit, encrypted storage at rest with best practices ✅ Data Isolation – Workspace-level access controls and data isolation ✅ Domain Controls – Allowlisting ensures bot runs only on approved sites ✅ Enterprise SLAs – Custom pricing includes SLAs, priority support, and CSM ⚠️ Certifications – Formal certs (SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001) not publicly highlighted	Complete Data Isolation – ✅ Ideal for classified, PHI, PII data No Third-Party APIs – Zero external calls to cloud providers Open-Source Auditing – Full code transparency for security reviews Self-Managed Security – ⚠️ You control all security layers	SOC 2 Type II + GDPR – Regular third-party audits, full EU compliance 256-bit AES encryption – Data at rest; SSL/TLS in transit SSO + 2FA + RBAC – Enterprise access controls with role-based permissions Data isolation – Never trains on customer data Domain allowlisting – Restrict chatbot to approved domains
Pricing & Plans
✅ Growth Plan – $79/mo with message credits, bots, pages crawled, file uploads ✅ Pro/Scale Plan – $259/mo with increased limits for larger deployments and teams ✅ Enterprise Plan – Custom pricing with Pro features, higher limits, SLAs, CSM ✅ Add-Ons – Extra credits, bots, pages, uploads available when exceeding plan limits ✅ 7-Day Trial – Try everything free before committing to paid plan	MIT License – ✅ Free with no subscription or API charges GPU Costs Only – Hardware or cloud compute are sole expenses Unlimited Queries – No per-request pricing or rate limits	Standard: $99/mo – 10 chatbots, 60M words, 5K items/bot Premium: $449/mo – 100 chatbots, 300M words, 20K items/bot Enterprise: Custom – SSO, dedicated support, custom SLAs 7-day free trial – Full Standard access, no charges Flat-rate pricing – No per-query charges, no hidden costs
Support & Documentation
✅ Email Support – Submit a Request channel for integrations and assistance ✅ Enterprise Support – Priority support, SLAs, dedicated CSM on Enterprise plan ✅ Documentation – Blog posts, guides, knowledge base, agency partner program ⚠️ Support Quality – Mixed reviews, frequent complaints about slow response times and billing	GitHub Repository – Code, docs, and examples at RCGAI/SimplyRetrieve Academic Paper – arXiv 2308.03983 explaining RCG architecture Community Support – GitHub Issues for troubleshooting No Paid Support – ⚠️ Community-driven only, no SLAs	Documentation hub – Docs, tutorials, API references Support channels – Email, in-app chat, dedicated managers (Premium+) Open-source – Python SDK, Postman, GitHub examples Community – User community + 5,000 Zapier integrations
Limitations & Considerations
⚠️ No Custom Flows – Cannot create custom chatbot conversation paths for sophisticated workflows ⚠️ Clunky Lead Gen – Data collection described as clunky, some users disable feature ⚠️ Document Limits – Slices text, struggles with whole-document questions and large training datasets ⚠️ Expensive Tiers – Users find plans expensive after basic tier for essential features ⚠️ Accuracy Problems – GPT version transitions cause incorrect responses, information leakage reported ⚠️ Reliability Issues – Production breaks, crashes, billing after cancellation per Trustpilot reviews	Developer-Only Tool – ⚠️ Requires Python, GPU, and technical expertise GPU Infrastructure Required – ⚠️ Dedicated hardware or cloud GPU needed Basic UI – Gradio interface needs custom front-end for production Manual Scaling – ⚠️ No auto-scaling, you manage load balancing No Enterprise Features – Missing multi-tenancy, user management, analytics Slower Inference – ⚠️ 3-10+ seconds vs sub-second cloud APIs	Managed service – Less control over RAG pipeline vs build-your-own Model selection – OpenAI + Anthropic only; no Cohere, AI21, open-source Real-time data – Requires re-indexing; not ideal for live inventory/prices Enterprise features – Custom SSO only on Enterprise plan
Core Agent Features
✅ AI Agents (2024) – Evolved from chatbot to full agent with action-taking capabilities ✅ System Actions – Direct connections: Stripe, Cal.com, Zendesk, Calendly, Web Search, Custom API ✅ Advanced Reasoning – OpenAI o3-mini integration for multi-step complex issue reasoning ✅ Model Flexibility – Choose GPT-4o, Claude 3.7, Grok 4, Gemini 2.0 per agent ✅ Task Automation – Functions perform tasks like tickets, orders, bookings in real-time ⚠️ No Custom Flows – Cannot create custom conversation paths for sophisticated designs	Retrieval-Centric Generation – Research approach separating reasoning from knowledge Retrieval Tuning Module – ✅ Developer transparency showing document selection Knowledge Base Mixing – Route queries across multiple sources Single-Turn Focus – ⚠️ Limited multi-turn conversation memory No Chatbot UI – ⚠️ Gradio for developers only No Production Features – ⚠️ No lead capture, handoff, or multi-channel support	Custom AI Agents – Autonomous GPT-4/Claude agents for business tasks Multi-Agent Systems – Specialized agents for support, sales, knowledge Memory & Context – Persistent conversation history across sessions Tool Integration – Webhooks + 5,000 Zapier apps for automation Continuous Learning – Auto re-indexing without manual retraining
R A G-as-a- Service Assessment
✅ Platform Type – No-code chatbot with RAG, not pure RAG-as-a-Service API platform ✅ RAG Implementation – Retrieval-augmented Q&A with document grounding and semantic search ✅ Knowledge Training – PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, URLs, cloud storage integration (Notion, Drive, Dropbox) ✅ Conversational Memory – Multi-turn context throughout interaction, not independent queries ✅ Multi-Channel RAG – Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Teams for RAG-powered conversations ⚠️ Target Market – SMBs needing quick deployment, not developers requiring deep RAG customization	NOT RAG-AS-A-SERVICE – Open-source research project for local experimentation Academic Foundation – Published research tool from RCGAI (arXiv 2308.03983) Self-Hosted Only – ⚠️ No managed infrastructure, APIs, or SLAs Developer-First Design – Python with GPU infrastructure requirements 100% Local Execution – ✅ Perfect for air-gapped and classified environments No Service Features – ⚠️ No auth, multi-tenancy, analytics, or SaaS conveniences	Platform type – TRUE RAG-AS-A-SERVICE with managed infrastructure API-first – REST API, Python SDK, OpenAI compatibility, MCP Server No-code option – 2-minute wizard deployment for non-developers Hybrid positioning – Serves both dev teams (APIs) and business users (no-code) Enterprise ready – SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, WCAG 2.0, flat-rate pricing

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Final Thoughts

Final Verdict: Chatbase vs SimplyRetrieve

After analyzing features, pricing, performance, and user feedback, both Chatbase and SimplyRetrieve are capable platforms that serve different market segments and use cases effectively.

When to Choose Chatbase

You value very easy to use with no-code interface
Quick setup (minutes to deploy)
Unique revise answer feature for accuracy

Best For: Very easy to use with no-code interface

When to Choose SimplyRetrieve

You value completely free and open source
Strong privacy focus - fully localized
Lightweight - runs on single GPU

Best For: Completely free and open source

Migration & Switching Considerations

Switching between Chatbase and SimplyRetrieve requires careful planning. Consider data export capabilities, API compatibility, and integration complexity. Both platforms offer migration support, but expect 2-4 weeks for complete transition including testing and team training.

Pricing Comparison Summary

Chatbase starts at $15/month, while SimplyRetrieve begins at custom pricing. Total cost of ownership should factor in implementation time, training requirements, API usage fees, and ongoing support. Enterprise deployments typically see annual costs ranging from $10,000 to $500,000+ depending on scale and requirements.

Our Recommendation Process

Start with a free trial - Both platforms offer trial periods to test with your actual data
Define success metrics - Response accuracy, latency, user satisfaction, cost per query
Test with real use cases - Don't rely on generic demos; use your production data
Evaluate total cost - Factor in implementation time, training, and ongoing maintenance
Check vendor stability - Review roadmap transparency, update frequency, and support quality

For most organizations, the decision between Chatbase and SimplyRetrieve comes down to specific requirements rather than overall superiority. Evaluate both platforms with your actual data during trial periods, focusing on accuracy, latency, ease of integration, and total cost of ownership.

📚 Next Steps

Ready to make your decision? We recommend starting with a hands-on evaluation of both platforms using your specific use case and data.

• Review: Check the detailed feature comparison table above
• Test: Sign up for free trials and test with real queries
• Calculate: Estimate your monthly costs based on expected usage
• Decide: Choose the platform that best aligns with your requirements

Last updated: December 26, 2025 | This comparison is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the latest platform capabilities, pricing, and user feedback.

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Priyansh Khodiyar

DevRel at CustomGPT.ai. Passionate about AI and its applications. Here to help you navigate the world of AI tools and make informed decisions for your business.

Chatbase vs SimplyRetrieve