In this comprehensive guide, we compare Fastbots 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 Fastbots 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 Fastbots if: you value best value for multi-llm access - $19.99/month for gpt-4, claude, and gemini (vs competitors at $50-100/month)
Choose SimplyRetrieve if: you value completely free and open source
About Fastbots
Fastbots is ai chatbot platform with 80+ integrations and white-label agency features. Fastbots is a multi-LLM chatbot platform with 80+ native integrations, visual flow builder, and comprehensive white-labeling for agencies. It offers intelligent routing across GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini with competitive pricing starting at $19.99/month, but lacks enterprise certifications and has inconsistent performance across different LLMs. Founded in 2023, headquartered in United States, the platform has established itself as a reliable solution in the RAG space.
Overall Rating
96/100
Starting Price
$19.99/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, Fastbots in overall satisfaction. From a cost perspective, pricing is comparable. The platforms also differ in their primary focus: Chatbot Platform 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
Fastbots
SimplyRetrieve
CustomGPTRECOMMENDED
Data Ingestion & Knowledge Sources
Website crawling: Enter URL and auto-extract content with configurable depth
Document upload: PDF, DOCX, TXT, CSV files
Audio and video ingestion: Upload media files for transcription and knowledge extraction
Plain text input: Paste or type content directly
Storage limits: 400K characters (Free), 11 million characters (Starter+)
Auto-retrain: Configurable schedule for knowledge base updates (daily, weekly, monthly)
Note: No native Google Drive, Dropbox, or Notion integrations - requires manual export or API setup
Note: No YouTube transcript auto-ingestion - video must be uploaded as file
Note: 11M character limit can fill quickly with comprehensive documentation (e.g., enterprise KB with 100+ articles)
Sitemap support: Bulk import from XML sitemaps
Uses a hands-on, file-based flow: drop PDFs, text, DOCX, PPTX, HTML, etc. into a folder and run a script to embed them.
A new GUI Knowledge-Base editor lets you add docs on the fly, but there’s no web crawler or auto-refresh yet.
Lets you ingest more than 1,400 file formats—PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, HTML, and many more—via simple drag-and-drop or API.
Crawls entire sites through sitemaps and URLs, automatically indexing public help-desk articles, FAQs, and docs.
Turns multimedia into text on the fly: YouTube videos, podcasts, and other media are auto-transcribed with built-in OCR and speech-to-text.
View Transcription Guide
Connects to Google Drive, SharePoint, Notion, Confluence, HubSpot, and more through API connectors or Zapier.
See Zapier Connectors
Supports both manual uploads and auto-sync retraining, so your knowledge base always stays up to date.
L L M Model Options
OpenAI models: GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-3.5 Turbo
Anthropic Claude 3: Opus (most capable), Sonnet (balanced), Haiku (fast)
Google Gemini Pro 1.5
Meta Llama 3.1
Model selection: User chooses specific LLM per chatbot
Intelligent routing: Assign different models to different conversation scenarios (e.g., GPT-4 for complex, GPT-3.5 for simple)
Cost optimization: Route simple queries to cheaper models, complex to GPT-4
Note: Performance varies by model: Users report GPT-4 works best, Claude/Gemini show inconsistencies
No API key requirement: Models included in subscription (vs bring-your-own-key platforms)
Defaults to WizardVicuna-13B, but you can swap in any Hugging Face model if you have the GPUs.
Full control over model choice, though smaller open models won’t match GPT-4 for depth.
Taps into top models—OpenAI’s GPT-5.1 series, GPT-4 series, and even Anthropic’s Claude for enterprise needs (4.5 opus and sonnet, etc ).
Automatically balances cost and performance by picking the right model for each request.
Model Selection Details
Uses proprietary prompt engineering and retrieval tweaks to return high-quality, citation-backed answers.
Handles all model management behind the scenes—no extra API keys or fine-tuning steps for you.
Performance & Accuracy
GPT-4 performance: Highest accuracy and consistency reported by users
Claude 3 performance: Mixed results - some users report hallucinations and off-topic responses
Gemini Pro performance: Inconsistent accuracy noted in user reviews
Overall accuracy: ~85% with optimal model selection (GPT-4)
Response time: Real-time streaming for faster perceived performance
Uptime: ~99.5% estimated from user feedback
Note: No published SLA commitments
Conversation memory: Context retention across messages within session
Open-source models run slower than managed clouds—expect a few to 10 + seconds per reply on a single GPU.
Accuracy is fine when the right doc is found, but smaller models can struggle on complex, multi-hop queries.
Delivers sub-second replies with an optimized pipeline—efficient vector search, smart chunking, and caching.
Independent tests rate median answer accuracy at 5/5—outpacing many alternatives.
Benchmark Results
Always cites sources so users can verify facts on the spot.
Maintains speed and accuracy even for massive knowledge bases with tens of millions of words.
White-label from Starter plan vs enterprise-only at competitors ($199+)
Market position: MIT-licensed open-source local RAG solution running entirely on-premises with open-source LLMs (no cloud dependency), designed for developers and tinkerers
Target customers: Developers experimenting with RAG locally, organizations with strict data isolation requirements (healthcare, government, defense), and teams wanting complete control without cloud costs or vendor dependencies
Key competitors: LangChain/LlamaIndex (frameworks), PrivateGPT, LocalGPT, and cloud RAG platforms for teams needing simplicity
Competitive advantages: Completely free and open-source (MIT license) with no fees or subscriptions, 100% local execution keeping all data on-premises, full control over model choice (any Hugging Face model), Python-based with full source code access for customization, "Retrieval Tuning Module" for transparency into answer generation, and zero external dependencies beyond local compute
Pricing advantage: Completely free with MIT license; only cost is GPU hardware or cloud compute; best value for teams with existing GPU infrastructure wanting to avoid subscription costs; requires technical expertise and hands-on maintenance
Use case fit: Ideal for offline/air-gapped environments requiring complete data isolation (defense, healthcare with strict PHI requirements), developers learning RAG internals and experimenting locally, and organizations with GPU infrastructure wanting zero cloud costs and complete control over LLM stack without vendor dependencies
Market position: Leading all-in-one RAG platform balancing enterprise-grade accuracy with developer-friendly APIs and no-code usability for rapid deployment
Target customers: Mid-market to enterprise organizations needing production-ready AI assistants, development teams wanting robust APIs without building RAG infrastructure, and businesses requiring 1,400+ file format support with auto-transcription (YouTube, podcasts)
Key competitors: OpenAI Assistants API, Botsonic, Chatbase.co, Azure AI, and custom RAG implementations using LangChain
Competitive advantages: Industry-leading answer accuracy (median 5/5 benchmarked), 1,400+ file format support with auto-transcription, SOC 2 Type II + GDPR compliance, full white-labeling included, OpenAI API endpoint compatibility, hosted MCP Server support (Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT), generous data limits (60M words Standard, 300M Premium), and flat monthly pricing without per-query charges
Pricing advantage: Transparent flat-rate pricing at $99/month (Standard) and $449/month (Premium) with generous included limits; no hidden costs for API access, branding removal, or basic features; best value for teams needing both no-code dashboard and developer APIs in one platform
Use case fit: Ideal for businesses needing both rapid no-code deployment and robust API capabilities, organizations handling diverse content types (1,400+ formats, multimedia transcription), teams requiring white-label chatbots with source citations for customer-facing or internal knowledge projects, and companies wanting all-in-one RAG without managing ML infrastructure
A I Models
OpenAI models: GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-3.5 Turbo with user selection per chatbot
Anthropic Claude 3: Opus (most capable), Sonnet (balanced), Haiku (fast)
Google Gemini Pro 1.5 for multimodal capabilities
Meta Llama 3.1 open-source alternative
Intelligent routing: Assign different models to different conversation scenarios (e.g., GPT-4 for complex, GPT-3.5 for simple)
Cost optimization: Route simple queries to cheaper models (GPT-3.5), complex to premium (GPT-4)
No API key requirement: Models included in subscription vs bring-your-own-key platforms
Performance variance: User reports indicate GPT-4 works best, Claude/Gemini show inconsistencies
Hugging Face Compatibility: Swap in any Hugging Face model with sufficient GPU resources (Llama 2, Falcon, Mistral, etc.)
Full Local Control: Models run entirely on-premises with no external API calls or cloud dependencies
Embedding Model: Default multilingual-e5-base for retrieval with option to swap for other embedding models
Model Customization: Fine-tune or quantize models for specific use cases and hardware constraints
No Vendor Lock-In: Complete flexibility to use any open-source LLM without subscription fees or API limits
GPU Requirements: Smaller models may not match GPT-4 depth but enable complete data isolation and zero operational costs
Primary models: GPT-5.1 and 4 series from OpenAI, and Anthropic's Claude 4.5 (opus and sonnet) for enterprise needs
Automatic model selection: Balances cost and performance by automatically selecting the appropriate model for each request
Model Selection Details
Proprietary optimizations: Custom prompt engineering and retrieval enhancements for high-quality, citation-backed answers
Managed infrastructure: All model management handled behind the scenes - no API keys or fine-tuning required from users
Anti-hallucination technology: Advanced mechanisms ensure chatbot only answers based on provided content, improving trust and factual accuracy
R A G Capabilities
Website crawling: Auto-extract content with configurable depth from URL entry
Document upload: PDF, DOCX, TXT, CSV files with 11 million character storage limit (Starter+)
Audio and video ingestion: Upload media files for transcription and knowledge extraction
Auto-retrain scheduling: Configurable updates (daily, weekly, monthly) for knowledge base freshness
Sitemap support: Bulk import from XML sitemaps for comprehensive site coverage
Conversation memory: Context retention across messages within session
Overall accuracy: ~85% with optimal model selection (GPT-4 performs best)
Response time: Real-time streaming for faster perceived performance
Limitations: No native Google Drive, Dropbox, or Notion integrations; 11M character limit fills quickly with comprehensive documentation
Retrieval-Centric Generation (RCG): Research-backed approach explicitly separating LLM roles from knowledge memorization for more efficient implementation
Retrieval Tuning Module: Transparency into answer generation showing which documents were retrieved and how queries were built
Mixtures-of-Knowledge-Bases (MoKB): Multiple selectable knowledge bases with intelligent routing between knowledge sources
Explicit Prompt-Weighting (EPW): Control over retrieved knowledge base weighting in final answer generation
FAISS Vector Search: Fast approximate nearest neighbor search using Facebook's FAISS library for efficient retrieval
On-the-Fly Knowledge Base Creation: Drag-and-drop documents in GUI to create knowledge bases without manual preprocessing
Analysis Tab: Visual debugging showing document retrieval process and query construction for transparency
Multiple Document Support: Handles PDFs, text files, DOCX, PPTX, HTML, and other common formats
Core architecture: GPT-4 combined with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technology, outperforming OpenAI in RAG benchmarks
RAG Performance
Anti-hallucination technology: Advanced mechanisms reduce hallucinations and ensure responses are grounded in provided content
Benchmark Details
Automatic citations: Each response includes clickable citations pointing to original source documents for transparency and verification
Optimized pipeline: Efficient vector search, smart chunking, and caching for sub-second reply times
Scalability: Maintains speed and accuracy for massive knowledge bases with tens of millions of words
Context-aware conversations: Multi-turn conversations with persistent history and comprehensive conversation management
Source verification: Always cites sources so users can verify facts on the spot
Use Cases
E-commerce customer support: Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce integrations for 24/7 product queries and order tracking
Lead generation: Custom forms with field validation, lead qualification scoring, and CRM sync (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive)
Multi-channel deployment: WhatsApp (Cloud API + 360Dialog), Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM, Telegram, Slack, Discord with unified inbox
Small business websites: JavaScript widget embedding with customization for professional appearance at $19.99/month
Agency white-label: Custom domains, remove branding from Starter plan for client deployments
Multilingual support: 95+ languages with automatic translation for global customer bases
NOT suitable for: Regulated industries (no HIPAA, SOC 2), voice/IVR use cases, enterprises requiring compliance certifications
Air-Gapped Environments: Defense, classified research, and secure facilities requiring complete offline operation without external connectivity
Healthcare PHI Compliance: HIPAA-regulated organizations needing 100% data isolation for protected health information
RAG Research & Education: Developers learning RAG internals with full visibility into retrieval and generation processes
Local Experimentation: Prototype RAG applications locally before committing to cloud infrastructure and subscription costs
Data Sovereignty: Organizations with strict data residency requirements preventing cloud storage or processing
Zero-Cost RAG: Teams with existing GPU infrastructure wanting to avoid subscription fees for RAG capabilities
Custom Model Development: Research teams fine-tuning and testing custom LLMs and embedding models for specific domains
Customer support automation: AI assistants handling common queries, reducing support ticket volume, providing 24/7 instant responses with source citations
Internal knowledge management: Employee self-service for HR policies, technical documentation, onboarding materials, company procedures across 1,400+ file formats
Sales enablement: Product information chatbots, lead qualification, customer education with white-labeled widgets on websites and apps
Documentation assistance: Technical docs, help centers, FAQs with automatic website crawling and sitemap indexing
Educational platforms: Course materials, research assistance, student support with multimedia content (YouTube transcriptions, podcasts)
Healthcare information: Patient education, medical knowledge bases (SOC 2 Type II compliant for sensitive data)
Professional ($99/mo): 5 chatbots, 10K messages/month, priority support, API access, advanced analytics
Business ($399/mo): 20 chatbots, 40K messages/month, white-label, dedicated account manager
5-day trial: Test paid features before committing to subscription
Best value proposition: $19.99 for GPT-4, Claude, Gemini access vs competitors at $50-100/month
No hidden costs: LLM usage included in subscription (no per-token charges like some platforms)
Annual discount: Save 20% with yearly billing commitment
Completely Free: MIT open-source license with no subscription fees, API charges, or usage limits
Infrastructure Costs Only: GPU hardware or cloud compute (AWS/GCP/Azure GPU instances) are the only expenses
No Per-Query Charges: Unlimited queries without per-request pricing or rate limits
No Vendor Fees: Zero payments to SaaS providers or LLM API vendors (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
GPU Requirements: Single GPU sufficient for development; scale hardware based on throughput needs
Open-Source Ecosystem: Leverage free Hugging Face models, FAISS library, and PyTorch without licensing costs
Best Value For: Teams with existing GPU infrastructure or ability to provision cloud GPU instances economically
Standard Plan: $99/month or $89/month annual - 10 custom chatbots, 5,000 items per chatbot, 60 million words per bot, basic helpdesk support, standard security
View Pricing
Premium Plan: $499/month or $449/month annual - 100 custom chatbots, 20,000 items per chatbot, 300 million words per bot, advanced support, enhanced security, additional customization
Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing - Comprehensive AI solutions, highest security and compliance, dedicated account managers, custom SSO, token authentication, priority support with faster SLAs
Enterprise Solutions
7-Day Free Trial: Full access to Standard features without charges - available to all users
Annual billing discount: Save 10% by paying upfront annually ($89/mo Standard, $449/mo Premium)
Flat monthly rates: No per-query charges, no hidden costs for API access or white-labeling (included in all plans)
Managed infrastructure: Auto-scaling cloud infrastructure included - no additional hosting or scaling fees
Support & Documentation
4.9/5 customer support rating on G2 (exceptional for pricing tier)
Email support: Available on all plans including free tier
Priority support: Professional and Business plans with faster response times
Dedicated account manager: Business plan ($399/month) includes personal contact
Knowledge base: Comprehensive help center with guides and tutorials
Video tutorials: Step-by-step implementation guides for common scenarios
Community: User community for best practices sharing and tips
Live chat support: Available during business hours for quick questions
Response time: Fast responses noted by users (typically within hours, not days)
Limitations: No 24/7 support on lower tiers, no SLA guarantees on response times
GitHub Repository: Open-source at github.com/RCGAI/SimplyRetrieve with code, documentation, and examples
Research Paper: Academic publication on arXiv (2308.03983) explaining RCG approach and architecture
Community Support: GitHub Issues for bug reports, feature requests, and community troubleshooting
Lightweight Documentation: README and docs directory with setup instructions and usage examples
No Paid Support: Community-driven support only; no SLAs or enterprise help desk available
Code Examples: Example scripts and Jupyter notebooks demonstrating core functionality
Academic Background: Built on established libraries (Hugging Face, Gradio, PyTorch, FAISS) with extensive external documentation
Documentation hub: Rich docs, tutorials, cookbooks, FAQs, API references for rapid onboarding
Developer Docs
Email and in-app support: Quick support via email and in-app chat for all users
Premium support: Premium and Enterprise plans include dedicated account managers and faster SLAs
Code samples: Cookbooks, step-by-step guides, and examples for every skill level
API Documentation
Active community: User community plus 5,000+ app integrations through Zapier ecosystem
Regular updates: Platform stays current with ongoing GPT and retrieval improvements automatically
Limitations & Considerations
No compliance certifications: Missing SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, FedRAMP - unsuitable for regulated industries (healthcare, finance, government)
No native cloud storage: No Google Drive, Dropbox, or Notion integrations - requires manual export or API setup
Storage limits: 11M character limit can fill quickly with comprehensive enterprise documentation (e.g., 100+ article knowledge bases)
Model performance variance: Users report GPT-4 works best, Claude/Gemini show inconsistencies and hallucinations
No voice/IVR capabilities: No phone integration or voice bot features unlike UChat or Zendesk
No SMS support: Text messaging requires third-party integration
Developer experience: No official SDKs in any language (Python, JavaScript, etc.), basic REST API documentation only
Analytics limitations: Less advanced than enterprise platforms (no predictive insights or AI-powered recommendations)
Best for: SMBs prioritizing value and multi-LLM access over enterprise certifications and advanced features
Developer-Only Tool: Requires Python expertise, GPU knowledge, and technical setup—not suitable for non-technical users
GPU Infrastructure Required: Needs dedicated GPU hardware or cloud GPU instances with associated costs and management overhead
Basic UI: Gradio interface is functional but not polished—requires custom front-end development for production use
Limited Scalability: Scaling requires manual infrastructure management and load balancing vs auto-scaling cloud platforms
No Enterprise Features: Missing multi-tenancy, user management, advanced analytics, and production-grade monitoring
Slower Inference: Open-source models on single GPU (few to 10+ seconds per reply) vs sub-second cloud API responses
Manual Knowledge Base Updates: No automatic web crawling, syncing, or scheduled reindexing capabilities
No Pre-Built Integrations: Requires custom development to integrate with Slack, websites, or support platforms
Limited Context Memory: Primarily single-turn Q&A with minimal conversation history retention
Maintenance Burden: User responsible for updates, model management, troubleshooting, and infrastructure maintenance
Managed service approach: Less control over underlying RAG pipeline configuration compared to build-your-own solutions like LangChain
Vendor lock-in: Proprietary platform - migration to alternative RAG solutions requires rebuilding knowledge bases
Model selection: Limited to OpenAI (GPT-5.1 and 4 series) and Anthropic (Claude, opus and sonnet 4.5) - no support for other LLM providers (Cohere, AI21, open-source models)
Pricing at scale: Flat-rate pricing may become expensive for very high-volume use cases (millions of queries/month) compared to pay-per-use models
Customization limits: While highly configurable, some advanced RAG techniques (custom reranking, hybrid search strategies) may not be exposed
Language support: Supports 90+ languages but performance may vary for less common languages or specialized domains
Real-time data: Knowledge bases require re-indexing for updates - not ideal for real-time data requirements (stock prices, live inventory)
Enterprise features: Some advanced features (custom SSO, token authentication) only available on Enterprise plan with custom pricing
Core Agent Features
AI agent transformation: Transform chatbots into powerful AI agents that seamlessly perform tasks through natural conversational interactions
Zapier AI Actions integration: Deploy AI agents that automate tasks, streamline workflows, and perform real-world business actions with ease
Mid-conversation app calling: Bots can call thousands of apps mid-chat to check orders, book appointments, send emails without leaving conversation
Natural language understanding: AI models designed to understand and respond naturally making conversations feel human-like and helpful
95 languages support: Assist users in their preferred language automatically for global customer engagement
Advanced model options: OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic's Claude 3.5 for nuanced conversational abilities
Effortless lead collection: Gather contact details during conversations with automatic multi-email address sending
Seamless CRM connectivity: Connect to over 7,000 apps using Zapier or Make integrations to collect leads and send to CRM platforms
No-code conversational AI: Create sophisticated conversational AI agents without writing a single line of code
Business knowledge integration: Knows everything about your business and chats directly to customers in friendly conversational manner
Retrieval-Centric Generation (RCG): Research-backed approach separating LLM reasoning capabilities from knowledge memorization—more efficient than traditional RAG architectures
Retrieval Tuning Module: Developer-focused transparency layer showing which documents were retrieved, how queries were constructed, and how answers were generated
Knowledge Base Mixing (MoKB): Route queries across multiple selectable knowledge bases with intelligent source selection and weighting
Explicit Prompt Weighting (EPW): Fine-grained control over retrieved knowledge base influence in final answer generation
Single-Turn Q&A Focus: Primarily designed for single-turn question answering—limited multi-turn conversation and context memory
Analysis Tab Transparency: Visual debugging interface showing document retrieval process and query construction for answer inspection
Local Agent Execution: All agent processing happens on-premises with zero external API calls—complete control over agent behavior and data
LIMITATION - No Chatbot UI: Gradio interface for developers only—no polished conversational interface for end users or production deployment
LIMITATION - No Lead Capture: No built-in lead generation, email collection, or CRM integration capabilities—manual implementation required
LIMITATION - No Human Handoff: No escalation workflows, live agent transfer, or fallback mechanisms for complex queries—developer must build these features
LIMITATION - No Multi-Channel Support: No native integrations with Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, or website widgets—requires custom wrapper development
LIMITATION - No Session Management: Stateless interactions without conversation history tracking or multi-turn context retention
Custom AI Agents: Build autonomous agents powered by GPT-4 and Claude that can perform tasks independently and make real-time decisions based on business knowledge
Decision-Support Capabilities: AI agents analyze proprietary data to provide insights, recommendations, and actionable responses specific to your business domain
Multi-Agent Systems: Deploy multiple specialized AI agents that can collaborate and optimize workflows in areas like customer support, sales, and internal knowledge management
Memory & Context Management: Agents maintain conversation history and persistent context for coherent multi-turn interactions
View Agent Documentation
Tool Integration: Agents can trigger actions, integrate with external APIs via webhooks, and connect to 5,000+ apps through Zapier for automated workflows
Hyper-Accurate Responses: Leverages advanced RAG technology and retrieval mechanisms to deliver context-aware, citation-backed responses grounded in your knowledge base
Continuous Learning: Agents improve over time through automatic re-indexing of knowledge sources and integration of new data without manual retraining
R A G-as-a- Service Assessment
Platform type: CONVERSATIONAL AI PLATFORM WITH RAG (not pure RAG-as-a-Service) - chatbot builder with integrated knowledge retrieval
Data source flexibility: Good - Website crawling with configurable depth, document upload (PDF, DOCX, TXT, CSV), audio/video ingestion, plain text input, sitemap support
LLM model options: Excellent - OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-3.5 Turbo), Anthropic Claude 3 (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku), Google Gemini Pro 1.5, Meta Llama 3.1 with user selection per chatbot
Knowledge base management: 11M character storage limit (Starter+), auto-retrain scheduling (daily, weekly, monthly), conversation memory for context retention
API-first architecture: Weak - REST API available on Professional ($99/mo) and above, no official SDKs, basic documentation, no Swagger/OpenAPI spec
Performance benchmarks: ~85% accuracy with optimal model selection (GPT-4), real-time streaming responses, ~99.5% uptime estimated from user feedback (no published SLA)
RAG accuracy: GPT-4 highest accuracy/consistency, Claude 3/Gemini Pro show mixed results with inconsistencies noted in user reviews
Self-service AI pricing: Excellent - $19.99/month for GPT-4, Claude, Gemini access (best value in market vs competitors at $50-100/month)
Compliance & certifications: Poor - GDPR/CCPA compliant, data encryption, SSL/TLS but NO SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, FedRAMP
Integration ecosystem: Excellent - 80+ native integrations (no Zapier/Make required) including WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Shopify, Stripe, HubSpot, Salesforce
Best for: SMBs, agencies, e-commerce stores prioritizing value, multi-LLM access, and native integrations over enterprise RAG features and certifications
Not suitable for: Regulated industries (healthcare, finance), enterprises requiring certifications, advanced RAG parameter controls, voice/IVR use cases
Platform Type: NOT A RAG-AS-A-SERVICE PLATFORM - Open-source academic research project for local Retrieval-Centric Generation experimentation and learning
Core Mission: Provide localized, lightweight, user-friendly interface to Retrieval-Centric Generation (RCG) approach for machine learning community exploration and research
Academic Foundation: Published research tool from RCGAI with arXiv paper (2308.03983) explaining RCG methodology and architectural design decisions
Target Market: Researchers, developers, and organizations experimenting with RAG locally without cloud dependencies—NOT commercial service users
Self-Hosted Infrastructure: MIT-licensed tool requiring user-managed GPU hardware or cloud compute—no managed infrastructure, APIs, or service-level agreements
Developer-First Design: Python-based with Gradio GUI and script execution—intended for technical users comfortable with GPU infrastructure and model management
RAG Implementation: Retrieval-Centric Generation (RCG) philosophy emphasizing retrieval over memorization—FAISS vector search with open-source LLMs (WizardVicuna-13B default, any Hugging Face model supported)
API Availability: NO formal REST API or SDKs—interaction via Python scripts and local Gradio interface requiring subprocess calls or custom wrappers
Data Privacy Advantage: 100% local execution with zero external transmission—ideal for classified, PHI, PII, or confidential data requiring air-gapped processing
Pricing Model: Completely free (MIT license) with no subscription fees—only cost is GPU hardware or cloud compute infrastructure
Support Model: Community-driven GitHub Issues and lightweight documentation—no paid support, SLAs, or customer success teams
LIMITATION vs Managed Services: NO managed infrastructure, automatic scaling, production-grade monitoring, enterprise security controls, or commercial support—users responsible for all operational aspects
LIMITATION - No Service Features: NO authentication systems, multi-tenancy, user management, analytics dashboards, or SaaS conveniences—pure research/development tool
Comparison Validity: Architectural comparison to commercial RAG-as-a-Service platforms like CustomGPT.ai is MISLEADING—SimplyRetrieve is open-source research tool for on-premises experimentation, not production service
Use Case Fit: Perfect for offline/air-gapped RAG research, developers learning RAG internals with full transparency, organizations with strict data isolation requirements (defense, healthcare PHI compliance), and teams wanting zero cloud costs with existing GPU infrastructure
Core Architecture: Serverless RAG infrastructure with automatic embedding generation, vector search optimization, and LLM orchestration fully managed behind API endpoints
API-First Design: Comprehensive REST API with well-documented endpoints for creating agents, managing projects, ingesting data (1,400+ formats), and querying chat
API Documentation
Developer Experience: Open-source Python SDK (customgpt-client), Postman collections, OpenAI API endpoint compatibility, and extensive cookbooks for rapid integration
No-Code Alternative: Wizard-style web dashboard enables non-developers to upload content, brand widgets, and deploy chatbots without touching code
Hybrid Target Market: Serves both developer teams wanting robust APIs AND business users seeking no-code RAG deployment - unique positioning vs pure API platforms (Cohere) or pure no-code tools (Jotform)
RAG Technology Leadership: Industry-leading answer accuracy (median 5/5 benchmarked), 1,400+ file format support with auto-transcription, proprietary anti-hallucination mechanisms, and citation-backed responses
Benchmark Details
Deployment Flexibility: Cloud-hosted SaaS with auto-scaling, API integrations, embedded chat widgets, ChatGPT Plugin support, and hosted MCP Server for Claude/Cursor/ChatGPT
Enterprise Readiness: SOC 2 Type II + GDPR compliance, full white-labeling, domain allowlisting, RBAC with 2FA/SSO, and flat-rate pricing without per-query charges
Use Case Fit: Ideal for organizations needing both rapid no-code deployment AND robust API capabilities, teams handling diverse content types (1,400+ formats, multimedia transcription), and businesses requiring production-ready RAG without building ML infrastructure from scratch
Competitive Positioning: Bridges the gap between developer-first platforms (Cohere, Deepset) requiring heavy coding and no-code chatbot builders (Jotform, Kommunicate) lacking API depth - offers best of both worlds
Additional Considerations
Free plan limitations: Only 50 messages per month suitable for testing rather than real-world production use
Not suitable for complex flows: Limited ability for intricate multi-step "if-this-then-that" logic like classic Messenger marketing bots
Training time investment: Bot training and customization take time to master for optimal performance
Limited Meta integration: Limited ability to integrate with Meta (Facebook) content lessens overall tool value for social media marketing
Company maturity: Founded in 2022, still building long-term enterprise track record vs more established players - consideration for very large corporations
Scalability evaluation: Businesses should evaluate whether pricing model accommodates growth without becoming prohibitively expensive
Custom plans available: Enterprise needs can be accommodated with custom pricing and fully managed services
Managed services offering: For large teams with advanced needs, FastBots offers fully managed services handling strategy, setup, training, and ongoing improvements
Strategic advantage: Unmatched flexibility with choice of LLMs and data sources distinguishes from competitors with locked-in models
Great for offline / on-prem labs where data never leaves the server—perfect for tinkering.
Takes more hands-on upkeep and won’t match proprietary giants in sheer capability out of the box.
Slashes engineering overhead with an all-in-one RAG platform—no in-house ML team required.
Gets you to value quickly: launch a functional AI assistant in minutes.
Stays current with ongoing GPT and retrieval improvements, so you’re always on the latest tech.
Balances top-tier accuracy with ease of use, perfect for customer-facing or internal knowledge projects.
Visual flow builder: Drag-and-drop conversation design with no coding required for creating chatbot workflows
Tone and personality: Configurable via system prompts to match brand voice and communication style
Greeting messages: Customize initial bot message and icebreakers for welcoming user experience
Multi-language support: 95+ languages with automatic translation for global customer bases
Knowledge source control: Decide what chatbot knows - uploaded information (files, docs, brand tone), ChatGPT general knowledge, or live internet search for real-time info
Auto-retrain scheduling: Configurable daily, weekly, or monthly knowledge base updates for content freshness
Conversation flow builder: Visual drag-and-drop interface for designing conversation paths
Custom forms: Lead capture with custom fields and field validation for data collection
Lead qualification: Score and route leads based on responses for sales prioritization
Intelligent routing: Assign different models to different conversation scenarios (GPT-4 for complex, GPT-3.5 for simple) for cost optimization
Military-grade encryption: All uploaded data secured with military-grade encryption for data protection
Lets you tweak everything—KnowledgeBase weight, retrieval params, system prompts—for deep control.
Encourages devs to swap embedding models or hack the pipeline code as needed.
Lets you add, remove, or tweak content on the fly—automatic re-indexing keeps everything current.
Shapes agent behavior through system prompts and sample Q&A, ensuring a consistent voice and focus.
Learn How to Update Sources
Supports multiple agents per account, so different teams can have their own bots.
Balances hands-on control with smart defaults—no deep ML expertise required to get tailored behavior.
After analyzing features, pricing, performance, and user feedback, both Fastbots and SimplyRetrieve are capable platforms that serve different market segments and use cases effectively.
When to Choose Fastbots
You value best value for multi-llm access - $19.99/month for gpt-4, claude, and gemini (vs competitors at $50-100/month)
80+ native integrations eliminate need for Zapier/Make middleware (saves $20-50/month)
Exceptional customer support - 4.9/5 rating with fast response times
Best For: Best value for multi-LLM access - $19.99/month for GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini (vs competitors at $50-100/month)
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 Fastbots 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
Fastbots starts at $19.99/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 Fastbots 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 12, 2025 | This comparison is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the latest platform capabilities, pricing, and user feedback.
The most accurate RAG-as-a-Service API. Deliver production-ready reliable RAG applications faster. Benchmarked #1 in accuracy and hallucinations for fully managed RAG-as-a-Service API.
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.
People Also Compare
Explore more AI tool comparisons to find the perfect solution for your needs
Join the Discussion
Loading comments...