In this comprehensive guide, we compare SimplyRetrieve and SiteGPT 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 SimplyRetrieve and SiteGPT, 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 SimplyRetrieve if: you value completely free and open source
Choose SiteGPT if: you value extremely easy setup - minutes to launch
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
About SiteGPT
SiteGPT is make ai your expert customer support agent. SiteGPT is an AI chatbot solution that instantly answers visitor questions with a personalized chatbot trained on your website content. It's like having ChatGPT specifically for your products, offering 24/7 automated customer support with seamless integrations into existing support platforms. Founded in 2022, headquartered in Remote, the platform has established itself as a reliable solution in the RAG space.
Overall Rating
86/100
Starting Price
$49/mo
Key Differences at a Glance
In terms of user ratings, both platforms score similarly in overall satisfaction. From a cost perspective, SimplyRetrieve starts at a lower price point. The platforms also differ in their primary focus: RAG Platform versus AI Chatbot. 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
SimplyRetrieve
SiteGPT
CustomGPTRECOMMENDED
Data Ingestion & Knowledge Sources
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.
Crawls entire sites by URL or sitemap—thousands of pages in one go. Learn how
Accepts uploads in CSV, TXT, PDF, DOCX, PPTX, and Markdown (10 MB per file). File upload info
Connects to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Notion, Confluence, GitBook, and more out of the box. View integrations
Scales to big libraries—up to 100 k pages on the Enterprise tier.
Retraining is manual for now (click a button), with automated retrain cycles on the roadmap. Retraining details
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.
Integrations & Channels
Ships with a local Gradio GUI and Python scripts for queries—no out-of-the-box Slack or site widget.
Want other channels? Write a small wrapper that forwards messages to your local chatbot.
Ships native connectors for Slack, Google Chat, Facebook Messenger, Crisp, Freshchat, Zendesk Chat, Zoho SalesIQ, and more. See Slack integration
Embed on any site with a quick script or iframe—works on web and mobile. Embed instructions
Higher tiers add webhook support for event-driven hooks into your own systems.
Embeds easily—a lightweight script or iframe drops the chat widget into any website or mobile app.
Offers ready-made hooks for Slack, Zendesk, Confluence, YouTube, Sharepoint, 100+ more.
Explore API Integrations
Connects with 5,000+ apps via Zapier and webhooks to automate your workflows.
Supports secure deployments with domain allowlisting and a ChatGPT Plugin for private use cases.
Hosted CustomGPT.ai offers hosted MCP Server with support for Claude Web, Claude Desktop, Cursor, ChatGPT, Windsurf, Trae, etc.
Read more here.
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.
Click “Retrain” to upload new files or re-crawl a site—no tech skills required.
Personas and Quick Prompts steer the conversation style; higher plans add custom rules. Persona configuration
Run multiple chatbots under one account, each with its own data set.
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.
Pricing & Scalability
Free, MIT-licensed open source—no fees, but you supply the GPUs or cloud servers.
Scaling means spinning up more hardware and managing it yourself.
Growth plan (~$79/mo), Pro/Scale (~$259/mo), plus an Enterprise tier. View pricing
Limits scale with message counts, bots, pages crawled, and file uploads—add-ons boost capacity when needed.
Runs on straightforward subscriptions: Standard (~$99/mo), Premium (~$449/mo), and customizable Enterprise plans.
Gives generous limits—Standard covers up to 60 million words per bot, Premium up to 300 million—all at flat monthly rates.
View Pricing
Handles scaling for you: the managed cloud infra auto-scales with demand, keeping things fast and available.
Security & Privacy
Entirely local: all docs and chat data stay on your own machine—great for sensitive use cases.
No built-in auth or enterprise security—lock things down in your own deployment setup.
Uses HTTPS/TLS in transit and encrypted storage at rest—industry-standard security.
Data stays in your workspace; formal certifications aren’t front-and-center, but best practices are followed.
Protects data in transit with SSL/TLS and at rest with 256-bit AES encryption.
Holds SOC 2 Type II certification and complies with GDPR, so your data stays isolated and private.
Security Certifications
Offers fine-grained access controls—RBAC, two-factor auth, and SSO integration—so only the right people get in.
Observability & Monitoring
An “Analysis” tab shows which docs were pulled and how the query was built; logs print to the console.
No fancy dashboard—add your own logging or monitoring if you need broader stats.
Dashboard shows chat histories, analytics, and trends in one place. Dashboard example
Daily email digests keep teams updated without logging in.
Comes with a real-time analytics dashboard tracking query volumes, token usage, and indexing status.
Lets you export logs and metrics via API to plug into third-party monitoring or BI tools.
Analytics API
Provides detailed insights for troubleshooting and ongoing optimization.
Support & Ecosystem
Open-source on GitHub; support is community-driven via issues and lightweight docs.
Smaller ecosystem: you’re free to fork or extend, but there’s no paid SLA or enterprise help desk.
Email support and a “Submit a Request” form for new features or integrations. Submit a request
Active blog, Product Hunt launches, and an agency partner program grow the ecosystem.
Supplies rich docs, tutorials, cookbooks, and FAQs to get you started fast.
Developer Docs
Offers quick email and in-app chat support—Premium and Enterprise plans add dedicated managers and faster SLAs.
Enterprise Solutions
Benefits from an active user community plus integrations through Zapier and GitHub resources.
Additional Considerations
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.
Built-in “Functions” let the bot trigger actions—like opening a support ticket—directly from chat. Learn about Functions
SourceSync headless API offers a pure RAG backend when you need more developer control.
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.
No- Code Interface & Usability
Basic Gradio UI is developer-focused; non-tech users might find the settings overwhelming.
No slick, no-code admin—if you need polish or branding, you'll build your own front end.
Guided dashboard lets anyone paste a URL or upload files and launch a bot in minutes.
Pre-built integrations and a copy-paste embed snippet make deployment a breeze. Embed instructions
Live demo plus 7-day free trial means you can test risk-free.
Offers a wizard-style web dashboard so non-devs can upload content, brand the widget, and monitor performance.
Supports drag-and-drop uploads, visual theme editing, and in-browser chatbot testing.
User Experience Review
Uses role-based access so business users and devs can collaborate smoothly.
Competitive Positioning
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: User-friendly no-code RAG chatbot platform emphasizing rapid website crawling and multi-channel support for SMB customer service teams
Target customers: Small to mid-size businesses needing quick website-based chatbot deployment, support teams requiring native channel integrations (Slack, Google Chat, Messenger, Zendesk, Freshchat), and companies wanting 95+ language support with minimal technical overhead
Key competitors: Chatbase.co, Botsonic, Ragie.ai, WonderChat, and other no-code chatbot builders targeting SMB market
Competitive advantages: Comprehensive website crawling (up to 100K pages on Enterprise), native integrations with 10+ support/messaging platforms, GPT-4o/GPT-4o-mini model selection, "Functions" feature enabling bot actions (support tickets, CRM updates), headless SourceSync API for custom RAG backends, 95+ language support, and white-label option for seamless branding
Pricing advantage: Mid-range at ~$79/month (Growth) and ~$259/month (Pro/Scale); straightforward tiered pricing without confusing add-ons; scales with message counts and page limits; best value for growing SMBs needing multi-channel presence without per-interaction charges
Use case fit: Ideal for businesses wanting to quickly convert website content into chatbot knowledge base, support teams needing native integrations with multiple messaging platforms (Slack, Messenger, Zendesk, Freshchat), and SMBs requiring no-code setup with webhook automation for CRM/ticketing workflows without developer resources
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
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
GPT-4o (Full Model): OpenAI's flagship multimodal model for deeper, more nuanced answers with comprehensive reasoning
GPT-4o-mini: Faster, cost-optimized variant balancing speed and quality for high-volume deployments
Model Selection Per Chatbot: Choose model independently for each bot to optimize cost/performance trade-offs
ChatGPT API (GPT-3.5-turbo): Default model for all chatbots on lower-tier plans providing fast, accurate responses
GPT-4 Availability: Available on Pro and Elite pricing plans for advanced use cases requiring deeper reasoning
No Custom Models: Limited to OpenAI models—no support for Claude, Gemini, Llama, or custom fine-tuned models
Automatic Updates: Benefits from OpenAI model improvements without manual configuration changes
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
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
Website Crawling: Crawls entire websites by URL or sitemap with support for thousands of pages in single operation
Retrieval-Augmented Generation: Grounds AI responses in uploaded/crawled content to minimize hallucinations and ensure factual accuracy
File Upload Support: CSV, TXT, PDF, DOCX, PPTX, Markdown (10MB per file) for knowledge base augmentation
Cloud Storage Connectors: Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Notion, Confluence, GitBook direct integration for automated content syncing
Enterprise Scale: Up to 100,000 pages on Enterprise tier for large content libraries
Manual Retraining: Click-button retraining with automated retrain cycles on roadmap for future releases
Multi-Turn Context: Conversation history retained across turns for coherent, context-aware interactions
Fallback Handling: Graceful degradation when knowledge base doesn't contain answer with customizable fallback responses
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
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: 24/7 instant answers from website/documentation reducing support ticket volume
Website Knowledge Conversion: Rapidly convert existing website content into interactive chatbot knowledge base
Multi-Channel Support: Unified bot across website, Slack, Google Chat, Facebook Messenger, Zendesk, Freshchat
Lead Generation: Automatic lead capture during chat sessions with CRM integration via webhooks
Global Support Teams: 95+ language support enabling worldwide customer service with single bot
SaaS Onboarding: Interactive product documentation and onboarding assistance for new users
E-Commerce Support: Product information, shipping policies, and order assistance with "Functions" for ticket creation
Internal Knowledge Base: Employee self-service for HR policies, IT documentation, and company procedures
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)
Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for 100K+ pages, white-label branding, dedicated support, and volume discounts
7-Day Free Trial: Risk-free evaluation without credit card requirement
No Free Plan: Trial only; requires paid subscription after evaluation period
Scalable Limits: Message counts, bots, pages crawled, and file uploads scale with tier selection
Add-Ons Available: Boost capacity beyond plan limits when needed for seasonal traffic spikes
Straightforward Pricing: Tiered structure without confusing per-interaction charges or hidden fees
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
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
Email Support: Submit requests for technical assistance and feature questions
"Submit a Request" Form: Dedicated channel for integration requests and feature suggestions
REST API Documentation: API reference for bot management, content uploads, and answer retrieval
Active Blog: Product updates, use cases, and best practices published regularly
Product Hunt Community: User reviews, feedback, and feature discussions on Product Hunt platform
Agency Partner Program: Ecosystem for agencies building chatbots for clients
Guided Dashboard: Intuitive interface with tooltips and onboarding guidance for new users
No Dedicated Support Team: Higher tiers may include priority support but not extensively documented
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
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
OpenAI-Only Models: Limited to GPT models—no Claude, Gemini, Llama, or custom model support
Manual Retraining: No automatic content syncing yet—requires manual button-click to update knowledge base
10MB File Size Limit: Per-file upload cap may constrain large document processing vs competitors with higher limits
No Formal Compliance Certifications: SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA not publicly documented—may limit enterprise adoption
Limited Advanced RAG Features: Missing knowledge graphs, hybrid search, or advanced retrieval tuning found in enterprise platforms
No Multi-LLM Support: Cannot compare or route between multiple model providers for optimal responses
Webhook-Only Integrations: Advanced integrations require webhook development on higher tiers
No On-Premise Deployment: Cloud-only SaaS with no self-hosting option for air-gapped or highly regulated environments
Limited Analytics Depth: Dashboard and daily digests provide basic metrics but lack advanced product analytics or A/B testing
SMB-Focused: Feature set optimized for small/mid-size businesses—may lack enterprise-grade controls and customization
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
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
Multi-Turn Conversation: Maintains conversation history visible in admin dashboard for coherent context-aware multi-turn interactions
Sentiment Tracking: Real-time sentiment analysis and conversation metrics monitoring for performance optimization and customer insights
Lead Collection System: Automatic lead capture during chat sessions with industry-specific templates (SaaS, E-commerce, Professional Services) and customizable trigger keywords
Human Handoff Integration: Built-in escalation workflows allowing users to seamlessly transition to live agents with button-click transfers when AI cannot handle queries
Functions Framework: Enable bots to trigger external actions (support tickets, CRM updates, booking workflows) directly from chat conversations without leaving interface
24/7 Lead Capture: Weekend browsers, late-night emergencies, holiday shoppers—captures and qualifies leads around the clock even while team sleeps
Webhook Automation: Higher tiers add webhook support for event-driven CRM/ticketing system integration and workflow automation
Email Notifications: Lead collection emails sent to chatbot owner with optional custom email recipients for distributed team notifications
Custom Lead Fields: Unlimited custom fields with Custom template for capturing industry-specific information (project scope, timelines, business requirements)
Trigger Customization: Configure lead forms to display on specific keywords (pricing, demo, consultation) or after set number of conversation exchanges (1-20 messages)
95+ Language Support: Multilingual agent capabilities handling diverse global customer bases without separate language-specific configurations
Analytics Dashboard: Comprehensive conversation tracking, chat history analysis, and performance trends in centralized dashboard with daily email summaries
AI Conversation Analysis: Tools to analyze chatbot conversations with AI to uncover knowledge gaps, user intent patterns, and actionable improvements
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: 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
Platform Type: NO-CODE CHATBOT BUILDER WITH RAG - SMB-focused conversational AI platform emphasizing rapid deployment over pure RAG infrastructure
Core Mission: Enable small to mid-size businesses to quickly convert website content into chatbot knowledge base with multi-channel support and minimal technical overhead
Target Market: SMB customer service teams, support departments, and agencies building chatbots for clients—NOT primarily developer or RAG infrastructure market
RAG Implementation: Retrieval-augmented generation for grounding responses in crawled/uploaded content with fallback handling—focused on accuracy over advanced RAG techniques
API Availability: REST API for bot management, content uploads, and answer retrieval—BUT platform emphasizes no-code dashboard over API-first development
Managed Service: Fully hosted SaaS with guided dashboard, pre-built integrations, and 7-day free trial—no infrastructure management required
Pricing Model: Tiered subscription (~$79/month Growth, ~$259/month Pro/Scale, custom Enterprise) scaling with message counts, bots, and page limits
Support Model: Email support, "Submit a Request" form, active blog, Product Hunt community, agency partner program—standard SaaS support without dedicated teams on lower tiers
Security Posture: HTTPS/TLS encryption, encrypted storage, workspace isolation—NO formal SOC 2, ISO 27001, or HIPAA certifications publicly disclosed
LIMITATION - Not Pure RAG-as-a-Service: Platform combines chatbot building with RAG capabilities—not dedicated RAG infrastructure API like Ragie.ai or Pinecone Assistant
LIMITATION - Manual Retraining: No automatic content syncing or scheduled reindexing—requires manual button-click to update knowledge base when sources change
LIMITATION - Limited RAG Features: Missing advanced capabilities like hybrid search, reranking, knowledge graphs, multi-query fusion found in enterprise RAG platforms
Comparison Validity: Comparison to pure RAG-as-a-Service platforms requires context—SiteGPT emphasizes no-code chatbot deployment with RAG vs developer-focused RAG infrastructure APIs
Use Case Fit: Perfect for SMBs wanting quick website-based chatbot deployment, support teams needing native multi-channel integrations (Slack, Messenger, Zendesk), and agencies building chatbots for clients without coding—NOT ideal for developers needing flexible RAG infrastructure APIs
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
After analyzing features, pricing, performance, and user feedback, both SimplyRetrieve and SiteGPT are capable platforms that serve different market segments and use cases effectively.
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
When to Choose SiteGPT
You value extremely easy setup - minutes to launch
Excellent website content training capabilities
Seamless integration with major support platforms
Best For: Extremely easy setup - minutes to launch
Migration & Switching Considerations
Switching between SimplyRetrieve and SiteGPT 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
SimplyRetrieve starts at custom pricing, while SiteGPT begins at $49/month. 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 SimplyRetrieve and SiteGPT 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 15, 2025 | This comparison is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the latest platform capabilities, pricing, and user feedback.
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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.
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