Migrate from Chatbase to AskVault
Why teams migrate
Five common drivers we hear:
- Cost. Chatbase Pro at $400/mo for 40 MB. AskVault Growth at ₹4,999 (~$60/mo) for 40 MB.
- Channels. Chatbase widget only; multi-channel via $20+/mo Zapier add-ons. AskVault 13 channels native.
- Source citations. Chatbase often answers without citing sources. AskVault cites every answer.
- Bot quality. Chatbase struggles with longer documents; AskVault handles up to 100 MB cleanly.
- Indian INR billing. Chatbase USD-only; AskVault native INR plus GST-compliant invoices.
Some teams also cite Chatbase's lack of native integrations (Stripe, Calendly, HubSpot) which AskVault ships out of the box.
Side-by-side comparison
| Capability | Chatbase Pro | AskVault Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $400/mo | ₹4,999 (~$60/mo) |
| Content cap | 40 MB | 40 MB |
| Channels native | 1 (widget) | 12 (+ Voice on Business) |
| $20/mo Zapier add-on | Included | |
| Slack | $20/mo Zapier add-on | Included |
| Source citations | Inconsistent | Every answer |
| Audit logs | None visible | 365-day retention |
| GDPR data deletion | Manual support request | One-click endpoint |
| SOC 2 evidence | None published | SOC 2 Type II infrastructure |
| HIPAA-eligible | No | Yes on Enterprise |
| 14 built-in skills | No (chat only) | Yes (escalate, lead capture, etc.) |
| Custom domain | Paid add-on | Included Growth+ |
| Identity verification | None | HMAC-SHA256 built-in |
For most teams, the price-to-feature gap closes within a single migration weekend.
Migration timeline
About 2 weeks end-to-end:
Week 1: Setup and parallel run.
- Day 1. Sign up for AskVault. 14-day Growth trial unlocks all features.
- Day 1-2. Export content from Chatbase. Re-index in AskVault.
- Day 3-4. Configure brand DNA, skills, identity verification.
- Day 5-7. Deploy widget on a test domain. Validate quality side-by-side with Chatbase.
Week 2: Switchover.
- Day 8. Add AskVault widget to production. Keep Chatbase active.
- Day 9-12. Monitor metrics. Compare answer quality and resolution rates.
- Day 13. Remove Chatbase widget. AskVault becomes primary.
- Day 14. Cancel Chatbase subscription. Done.
Most teams hit "feels equivalent or better" by day 7.
Export from Chatbase
Chatbase doesn't offer a one-click export. Common patterns:
Method 1: Re-crawl your site. AskVault can re-crawl the same URLs Chatbase originally crawled. Run URL crawling on your homepage.
Method 2: Re-upload PDFs. If Chatbase has your PDFs, re-upload them to AskVault via file uploads.
Method 3: Manual snippets. For Q&A pairs you've manually added in Chatbase, copy them to AskVault under snippets or Q&A pairs.
Method 4: Conversation export. Chatbase's conversation data is harder to export. Most teams don't migrate conversation history; just keep Chatbase logs for reference and start fresh in AskVault.
About 90% of teams don't need conversation history migration. Indexed content matters more.
Setup walkthrough
About 2 hours of focused work:
Step 1: sign up
- Visit
askvault.co/signup. - 14-day Growth trial activates.
Step 2: index content
For each source you had in Chatbase:
- URLs: enter your homepage; AskVault crawls.
- PDFs: upload via Knowledge Hub > File Upload.
- Q&A pairs: paste via Knowledge Hub > Q&A Pairs.
Initial indexing: about 5 to 15 minutes per 10 MB.
Step 3: brand DNA
AskVault auto-detected your colors and tone from your site during the URL crawl. Verify under Widget Studio.
Step 4: deploy on a test domain
- Widget Studio > Embed Snippet. Copy the script tag.
- Add to a test domain (e.g.,
staging.yoursite.co). - Test for a week. Validate answer quality.
Step 5: production deploy
- Add the script tag to your production site (in addition to Chatbase, not replacing yet).
- Keep both running for 3 to 5 days.
- Compare metrics (CSAT, resolution rate, answer quality).
- Once confident, remove Chatbase.
Validating quality
Run the same questions through both bots:
- Make a list of 30 to 50 common customer questions.
- Send each to Chatbase and AskVault.
- Rate the answers on accuracy, citation quality, tone.
- Use the AskVault Chat Playground to compare side-by-side.
Typical results: AskVault matches or exceeds Chatbase quality at the same content cap. Source citations are the clearest improvement.
Mapping Chatbase features to AskVault
Side-by-side mapping:
| Chatbase feature | AskVault equivalent |
|---|---|
| Chat widget | Widget setup |
| File upload | File uploads |
| URL crawl | URL crawling |
| Q&A snippets | Q&A pairs |
| Lead capture | Collect lead skill |
| Slack integration via Zapier | Slack channel native |
| WhatsApp via Zapier | WhatsApp native |
| Analytics | Analytics dashboard |
| Chat history | Conversations page |
| API access | REST API |
Most features map 1:1.
Switchover script-tag swap
The simplest swap:
<!-- Old: Chatbase --><script id="chatbase-bubble-script" ...></script>
<!-- New: AskVault --><script src="https://cdn.askvault.co/widget.js" data-workspace="ws_xxxx" async></script>Replace one with the other. Customers see the AskVault widget on next page load.
For zero-downtime: keep both temporarily, then remove Chatbase after monitoring AskVault for 24 hours.
Cost calculation example
For a typical SaaS with 25 MB of content and 5,000 queries per month:
Chatbase Pro.
- 25 MB requires Pro tier: $400/mo.
- Slack via Zapier: $20/mo.
- WhatsApp via Zapier: $20/mo.
- Total: $440/mo.
AskVault Growth.
- 25 MB fits Growth (40 MB cap): ₹4,999 (~$60).
- WhatsApp, Slack, all channels included.
- Total: ~$60/mo.
Annual savings: about $4,560. Plus AskVault's source citations, identity verification, audit logs, all 14 skills.
Common pitfalls
Trying to migrate conversation history. Don't bother. Start fresh. Save Chatbase data export for reference if you must.
Switching widget too quickly. Run both for 5 to 7 days to validate. Don't rush the final cutover.
Brand DNA detection misses something. Manually adjust under Widget Studio. Auto-detection isn't perfect; verify.
Skipping the Chat Playground. Test before deploying. Playground catches 80% of quality issues you'd otherwise spot in production.
Forgetting to cancel Chatbase. Double-paying for a month is the most common cost mistake. Calendar a reminder for day 14.
Sample migration script (for technical teams)
If you're scripting the migration:
Step 1: export Chatbase content manually (no public API).
Step 2: index in AskVault via API.
for url in $(cat urls.txt); do curl -X POST https://api.askvault.co/v1/documents/crawl \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ak_xxx" \ -d "{\"url\": \"$url\"}"doneStep 3: upload PDFs.
for pdf in *.pdf; do curl -X POST https://api.askvault.co/v1/documents/upload \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ak_xxx" \ -F "file=@$pdf"doneStep 4: verify indexing complete.
curl https://api.askvault.co/v1/documents?status=indexed \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ak_xxx"Step 5: deploy widget (manual).
Useful for repeatable migrations or multi-workspace teams.
Identity verification migration
If Chatbase had identity verification (some plans):
- Generate a new HMAC secret in AskVault under Workspace Settings.
- Update your backend to compute HMAC for AskVault's secret instead of Chatbase's.
- Test in Chat Playground with Simulate Visitor.
Migration support
For larger migrations:
- Email support@askvault.co with your Chatbase plan and content size.
- Schedule a migration call (free, 30 minutes).
- Get a custom migration runbook for your situation.
Enterprise customers get a dedicated migration engineer.
FAQ
How long does the full migration take?
About 2 weeks including parallel-run validation. Smaller teams can compress to 1 week.
Will customers notice?
If executed well, no. Same conversation surface, similar (or better) answer quality.
Can I run both Chatbase and AskVault simultaneously?
Yes during parallel run. Two widgets show on the page; pick which to keep.
What if my Chatbase has features AskVault doesn't?
Probably not. AskVault covers everything Chatbase Pro does plus more. If you find a real gap, contact support.
Will my Chatbase conversation history transfer?
Not automatically. Export from Chatbase for reference; start fresh in AskVault.