AI Agents vs. Chatbots: What's the Difference?

Chatbots and AI agents are often confused, but they solve different problems.

A chatbot is conversational: it understands a question and responds, usually grounded in a knowledge base. It's ideal for support, FAQs and lead capture.

An AI agent goes further. It can plan a task, use tools and APIs, take actions and adjust based on results. Agents are suited to workflows — booking, processing, orchestrating — where the goal is to complete work, not just answer.

Many businesses start with a chatbot and grow into agents as they automate more of their operations. The right choice depends on whether you need information or action.