Stept

Stept brings AI-assisted customer support, a shared inbox and customer-guidance tools into one platform. It is best for teams that want to choose their AI model and deployment approach, particularly those able to self-host. Its breadth is compelling, but cloud terms are in early access and its AI-resolution allowances call for close attention.

Overview

Stept combines an AI agent, help center, product tours and automation with workflows for human support staff. The agent can answer from company documents, guide visitors through an interface and, with a visitor’s explicit opt-in, act on a page. Human handoff and a full shared inbox make it better suited to support teams that want automation to assist people than to replace them.

Teams can select a model, set the agent’s persona and decide whether each tool runs automatically, requires approval or remains off. Sensitive tools can require human approval; password fields are off-limits, and actions are capped per run. These controls give teams useful ways to limit agent autonomy, though setting those boundaries remains their responsibility.

Key features

Support and knowledge

The inbox supports assignment, snoozing, tags, notes, resolution, SLAs, saved views, macros and real-time collaboration. That is a substantial workflow for teams coordinating incoming requests and escalations. Channels include email, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, LINE, a web widget and API. For answers grounded in company material, knowledge sources can be crawled, uploaded or synced, then re-indexed on a schedule with disappeared pages pruned. Sources include Notion, Confluence, Google Drive, Zendesk, GitHub and Microsoft 365.

Guidance and automation

The Chrome extension records product flows for tours, whose steps are described as self-healing when page markup changes. Rules, macros, campaigns, SLAs, webhooks and analytics for volume, resolution rate, CSAT and AI deflection extend the product beyond a basic chatbot. Model options span OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Ollama and OpenAI-compatible endpoints, useful for teams that want provider choice or to use Ollama.

Security and deployment

Stept lists custom roles, an audit log, scoped API keys and encrypted provider secrets. It says self-hosted data stays in the customer’s own database, Cloud workspaces run on EU infrastructure, and conversations are not used to train anything. The MIT-licensed self-hosted version supports Postgres or SQLite and offline operation with a mock AI provider. That flexibility comes with the operational responsibility of running the software.

Pricing

The Self-hosted plan is free forever under the MIT license, with unlimited seats, every channel, an AI agent using your own model key, knowledge base, RAG and help center, product tours, checklists and surveys, and Docker Compose with Postgres or SQLite. It is the strongest fit for teams that can operate their own deployment; the trade-off is that hosting is theirs to manage.

Cloud is priced at $19 per seat / month and includes everything in self-hosted plus 500 AI resolutions / month, managed Postgres and nightly backups, automatic updates and email support. Business is $49 per seat / month, adding 2,000 AI resolutions / month, custom roles and audit log, SLA management and working hours, and priority support. The higher tier is aimed at teams needing those administrative and service-management features; the lower cloud tier gives up those Business additions and has a smaller resolution allowance. Stept Cloud is free during early access, and both displayed Cloud and Business prices are upcoming, so readers should treat the stated prices as forthcoming rather than current charges.

Platforms

Stept supports API, browser extension, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows, with multichannel deployment. The range suits teams mixing desktop and web workflows or choosing to host the service themselves.

Who it's for

Stept is a strong candidate for support teams that want AI answers and customer guidance alongside human handoff, coordinated inbox work and reporting. It particularly suits teams that value model choice, control over agent tools or self-hosting. Teams seeking a ready-to-run cloud service with settled pricing, or those unwilling to own self-hosting operations, have reason to look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pro: AI support, tours, help center and a collaborative inbox sit together, giving teams one platform for customer answers and agent workflows.
• Pro: Unlimited seats and offline operation make the free self-hosted option unusually flexible for teams able to manage deployment.
• Pro: Model choice and per-tool approval controls let teams shape how much autonomy the agent gets.
• Con: Self-hosting transfers operational responsibility to the customer, while cloud pricing remains in early access.
• Con: Cloud allowances are capped at 500 or 2,000 AI resolutions per month, so teams with heavier automation needs should weigh the tier limits.

Alternatives

For a broader category search, see AI Customer Service Agents or Chatbot Builders.

Webex App is a better fit for readers prioritizing meetings: its free plan offers unlimited meetings up to 40 minutes with up to 100 attendees. Voiceflow is an alternative for agencies and partners seeking a free trial, usage-based billing, multi-client workspaces and white-labeling. Agentforce Vibes may suit readers already considering Salesforce Foundations, where Agentforce Vibes is included. Enjo AI Support Agent is worth comparing for teams wanting self-hosted support with unlimited seats and 200 AI replies per month on its free plan. Klaviyo is an alternative for web-based marketing needs, with a free plan capped at 250 active profiles and 500 email sends per month. Yellow.ai offers a free plan with one AI agent and 500/month included, which may appeal to readers weighing that allowance. ChatterMate is another free support option, with one agent, one knowledge source, 300 messages per month and 30-day data retention. Dalo may suit a simpler chat-widget need, with 100 monthly conversations on its free plan.

Verdict

Choose Stept if you want a broad support platform that combines an AI agent with human workflows, and especially if model choice or self-hosting matters to your team. Its free, unlimited-seat self-hosted plan is the clearest case for it. Look elsewhere if you need settled cloud pricing or do not want to run the software yourself.