BeforeQuery vs Risotto
Risotto is a startup-tier IT helpdesk AI aimed at small IT teams that want Slack-native support automation without the ServiceNow overhead. BeforeQuery is a broader platform: cross-department, open-protocol, and grounded in your knowledge and context — with the same Slack-native appeal Risotto pioneered.
At a glance
Risotto column compiled from getrisotto.com and public pricing (as of 2026-09-07). Where a claim is not on Risotto's public site, the cell says so.
When to pick BeforeQuery
You want to serve more than IT. Risotto is focused; we ship HR (Harry), Finance (Fin), Security (Sig), Legal (Lex), Sales (Sol), Marketing (Mel), RevOps (Rev), Support (Remy), plus Docs/Dev (Dex) — one platform, one identity, one audit log. You want surfaces beyond Slack. Teams, Discord, Zendesk, Intercom, the widget, and MCP for Claude Desktop / Cursor. Risotto is Slack-first. You care about open protocols and BYO model. MCP + A2A + open SDK; Anthropic / OpenAI / Google / self-hosted per workspace. Risotto is closed on both. You want grounding you can inspect: paragraph-level source shown on every answer, entity path on every action, Context Graph explorable by operators. You want a real free tier (100 questions/mo forever, no card) instead of a trial.
When to pick Risotto
You're a small IT team (5-20 employees supported) that wants a Slack-first IT bot with minimal setup and no complexity. Risotto is purpose-built for that shape. You don't need cross-department coverage and don't want to pay for or configure modules you won't use. You value founder-led focus — Risotto is a smaller team laser-focused on IT support automation, which can mean sharper defaults for narrow use cases.
When it is close
Both handle password resets, JIT access, ticket deflection, and Slack-native chat. If your evaluation is IT-only and stays Slack-first, the deciding factors are usually cross-department expansion plans, open-protocol need (MCP/A2A), and whether you want a persona-branded AI Employee or a generic bot.
Frequently asked questions
Is Risotto a real competitor for us?
For small IT teams doing Slack-native support automation, yes. Console positions against them explicitly (they have a /compare/console-vs-risotto page). We compete on the same Slack-native appeal + broader scope + open protocols + real free tier.
Can we migrate off Risotto to BeforeQuery?
Yes — the migration pattern is: re-index your knowledge sources into a BeforeQuery KB (same connectors, mostly), install Ivy (the IT AI Employee), enable the JIT / password-reset / group-management playbooks, and repoint your Slack bot registration. Median migration time is a week for a small IT team.
How does the free tier really compare?
Ours is free forever — 1 knowledge base, 100 questions/mo, Support module, 5 first-party integrations, 1 team member. No card required. Risotto typically offers a time-limited trial. If you want to evaluate on real data before committing, our free tier lets you.
What about the persona-branded AI Employee pattern?
Named AI Employees (Remy for Support, Ivy for IT, Harry for HR, etc.) are a UX pattern we adopted from Leena.ai. Each AI Employee has an avatar, a signature on Slack replies, a card in the marketplace. It costs us nothing and materially improves adoption — Risotto doesn't ship this.
How does the pricing compare?
Both public. Details differ per-plan; the meaningful difference is that we meter separately on questions / playbook runs / write actions so you never over-buy the meter you don't use. Risotto tends toward per-user pricing.
Try BeforeQuery in 5 minutes
Free plan, no credit card. Connect Slack + Confluence and see the AI-Employee-branded Assistant on your own data.