Drift provides a unique product that offers a combination of live chat, conversational marketing, and conversational sales. Overall, this tool is best known for customization and great integrations.
However, many alternatives offer a mix of CRM/CSM tools and services meant for specific business types while falling into a similar price range or offering less costly pricing plans.
So, despite the tremendous value it offers, Drift isn’t the right fit for every business.
That’s why we’ve compiled the best Drift alternatives for you:
| Drift alternative | G2 ranking | Free Plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tidio | 4.7/5 ⭐ | ✅ | Chatbots |
| LiveChat | 4.5/5 ⭐ | ❌ | Third-party integrations |
| LiveAgent | 4.5/5 ⭐ | ✅ | Ticketing system |
| BirdEye | 4.8/5 ⭐ | ❌ | Advanced analytics |
| Intercom | 4.5/5 ⭐ | ❌ | Lead qualification options |
| HubSpot | 4.4/5 ⭐ | ✅ | Unlimited customization options |
| HelpCrunch | 4.7/5 ⭐ | ❌ | Email marketing |
| Olark | 4.3/5 ⭐ | ❌ | Advanced personalization features |
| Zoho CRM | 4.1/5 ⭐ | ✅ | Lead management tools |
| Gorgias | 4.6/5 ⭐ | ❌ | Social media sentiment analysis |
| FreshSales | 4.5/5 ⭐ | ✅ | Personalized and automated email campaigns |
| Zendesk | 4.3/5 ⭐ | ❌ | Scalation management system |
Get the best Drift alternative on the market
Let’s jump right in and compare your options.
1. Tidio
Ratings: 4.7/5 ⭐️(1,500+ ratings)
Tidio democratizes AI and introduces Lyro to help SMBs grow their brand. It’s the best Drift alternative that employs deep learning to enhance your customer support and drive more sales. This AI chatbot engages your website visitors in a conversation with a natural flow.
The best part is that there’s no need for you to train it. The bot autonomously learns to answer your frequently asked questions (FAQs) and expands your capabilities without incurring additional hiring costs.
Main features:
- Automated chatbot training
- Context and intent recognition
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) chatbots
- Conversation bot templates available
- 16 different triggers for bots
- Easy to use software
- Android and iOS apps available
- Comprehensive knowledge base
- Multiple integrations (Zapier, Pipedrive, Messenger, Instagram)
- 7-day free trial available
- Free version available
- Starter ($29/mo)
- Growth (starts at $59/mo)
- Plus (starts at $749/mo)
- Premium (starts at $2999/mo)
Did you know…
Within the marketing automation industry, Drift has a 1.16% market share.
Read more: Compare the best Tidio alternatives in detailed reviews of each software.
2. LiveChat
Ratings: 4.5/5 ⭐ (750+ reviews) on G2
If you’re looking for a simple, cheap, and effective CRM for your website, LiveChat is often a better alternative to Drift. Their name speaks for itself.
LiveChat offers many third-party integrations (for example, WhatsApp), a proactive and high-quality chat service, a sleek-looking chat widget, a functionality to book meetings, and more.
Pros
- Strong plugins with popular platforms like WordPress, Shopify, and Facebook Messenger
- Easy to use
- Great customer service (even the worst customer reviews mention positive experiences with customer service)
- SMS integration
Cons
- Relatively expensive for the range of features offered
- Some users complain of an ineffective system for avoiding customers’ spam folders
- Free trial available
- Starter ($24/mo)
- Team ($49/mo)
- Business ($69/mo)
- LiveChat + ChatBot ($72/mo billed anually)
- Enterprise → Request a call
Read more: Check out the best LiveChat alternatives available on the web.
3. LiveAgent
Ratings: 4.5/5 ⭐ (1,485+ reviews) on G2
LiveAgent (formerly Salesforce Live Agent) is a CRM alternative to Drift that offers most of the typical tools of the industry like live chatbots and ticket routing. In addition, they offer extra coordination tools.
What’s best is that LiveAgent is a great option if you’re looking for more free features. CRM tools can take time for businesses to get accustomed to. LiveAgent offers a surprisingly rich selection of features with their freemium offer.
Pros
- Free plan is quite comprehensive
- Good option for small businesses
- All plans are cheap if you just need one agent
- Simple UI
Cons
- Not as comprehensive as much of the competition
- Limited interoperability
- Free plan available
- Small business ($15/mo/agent)
- Medium business ($35/mo/agent)
- Large business ($59/mo/agent)
- Enterprise ($85/mo/agent)
Did you know…
When it comes to the lucrative but competitive live chat category, Drift has a market share of 2.52%, making it the 10th most used live chat software.
4. BirdEye
Ratings: 4.8/5 ⭐ (2,650+ reviews) on G2
BirdEye is another all-in-one customer experience platform. It’s relatively popular—the company has at least 60,000 customers. BirdEye, as the name may suggest, focuses on a bird’s eye view of the customer experience.
To that end, their most complete service package provides ticketing, chat, customizable surveys, analytics, and other basic services. As a Drift alternative, BirdEye offers a lot of analytical insights, albeit at a higher cost.
Pros
- Modern, centered on user experiences
- Advanced analytics insights
- Multiple-purpose integrations (such as Peachtree for invoicing)
Cons
- Some users complain of difficulties setting up integrations
- High costs, perhaps prohibitive for many very small businesses
- Starter, Growth, and Dominate plans → Custom (Contact sales)
5. Intercom
Ratings: 4.5/5 ⭐ (2,975+ reviews) on G2
Intercom, like LiveAgent, offers an impressive free plan to prospective customers. But their simple, straightforward packages can be applied to a wider range of businesses than Drift’s or LiveAgent’s.
One of the more valuable features Intercom offers is comprehensive lead qualification. That means that customers get the attention they deserve, while Intercom also sorts customers into categories based on the actions they are likely to take.
Pros
- No-nonsense, online sales-oriented approach
- Highly customizable
- Multilingual automated chatbots
- Complete package for small-to-medium-sized businesses
Cons
- Some users complain the interfaces are difficult to use
- High costs
- Free trial available
- Essential ($39/mo/seat)
- Advanced ($99/mo/seat)
- Expert ($139/mo/seat)
- Proactive support plus ($499/mo)
Read more: Explore top Intercom alternatives available.
6. HubSpot
Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐ (11,215+ reviews) on G2
Perhaps no comprehensive online marketing comparisons can be complete without including HubSpot. HubSpot offers many online marketing services, one of which is HubSpot Service Hub (CRM). However, if you benefit greatly from Service Hub, their other products can be integrated into your business, offering a powerful combination for growing businesses.
Alternatively to using Drift, you can try HubSpot’s CRM for free and decide if their (pricier) paid service packages are a good fit for your business.
Pros
- Works with other HubSpot subscriptions for a more complete marketing system
- Includes an inbound marketing platform
- Extremely rich range of integrations (such as Slack, SurveyMonkey, Eventbrite)
- Feature-rich, free package for small businesses
- Simple, easy-to-use interfaces
Cons
- More comprehensive plans are on the expensive side
- Limited customer support unless you subscribe
- Free plan available
- Service Hub Starter ($20/mo/seat)
- Starter Customer Platform ($20/mo/seat)
- Service Hub Professional ($100/mo/seat)
- Service Hub Enterprise ($130/mo/seat)
Read more: Check out the best HubSpot alternatives you can currently find on the market.
7. HelpCrunch
Ratings: 4.7/5 ⭐ (205+ reviews) on G2
HelpCrunch combines CRM with online marketing functionalities you won’t find in other Drift alternatives.
You should consider HelpCrunch if you’re looking for a versatile CRM platform that factors in email marketing in addition to the standard suite of CRM features. The typical profiles of HelpCrunch customers include SaaS companies and ecommerce companies.
Pros
- Free trial
- Relatively inexpensive for the number of features you get
- Interchannel communication interface
Cons
- Some users complain of occasionally sluggish performance
- No fully free version
- Free trial available
- Basic ($15/mo/operator)
- Pro ($25/mo/operator)
Unlimited → Contact sales to receive a quote
8. Olark
Ratings: 4.3/5 ⭐ (220+ reviews) on G2
As a Drift alternative, Olark puts a lot of focus on personalization. The “human touch” is a concept that’s growing in marketing in customer relations. Olark realizes that and is perhaps a bit ahead of the curve.
Olark includes typical CRM features like automatic FAQ chats, ticketing, and more. But they stand apart when it comes to the small touches that work. Attention-grabbing but subtle interfaces may sound small, but Olark’s practices resonate with customers, who give the platform great reviews. If you want a simple, grounded, and very inexpensive channel for customer relations, Olark is worth considering.
Pros
- Advanced personalization features
- Low-cost compared to its competitors
- Ease of use
- Comprehensive for the price tag
Cons
- Not as many features as other Drift alternatives
- Not as dynamic as many other solutions
- No free plan
- Free trial available
- Olark Standard (Starting at $29/mo/operator)
- Olark Pro → Request a call
Read more: Compare pros, cons, and pricing of the best Olark alternatives available on the market.
9. Zoho CRM
Ratings: 4.1/5 ⭐ (2,615+ reviews) on G2
Zoho CRM is focused on providing mid-sized businesses with contact management, sales funnels, and omnichannel customer interactions. They provide forecasting and various analytics as a part of their service packages. In its totality, Zoho CRM goes above and beyond the scopes of many other Drift alternatives.
In fact, it’s a fully-fledged customer management system with a longer list of features than many of the other entries on this list. Their less typical features include sales force automation, lead management tools, and gamification tools. Many SMBs also use Zoho CRM and Zoho’s other flagship products in tandem.
Pros
- Strong emphasis on data security and privacy
- Wide range of features
- Relatively low costs for what you get
- Sales tools
Cons
- Some users complain about UI failures
- Sometimes slow
- Can be hard to use
- Free plan
- Standard ($20/mo/user)
- Professional ($35/mo/user)
- Enterprise ($50/mo/user)
- Ultimate ($65/mo/user)
10. Gorgias
Ratings: 4.6/5 ⭐ (505+ reviews) on G2
Gorgias is the one CRM here totally dedicated to the customer management of ecommerce companies. More specifically, it was designed uniquely for Shopify, but works well with BigCommerce and Magento.
While Gorgias offers most of the features typically associated with CRM software, they follow up with features like social media sentiment analysis and loyalty plans. These features are meant to make the sales and customer loyalty processes more seamless.
Pros
- Easy implementation
- Chatbot templates
- High quality, comprehensive analytics
- Ecommerce-focused
- Seamless, powerful integrations
Cons
- Technical difficulties due to frequent updates
- Relatively expensive
- Free trial available
- Starter ($10/mo)
- Basic ($60/mo)
- Pro ($360/mo)
- Advanced ($900/mo)
- Enterprise → Contact sales
Read more: Here you can review the best Gorgias alternatives and competitors.
11. Freshsales
Ratings: 4.5 ⭐ (1,170+ reviews) on G2
Freshsales provides sales enablement technology, as well as CRM features offered by Drift and other alternatives you’re by now quite familiar with.
For sales enablement purposes, Freshsales offers personalized and automated email campaigns. In addition, the all-in-one sales and marketing tool offers lead and customer qualification. In terms of regular CRM features, they offer automated chat available in dozens of languages.
Pros
- Intuitive, customizable interfaces
- Advanced forecasting, analytics and insights
- Enhanced sales processes
- Rich marketing features
Cons
- Only the most expensive plans have great features
- No third-party integrations
- Free version available
- Freshsales & Freshsales Suite: Growth ($11/mo/agent)
- Freshsales & Freshsales Suite: Pro ($47/mo/agent)
- Freshmarketer: Enterprise ($18/mo/agent)
- Freshsales & Freshsales Suite: Enterprise ($71/mo/agent)
Read more: Check out top Freshdesk alternatives and competitors.
12. Zendesk
Ratings: 4.3/5 ⭐ (5,845+ reviews) on G2
If you’re looking for an alternative to Drift, it makes sense to consider another trusted industry leader. Zendesk is active globally, offering chatbots and other services in dozens of languages. They serve over 85,000 businesses worldwide.
As a versatile SaaS platform, it offers “Zendesk Support” and “Zendesk Suite” packages. These options fit in with most small- to medium-sized business needs.
Pros
- Comprehensive management customization
- Useful alerts and escalation management system
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- Some users complain of technical challenges with data migration
- Free trial available
- Support Team ($25/mo/agent)
- Support Professional ($69/mo/agent)
- Support Enterprise ($149/mo/agent)
- Suite Team ($69/mo/agent)
- Suite Growth ($115/mo/agent)
- Suite Professional ($149/mo/agent)
- Suite Enterprise → Contact sales
Read more: Learn all about the best Zendesk alternatives, as well as their pros, cons, and pricing.
Conclusion: how to choose the best Drift alternative
The key to choosing the best Drift alternative is choosing the CRM software that suits your business’s unique needs.
For example, an ecommerce company may find one option to be excellent, but that same option may be awful for another business. So, it’s important to consider factors such as:
- Industry
- Budget
- Business size
- Workflow complexity
To make matters simpler for you, we’ve compiled some of the companies that are more useful based on your business’s specifications.
Best overall:
Best for very small businesses:
Best for Ecommerce:
Best for additional sales features:
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