10 Best Drift Alternatives Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 20 tools reviewed.
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
As a customer experience manager, managing customer interactions efficiently is key to meeting user expectations and converting leads. If Drift isn’t meeting all your team’s requirements, you may be on the lookout for Drift alternatives.
AI chatbot software can be a game-changer in improving customer engagement, lead conversion and team efficiency. It helps your team automate responses, personalize interactions, and manage high volumes of inquiries with ease.
In my experience, finding the right chatbot tool is crucial. I'll provide an unbiased review of the best Drift alternatives, focusing on chatbot features that address your specific pain points.
What Is Drift?
Drift is an AI chatbot software designed to enhance customer interactions and engagement. It's commonly used by sales and marketing professionals to improve communication with prospects and customers. Conversational marketing, lead qualification, and real-time messaging features help with engaging customers, streamlining sales workflows, and enhancing overall user experience. Drift's overall value lies in its ability to facilitate meaningful interactions that drive sales and customer satisfaction.
Best Drift Alternatives Summary
This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top Drift alternative selections to help you find the best one for your budget and business needs.
Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Best for no-code chatbot creation | Free plan + free demo available | From €32/month (billed annually) | Website | |
2 | Best for AI-driven marketing solutions | 7-day free trial + free plan available | From $29/month | Website | |
3 | Best for capturing leads via webchat | Free demo available | From $289/month (billed annually) | Website | |
4 | Best for AI-driven lead management | Free plan available | From $14/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
5 | Best for AI-driven customer engagement | Free demo available | From $40/user/month | Website | |
6 | Best for hybrid chat solutions | Free demo available | From $199/month | Website | |
7 | Best for automated lead engagement | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
8 | Best for AI sales development | Request a free trial | Pricing upon request | Website | |
9 | Best for omnichannel messaging | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
10 | Best for engaging customers with live chat | Free plan + 14-day free trial | From $19/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Why Trust Our Software Reviews
We’ve been testing and reviewing customer experience software since 2020. As customer experience managers ourselves, we know how critical and difficult it is to make the right decision when selecting software. We invest in deep research to help our audience make better software purchasing decisions.
We’ve tested more than 2,000 tools for different customer experience use cases and written over 1,000 comprehensive software reviews. Learn how we stay transparent & check out our software review methodology.
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CRM Creatio
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.7 -
monday Service
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6 -
Issuetrak
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.1
Best Drift Alternatives Reviews
Below are my detailed summaries of the best Drift alternatives that made it onto my shortlist. My reviews offer an in-depth look at the key features, pros & cons, integrations, and ideal use cases of each tool to help you find the best one for you.
Landbot.io is an AI chatbot platform designed for businesses seeking to create conversational interfaces without coding. It's popular among marketers and customer support teams for automating customer interactions and enhancing engagement.
Why it's a good Drift alternative: Landbot.io offers a visual drag-and-drop builder, allowing you to create chatbots without any coding skills. This feature is key if you're looking for a user-friendly way to build chatbots. It also provides customizable templates and advanced conversation logic, making it easier for your team to tailor interactions to specific needs. Landbot's focus on no-code solutions helps you deploy chatbots quickly and efficiently.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a visual flow builder, real-time previews, and conditional logic. These features enable your team to design complex conversational paths effortlessly. With Landbot, you can also utilize rich media like GIFs and videos to enhance user engagement.
Integrations include Zapier, Slack, Google Sheets, Mailchimp, Salesforce, HubSpot, Stripe, WhatsApp, Calendly, and Intercom.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Quick deployment
- Supports rich media content
- Visual drag-and-drop interface
- Flexible customization options
- Easy no-code chatbot creation
Cons:
- Some features behind paywall
- Limited scalability for large enterprises
- Basic analytics features
- May require third-party tools
- Limited advanced AI capabilities
Tidio is a live chat and chatbot platform designed to enhance marketing and sales efforts for mid-sized and small businesses. It's mainly used by marketing teams to engage website visitors and convert them into leads.
Why it's a good Drift alternative: Tidio offers AI-driven marketing solutions that help your team engage visitors effectively. Its chatbots can handle routine inquiries, allowing your team to focus on more complex tasks. With real-time visitor monitoring, you can understand customer behavior and tailor your engagement strategies. Tidio's customizable chat widgets and templates support your team's efforts to provide personalized interactions.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include real-time visitor monitoring, email marketing automation, and chat templates. These features help your team engage customers proactively and efficiently. In my experience, email marketing automation allows you to follow up with leads seamlessly.
Integrations include Shopify, WordPress, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Magento, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Chat templates
- Email marketing automation
- Customizable chat widgets
- Real-time visitor monitoring
- AI-driven marketing solutions
Cons:
- Steeper learning curve
- Some features behind paywall
- May require technical setup
- Basic analytics features
- Limited advanced customization
Podium is a webchat solution designed to help businesses engage with website visitors and convert them into leads through real-time, AI-powered conversations. It serves companies across various industries, facilitating and streamlining customer communication and interactions.
Why Podium is a good Drift alternative: Podium captures lead information before a chat begins, giving your team the details needed to close deals faster. Its AI Employee responds instantly to inquiries, providing personalized and engaging interactions that keep potential customers engaged. Conversations can seamlessly transition from webchat to text messaging, allowing you to connect with customers through their preferred communication channels. Additionally, Podium offers full visibility into a visitor's click-path history, helping you tailor responses and enhance the customer experience.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a customizable branded chat widget that aligns with your business's colors and messaging, fostering trust with customers. The shared team inbox grants access to all messages, improving collaboration and ensuring no lead is overlooked. Automatic AI replies handle common questions promptly, freeing up your team to focus on more complex inquiries.
Integrations include connections with tools such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Shopify, QuickBooks, Slack, Zendesk, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, and Stripe.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Click-path history visibility
- Shared team inbox for collaboration
- Customizable chat widget
- Seamless transition from webchat to text
- AI-powered instant responses
Cons:
- Customer support response times
- Mobile app lacks some features
- Learning curve for new users
- Occasional AI response inaccuracies
- Limited customization options
Smartsupp is a live chat and chatbot platform designed to improve customer support and engagement. It's widely used by e-commerce businesses and customer service teams to enhance communication with website visitors.
Why it's a good Drift alternative: Smartsupp offers AI-driven lead management features that help your team capture and qualify leads efficiently. Its chatbot capabilities allow for automation of customer interactions, providing quick responses to common inquiries. With real-time visitor tracking, you can monitor user behavior and tailor your engagement strategies. Smartsupp's focus on enhancing customer support through AI-driven insights makes it a strong choice for improving lead management.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include customizable chat boxes, detailed visitor statistics, and video recordings of user interactions. These features help you understand customer behavior and improve your service. Additionally, Smartsupp provides automated messaging to streamline communication with your audience.
Integrations include Google Analytics, Shopify, WordPress, PrestaShop, Magento, WooCommerce, OpenCart, Facebook, and Mailchimp.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Automated messaging
- Video recordings of interactions
- Real-time visitor tracking
- Customizable chat boxes
- AI-driven lead management
Cons:
- Some features behind paywall
- Limited scalability for large enterprises
- May require technical setup
- Basic analytics features
- Limited advanced customization
LivePerson is a conversational commerce platform designed to enhance customer interactions through AI-driven messaging. It's primarily used by enterprises to engage customers across multiple channels and improve sales and support functions.
Why it's a good Drift alternative: LivePerson provides AI-driven customer engagement tools that enable your team to manage interactions effectively. Its conversational AI handles common customer inquiries, allowing your team to focus on more complex tasks. With real-time messaging capabilities, you can offer immediate support to your customers. LivePerson's focus on personalized interactions helps your team build stronger relationships and improve customer satisfaction.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include conversational AI, real-time analytics, and proactive messaging. These features help your team understand customer needs and engage them effectively. In my experience, the real-time analytics feature provides valuable insights into customer interactions and helps optimize engagement strategies.
Integrations include Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Zendesk, Shopify, Magento, Google Analytics, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Apple Business Chat, and LINE.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Proactive messaging
- Real-time analytics
- Personalized interaction focus
- Real-time messaging capabilities
- AI-driven customer engagement
Cons:
- Some features behind paywall
- May require technical expertise
- Basic reporting features
- Limited advanced customization
- Complex setup process
Leadoo is a conversion platform offering tools like ChatBot, LiveChat, and Smart Forms, designed to improve website visitor engagement and conversion rates. It's primarily used by businesses focused on lead generation, recruitment, and customer support to enhance customer interaction.
Why it's a good Drift alternative: Leadoo provides hybrid chat solutions that combine chatbots with live human support, ensuring seamless transitions between automated and human interactions. This feature allows your team to offer personalized assistance while maintaining efficiency. Leadoo's focus on real-time support and AI-driven insights helps you capture leads effectively. Its unique tools, such as Smart Forms, provide additional ways to engage visitors and improve conversion rates.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include smart targeting, in-depth analytics, and behavioral tracking. These features help your team understand visitor behavior and tailor interactions accordingly. With Leadoo, you can also utilize AI-driven insights to optimize your engagement strategies.
Integrations include HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier, Google Analytics, Slack, WordPress, Mailchimp, Pipedrive, Zendesk, and Marketo.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Behavioral tracking
- Smart form capabilities
- Real-time visitor engagement
- AI-driven insights
- Hybrid chat solutions
Cons:
- Some features behind paywall
- Limited scalability for large enterprises
- Basic analytics features
- May require technical setup
- Limited customization options
Exceed.ai is an AI-powered sales assistant platform designed to automate lead engagement and follow-up. It's primarily used by sales teams to nurture leads and improve conversion rates through personalized communication.
Why it's a good Drift alternative: Exceed.ai offers automated lead engagement capabilities that help your team efficiently manage and nurture prospects. Its AI-driven assistant handles email and chat conversations, ensuring timely and personalized follow-ups. With advanced scheduling features, your team can automate meeting bookings without manual effort. Exceed.ai's focus on automating repetitive tasks allows your sales team to concentrate on closing deals and building relationships.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include email and chat automation, lead qualification, and conversation analytics. These features enable your team to engage prospects effectively and track interaction performance. In my experience, the platform's AI-driven insights help optimize sales strategies and improve conversion rates.
Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Slack, Microsoft Dynamics, Pipedrive, Gmail, Outlook, Calendly, and Zoom.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Conversation analytics
- Personalized communication
- Advanced scheduling features
- AI-driven conversation management
- Automated lead engagement
Cons:
- Steeper learning curve
- Some features behind paywall
- Limited scalability for large enterprises
- Basic customization options
- May require technical setup
Qualified is a conversational marketing platform designed to enhance sales engagement for B2B companies. It's mainly used by sales teams to identify high-value leads and convert them into customers through real-time conversations.
Why it's a good Drift alternative: Qualified offers AI sales development features that help your team engage with prospects efficiently. Its real-time visitor tracking allows you to identify high-intent leads and prioritize them for engagement. With AI-powered chatbots, you can automate initial interactions, freeing up your team to focus on closing deals. Qualified's focus on sales development helps your team convert opportunities into customers effectively.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include real-time visitor tracking, personalized chat experiences, and lead scoring. These features help your team engage with the right prospects at the right time. Personalized chat experiences allow you to tailor interactions to each lead's specific needs.
Integrations include Salesforce, Slack, HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, LinkedIn, Google Analytics, Facebook, Microsoft Dynamics, and Eloqua.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Efficient prospect engagement
- Lead scoring capabilities
- Personalized chat experiences
- Real-time visitor tracking
- AI sales development features
Cons:
- Steeper learning curve
- Does not support internal notes
- May require technical expertise
- Basic reporting features
- Limited advanced customization
Gupshup is a conversational AI platform designed to enhance customer engagement across various industries such as banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), retail, healthcare, and travel. It mainly serves brands looking to improve customer interactions through AI-driven marketing, commerce, and support solutions.
Why it's a good Drift alternative: Gupshup offers omnichannel messaging capabilities that allow you to engage customers across more than 30 channels. Its no-code Conversation Builder lets your team create AI agents without the need for technical skills. Using domain-specific AI models, you can tailor interactions to industry-specific terminology to enhance user experience. Gupshup's focus on personalized interactions helps you deliver meaningful conversations and improve operational efficiency.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a no-code conversation builder, domain-specific AI models, and FAQ automation. These features help you create user-friendly AI agents and voice assistants for real-time interactions. Additionally, context understanding and user intent capabilities enable more meaningful conversations.
Integrations include WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Business Messages, Viber, Telegram, Instagram, Line, and WeChat.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Context understanding
- Real-time interaction capabilities
- No-code conversation builder
- Domain-specific AI models
- Supports 30+ messaging channels
Cons:
- Steeper learning curve
- Advanced features behind paywall
- Complex setup process
- Limited customization options
- May require technical expertise
Freshchat is an AI-powered messaging platform designed to help businesses engage with customers through live chat and chatbots. It serves companies across various industries by facilitating real-time customer support and communication.
Why Freshchat is a good Drift alternative: Freshchat allows your team to engage with customers in real-time, addressing inquiries promptly. Its AI chatbot, Freddy, handles common questions, providing instant responses and reducing the workload on your support agents. The platform supports omnichannel messaging, letting you manage conversations from multiple channels in one place. Additionally, Freshchat provides real-time analytics to help you monitor performance and make data-driven decisions.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include IntelliAssign, which automatically routes conversations to agents based on workload and expertise, ensuring efficient customer support. The platform also offers in-app messaging, allowing you to interact with users directly within your mobile app. A shared inbox enables smooth collaboration across your support team.
Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Shopify, QuickBooks, Slack, Jira, Five9, Zendesk, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, and Stripe.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- In-app messaging capabilities
- IntelliAssign for efficient query handling
- Real-time analytics for performance monitoring
- Omnichannel messaging support
- AI chatbot handles common questions
Cons:
- Customer support response times
- Mobile app lacks some features
- Limited customization options
- Occasional glitches in the system
- Learning curve for new users
Other Drift Alternatives
Here are some additional Drift alternatives that didn’t make it onto my shortlist, but are still worth checking out:
- Zoho SalesIQ
For tracking and engaging website visitors
- Birdeye
For enhancing customer engagement through webchat
- Dashly
For SaaS and e-commerce
- Haptik
For conversational marketing
- WotNot
For personalized chatbot interactions
- Crisp
For multichannel messaging
- Chatfuel
For Facebook Messenger bots
- Warmly
For virtual networking
- Conversica
For AI-powered sales assistants
- Zowie
For automated customer support
Drift Alternatives Selection Criteria
When selecting the best Drift alternatives to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points related to AI chatbot software products, like personalization and integration capabilities. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair:
Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion in this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:
- Automating customer interactions
- Providing real-time support
- Generating leads
- Offering 24/7 availability
- Handling multiple conversations simultaneously
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- Advanced AI learning capabilities
- Multilingual support
- Integration with voice assistants
- Customizable chatbot personalities
- Predictive analytics
Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- Intuitive user interface
- Ease of setup
- Customization options
- Navigation simplicity
- Mobile accessibility
Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Availability of training videos
- Access to templates
- Interactive product tours
- Live chat support during setup
- Onboarding webinars
Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:
- Availability of 24/7 support
- Response times
- Expertise of support staff
- Availability of a knowledge base
- Support through multiple channels
Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate how cost-effective each platform is, I considered the following:
- Pricing transparency
- Range of features in each plan
- Cost relative to competitors
- Discounts for annual billing
- Scalability of pricing
Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- Commonly reported issues
- Positive feedback highlights
- Frequency of updates and improvements
- User ratings across platforms
- Feedback on ease of use and setup
Why Look for a Drift Alternative?
While Drift is a good AI chatbot software, there are a number of reasons why some users seek out other chatbot options. You might be looking for a Drift alternative because…
- You need more customization options
- Your team requires advanced AI features
- You want seamless integration with existing tools
- Your budget constraints demand a lower-cost solution
- You need support in multiple languages
- Your team is looking for easier onboarding
If any of these sound like you, you’ve come to the right place. My list contains several AI chatbot software options that are better suited for teams facing these challenges with Drift and looking for alternative solutions.
Drift Key Features
Here are some of the key features of Drift, to help you contrast and compare what alternative solutions offer:
- Custom chatbots: Tailor customer conversations and deliver the right message to your audience.
- Live chat: Start real-time conversations with website visitors to improve engagement.
- Meetings: Schedule sales meetings with website visitors directly through the chat interface.
- Reporting: Track and measure the performance of key business metrics to enhance decision-making.
- Email follow-ups: Automatically send follow-up emails to prospects for continued engagement.
- Conversation histories: Access past interactions to provide context and improve customer support.
- Email campaigns: Create targeted email campaigns to nurture leads and drive conversions.
- AI chat agents: Engage visitors with real-time personalized conversations for a better buyer experience.
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