Live Chat · alternatives
Alternatives to Freshchat
21 live chat tools sit alongside Freshchat in this directory. Below is what separates each from Freshchat on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 21
- With a free tier
- 10
- Cheaper to start
- 4
- Freshchat starts at
- Free, then $19/month
Why people look past Freshchat
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Freshchat entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
Cost climbs steeply across the tiers
Freshchat publishes 4 tiers, from Free up to $79/month. Teams that outgrow the entry plan can find the next rung a large step, the Freshchat pricing page breaks each one down.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
AWS conversational AI service
- Starts $18.996 a per speech request cheaper, at $0.004/per speech request.
- Sold on a usage-based model rather than subscription.
- 2 tiers to Freshchat's 4.
Omnichannel messaging and customer engagement platform
- No free tier, where Freshchat has one.
- 3 tiers to Freshchat's 4.
Open-source chatbot platform and framework
- Starts $8981 a year dearer, at $9000/year.
- 1 tier to Freshchat's 4.
Customer messaging platform for startups and SMBs
- Starts $26 a month dearer, at $45/month.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
- 5 tiers to Freshchat's 4.
Chatbot and automation platform for Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and SMS
- Starts $4 a month cheaper, at $15/month.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
- 2 tiers to Freshchat's 4.
No-code chatbot builder for websites, WhatsApp, and lead generation
- Starts $13 a month dearer, at €32/month.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
- 3 tiers to Freshchat's 4.
Every Freshchat alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshchat (this page) | Free, then $19/month | Subscription | 4 | |
| Amazon LexAWS conversational AI service | Free, then $0.004/per speech request | Usage-based | 2 | vs Freshchat |
| Zendesk Sunshine ConversationsOmnichannel messaging and customer engagement platform | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| BotpressOpen-source chatbot platform and framework | Free, then $9000/year | Subscription | 1 | vs Freshchat |
| CrispCustomer messaging platform for startups and SMBs | Free, then $45/month | Freemium | 5 | vs Freshchat |
| ManyChat | Free, then $15/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Freshchat |
| Landbot | Free, then €32/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| Conferbot | Free, then $19/month | Freemium | 4 | vs Freshchat |
| Jivochat | Free | Subscription | 4 | vs Freshchat |
| Ada | Free | Subscription | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| Google Dialogflow | Free | Usage-based | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| IBM Watson Assistant | Free | Subscription | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| Kore.ai | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| Conversica | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| LiveChat | $20/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Freshchat |
| Comm100 | $29/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| Kayako | $30/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| Bold360 | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| Capacity | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| Gorgias | $10/month | Usage-based | 4 | vs Freshchat |
| Haptik | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Freshchat |
| Acquire | $50/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Freshchat |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Freshchat badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (10)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
Cheaper than Freshchat (4)
Entry price under Freshchat's $19/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Amazon Lex , Free, then $0.004/per speech request
- ManyChat , Free, then $15/month
- Jivochat , Free
- Gorgias , $10/month
What you would be giving up
Freshchat is most often brought in for live chat on a website or in an app, shared inbox across chat, email and social messengers, chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agent, routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiers. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Freshchat is broadly right and the question is cost, the Freshchat pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Live Chat category lists everything the directory holds, and best live chat tools ranks them.
Freshchat runs on web, ios, android. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Freshchat alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Freshchat?
- 21 other live chat tools are listed in this directory, led by Amazon Lex, Zendesk Sunshine Conversations, Botpress, Crisp. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Freshchat?
- 10 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Amazon Lex, Botpress, Crisp, ManyChat, Landbot.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Freshchat?
- Yes. 4 of the alternatives below start under Freshchat's $19/month: Amazon Lex at Free, then $0.004/per speech request, ManyChat at Free, then $15/month, Jivochat at Free, Gorgias at $10/month.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Freshchat?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: cost climbs steeply across the tiers. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Freshchat?
- Freshchat is most often brought in for live chat on a website or in an app, shared inbox across chat, email and social messengers, chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agent, routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiers. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Freshchat?
- None of the live chat tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Freshchat alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Live Chat, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Freshchat against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Freshchat covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every live chat tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Live Chat category, 21 tools beside Freshchat. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.