Live Chat · alternatives
Alternatives to Zendesk Chat
22 live chat tools sit alongside Zendesk Chat in this directory. Below is what separates each from Zendesk Chat on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 22
- With a free tier
- 11
- Cheaper to start
- 4
- Zendesk Chat starts at
- $19/month
Why people look past Zendesk Chat
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Zendesk Chat entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is no free tier
The record for Zendesk Chat carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 11 of the 22 alternatives below can be used without paying.
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
- Can be used without paying; Zendesk Chat cannot.
- 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 Zendesk Chat's 3.
Omnichannel messaging and customer engagement platform
Priced and rated the same as Zendesk Chat on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Open-source chatbot platform and framework
- Can be used without paying; Zendesk Chat cannot.
- Starts $8981 a year dearer, at $9000/year.
- 1 tier to Zendesk Chat's 3.
Customer messaging platform for startups and SMBs
- Can be used without paying; Zendesk Chat cannot.
- Starts $26 a month dearer, at $45/month.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
- 5 tiers to Zendesk Chat's 3.
Chatbot and automation platform for Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and SMS
- Can be used without paying; Zendesk Chat cannot.
- Starts $4 a month cheaper, at $15/month.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
- 2 tiers to Zendesk Chat's 3.
No-code chatbot builder for websites, WhatsApp, and lead generation
- Can be used without paying; Zendesk Chat cannot.
- Starts $13 a month dearer, at €32/month.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
Every Zendesk Chat 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zendesk Chat (this page) | $19/month | Subscription | 3 | |
| Amazon LexAWS conversational AI service | Free, then $0.004/per speech request | Usage-based | 2 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Zendesk Sunshine ConversationsOmnichannel messaging and customer engagement platform | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| BotpressOpen-source chatbot platform and framework | Free, then $9000/year | Subscription | 1 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| CrispCustomer messaging platform for startups and SMBs | Free, then $45/month | Freemium | 5 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| ManyChat | Free, then $15/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Landbot | Free, then €32/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Conferbot | Free, then $19/month | Freemium | 4 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Jivochat | Free | Subscription | 4 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Ada | Free | Subscription | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Freshchat | Free, then $19/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Google Dialogflow | Free | Usage-based | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| IBM Watson Assistant | Free | Subscription | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Kore.ai | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Conversica | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| LiveChat | $20/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Comm100 | $29/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Kayako | $30/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Bold360 | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Capacity | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Gorgias | $10/month | Usage-based | 4 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Haptik | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
| Acquire | $50/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Zendesk Chat |
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 Zendesk Chat badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (11)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
Cheaper than Zendesk Chat (4)
Entry price under Zendesk Chat'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
Zendesk Chat is most often brought in for customer support team management, multi-channel messaging, ai-powered contact centers. 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 Zendesk Chat is broadly right and the question is cost, the Zendesk Chat 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.
Zendesk Chat 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 Zendesk Chat alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Zendesk Chat?
- 22 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 Zendesk Chat?
- 11 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Amazon Lex, Botpress, Crisp, ManyChat, Landbot.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Zendesk Chat?
- Yes. 4 of the alternatives below start under Zendesk Chat'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 Zendesk Chat?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Zendesk Chat?
- Zendesk Chat is most often brought in for customer support team management, multi-channel messaging, ai-powered contact centers. 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 Zendesk Chat?
- 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 Zendesk Chat 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 Zendesk Chat against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Zendesk Chat 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, 22 tools beside Zendesk Chat. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.