Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

8x8 Contact Center vs Drift

8x8 Contact Center logo

8x8 Contact Center

Customer Support

Integrated cloud communications and contact center

From
$85/month
Rated
-
Drift logo

Drift

SaaS

The Conversation Cloud

From
$2500/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 8x8 Contact Center listed on G-Cloud 14 directly by 8x8 UK Limited (not a reseller) at £0.68 to £113.40 per user per month for 8x8 Contact Centre; Drift product is being sunset by Salesloft with successor service (1mind) recommended
  • They diverge on capability: 8x8 Contact Center covers Voice, Drift covers Live chat.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 8x8 Contact Center and Drift actually diverge.

Attributes where 8x8 Contact Center and Drift differ
Attribute8x8 Contact CenterDrift
Starting price$85/month$2500/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Desktop, Ios, AndroidWeb
CategoryCustomer SupportSaaS
Founded19872015

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 8x8 Contact Center

  • Voice
  • Digital channels
  • IVR
  • ACD
  • WFM
  • Quality management
  • Analytics
  • Zendesk

Only in Drift

  • Live chat
  • AI chatbots
  • Meeting scheduling
  • Email sequences
  • Visitor intelligence
  • Conversation routing
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics dashboard

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft Teams
  • HubSpot
  • SOC2
  • HIPAA
  • GDPR

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

8x8 Contact Center

  • Unified communicationsnot Drift
  • Contact centernot Drift
  • Remote worknot Drift
  • Customer support

Drift

  • Lead qualificationnot 8x8 Contact Center
  • Meeting bookingnot 8x8 Contact Center
  • Customer support
  • Account-based marketingnot 8x8 Contact Center
  • Sales accelerationnot 8x8 Contact Center

Both are used for customer support, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

8x8 Contact Center

  • Listed on G-Cloud 14 directly by 8x8 UK Limited (not a reseller) at £0.68 to £113.40 per user per month for 8x8 Contact Centre

Drift

  • Product is being sunset by Salesloft with successor service (1mind) recommended
  • Mandatory bundling within Salesloft increases cost
  • No free tier available
  • Customer support and knowledge base have been deprioritized
  • Limited to enterprise B2B pipeline generation focus

Pricing, plan by plan

8x8 Contact Center

$85/month
  • X6$85/month
    • Voice contact center
    • ACD
    • IVR
  • X7$110/month
    • X6 + Digital channels
    • Quality management
  • X8$140/month
    • X7 + WFM
    • Speech analytics
    • Advanced AI

Drift

$2500/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Drift review.

Which should you pick?

Choose 8x8 Contact Center if

  • You need voice.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Ios, Android.
  • You also want digital channels.

Choose Drift if

  • You need live chat.
  • You also want ai chatbots.

Questions people ask

Is 8x8 Contact Center or Drift better?
Neither clearly leads. 8x8 Contact Center starts at $85/month and Drift at $2500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 8x8 Contact Center or Drift?
8x8 Contact Center starts at $85/month and Drift at $2500/month.
Does 8x8 Contact Center or Drift run on more platforms?
8x8 Contact Center runs on Web, Desktop, Ios, Android. Drift runs on Web.
What is 8x8 Contact Center best used for?
8x8 Contact Center is most often used for unified communications, contact center, remote work, customer support. Of those, unified communications and contact center are not what Drift is typically brought in for.
What can 8x8 Contact Center do that Drift cannot?
8x8 Contact Center covers Voice, Digital channels, IVR, ACD. Drift covers Live chat, AI chatbots, Meeting scheduling, Email sequences. Both handle Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, HubSpot, SOC2.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Drift: What is the current status of Drift in 2026?

On March 6, 2026, Clari and Salesloft announced the gradual sunset of Drift's conversational marketing solution, with 1mind named as its exclusive AI successor. Drift remains available but its future is limited.

Source
Drift: How much does Drift cost?

Drift pricing starts around $2,500/month ($30,000/year) for Premium chat-only capabilities, with Enterprise plans exceeding $80,000/year. Drift is bundled within Salesloft and billed annually only.

Source
Drift: What features come with Drift Premium?

Premium plans include live chat widget, custom chatbot flows, meeting scheduling with calendar integration, basic playbooks, email sequences, and standard integrations.

Source
Drift: Does Drift offer a free plan?

No, Drift no longer publicly advertises a free plan as of 2026. All plans require annual billing through Salesloft.

Source

Related pages

Other head to heads