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Software · head to head

Amazon Connect vs Drift

Amazon Connect logo

Amazon Connect

Software

Cloud contact center from AWS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Drift logo

Drift

Software

The Conversation Cloud

From
$2500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Amazon Connect has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Connect telephony is charged separately from the platform, so the $0.038 per minute voice rate is not the whole cost of a call; Drift product is being sunset by Salesloft with successor service (1mind) recommended
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Connect covers Voice, Drift covers Live chat.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Connect and Drift actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Connect and Drift differ
AttributeAmazon ConnectDrift
Starting priceFree$2500/month
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
Free tierYesNo
Founded20062015

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Amazon Connect

  • Voice
  • Chat
  • Tasks
  • ML-powered analytics
  • Contact Lens
  • Outbound campaigns
  • Forecasting
  • ServiceNow

Only in Drift

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

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • SOC2
  • HIPAA

What people use each for

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

Amazon Connect

  • Cloud contact centre with no per-seat licencenot Drift
  • Voice, chat, email and SMS in one queuenot Drift
  • Conversational analytics and agent assistnot Drift
  • Outbound campaigns and automated contactnot Drift
  • Workforce scheduling for contact centre agentsnot Drift

Drift

  • Lead qualificationnot Amazon Connect
  • Meeting bookingnot Amazon Connect
  • Customer supportnot Amazon Connect
  • Account-based marketingnot Amazon Connect
  • Sales accelerationnot Amazon Connect

Where each one falls short

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

Amazon Connect

  • Telephony is charged separately from the platform, so the $0.038 per minute voice rate is not the whole cost of a call
  • Every channel is metered individually: $0.010 per chat message, $0.080 per email and $0.014 per SMS
  • Rates vary by region and by third-party provider, so a published figure is indicative rather than final
  • Cost tracks contact volume, which makes forecasting hard for a queue with seasonal peaks

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

Amazon Connect

Free
  • Pay-as-you-go$0.018/minute
    • Voice minutes
    • Free tier available
    • No upfront costs

Drift

$2500/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Drift review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Connect if

  • You need voice.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want chat.
Amazon Connect review

Choose Drift if

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

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Connect or Drift better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Connect starts at Free and Drift at $2500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Connect or Drift?
Amazon Connect has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Amazon Connect and $2500/month for Drift.
Does Amazon Connect or Drift run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Amazon Connect for free?
Yes. Amazon Connect has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Drift starts at $2500/month.
What is Amazon Connect best used for?
Amazon Connect is most often used for cloud contact centre with no per-seat licence, voice, chat, email and sms in one queue, conversational analytics and agent assist, outbound campaigns and automated contact. Of those, cloud contact centre with no per-seat licence and voice, chat, email and sms in one queue are not what Drift is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Connect do that Drift cannot?
Amazon Connect covers Voice, Chat, Tasks, ML-powered analytics. Drift covers Live chat, AI chatbots, Meeting scheduling, Email sequences. Both handle Salesforce, SOC2, HIPAA.

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
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Related pages

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