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Customer Support · head to head

Amazon Connect vs Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

Amazon Connect logo

Amazon Connect

Customer Support

Cloud contact center from AWS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zendesk Sunshine Conversations logo

Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

Live Chat & Chatbots

Omnichannel messaging and customer engagement platform

From
On request
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; Zendesk Sunshine Conversations cannot be purchased standalone; requires expensive Zendesk Suite Professional or higher plans
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Connect covers Voice, Zendesk Sunshine Conversations covers Live chat.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Connect and Zendesk Sunshine Conversations actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Connect and Zendesk Sunshine Conversations differ
AttributeAmazon ConnectZendesk Sunshine Conversations
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryCustomer SupportLive Chat & Chatbots
Founded20062015

Identical on both: 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 Amazon Connect

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

Only in Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

  • Live chat
  • SMS messaging
  • Facebook Messenger
  • WhatsApp integration
  • Zendesk Support
  • Slack
  • API
  • Mobile app support

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • Web support

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 Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
  • Voice, chat, email and SMS in one queuenot Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
  • Conversational analytics and agent assistnot Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
  • Outbound campaigns and automated contactnot Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
  • Workforce scheduling for contact centre agentsnot Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

  • Customer engagementnot Amazon Connect
  • Lead generationnot Amazon Connect
  • Customer supportnot Amazon Connect
  • Sales automationnot 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

Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

  • Cannot be purchased standalone; requires expensive Zendesk Suite Professional or higher plans
  • Low included monthly active users (1,000 MAU) and notifications (1,000) necessitate paid add-ons for most businesses
  • Custom implementations require developer resources for webhooks and API configuration

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon Connect

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

Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

On request
  • Team$19/month
    • Chat + messaging
    • Basic features
    • Limited agents
  • Growth$49/month
    • Omnichannel
    • Advanced automation
    • Routing
  • Professional$99/month
    • All features
    • Custom workflows
    • Premium support

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 Zendesk Sunshine Conversations if

  • You need live chat.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want sms messaging.
Zendesk Sunshine Conversations review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Connect or Zendesk Sunshine Conversations better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Connect starts at Free and Zendesk Sunshine Conversations at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Connect or Zendesk Sunshine Conversations?
Amazon Connect has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Amazon Connect and On request for Zendesk Sunshine Conversations.
Does Amazon Connect or Zendesk Sunshine Conversations run on more platforms?
Amazon Connect runs on Web. Zendesk Sunshine Conversations runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Amazon Connect for free?
Yes. Amazon Connect has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zendesk Sunshine Conversations starts at On request.
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 Zendesk Sunshine Conversations is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Connect do that Zendesk Sunshine Conversations cannot?
Amazon Connect covers Voice, Chat, Tasks, ML-powered analytics. Zendesk Sunshine Conversations covers Live chat, SMS messaging, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp integration. Both handle Salesforce, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Zendesk Sunshine Conversations: Can I buy Zendesk Sunshine Conversations standalone?

No. Sunshine Conversations is only available with Zendesk Suite Professional, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus plans. It cannot be purchased as a standalone product.

Source
Zendesk Sunshine Conversations: What messaging channels does Sunshine Conversations support?

Sunshine Conversations connects 15+ messaging channels including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, and provides a Web Widget for on-site chat.

Source
Zendesk Sunshine Conversations: What are the usage limits on Zendesk Sunshine Conversations?

The base includes 1,000 Monthly Active Users and 1,000 notifications per month. Additional usage requires $50 add-ons for each 2,500 MAU pack or $50 for each 25,000 notification pack.

Source
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Related pages

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