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Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head

Amazon Lex vs Freshchat

Amazon Lex logo

Amazon Lex

Live Chat & Chatbots

AWS conversational AI service

From
$0.00075/per text request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Freshchat logo

Freshchat

Live Chat & Chatbots

Modern messaging for customer engagement

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Freshchat has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Lex pay-as-you-go model with no standard free tier, only AWS free credits for new customers (6 months, $200 limit); Freshchat the free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Lex covers Speech recognition, Freshchat covers Live chat.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Lex and Freshchat actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Lex and Freshchat differ
AttributeAmazon LexFreshchat
Starting price$0.00075/per text requestFree
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, AWS CloudWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20062010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Live Chat & Chatbots).

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 Lex

  • Speech recognition
  • Natural language understanding
  • Voice and text
  • Lambda integration
  • AWS services
  • Lambda
  • DynamoDB
  • SNS

Only in Freshchat

  • Live chat
  • Chatbots
  • Campaigns
  • WhatsApp
  • Instagram
  • Apple Business Chat
  • Freshdesk
  • Freshsales

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Amazon Lex

  • Building conversational chatbots leveraging Alexa deep learning enginenot Freshchat
  • Voice and text-based NLU applications requiring automatic speech recognitionnot Freshchat
  • Custom conversational interfaces integrated into existing applicationsnot Freshchat

Freshchat

  • Live chat on a website or in an appnot Amazon Lex
  • Shared inbox across chat, email and social messengersnot Amazon Lex
  • Chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agentnot Amazon Lex
  • Routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiersnot Amazon Lex

Where each one falls short

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

Amazon Lex

  • Pay-as-you-go model with no standard free tier, only AWS free credits for new customers (6 months, $200 limit)
  • Speech requests cost $0.004 each, text requests $0.00075 each, training costs $0.50 per minute
  • Variable costs can accumulate quickly for high-volume applications

Freshchat

  • The free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting
  • Reporting and social channels need Growth at $19 per agent per month billed annually
  • Intelligent routing, multilingual support and custom dashboards require Pro at $49 per agent per month
  • Skill-based routing, audit logs and IP whitelisting are Enterprise only at $79 per agent per month
  • Freddy AI is charged on top of the seat price, at $49 per 100 agent sessions and $29 per agent per month for Copilot

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon Lex

$0.00075/per text request

No published plan breakdown. See the Amazon Lex review.

Freshchat

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100 contacts
    • Chatbot
    • Inbox views
  • Growth$19/month
    • 2000 contacts
    • WhatsApp
    • Instagram
  • Pro$49/month
    • 5000 contacts
    • Auto-resolve
    • Advanced routing
  • Enterprise$79/month
    • Unlimited contacts
    • Custom bots
    • User authentication

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Lex if

  • You need speech recognition.
  • You work on Web, AWS Cloud.
  • You also want natural language understanding.
Amazon Lex review

Choose Freshchat if

  • You need live chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want chatbots.
Freshchat review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Lex or Freshchat better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Lex starts at $0.00075/per text request and Freshchat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Lex or Freshchat?
Freshchat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.00075/per text request for Amazon Lex and Free for Freshchat.
Does Amazon Lex or Freshchat run on more platforms?
Amazon Lex runs on Web, AWS Cloud. Freshchat runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Freshchat for free?
Yes. Freshchat has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Amazon Lex starts at $0.00075/per text request.
What is Amazon Lex best used for?
Amazon Lex is most often used for building conversational chatbots leveraging alexa deep learning engine, voice and text-based nlu applications requiring automatic speech recognition, custom conversational interfaces integrated into existing applications. Of those, building conversational chatbots leveraging alexa deep learning engine and voice and text-based nlu applications requiring automatic speech recognition are not what Freshchat is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Lex do that Freshchat cannot?
Amazon Lex covers Speech recognition, Natural language understanding, Voice and text, Lambda integration. Freshchat covers Live chat, Chatbots, Campaigns, WhatsApp. Both handle Web support.
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Related pages

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