Softwr

Live Chat · head to head

Chatra vs Playvox

Chatra logo

Chatra

Live Chat

Live chat and CRM software for customer engagement

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Playvox logo

Playvox

Customer Support

Contact centre quality management, coaching and workforce management, now sold by NiCE

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Chatra has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Chatra free plan is capped at 5 chats per month and one agent seat; Playvox niCE acquired Playvox in 2023 and also sells CXone above it, so at renewal you are negotiating with a vendor that has a commercial incentive to move you to the more expensive tier rather than invest in the one you bought.
  • They diverge on capability: Chatra covers Live chat messaging, Playvox covers Quality management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chatra and Playvox actually diverge.

Attributes where Chatra and Playvox differ
AttributeChatraPlayvox
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile app, IOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryLive ChatCustomer Support
Founded2010Unknown

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 Chatra

  • Live chat messaging
  • CRM functionality
  • Visitor tracking
  • Chat history
  • Shopify
  • Zapier
  • Slack
  • API

Only in Playvox

  • Quality management
  • Agent coaching
  • Workforce management
  • Performance management
  • Agent motivation
  • Helpdesk connectors
  • Interaction analytics

What people use each for

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

Chatra

  • Small teams starting on live chat with a hard free-tier chat limit before needing to upgradenot Playvox

Playvox

  • A 200-agent support team on Zendesk that wants structured call and ticket scoring without moving to a full contact centre platformnot Chatra
  • A CX operations group running chat, email and voice queues that needs one forecasting model across all three rather than a voice-only rota toolnot Chatra
  • A BPO that must evidence quality scores per client and needs calibration workflows to prove reviewers score consistentlynot Chatra
  • A support organisation with high first-year attrition that wants coaching assignments tied directly to the criteria an agent failednot Chatra

Where each one falls short

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

Chatra

  • Free plan is capped at 5 chats per month and one agent seat
  • Essential and Pro tiers are billed per agent seat at $31/month and $41/month (or $25/month and $33/month if billed yearly), so cost rises directly with headcount

Playvox

  • NiCE acquired Playvox in 2023 and also sells CXone above it, so at renewal you are negotiating with a vendor that has a commercial incentive to move you to the more expensive tier rather than invest in the one you bought.
  • Playvox WFM carries a minimum agent commitment reported around 35 seats, so a team of 20 either pays for agents it does not have or cannot buy the module at all.
  • The suite is modular and priced modularly, so the quality, performance, coaching, WFM and analytics pieces each carry a line item and the advertised mid-market saving disappears once you licence three or four of them.
  • Forecasting was built around digital and omnichannel volume, and teams with complex voice requirements such as skills-based routing with heavy shrinkage rules routinely find the scheduling engine less precise than dedicated voice WFM tools.
  • Because it sits on top of another vendor helpdesk rather than owning the interaction data, scoring depends on connector fidelity, and when a source platform changes its API or its recording retention the scorecards go stale before anyone notices.

Pricing, plan by plan

Chatra

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Live chat
    • Basic CRM
    • 1 agent
  • Starter$15/month
    • Unlimited agents
    • Advanced CRM
  • Business$49/month
    • Priority support
    • Custom branding

Playvox

On request
  • Playvox by NiCE Workforce Engagement Management$undefined/year
    • Quality management and scorecards
    • Coaching workflows
    • Performance dashboards

Which should you pick?

Choose Chatra if

  • You need live chat messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app, IOS, Android.
  • You also want crm functionality.
Chatra review

Choose Playvox if

  • You need quality management.
  • You also want agent coaching.
Playvox review

Questions people ask

Is Chatra or Playvox better?
Neither clearly leads. Chatra starts at Free and Playvox at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chatra or Playvox?
Chatra has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Chatra and On request for Playvox.
Does Chatra or Playvox run on more platforms?
Chatra runs on Web, Mobile app, IOS, Android. Playvox runs on Web.
Can I use Chatra for free?
Yes. Chatra has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Playvox starts at On request.
What is Chatra best used for?
Chatra is most often used for small teams starting on live chat with a hard free-tier chat limit before needing to upgrade. Of those, small teams starting on live chat with a hard free-tier chat limit before needing to upgrade is not what Playvox is typically brought in for.
What can Chatra do that Playvox cannot?
Chatra covers Live chat messaging, CRM functionality, Visitor tracking, Chat history. Playvox covers Quality management, Agent coaching, Workforce management, Performance management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Chatra: Is Chatra's free plan available indefinitely?

Yes. Chatra's free plan is available free for as long as you want with no time limitation. No credit card is required to start.

Source
Playvox: Is Playvox still sold as its own product?

Yes, as Playvox by NiCE. It is a distinct SKU beneath NiCE CXone, not a discontinued brand, but it is sold by NiCE sales rather than an independent company.

Chatra: How quickly can I start using Chatra's free plan?

The free plan can be started in 3 minutes according to the website.

Source
Playvox: Do I need NiCE CXone to use it?

No. Playvox connects to Zendesk, Salesforce, Freshdesk, Genesys and others. Running it against a competitor platform is supported, though it is not where the vendor makes the most money.

Playvox: What does it actually cost?

Nothing is published. Full-suite list pricing reported by buyers sits around 70 to 120 US dollars per agent per month, with WFM alone around 30 to 60, before volume discounting.

Playvox: Can a 15-agent team buy it?

Not realistically for WFM, which carries a minimum seat commitment. Quality management alone is more accessible but still sold on an annual quoted contract.

Share

Related pages

More on Chatra

More on Playvox

Keep looking

Other head to heads