Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

Customerly vs Friendbuy

Customerly logo

Customerly

Customer Support

Customer service suite with live chat and automation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Friendbuy logo

Friendbuy

Affiliate Marketing

Referral and loyalty platform for DTC brands

From
$249/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Customerly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Customerly usage-based pricing of 0.50 EUR per conversation can become expensive at scale; Friendbuy no public pricing; requires sales call which makes it difficult to compare costs
  • They diverge on capability: Customerly covers Live chat, Friendbuy covers Referral programs.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Customerly and Friendbuy actually diverge.

Attributes where Customerly and Friendbuy differ
AttributeCustomerlyFriendbuy
Starting priceFree$249/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
CategoryCustomer SupportAffiliate Marketing
Founded20152010

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Customerly

  • Live chat
  • Email marketing
  • Customer surveys
  • Help center
  • Automation
  • Video chat
  • Slack
  • WordPress

Only in Friendbuy

  • Referral programs
  • Loyalty programs
  • A/B testing
  • Fraud detection
  • Attribution tracking
  • Klaviyo
  • Attentive
  • Yotpo

Both cover

  • Shopify
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Customerly

  • Customer supportnot Friendbuy
  • Lead generationnot Friendbuy
  • Email marketingnot Friendbuy
  • Customer feedbacknot Friendbuy

Friendbuy

  • affiliate marketing managementnot Customerly
  • Workflow automationnot Customerly
  • Reportingnot Customerly

Where each one falls short

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

Customerly

  • Usage-based pricing of 0.50 EUR per conversation can become expensive at scale
  • Limited to 11-50 employees according to company size metrics

Friendbuy

  • No public pricing; requires sales call which makes it difficult to compare costs
  • Custom pricing can be expensive, especially for additional currencies or features
  • Low level of customization makes it difficult to implement seamlessly and maintain brand consistency
  • Customer support only available via email with slow response times
  • Rewards require manual processing and approval rather than automatic distribution
  • Tracking accuracy issues where referred customers sometimes marked as existing customers

Pricing, plan by plan

Customerly

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2 teammates
    • Live chat
    • Basic surveys
  • Essential$9/month
    • Unlimited chat
    • Help center
    • Automation
  • Startup$29/month
    • Video chat
    • Funnels
    • Priority support
  • Pro$79/month
    • White label
    • Advanced analytics
    • API access

Friendbuy

$249/month
  • Starter$249/month
    • Referral program
    • Basic analytics
    • Email support

Which should you pick?

Choose Customerly if

  • You need live chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want email marketing.
Customerly review

Choose Friendbuy if

  • You need referral programs.
  • You also want loyalty programs.
Friendbuy review

Questions people ask

Is Customerly or Friendbuy better?
Neither clearly leads. Customerly starts at Free and Friendbuy at $249/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Customerly or Friendbuy?
Customerly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Customerly and $249/month for Friendbuy.
Does Customerly or Friendbuy run on more platforms?
Customerly runs on Web, Ios, Android. Friendbuy runs on Web.
Can I use Customerly for free?
Yes. Customerly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Friendbuy starts at $249/month.
What is Customerly best used for?
Customerly is most often used for customer support, lead generation, email marketing, customer feedback. Of those, customer support and lead generation are not what Friendbuy is typically brought in for.
What can Customerly do that Friendbuy cannot?
Customerly covers Live chat, Email marketing, Customer surveys, Help center. Friendbuy covers Referral programs, Loyalty programs, A/B testing, Fraud detection. Both handle Shopify, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Customerly: Where is Customerly's data stored?

All data is stored exclusively in the EU, providing GDPR compliance and data residency in European servers.

Source
Friendbuy: What is Friendbuy's pricing model?

Friendbuy uses custom quote-based pricing with no publicly listed rates. Starting point is approximately $3,000 annually, with costs varying based on traffic volume, features needed, and onboarding requirements. Annual contracts are required.

Source
Customerly: What messaging channels does Customerly support?

Customerly integrates live chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, and mobile apps into a single unified inbox for managing customer conversations.

Source
Friendbuy: Does Friendbuy offer a free trial?

Friendbuy does not offer a free trial. Prospective customers must contact sales for a demo and quote. There is no self-serve signup or trial period available.

Source
Customerly: How much of customer support can Customerly automate?

Customerly's AI assistant (Aura) handles up to 60 percent of customer conversations automatically, with the platform designed to handle 71 percent of support volume through automation.

Source
Friendbuy: Does Friendbuy offer referral and loyalty programs?

Yes. Friendbuy bundles both referral and loyalty program features together. You cannot purchase referral features alone and must pay for the complete suite.

Source
Friendbuy: What integrations does Friendbuy support?

Friendbuy integrates with major e-commerce platforms including Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, plus marketing tools like Klaviyo, Braze, and Segment.

Source
Friendbuy: Are rewards processed automatically in Friendbuy?

Activity is tracked automatically, but rewards are processed manually, requiring administrator action to approve and distribute rewards to referrers.

Source
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Related pages

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