SaaS · head to head
Drift vs Gladly
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Drift product is being sunset by Salesloft with successor service (1mind) recommended; Gladly no pricing is published at any level, and the pricing page states no per agent cost, per conversation rate, minimum commitment or feature tiers
- They diverge on capability: Drift covers Live chat, Gladly covers Lifelong conversation.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Drift and Gladly actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Drift
- Live chat
- AI chatbots
- Meeting scheduling
- Email sequences
- Visitor intelligence
- Conversation routing
- Mobile app
- Analytics dashboard
Only in Gladly
- Lifelong conversation
- Omnichannel support
- Customer timeline
- Task management
- Knowledge base
- IVR
- Shopify
- Magento
Both cover
- Salesforce
- SOC2
- GDPR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Drift
- Lead qualificationnot Gladly
- Meeting bookingnot Gladly
- Customer supportnot Gladly
- Account-based marketingnot Gladly
- Sales accelerationnot Gladly
Gladly
- Customer service built around a single customer record rather than ticketsnot Drift
- Handling support conversations across voice, messaging and emailnot Drift
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Gladly
- No pricing is published at any level, and the pricing page states no per agent cost, per conversation rate, minimum commitment or feature tiers
- The pricing page presents outcome statistics in place of any cost information
- Every route to a figure goes through a demo or sales conversation
Pricing, plan by plan
Drift
$2500/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Drift review.
Gladly
$180/month- Hero$180/month
- All channels
- Customer timeline
- Knowledge base
- Superhero$210/month
- Everything in Hero
- Custom reporting
- Advanced rules
Which should you pick?
Choose Gladly if
- You need lifelong conversation.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want omnichannel support.
Questions people ask
- Is Drift or Gladly better?
- Neither clearly leads. Drift starts at $2500/month and Gladly at $180/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Drift or Gladly?
- Drift starts at $2500/month and Gladly at $180/month.
- Does Drift or Gladly run on more platforms?
- Drift runs on Web. Gladly runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- What is Drift best used for?
- Drift is most often used for lead qualification, meeting booking, customer support, account-based marketing. Of those, lead qualification and meeting booking are not what Gladly is typically brought in for.
- What can Drift do that Gladly cannot?
- Drift covers Live chat, AI chatbots, Meeting scheduling, Email sequences. Gladly covers Lifelong conversation, Omnichannel support, Customer timeline, Task management. Both handle Salesforce, SOC2, GDPR.
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.
SourceDrift: 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.
SourceDrift: 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.
SourceDrift: 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.
SourceRelated pages
Other head to heads
- Drift vs Intercom
- Drift vs Mixpanel
- Drift vs Heap
- Drift vs Canny
- Drift vs Pendo
- Drift vs Close
- Drift vs Userpilot
- Drift vs Kustomer
- Drift vs Front
- Drift vs Groove
- Drift vs Freshdesk
- Drift vs Freshworks Customer Service Suite
- Drift vs Jira Service Management
- Drift vs Salesforce Service Cloud
- Drift vs Zendesk
- Drift vs 8x8 Contact Center
- Drift vs Amazon Connect
- Drift vs BMC Helix
- Drift vs Chatwoot
- Drift vs Customerly
- Drift vs DelightChat
- Drift vs Dialpad Contact Center
- Drift vs Dixa
- Drift vs Freshservice
- Drift vs HappyFox
- Gladly vs Intercom
- Gladly vs Mixpanel
- Gladly vs Heap
- Gladly vs Canny
- Gladly vs Pendo
- Gladly vs Close
- Gladly vs Userpilot
- Gladly vs Kustomer
- Gladly vs Front
- Gladly vs Groove
- Gladly vs Freshdesk
- Gladly vs Freshworks Customer Service Suite
- Gladly vs Jira Service Management
- Gladly vs Salesforce Service Cloud
- Gladly vs Zendesk
- Gladly vs 8x8 Contact Center
- Gladly vs Amazon Connect
- Gladly vs BMC Helix
- Gladly vs Chatwoot
- Gladly vs Customerly
- Gladly vs DelightChat
- Gladly vs Dialpad Contact Center
- Gladly vs Dixa
- Gladly vs Freshservice
- Gladly vs HappyFox


