SaaS · head to head
Drift vs Heap
The short version
- Only Heap has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Drift product is being sunset by Salesloft with successor service (1mind) recommended; Heap no built-in A/B testing or feature flags; requires integration with separate tools for experimentation
- They diverge on capability: Drift covers Live chat, Heap covers Autocapture.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Drift and Heap actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), user rating (Not yet rated), category (SaaS).
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 Heap
- Autocapture
- Retroactive analytics
- Session replay
- Funnel analysis
- User segmentation
- Path analysis
- Data science
- Virtual events
Both cover
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Marketo
- Segment
- SOC2
- GDPR
- CCPA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Drift
- Lead qualificationnot Heap
- Meeting bookingnot Heap
- Customer supportnot Heap
- Account-based marketingnot Heap
- Sales accelerationnot Heap
Heap
- User behavior analysisnot Drift
- Conversion optimizationnot Drift
- Product adoptionnot Drift
- Customer journey mappingnot Drift
- A/B testing analysisnot 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
Heap
- No built-in A/B testing or feature flags; requires integration with separate tools for experimentation
- Group analytics and advanced features require a sales conversation, not self-serve
- Cloud-only deployment; no self-hosted option for data security or compliance requirements
- Session replay lacks developer debugging tools compared to PostHog
- Pricing for Growth and Pro plans requires direct sales contact; no transparency on how pricing scales
Pricing, plan by plan
Drift
$2500/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Drift review.
Heap
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 10,000 monthly sessions
- Basic charts
- 6 months data history
- Growth$null/custom
- Custom session pricing
- Sense AI assistant
- 12 months data history
- Pro$null/custom
- Custom session pricing
- Account analytics
- Engagement matrix
- Premier$null/custom
- Custom session pricing
- Data warehouse integration
- Unlimited projects
Which should you pick?
Choose Heap if
- You need autocapture.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want retroactive analytics.
Questions people ask
- Is Drift or Heap better?
- Neither clearly leads. Drift starts at $2500/month and Heap at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Drift or Heap?
- Heap has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2500/month for Drift and Free for Heap.
- Does Drift or Heap run on more platforms?
- Drift runs on Web. Heap runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Heap for free?
- Yes. Heap has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Drift starts at $2500/month.
- 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 Heap is typically brought in for.
- What can Drift do that Heap cannot?
- Drift covers Live chat, AI chatbots, Meeting scheduling, Email sequences. Heap covers Autocapture, Retroactive analytics, Session replay, Funnel analysis. Both handle Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Segment.
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.
SourceHeap: What does Heap's autocapture feature do?
Heap's autocapture is a single code snippet that automatically captures every click, swipe, tap, pageview, and form fill on your website and apps without requiring manual event setup. Once installed, Heap captures the entire digital experience of every user on every platform with no ongoing engineering maintenance needed.
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.
SourceHeap: What are Heap's pricing plans and how much do they cost?
Heap offers a Free plan for up to 10,000 monthly sessions. Growth, Pro, and Premier plans use custom session-based pricing that requires contacting sales for a quote. Free includes basic charts and 6 months data history. Growth adds the Sense AI assistant. Pro adds account analytics. Premier adds data warehouse integration and dedicated customer success management.
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.
SourceHeap: Does Heap include session replay and A/B testing?
Heap includes integrated session replay showing exactly what users did on your site. However, Heap does not include built-in A/B testing or feature flags. Teams requiring these capabilities must use separate tools or integrate with third-party platforms.
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.
SourceHeap: What integrations does Heap support?
Heap supports over 100 integrations connecting to business tools including marketing platforms, CRMs, and data warehouses. This allows insights to reach relevant teams and ensures data flows to other business systems automatically.
SourceHeap: Does Heap offer self-hosting or is it cloud-only?
Heap is cloud-only and does not offer self-hosted options. Organizations requiring on-premises deployment should consider alternatives like PostHog which supports self-hosting alongside its cloud product.
SourceHeap: What is Sense and how does it help with analytics?
Sense Chat is Heap's AI assistant that enables users to access analytics without extensive technical knowledge. It allows teams to ask questions about user behavior and get answers directly without lengthy onboarding or technical expertise, making insights more accessible to non-technical stakeholders.
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