Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

Forethought vs Smartsupp

Forethought logo

Forethought

Customer Support

AI resolution and ticket triage layered on top of an existing helpdesk

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Smartsupp logo

Smartsupp

Live Chat

Live chat with advanced visitor tracking and co-browsing

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Smartsupp has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Forethought forethought needs roughly 20,000 historical tickets and around 2,000 a month to train usefully, so a support team below that volume is not simply a smaller customer, it is ineligible, and the sales process will tell you so late.; Smartsupp free tier limited to 25 conversations per month and 14-day history
  • They diverge on capability: Forethought covers Solve, Smartsupp covers Live chat messaging.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Forethought and Smartsupp actually diverge.

Attributes where Forethought and Smartsupp differ
AttributeForethoughtSmartsupp
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Mobile app, IOS, Android
CategoryCustomer SupportLive Chat
FoundedUnknown2012

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 Forethought

  • Solve
  • Autoflows
  • Custom Actions
  • Triage
  • Assist
  • Discover
  • AI QA and Insights
  • Solve and Analytics APIs

Only in Smartsupp

  • Live chat messaging
  • Co-browsing
  • Visitor tracking
  • Heatmaps
  • Shopify
  • Zapier
  • Slack
  • API

What people use each for

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

Forethought

  • A retailer with 40,000 tickets a year in Zendesk wants order status, returns and refunds resolved end to end without an agent, including the API calls into the order system.not Smartsupp
  • A support operation that already abandoned a rules-based chatbot because the decision trees rotted, and wants resolution logic that does not need rebuilding every time a policy changes.not Smartsupp
  • A team drowning in triage where tickets sit in a general queue for hours before a human reads them and routes them to the right specialist group.not Smartsupp
  • A support leader who needs to know which questions have no knowledge article behind them, ranked by the volume of tickets they generate.not Smartsupp

Smartsupp

  • Small teams wanting a bundled live chat and low-volume AI agent starting under $20/monthnot Forethought

Where each one falls short

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

Forethought

  • Forethought needs roughly 20,000 historical tickets and around 2,000 a month to train usefully, so a support team below that volume is not simply a smaller customer, it is ineligible, and the sales process will tell you so late.
  • Billing is outcome based per resolution on top of a platform fee, so the invoice rises precisely when the product performs, and forecasting a year of spend requires forecasting your own deflection curve.
  • Channels are tier gated: email, voice and Slack agents sit above the entry tier while the Solve API, Analytics API and knowledge gap detection are Enterprise only, and buyers routinely scope a tier that turns out not to include the channel they came for.
  • Ease of setup is the lowest scored dimension in independent reviews, with 30 to 90 day rollouts, no self-serve path and continual configuration effort to keep flows accurate, which means a named internal owner rather than a set-and-forget deployment.
  • Zendesk acquired Forethought in March 2026, so anyone running a multi-helpdesk estate on Salesforce, Freshdesk or Intercom is buying their neutral AI layer from a direct competitor of their helpdesk vendor, and should get contractual commitments on non-Zendesk connector parity.

Smartsupp

  • Free tier limited to 25 conversations per month and 14-day history
  • Annual billing required for best pricing (up to 30% savings)
  • Operator limits scale with plan tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Forethought

On request
  • Team$undefined/year
    • Solve for chat
    • Triage
    • Standard reporting
  • Professional$undefined/year
    • Adds email, voice and Slack agents
    • Assist for human agents
    • Multibrand add-on available
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Solve API and Analytics API
    • Discover knowledge gap detection
    • Multibrand up to 20 brands

Smartsupp

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 operator
    • 25 conversations per month
    • 14-day conversation history
  • Solo$17/month
    • 1 operator
    • Unlimited conversations
    • All channels including email
  • Plus$25/month
    • 3 operators
    • Unlimited conversations
    • Automation workflows
  • Expert$83/month
    • 5+ operators
    • Unlimited conversations
    • Premium support

Which should you pick?

Choose Forethought if

  • You need solve.
  • You also want autoflows.
Forethought review

Choose Smartsupp if

  • You need live chat messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app, IOS, Android.
  • You also want co-browsing.
Smartsupp review

Questions people ask

Is Forethought or Smartsupp better?
Neither clearly leads. Forethought starts at On request and Smartsupp at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Forethought or Smartsupp?
Smartsupp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Forethought and Free for Smartsupp.
Does Forethought or Smartsupp run on more platforms?
Forethought runs on Web. Smartsupp runs on Web, Mobile app, IOS, Android.
Can I use Smartsupp for free?
Yes. Smartsupp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Forethought starts at On request.
What is Forethought best used for?
Forethought is most often used for a retailer with 40,000 tickets a year in zendesk wants order status, returns and refunds resolved end to end without an agent, including the api calls into the order system., a support operation that already abandoned a rules-based chatbot because the decision trees rotted, and wants resolution logic that does not need rebuilding every time a policy changes., a team drowning in triage where tickets sit in a general queue for hours before a human reads them and routes them to the right specialist group., a support leader who needs to know which questions have no knowledge article behind them, ranked by the volume of tickets they generate.. Of those, a retailer with 40,000 tickets a year in zendesk wants order status, returns and refunds resolved end to end without an agent, including the api calls into the order system. and a support operation that already abandoned a rules-based chatbot because the decision trees rotted, and wants resolution logic that does not need rebuilding every time a policy changes. are not what Smartsupp is typically brought in for.
What can Forethought do that Smartsupp cannot?
Forethought covers Solve, Autoflows, Custom Actions, Triage. Smartsupp covers Live chat messaging, Co-browsing, Visitor tracking, Heatmaps.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Forethought: Does Forethought replace my helpdesk?

No. It installs on top of Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, Freshdesk or Intercom and reads their ticket history. You keep paying for the helpdesk.

Smartsupp: How much does Smartsupp cost?

Smartsupp offers a free plan for up to 25 conversations monthly. Paid plans start at $17/month for Solo (annual: $204/year), $25/month for Plus, and $83/month for Expert. Enterprise plans start at $280/month with custom features and annual billing offers up to 30% savings.

Source
Forethought: Is there a free trial?

No. Forethought runs a Proof of Value programme instead, which is a scoped paid or sales-managed pilot rather than a self-serve trial.

Smartsupp: What is included in Smartsupp's free tier?

Smartsupp's free tier includes 1 operator, up to 25 conversations per month, 14-day conversation history, and basic channel support. All paid plans offer unlimited conversations and advanced features including AI-powered reply assists.

Source
Forethought: Is it still sold to non-Zendesk customers after the acquisition?

Zendesk says yes. Treat that as a commitment to negotiate rather than a guarantee, and ask for connector parity terms in writing.

Smartsupp: What payment options and currencies does Smartsupp support?

Smartsupp accepts monthly or annual billing with annual subscriptions providing up to 30% savings. The platform supports multiple currencies including CZK, EUR, USD, and PLN. A 14-day free trial is available for paid plans with no credit card required initially.

Source
Forethought: How is it priced?

Platform access fee plus outcome-based charging per resolution, with usage overages. Nothing is published; every deal is quoted.

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