Software · head to head
Freshchat vs Google Dialogflow
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Freshchat the free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting; Google Dialogflow google's own Dialogflow pricing page (cloud.google.com/dialogflow/pricing) prices Conversational Agents (CX) text requests at $0.007 per request, audio input at $0.0065 per 15 seconds and audio output from $4 per 1 million characters, all in USD, with a one-time $600 free credit for the first 12 months; Dialogflow ES (Essentials) is billed per request separately from CX and the two are not interchangeable, so a chatbot built on ES cannot simply switch to CX pricing without migration.
- They diverge on capability: Freshchat covers Live chat, Google Dialogflow covers NLU and NLG.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Freshchat and Google Dialogflow actually diverge.
| Attribute | Freshchat | Google Dialogflow |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | usage-based |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android | Web, Mobile, Messaging apps, Voice assistants |
| Founded | 2010 | 1998 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Freshchat
- Live chat
- Chatbots
- Campaigns
- Apple Business Chat
- Freshdesk
- Freshsales
Only in Google Dialogflow
- NLU and NLG
- Multi-language support
- Integration with Google services
- Webhooks
- Google Cloud
- Telegram
- Mobile support
Both cover
- Slack
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Freshchat
- Live chat on a website or in an appnot Google Dialogflow
- Shared inbox across chat, email and social messengersnot Google Dialogflow
- Chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agentnot Google Dialogflow
- Routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiersnot Google Dialogflow
Google Dialogflow
- Customer engagementnot Freshchat
- Lead generationnot Freshchat
- Customer supportnot Freshchat
- Sales automationnot Freshchat
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Freshchat
- The free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting
- Reporting and social channels need Growth at $19 per agent per month billed annually
- Intelligent routing, multilingual support and custom dashboards require Pro at $49 per agent per month
- Skill-based routing, audit logs and IP whitelisting are Enterprise only at $79 per agent per month
- Freddy AI is charged on top of the seat price, at $49 per 100 agent sessions and $29 per agent per month for Copilot
Google Dialogflow
- Google's own Dialogflow pricing page (cloud.google.com/dialogflow/pricing) prices Conversational Agents (CX) text requests at $0.007 per request, audio input at $0.0065 per 15 seconds and audio output from $4 per 1 million characters, all in USD, with a one-time $600 free credit for the first 12 months; Dialogflow ES (Essentials) is billed per request separately from CX and the two are not interchangeable, so a chatbot built on ES cannot simply switch to CX pricing without migration.
Pricing, plan by plan
Freshchat
Free- FreeFree
- 100 contacts
- Chatbot
- Inbox views
- Growth$19/month
- 2000 contacts
- Pro$49/month
- 5000 contacts
- Auto-resolve
- Advanced routing
- Enterprise$79/month
- Unlimited contacts
- Custom bots
- User authentication
Google Dialogflow
Free- Free TierFree
- 100 requests/day
- Basic NLU
- Standard$0.005/month
- Pay per request
- Advanced features
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Custom SLAs
- Dedicated support
Which should you pick?
Choose Freshchat if
- You need live chat.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want chatbots.
Choose Google Dialogflow if
- You need nlu and nlg.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile, Messaging apps, Voice assistants.
- You also want multi-language support.
Questions people ask
- Is Freshchat or Google Dialogflow better?
- Neither clearly leads. Freshchat starts at Free and Google Dialogflow at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Freshchat or Google Dialogflow?
- Freshchat starts at Free and Google Dialogflow at Free.
- Does Freshchat or Google Dialogflow run on more platforms?
- Freshchat runs on Web, Ios, Android. Google Dialogflow runs on Web, Mobile, Messaging apps, Voice assistants.
- Can I use Freshchat for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Freshchat best used for?
- Freshchat is most often used for live chat on a website or in an app, shared inbox across chat, email and social messengers, chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agent, routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiers. Of those, live chat on a website or in an app and shared inbox across chat, email and social messengers are not what Google Dialogflow is typically brought in for.
- What can Freshchat do that Google Dialogflow cannot?
- Freshchat covers Live chat, Chatbots, Campaigns, WhatsApp. Google Dialogflow covers NLU and NLG, Multi-language support, Integration with Google services, Webhooks. Both handle Slack, Web support.