Softwr

Live Chat · head to head

Freshchat vs Plain

Freshchat logo

Freshchat

Live Chat

Modern messaging for customer engagement

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Plain logo

Plain

Customer Support

AI support infrastructure built for B2B teams

From
$35/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Freshchat has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Freshchat the free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting; Plain foundation plan limited to 2,000 credits per month may be restrictive for high-volume teams
  • They diverge on capability: Freshchat covers Live chat, Plain covers Multi-channel consolidation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Freshchat and Plain actually diverge.

Attributes where Freshchat and Plain differ
AttributeFreshchatPlain
Starting priceFree$35/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionTiered pricing per seat with credit system
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, API
CategoryLive ChatCustomer Support
Founded2010Unknown

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 Freshchat

  • Live chat
  • Chatbots
  • Campaigns
  • WhatsApp
  • Instagram
  • Apple Business Chat
  • Freshdesk
  • Freshsales

Only in Plain

  • Multi-channel consolidation
  • AI agents
  • Workflow automation
  • Sidekick assistant
  • Insights engine
  • Linear and Jira integration
  • Help Center and Knowledge Base
  • API-first extensibility

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 Plain
  • Shared inbox across chat, email and social messengersnot Plain
  • Chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agentnot Plain
  • Routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiersnot Plain

Plain

  • Consolidating support from multiple channels into one inboxnot Freshchat
  • Automating support workflows with AI agentsnot Freshchat
  • Extracting insights and trends from customer conversationsnot Freshchat
  • Building custom support solutions with API accessnot Freshchat
  • Implementing AI-assisted customer support at scalenot 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

Plain

  • Foundation plan limited to 2,000 credits per month may be restrictive for high-volume teams
  • Pricing increases significantly from Foundation to Horizon ($35 to $299 per month)
  • No published pricing for Frontier (custom) plan
  • Additional seat costs ($99 per seat) add up for larger teams
  • Credit-based system requires monitoring usage to avoid overages

Pricing, plan by plan

Freshchat

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10 agents
    • Chat widget for web and mobile
    • Shared inbox
  • Growth$19/month
    • Per agent, billed annually
    • Social media messengers, SMS/text messaging
    • Reporting and analytics
  • Pro$49/month
    • Per agent, billed annually (marked Most Popular)
    • Multilingual conversations
    • Custom dashboards, intelligent routing
  • Enterprise$79/month
    • Per agent, billed annually
    • Skill-based routing, audit logs
    • JWT authentication, IP whitelisting

Plain

$35/month
  • Foundation$35/month
    • 2,000 credits per month
    • Slack and email channels
    • Ari AI agent
  • Horizon$299/month
    • 15,000 credits per month
    • All Foundation features
    • Microsoft Teams integration
  • Frontier$null/custom
    • Custom credit allowance
    • All Horizon features
    • Discord channels

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.
Freshchat review

Choose Plain if

  • You need multi-channel consolidation.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want ai agents.
Plain review

Questions people ask

Is Freshchat or Plain better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshchat starts at Free and Plain at $35/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freshchat or Plain?
Freshchat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Freshchat and $35/month for Plain.
Does Freshchat or Plain run on more platforms?
Freshchat runs on Web, Ios, Android. Plain runs on Web, API.
Can I use Freshchat for free?
Yes. Freshchat has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Plain starts at $35/month.
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 Plain is typically brought in for.
What can Freshchat do that Plain cannot?
Freshchat covers Live chat, Chatbots, Campaigns, WhatsApp. Plain covers Multi-channel consolidation, AI agents, Workflow automation, Sidekick assistant.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Freshchat: What is the cost of Freshchat's Growth plan?

Growth plan costs $19 per agent per month when billed annually. It includes social media messengers, SMS/text messaging, and reporting. AI agent features are available as an add-on at $49 per 100 sessions.

Source
Plain: What is included in the Foundation plan?

The Foundation plan ($35/month per seat) includes 2,000 credits per month, support for Slack and email, Ari AI agent, Linear and Jira integrations, and Help Center access. Up to 5 seats are included.

Source
Freshchat: Does Freshchat offer a free trial?

Yes. Freshchat provides a 14-day free trial with full Enterprise plan access. After trial expiration, the Free plan supports up to 10 agents at $0/month, with no cancellation fees.

Source
Plain: Can I use Plain with Microsoft Teams?

Yes, Microsoft Teams integration is available on the Horizon plan ($299/month) and higher.

Source
Freshchat: How much does Freshchat's Pro plan cost?

The Pro plan (marked Most Popular) costs $49 per agent per month when billed annually. It includes multilingual conversations, custom dashboards, intelligent routing, and multiple SLA policies. AI Copilot is available as an add-on at $29/agent/month.

Source
Plain: Is there a free trial for Plain?

Yes, Plain offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. You can also get 50% discount through their startup program.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Freshchat

More on Plain

Keep looking

Other head to heads