Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head
Kore.ai vs Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

Kore.ai
Live Chat & Chatbots
Enterprise conversational AI platform
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -

Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
Live Chat & Chatbots
Omnichannel messaging and customer engagement platform
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Kore.ai the Internet Archive's capture of Kore.ai's site on 17 June 2020 confirmed its named products, Kora (Enterprise Virtual Assistant) and Deflect.ai (Digital Deflection Platform), are sold to enterprise buyers across banking, insurance, healthcare and retail with no published price list and a dedicated pricing path that itself 404s.; Zendesk Sunshine Conversations cannot be purchased standalone; requires expensive Zendesk Suite Professional or higher plans
- They diverge on capability: Kore.ai covers Conversational AI, Zendesk Sunshine Conversations covers Live chat.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Kore.ai and Zendesk Sunshine Conversations actually diverge.
| Attribute | Kore.ai | Zendesk Sunshine Conversations |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, IVR | Web, iOS, Android |
| Founded | 2014 | 2015 |
Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Live Chat & Chatbots).
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 Kore.ai
- Conversational AI
- Advanced NLU
- Workflow automation
- Multi-language
- SAP
- Oracle
- Mobile support
- Messaging support
Only in Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
- Live chat
- SMS messaging
- Facebook Messenger
- WhatsApp integration
- Zendesk Support
- Slack
- Mobile app support
- IOS support
Both cover
- Salesforce
- API
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Kore.ai
- Customer engagement
- Lead generation
- Customer support
- Sales automation
Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
- Customer engagement
- Lead generation
- Customer support
- Sales automation
Both are used for customer engagement, lead generation, customer support, sales automation, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Kore.ai
- The Internet Archive's capture of Kore.ai's site on 17 June 2020 confirmed its named products, Kora (Enterprise Virtual Assistant) and Deflect.ai (Digital Deflection Platform), are sold to enterprise buyers across banking, insurance, healthcare and retail with no published price list and a dedicated pricing path that itself 404s.
Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
- Cannot be purchased standalone; requires expensive Zendesk Suite Professional or higher plans
- Low included monthly active users (1,000 MAU) and notifications (1,000) necessitate paid add-ons for most businesses
- Custom implementations require developer resources for webhooks and API configuration
Pricing, plan by plan
Kore.ai
On request- Professional$200/month
- AI chatbot
- Basic NLU
- Enterprise$500/month
- Advanced NLU
- Custom integrations
- Custom$undefined/month
- Unlimited features
- Dedicated support
Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
On request- Team$19/month
- Chat + messaging
- Basic features
- Limited agents
- Growth$49/month
- Omnichannel
- Advanced automation
- Routing
- Professional$99/month
- All features
- Custom workflows
- Premium support
Which should you pick?
Choose Kore.ai if
- You need conversational ai.
- You work on Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, IVR.
- You also want advanced nlu.
Choose Zendesk Sunshine Conversations if
- You need live chat.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want sms messaging.
Questions people ask
- Is Kore.ai or Zendesk Sunshine Conversations better?
- Neither clearly leads. Kore.ai starts at On request and Zendesk Sunshine Conversations at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Kore.ai or Zendesk Sunshine Conversations?
- Kore.ai starts at On request and Zendesk Sunshine Conversations at On request.
- Does Kore.ai or Zendesk Sunshine Conversations run on more platforms?
- Kore.ai runs on Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, IVR. Zendesk Sunshine Conversations runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- What is Kore.ai best used for?
- Kore.ai is most often used for customer engagement, lead generation, customer support, sales automation.
- What can Kore.ai do that Zendesk Sunshine Conversations cannot?
- Kore.ai covers Conversational AI, Advanced NLU, Workflow automation, Multi-language. Zendesk Sunshine Conversations covers Live chat, SMS messaging, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp integration. Both handle Salesforce, API, Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Zendesk Sunshine Conversations: Can I buy Zendesk Sunshine Conversations standalone?
No. Sunshine Conversations is only available with Zendesk Suite Professional, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus plans. It cannot be purchased as a standalone product.
SourceZendesk Sunshine Conversations: What messaging channels does Sunshine Conversations support?
Sunshine Conversations connects 15+ messaging channels including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, and provides a Web Widget for on-site chat.
SourceZendesk Sunshine Conversations: What are the usage limits on Zendesk Sunshine Conversations?
The base includes 1,000 Monthly Active Users and 1,000 notifications per month. Additional usage requires $50 add-ons for each 2,500 MAU pack or $50 for each 25,000 notification pack.
SourceRelated pages
More on Zendesk Sunshine Conversations
Other head to heads
- Kore.ai vs Amazon Lex
- Kore.ai vs Botpress
- Kore.ai vs Crisp
- Kore.ai vs Google Dialogflow
- Kore.ai vs IBM Watson Assistant
- Kore.ai vs Tidio
- Kore.ai vs Bold360
- Kore.ai vs Gorgias
- Kore.ai vs HubSpot Live Chat
- Kore.ai vs LiveChat
- Kore.ai vs Olark
- Kore.ai vs Rasa
- Kore.ai vs Yellow.ai
- Kore.ai vs Zendesk Answer Bot
- Kore.ai vs Acquire
- Kore.ai vs Ada
- Kore.ai vs Capacity
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Amazon Lex
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Botpress
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Crisp
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Google Dialogflow
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs IBM Watson Assistant
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Tidio
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Bold360
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Gorgias
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs HubSpot Live Chat
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs LiveChat
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Olark
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Rasa
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Yellow.ai
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Zendesk Answer Bot
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Acquire
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Ada
- Zendesk Sunshine Conversations vs Capacity
