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Customer Support · head to head

Plain vs Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

Plain logo

Plain

Customer Support

AI support infrastructure built for B2B teams

From
$35/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zendesk Sunshine Conversations logo

Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

Live Chat

Omnichannel messaging and customer engagement platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Plain foundation plan limited to 2,000 credits per month may be restrictive for high-volume teams; Zendesk Sunshine Conversations cannot be purchased standalone; requires expensive Zendesk Suite Professional or higher plans
  • They diverge on capability: Plain covers Multi-channel consolidation, Zendesk Sunshine Conversations covers Live chat.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Plain and Zendesk Sunshine Conversations actually diverge.

Attributes where Plain and Zendesk Sunshine Conversations differ
AttributePlainZendesk Sunshine Conversations
Starting price$35/monthOn request
Pricing modelTiered pricing per seat with credit systemsubscription
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryCustomer SupportLive Chat
FoundedUnknown2015

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Plain

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

Only in Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

  • Live chat
  • SMS messaging
  • Facebook Messenger
  • WhatsApp integration
  • Salesforce
  • Zendesk Support
  • Slack
  • API

What people use each for

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

Plain

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

Zendesk Sunshine Conversations

  • Customer engagementnot Plain
  • Lead generationnot Plain
  • Customer supportnot Plain
  • Sales automationnot Plain

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

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

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 Plain if

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

Choose Zendesk Sunshine Conversations if

  • You need live chat.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want sms messaging.
Zendesk Sunshine Conversations review

Questions people ask

Is Plain or Zendesk Sunshine Conversations better?
Neither clearly leads. Plain starts at $35/month 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, Plain or Zendesk Sunshine Conversations?
Plain starts at $35/month and Zendesk Sunshine Conversations at On request.
Does Plain or Zendesk Sunshine Conversations run on more platforms?
Plain runs on Web, API. Zendesk Sunshine Conversations runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Plain best used for?
Plain is most often used for consolidating support from multiple channels into one inbox, automating support workflows with ai agents, extracting insights and trends from customer conversations, building custom support solutions with api access. Of those, consolidating support from multiple channels into one inbox and automating support workflows with ai agents are not what Zendesk Sunshine Conversations is typically brought in for.
What can Plain do that Zendesk Sunshine Conversations cannot?
Plain covers Multi-channel consolidation, AI agents, Workflow automation, Sidekick assistant. Zendesk Sunshine Conversations covers Live chat, SMS messaging, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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.

Source
Plain: Can I use Plain with Microsoft Teams?

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

Source
Zendesk 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.

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
Zendesk 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.

Source
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