Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head
Smartsupp vs IBM Watson Assistant
Smartsupp
Live Chat & Chatbots
Live chat with advanced visitor tracking and co-browsing
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
IBM Watson Assistant
Live Chat & Chatbots
IBM's enterprise AI platform for conversational experiences
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Smartsupp free plan is capped at 1 operator and 25 conversations per month; IBM Watson Assistant listed on UK G-Cloud 14 at £112 per instance per month, submitted directly by IBM United Kingdom Limited for IBM watsonx Assistant
- They diverge on capability: Smartsupp covers Live chat messaging, IBM Watson Assistant covers NLU engine.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Smartsupp and IBM Watson Assistant actually diverge.
| Attribute | Smartsupp | IBM Watson Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile app, IOS, Android | Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centers |
| Founded | 2012 | 1911 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Smartsupp
- Live chat messaging
- Co-browsing
- Visitor tracking
- Heatmaps
- Shopify
- Zapier
- API
- Mobile app support
Only in IBM Watson Assistant
- NLU engine
- Dialogue management
- Integration with Watson services
- Multi-language
- Teams
- Salesforce
- SAP
- Mobile support
Both cover
- Slack
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Smartsupp
- Small teams wanting a bundled live chat and low-volume AI agent starting under $20/monthnot IBM Watson Assistant
IBM Watson Assistant
- Customer engagementnot Smartsupp
- Lead generationnot Smartsupp
- Customer supportnot Smartsupp
- Sales automationnot Smartsupp
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Smartsupp
- Free plan is capped at 1 operator and 25 conversations per month
- Solo and Plus plans cap AI reply assists at 50 and 250 per month, with Expert capped at 500
- Monthly billing costs more than annual: Plus is $35/month monthly versus $25/month annual, and Expert is $117/month monthly versus $83/month annual
IBM Watson Assistant
- Listed on UK G-Cloud 14 at £112 per instance per month, submitted directly by IBM United Kingdom Limited for IBM watsonx Assistant
Pricing, plan by plan
Smartsupp
Free- FreeFree
- Live chat
- 1 agent
- Basic features
- Professional$30/month
- Unlimited agents
- Co-browsing
- Business$60/month
- Advanced analytics
- Priority support
IBM Watson Assistant
Free- FreeFree
- Basic chatbot
- Limited interactions
- Plus$140/month
- Unlimited interactions
- Advanced features
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Full customization
- Dedicated support
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose IBM Watson Assistant if
- You need nlu engine.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centers.
- You also want dialogue management.
Questions people ask
- Is Smartsupp or IBM Watson Assistant better?
- Neither clearly leads. Smartsupp starts at Free and IBM Watson Assistant at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Smartsupp or IBM Watson Assistant?
- Smartsupp starts at Free and IBM Watson Assistant at Free.
- Does Smartsupp or IBM Watson Assistant run on more platforms?
- Smartsupp runs on Web, Mobile app, IOS, Android. IBM Watson Assistant runs on Web, Mobile, Messaging, Voice, Contact centers.
- Can I use Smartsupp for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Smartsupp best used for?
- Smartsupp is most often used for small teams wanting a bundled live chat and low-volume ai agent starting under $20/month. Of those, small teams wanting a bundled live chat and low-volume ai agent starting under $20/month is not what IBM Watson Assistant is typically brought in for.
- What can Smartsupp do that IBM Watson Assistant cannot?
- Smartsupp covers Live chat messaging, Co-browsing, Visitor tracking, Heatmaps. IBM Watson Assistant covers NLU engine, Dialogue management, Integration with Watson services, Multi-language. Both handle Slack, Web support.