7 Best Freshchat Alternatives for Online Retailers
Choosing the right live‑chat and AI assistant platform can transform how an online retailer engages customers, boosts sales, and scales support....
Choosing the right live‑chat and AI assistant platform can transform how an online retailer engages customers, boosts sales, and scales support. Freshchat is a popular choice, but its feature set and pricing may not fit every business model. Whether you need a no‑code solution that delivers instant product recommendations, a robust help center that integrates with Zendesk, or a conversational AI that can train on your own course material, there are several modern alternatives on the market. In this listicle, we compare seven platforms that are well‑suited for e‑commerce sites, highlighting their strengths, limitations, and price points. Each platform is evaluated on key criteria such as customization, knowledge base capabilities, integration options, and memory persistence. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of which solution best aligns with your brand’s goals and technical appetite.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Retailers and course creators looking for a fully customizable AI chat solution that integrates with e‑commerce platforms and offers advanced knowledge‑base capabilities.
AgentiveAIQ is a no‑code AI chatbot platform that empowers online retailers to build highly customized, goal‑oriented chat agents without writing a single line of code. Its standout WYSIWYG chat widget editor lets marketers design floating and embedded chat windows that match brand colors, logos, fonts, and styles, ensuring a seamless visual experience for visitors. Behind the scenes, AgentiveAIQ employs a dual‑knowledge‑base system that combines Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) for fast fact retrieval from uploaded documents with a Knowledge Graph that understands relationships between concepts, allowing the bot to answer nuanced questions about products, policies, or order status. The platform also offers AI‑powered course builders and hosted AI pages, enabling educators and course creators to host password‑protected portals that persist user memory only for authenticated visitors—long‑term memory is not available for anonymous widget visitors. AgentiveAIQ’s Pro plan includes advanced features such as long‑term memory on hosted pages, webhooks, Shopify and WooCommerce integrations, and an assistant agent that sends business intelligence emails. The pricing tiers—Base $39/month, Pro $129/month, and Agency $449/month—provide scalable options for small stores to enterprise‑level agencies.
Key Features:
- No‑code WYSIWYG chat widget editor for instant brand‑matching
- Dual knowledge‑base: RAG + Knowledge Graph for accurate, contextual answers
- AI Course Builder and hosted AI pages with password protection
- Long‑term memory only for authenticated users on hosted pages
- Assistant agent that analyzes conversations and sends business intelligence emails
- One‑click Shopify and WooCommerce integrations for real‑time product data
- Modular prompt engineering with 35+ dynamic snippets
- Fact validation layer with confidence scoring and auto‑regeneration
✓ Pros:
- +All‑in‑one no‑code platform with visual editor and deep customization
- +Dual knowledge‑base provides both fast fact lookup and relational understanding
- +Long‑term memory for authentic customer journeys on hosted pages
- +Robust e‑commerce integration with Shopify and WooCommerce
- +Built‑in assistant agent for actionable business insights
✗ Cons:
- −No native CRM integration—requires webhooks to external systems
- −Limited to text‑based interactions, no voice or SMS channels
- −No built‑in analytics dashboard—conversation data must be accessed via database
- −Long‑term memory is unavailable for anonymous widget visitors
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
Intercom
Best for: Growth‑stage e‑commerce brands seeking a comprehensive messaging suite with robust automation.
Intercom is a widely used customer messaging platform that blends live chat, help center, and automation into a single dashboard. Designed for growth‑stage companies, Intercom supports targeted messages, product tours, and product‑specific bots that can qualify leads and trigger internal workflows. The platform’s in‑app chat widget is highly configurable, allowing teams to match UI elements to brand guidelines. Intercom also offers a robust Knowledge Base that can be indexed from external content hubs, and its conversational bots can be trained on FAQs or integrated with third‑party APIs. For e‑commerce, Intercom can connect to Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento, pulling order data to provide real‑time updates. While Intercom’s no‑code bot builder is powerful, it lacks a dedicated WYSIWYG editor for the chat window itself, requiring CSS tweaks for more advanced styling. Intercom’s pricing is tiered based on contact count, starting at $39/month for 1,000 contacts, and includes a free trial. It excels at cross‑channel messaging and workflow automation but can be costly as the customer base grows.
Key Features:
- Unified inbox for chat, email, and in‑app messages
- Targeted product tours and interactive demos
- Customizable bots with no‑code builder
- Shopify and BigCommerce integrations for order data
- Built‑in Knowledge Base with content imports
- Workflow automation with internal triggers
- Advanced segmentation and personalization
- Mobile app for on‑the‑go support
✓ Pros:
- +All‑in‑one platform for chat, email, and in‑app messages
- +Strong automation and personalization capabilities
- +Seamless e‑commerce integrations
- +Scalable as the customer base grows
✗ Cons:
- −Pricing rises steeply with contact count
- −Limited native support for long‑term memory in chat widgets
- −No dedicated WYSIWYG editor for the chat window
- −Requires additional plugins for deep analytics
Pricing: Starts at $39/month for 1,000 contacts (tiered pricing available)
Zendesk Chat
Best for: Support teams already using Zendesk who need live chat with ticketing integration.
Zendesk Chat, formerly Zopim, is part of the Zendesk customer support suite and offers real‑time chat, proactive messaging, and a knowledge‑base integration. The widget is straightforward to embed and can be customized with CSS, but Zendesk Chat does not provide a built‑in visual editor for drag‑and‑drop styling. The platform shines in its integration with Zendesk Support, allowing agents to view ticket histories and customer profiles during live conversations, which is valuable for high‑volume support teams. Zendesk Chat also supports triggers and automations that can route chats to the right agents or create tickets automatically. For e‑commerce, the platform offers integration with Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce, pulling order status and shipping information into chats. The free tier allows up to 3 agents, while paid plans start at $19/month per agent. Zendesk Chat lacks a dual knowledge‑base system; it relies on a single knowledge‑base that can be imported from Zendesk Help Center.
Key Features:
- Real‑time live chat with proactive messaging
- Deep integration with Zendesk Support and Help Center
- Custom triggers and automations
- Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce integration
- Built‑in chat transcripts and analytics
- Mobile app for agents
- Multi‑agent support
- API access for custom workflows
✓ Pros:
- +Seamless integration with Zendesk ecosystem
- +Robust trigger and automation features
- +Supports proactive messaging
- +Affordable for small teams
✗ Cons:
- −No visual WYSIWYG editor for chat widget
- −Limited to text chat—no voice or SMS options
- −Knowledge base is singular, not dual‑system
- −Long‑term memory not available for anonymous visitors
Pricing: Free tier up to 3 agents; paid plans start at $19/month per agent
Tidio
Best for: SMBs looking for an affordable, all‑in‑one chat and bot solution.
Tidio blends live chat and chatbots into a single interface and is popular among small to medium‑sized online stores. The platform offers a visual bot builder that uses a drag‑and‑drop interface, allowing users to create conversational flows without coding. Tidio’s chat widget is lightweight and can be embedded with a single script tag. The bot can be trained on FAQ content and can trigger email notifications to store owners. Integrations include Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Zapier, enabling order updates and CRM data sync. Tidio’s free tier allows unlimited chats but limits bot actions; paid plans start at $18/month and scale with the number of contacts. While Tidio offers basic knowledge‑base integration, it does not use a dual system with RAG and a knowledge graph, and it lacks advanced memory features for long‑term customer context.
Key Features:
- Drag‑and‑drop bot builder
- Live chat with real‑time messaging
- Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Zapier integration
- Email notifications and auto‑responses
- Multi‑language support in higher tiers
- Chat transcripts and basic analytics
- Mobile app for agents
- Free tier with unlimited chats
✓ Pros:
- +User‑friendly visual builder
- +Strong e‑commerce integrations
- +Cost‑effective for small stores
- +Free tier for basic usage
✗ Cons:
- −Limited advanced memory and knowledge‑base features
- −No dedicated WYSIWYG editor for widget styling
- −Advanced analytics require paid plan
- −No native long‑term memory for anonymous users
Pricing: Free tier available; paid plans start at $18/month
Drift
Best for: B2B e‑commerce brands focused on sales pipeline acceleration.
Drift is a conversational marketing platform that focuses on lead generation and sales acceleration. Its chat widget can be embedded on any website and is highly customizable via CSS. Drift’s bot builder allows marketers to create guided conversations that qualify prospects and schedule meetings. The platform integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, and a range of CRMs, providing real‑time data access during chats. Drift also offers a knowledge‑base feature that pulls from a connected help center, but it does not provide a dual RAG and knowledge‑graph engine. For e‑commerce sites, Drift can pull product data via Shopify or WooCommerce integrations, although it is primarily oriented toward B2B sales. Pricing is high‑end, starting at $400/month for the Essentials plan, with higher tiers offering advanced features and higher limits.
Key Features:
- Live chat and guided conversations
- Advanced lead qualification flows
- CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Shopify and WooCommerce product data integration
- Meeting scheduling and calendar sync
- Analytics and reporting dashboards
- Mobile app for agents
- Custom branding options
✓ Pros:
- +Powerful lead qualification and meeting scheduling
- +Deep CRM integration
- +Real‑time product data access
- +Strong analytics suite
✗ Cons:
- −Expensive for small or medium retailers
- −Limited to B2B sales use cases
- −No dual knowledge‑base system
- −Long‑term memory not available for anonymous visitors
Pricing: Essentials plan starts at $400/month; higher tiers available
LiveChat
Best for: Retailers needing a simple, scalable live‑chat solution with e‑commerce integration.
LiveChat is a long‑standing live‑chat platform that offers real‑time messaging, proactive chat invitations, and a knowledge‑base integration. Its chat widget is easily embeddable and can be customized with CSS or using the built‑in theme editor, though it does not provide a visual drag‑and‑drop editor for the widget layout itself. LiveChat supports integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and dozens of CRMs through Zapier. The platform includes a Knowledge Base that can be imported from existing help centers, but it is a single database rather than a dual knowledge‑base system. LiveChat provides basic chat transcripts, analytics, and a chatbot builder that can answer FAQs. Pricing starts at $15/month for a single agent, with higher tiers adding more agents and advanced features.
Key Features:
- Real‑time live chat with proactive invites
- Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento integration
- Zapier and native CRM connectors
- Knowledge Base import and integration
- Chat transcripts and basic analytics
- Chatbot builder for FAQs
- Mobile app for agents
- Custom theme editor for styling
✓ Pros:
- +Affordable for small teams
- +Wide range of e‑commerce integrations
- +Proactive chat invites boost engagement
- +Extensible via Zapier
✗ Cons:
- −No visual WYSIWYG editor for widget customization
- −Limited advanced memory and knowledge‑base features
- −No native long‑term memory for anonymous visitors
- −Chatbot is basic compared to AI‑powered alternatives
Pricing: Starts at $15/month per agent
Crisp
Best for: Small online shops seeking a cost‑effective chat solution with basic knowledge‑base support.
Crisp is a lightweight chat platform that offers live chat, a knowledge base, and team collaboration tools. The widget can be embedded on any website and is styled via CSS or the simple theme editor; it does not provide a dedicated visual editor for drag‑and‑drop styling. Crisp’s knowledge‑base feature allows importing FAQ pages and can be accessed during chats, but it does not combine retrieval and graph‑based reasoning. The platform focuses on real‑time messaging and team inboxes, and it integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Zapier for product and order data. Crisp offers a free tier that includes up to 10 chat transcripts, with paid plans starting at $25/month per agent. It provides basic analytics and a chatbot that can answer simple questions, but lacks advanced memory persistence.
Key Features:
- Live chat with real‑time messaging
- Knowledge Base import and accessibility
- Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier integration
- Team inbox and collaboration tools
- Free tier with limited transcripts
- Custom theme editor for styling
- Mobile app for agents
- Chatbot for basic FAQ handling
✓ Pros:
- +Free tier for low‑volume usage
- +Easy integration with e‑commerce platforms
- +Team collaboration features
- +Responsive mobile app
✗ Cons:
- −No visual WYSIWYG editor for the widget
- −Limited advanced memory and knowledge‑base capabilities
- −Chatbot is basic and lacks AI depth
- −Long‑term memory not available for anonymous visitors
Pricing: Free tier available; paid plans start at $25/month per agent
Conclusion
Selecting the right chat and AI platform is more than a technical decision—it’s a strategic move that can influence customer satisfaction, conversion rates, and operational efficiency. The seven alternatives presented here each bring a unique blend of features tailored to different business sizes and priorities. AgentiveAIQ stands out as the Editor’s Choice for retailers who demand a no‑code, highly customizable experience with advanced knowledge‑base technology and a focus on long‑term memory for authenticated users. If your brand operates at a smaller scale or prefers a free tier, Tidio or Crisp might be ideal. For teams already embedded in the Zendesk ecosystem, Zendesk Chat offers seamless ticket integration, while Intercom delivers powerful automation for growing brands. LiveChat and Crisp provide budget‑friendly options with solid e‑commerce support, and Drift is geared toward high‑volume B2B sales. Consider your current workflows, integration needs, and budget, then test a few platforms in a pilot to see which one aligns best with your goals. Ready to elevate your customer engagement? Explore AgentiveAIQ today and experience the difference of a truly AI‑powered, no‑code chatbot that grows with your business.