7 Best Intercom Alternatives for Web Design

Drift is a conversational marketing platform that focuses on turn‑key chat solutions for sales and marketing teams. Designed to replace cold outbound emails with real‑time conversations, Drift offers an intuitive chat window, chatbots, and automated scheduling. The platform’s AI chatbot can answer common questions, qualify prospects, and route conversations to the appropriate sales rep. Drift also integrates deeply with CRM systems, enabling seamless handoffs between the chat and sales pipelines. The dashboard provides insights into conversation volume, lead quality, and conversion rates. Drift’s pricing is structured around the number of seats, with a free trial and paid tiers that start in the several hundred dollars per month range. It works well for B2B companies that need a chat tool to capture leads directly from their websites and move them into a sales funnel. Its biggest strength lies in its integration with sales tools and its focus on converting website visitors into qualified leads.

LiveChat has carved out a reputation as a reliable, feature‑rich chat solution for businesses of all sizes. The platform offers a clean, customizable chat widget that can be embedded on any website with a single line of code. LiveChat’s strength lies in its comprehensive ticketing system, which allows support agents to handle multiple chats, keep track of conversation history, and manage follow‑ups. The platform also provides real‑time visitor monitoring, allowing agents to see who is on the page, what pages they are viewing, and how long they have been there. LiveChat’s pricing is transparent, with a base plan starting at $16 per agent per month for the Essentials plan, and higher tiers offering advanced features such as chatbots, AI suggestions, and a knowledge base. It’s ideal for web designers who want a straightforward, no‑code solution that integrates with popular CRMs and marketing tools.

Tidio blends live chat and chatbot capabilities into a single, lightweight solution. The platform is known for its simple installation process and a free plan that gives small businesses a chance to test the waters. Tidio’s chat widget can be customized with colors, positions, and friendly greeting messages using a visual editor. The chatbot component can answer frequently asked questions, collect leads, and even trigger email sequences. Tidio integrates with major e‑commerce platforms, email marketing services, and CRMs, making it a versatile choice for online stores and marketing teams. Pricing starts at a free tier, then moves to $18 per month for the Premium plan which unlocks unlimited chats, advanced chatbot flows, and priority support. Tidio is particularly useful for designers who want to add a conversational layer to their sites without sacrificing visual consistency.

Crisp offers a lightweight, open‑source inspired chat platform that prides itself on being developer‑friendly and highly extensible. The chat widget can be embedded on any website and offers real‑time messaging, file sharing, and multi‑user support. Crisp’s unique selling point is its integrated knowledge base, which allows support teams to publish articles that can be surfaced within the chat. The platform also includes a chatbot builder that can be configured through a visual flow editor. Crisp’s pricing is straightforward: a free plan for basic usage, followed by a Pro plan at $25 per month that unlocks advanced features such as chat transcripts, email notifications, and custom branding. Crisp is ideal for designers who want a low‑cost, highly customizable chat solution that can grow with their site.

Freshchat, part of the Freshworks suite, is a modern messaging platform that blends live chat, in‑app messaging, and AI automation. The chat widget is highly customizable, with options to adjust colors, fonts, and placement to match brand guidelines. Freshchat’s AI engine can suggest responses to agents, and a chatbot builder allows you to create automated flows without coding. The platform also integrates with Freshsales and other CRM tools, making lead capture and follow‑up straightforward. Freshchat’s pricing starts with a free plan that offers limited messages and agents, then moves to a Standard plan at $25 per month for up to 10 agents, with higher tiers for larger teams. It suits designers who need an all‑in‑one messaging solution that can scale across multiple sites.

Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) is a well‑established chat solution that integrates seamlessly with the broader Zendesk customer support ecosystem. The platform offers an easily embeddable chat widget that can be styled to match your website’s look and feel. Zendesk Chat provides real‑time conversation monitoring, visitor triggers, and a knowledge base that can be surfaced directly in the chat. The platform also supports chatbots built on Zendesk’s own AI engine, allowing basic automation of common questions. Pricing is tiered: a free plan for small teams, then a Team plan at $19 per month per agent, and a Professional plan at $35 per month per agent for additional features such as advanced reporting and custom integrations. Designers find Zendesk Chat useful when they already use Zendesk support tickets and want a unified experience.