Best 7 Client Support Portal Chats for Marketing Agencies

Intercom is one of the most well‑known customer messaging platforms, offering a suite of tools that blend live chat, automated bots, and help‑desk functionality into a single interface. Designed for sales, marketing, and support teams, Intercom’s chat widget can be embedded on any website with a simple snippet of JavaScript, and the platform’s visual builder allows non‑technical users to create targeted messages, welcome flows, and product tours. The bot engine is powered by a rule‑based system that can trigger conversations based on user behavior, such as page visits or time on site, and can hand off to a human agent when necessary. Intercom’s integration ecosystem is broad, connecting to major CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive), marketing automation tools, and ticketing systems. The platform also offers a knowledge‑base module that lets you publish help articles and link them to chat conversations, providing self‑service options for visitors. Pricing starts at $39/month for the Growth plan, which includes up to 2,500 contacts, and scales up to the Premium plan at $99/month for 10,000 contacts, with enterprise plans available on request. Intercom’s strengths lie in its robust automation, strong CRM integrations, and the ability to combine live chat with help‑desk workflows. However, the platform can become expensive for larger contact bases, and its bot logic is primarily rule‑based rather than AI‑driven. Additionally, some users find the interface cluttered when managing multiple chatbots and automated flows. Despite these challenges, Intercom remains a top choice for agencies that need an all‑in‑one messaging suite that scales from small startups to enterprise customers. Its visual flow builder and deep integration capabilities make it especially useful for agencies that manage multiple clients with different workflow needs, while the knowledge‑base feature helps keep support teams efficient. Overall, Intercom delivers a comprehensive, feature‑rich solution for agencies that require tight integration with their existing tech stack and sophisticated automation to drive conversions and support.

Drift specializes in conversational marketing and sales, positioning itself as a chat platform that turns website visitors into qualified leads. Drift’s on‑site chat widget can be embedded on any website and is highly customizable, allowing agencies to brand the widget’s colors, fonts, and message copy. The platform’s core strength is its AI‑powered chat bot, which can engage visitors in real‑time, schedule meetings, and hand off conversations to sales reps via its built‑in calendar integration. Drift also offers a robust set of integrations with leading CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo) and marketing automation tools, making it easy to pass conversation data into existing pipelines. The platform’s reporting dashboards provide insights into conversation quality, lead scoring, and booking rates. Pricing for Drift starts at $400/month for the Essentials plan, which supports up to 3,000 contacts and includes a limited set of bots. The Pro plan rises to $800/month for 10,000 contacts, adding advanced automation and integrations. For agencies managing multiple clients, Drift offers a Managed Service tier that includes dedicated support and custom configuration. Drift’s primary advantage is its focus on sales enablement: the platform’s AI can book meetings directly from the chat interface, and its lead qualification logic is designed to surface high‑intent prospects. However, the platform’s pricing is on the higher end, and the bot logic can feel rigid if an agency needs highly customized conversational flows. For agencies that prioritize sales conversion and lead generation, Drift can be a powerful tool that integrates seamlessly with existing sales workflows.

HubSpot Live Chat is part of HubSpot’s all‑in‑one inbound marketing, sales, and service platform. The chat widget can be added to any website with a simple JavaScript snippet and is fully integrated with HubSpot’s CRM, allowing chat transcripts to be automatically logged as contact records. The platform offers a visual chat flow builder that lets marketers create conversational paths, automated messages, and triggers based on visitor behavior. HubSpot Live Chat also supports knowledge‑base articles, which can be surfaced as suggested answers to common questions. In addition to live chat, HubSpot includes a chatbot builder that can handle simple FAQ interactions and hand off to human agents when needed. HubSpot offers a free version of its Live Chat, which is suitable for small teams. Paid plans start at $45/month for the Starter tier, providing additional chat agents and more advanced reporting. The higher tier, HubSpot Service Hub, is available at $45/month per seat, which adds more robust ticketing and analytics. For agencies that already use HubSpot for marketing or sales, the Live Chat integration creates a seamless experience for tracking leads and nurturing prospects. However, the platform’s chat interface is limited in terms of visual customization, and advanced AI features are mostly rule‑based. Overall, HubSpot Live Chat is a solid choice for agencies that want a tightly integrated chat solution within a broader marketing stack.

Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) is a cloud‑based live chat solution that is part of the Zendesk customer service suite. The chat widget can be embedded on any website and offers a range of visual customization options, including color schemes, button placement, and greeting text. Zendesk Chat provides a chat‑based ticketing system, automatically converting conversations into Zendesk tickets for follow‑up. The platform’s bot engine is rule‑based, allowing agents to set up triggers and canned responses, and it can be extended with custom scripts. Zendesk Chat also integrates tightly with Zendesk Support, allowing agents to view tickets and chat transcripts side‑by‑side. Pricing for Zendesk Chat starts at $14/month for the Basic plan, which supports up to 5 agents. The Team plan is $18/month and adds more advanced features like canned responses and chat routing. Enterprise plans are available on request. Zendesk Chat’s free trial allows agencies to test the platform before committing. Zendesk Chat is a strong choice for agencies that already use Zendesk Support or want an integrated ticketing workflow. Its visual customization is straightforward, and the platform offers robust reporting. However, the bot logic is limited to simple rules, and the platform’s UI can feel dated compared to newer chat solutions. Agencies that value seamless integration with Zendesk’s broader support ecosystem will find Zendesk Chat a reliable option.

Freshchat, part of the Freshworks suite, is a modern chat platform designed for businesses that want real‑time customer engagement. The widget can be embedded on any website and offers a highly‑configurable interface, allowing agencies to adjust colors, greetings, and behavior. Freshchat’s bot engine is powered by both rule‑based logic and AI, enabling quick answers to FAQs and the ability to hand off to human agents when needed. The platform provides a knowledge‑base connector, which lets you publish help articles and surface them as suggested answers during a chat. Freshchat integrates with a wide range of third‑party services, including CRMs (HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho), marketing automation tools, and help‑desk solutions. Freshchat’s reporting dashboard offers insights into chat volume, response times, and agent performance. Freshchat also supports multi‑channel messaging, allowing agencies to connect chat conversations to email and mobile push notifications. Pricing for Freshchat starts at $15/month for the Growth plan, which includes up to 10 agents. The Pro plan is $25/month, adding more advanced features such as AI engines and automation. Enterprise plans are available on request. Agencies that need a flexible, feature‑rich chat solution that can grow with their clients will find Freshchat offers a good balance of cost and capability.

Foyer offers a client portal solution specifically tailored for marketing agencies, with an emphasis on collaboration and project transparency. The platform’s chat component is embedded within the portal, allowing clients and agency teams to communicate in real‑time while sharing documents and project files. Foyer’s interface includes customizable branding options, enabling agencies to match the portal’s look and feel to their own brand guidelines. The chat system is built on a rule‑based engine, offering quick replies, canned responses, and the ability to assign conversations to specific team members. Foyer integrates with popular project management and communication tools such as Asana, Slack, and Trello, making it easy to route messages and tasks across platforms. The platform also provides analytics on user engagement and portal usage, giving agencies insights into how clients interact with their content. Pricing for Foyer is not publicly listed on the site; agencies interested in the solution are encouraged to contact the sales team for a custom quote. For agencies that need a dedicated portal for client collaboration and want an integrated chat that keeps discussions organized within project contexts, Foyer offers a compelling option. It excels at providing a secure, branded environment where clients can access project deliverables and communicate directly with agency stakeholders.