Top 5 Alternatives to Freshchat for Online Retailers

Intercom has long been a leader in customer messaging, combining live chat, chatbots, and help desk functionalities into a single platform. Its conversational AI enables automated responses to common queries, while human agents can take over with a single click. Intercom’s powerful automation tools let retailers set up targeted messages based on user behavior, purchase history, and engagement metrics. The platform integrates natively with Shopify, enabling real‑time product recommendations, order status updates, and cart recovery messages directly within the chat window. Intercom’s user interface is highly visual, featuring a drag‑and‑drop workflow builder for automating customer journeys and a robust analytics dashboard that tracks key metrics like conversion rates and chat satisfaction scores. Beyond chat, Intercom offers product tour creation, in‑app messages, and a help center that can be embedded into the website. These features are particularly useful for online retailers who need to guide shoppers through complex checkout processes or explain product features. Intercom’s pricing is tiered: the "Essential" plan starts at $39/month for up to 3,000 contacts, "Pro" at $99/month for up to 10,000 contacts, and "Premium" at $199/month for unlimited contacts, each adding more advanced automation, reporting, and API access.

Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) is a widely adopted live‑chat solution that fits neatly into the Zendesk ecosystem. It offers real‑time messaging, proactive chat invitation triggers, and contextual chat widgets that can be tailored to match brand aesthetics. The platform’s strengths lie in its seamless integration with Zendesk Support, enabling agents to view ticket histories and customer data instantly, which streamlines issue resolution. For e‑commerce retailers, Zendesk Chat can be connected to Shopify and BigCommerce, allowing automatic display of order information and product recommendations within the chat. Zendesk Chat includes AI‑powered messaging suggestions that help agents respond more quickly, and it supports multi‑channel workflows by forwarding chat transcripts to email or help desk tickets. While the platform is primarily web‑based, it also offers mobile SDKs for iOS and Android, giving retailers the ability to engage customers on the go. Pricing is subscription‑based per agent, starting at $19/month for the "Essential" plan (up to 3 agents), $49/month for the "Professional" plan (up to 12 agents), and $99/month for the "Enterprise" plan (unlimited agents). For retailers already using Zendesk Support, the chat add‑on is a cost‑effective way to add live‑chat functionality.

Drift positions itself as a conversational marketing platform, blending live chat, chatbots, and email automation to capture and nurture leads. It excels at qualifying prospects and routing them to the appropriate sales or support teams. Drift’s AI chatbots can answer product questions, schedule demos, and collect contact information—all while maintaining a conversational tone. The platform’s “Meetings” feature allows users to book appointments directly within the chat, reducing friction in the sales funnel. For e‑commerce retailers, Drift offers integration with Shopify, enabling real‑time product suggestions and order updates. The platform also provides advanced segmentation and behavioral triggers, allowing marketers to send personalized messages based on browsing history or cart abandonment. Drift’s analytics dashboard tracks engagement metrics, conversion rates, and chatbot performance, giving insights into ROI. Pricing follows a tiered model: the "Starter" plan starts at $400/month for 2,000 contacts, the "Growth" plan at $800/month for 5,000 contacts, and the "Scale" plan at $1,200/month for 10,000 contacts, each adding higher limits and advanced features.

Tidio combines live chat and chatbots into a single, lightweight platform that is easy to set up and manage. The platform offers a visual bot builder that allows users to create automated conversation flows using drag‑and‑drop logic blocks. Tidio’s chat widget can be embedded on any website with a simple code snippet, and the interface supports brand customization such as colors, icons, and welcome messages. For e‑commerce, Tidio integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other popular platforms, providing real‑time product recommendations, order status updates, and cart recovery messages. Tidio’s pricing is straightforward: the free tier provides basic live chat and one bot, the "Starter" plan is $18/month for up to 1,000 contacts, and the "Business" plan is $27/month for unlimited contacts, each adding more bot features, integrations, and priority support. The platform also supports email and Messenger integrations, enabling cross‑channel communication. Tidio is well‑suited for small to medium retailers who need a cost‑effective, no‑code solution to automate FAQs while still retaining the option for live agent support.