Top 7 Alternatives to Drift for Ice Cream Shops
Running an ice cream shop in today’s digital age means more than just scooping frozen treats; it’s about engaging customers, building loyalty, and...
Running an ice cream shop in today’s digital age means more than just scooping frozen treats; it’s about engaging customers, building loyalty, and turning first‑time visitors into repeat buyers. A conversational chatbot can do all that and more—answering product questions, taking orders, promoting seasonal flavors, and gathering feedback—all while freeing up your staff to focus on the craft of flavor creation. While Drift is a popular choice for many businesses, ice cream shops often need a platform that blends easy customization, robust knowledge management, and e‑commerce integration. Below we’ve compiled seven of the best alternatives to Drift that cater to the unique needs of ice cream shops, from quick‑start solutions to highly customizable platforms. Whether you’re a small local scoop shop or a growing franchise, there’s an option that can help you scoop up more customers, streamline operations, and keep your brand fresh in the minds of every visitor.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Ice cream shops seeking a fully branded, no‑code chatbot that can handle product inquiries, take orders, and provide personalized recommendations, especially those with online courses or virtual events.
AgentiveAIQ is a no‑code platform that empowers ice cream shops to create a fully branded, intelligent chatbot without writing a single line of code. The flagship feature that sets it apart is the WYSIWYG chat widget editor, which allows owners to style the widget’s colors, fonts, logos, and layout to match their shop’s visual identity, ensuring a seamless brand experience for every visitor. Under the hood, AgentiveAIQ deploys a dual knowledge‑base architecture: a Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) system for fast, factual document search and a Knowledge Graph that understands relationships between concepts, providing nuanced answers to product and flavor inquiries. For shops that host online courses or virtual tasting events, the platform offers hosted AI pages and AI course builders—drag‑and‑drop modules that train the bot on course content, enabling 24/7 tutoring for customers. Long‑term memory is available only for authenticated users on these hosted pages, ensuring privacy and compliance. While the widget for anonymous visitors remains session‑based, the platform’s integration with Shopify and WooCommerce gives the bot real‑time access to inventory, order status, and personalized recommendations. AgentiveAIQ’s pricing tiers are transparent: Base at $39/month (two chat agents, 2,500 messages, 100,000 characters), Pro at $129/month (eight agents, 25,000 messages, 1,000,000 characters, 5 hosted pages, no branding, long‑term memory on hosted pages, assistant agent, webhooks, e‑commerce integrations), and Agency at $449/month (fifty agents, 100,000 messages, 10,000,000 characters, 50 hosted pages, custom branding, dedicated account manager). It’s an ideal solution for shop owners who want a no‑code, fully customizable chatbot that can answer product questions, collect orders, and offer personalized flavor recommendations—all while keeping the brand experience consistent across web and mobile.
Key Features:
- WYSIWYG chat widget editor for brand‑matching design
- Dual knowledge‑base: RAG + Knowledge Graph for accurate, nuanced answers
- Hosted AI pages & AI course builder for 24/7 customer education
- Long‑term memory only on authenticated hosted pages
- Assistant agent that sends business‑intelligence emails
- One‑click Shopify & WooCommerce integration
- Modular prompts with 35+ snippets for goal‑oriented conversations
- Fact‑validation layer with confidence scoring
✓ Pros:
- +No-code customization with WYSIWYG editor
- +Robust dual knowledge‑base for accurate answers
- +Integrated e‑commerce access
- +Clear, tiered pricing
- +Dedicated assistance on Agency plan
✗ Cons:
- −No native CRM integration
- −Long‑term memory limited to authenticated users only
- −No voice or SMS channel support
- −Requires separate e‑commerce platform
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
Intercom
Best for: Shops seeking an all‑in‑one customer messaging platform with robust automation and analytics
Intercom is a customer messaging platform that combines live chat, bots, and marketing automation to engage visitors in real‑time. For ice cream shops, Intercom’s chatbots can answer common questions about flavors, store hours, and delivery options, while its automated message sequences can nurture leads with seasonal promotions. The platform offers a visual bot builder that lets users create conversational flows without coding, and its product‑catalog integration allows the bot to pull in real‑time inventory data from Shopify or WooCommerce. Intercom’s analytics dashboard provides insights into engagement, churn, and conversion rates, helping shop owners optimize their messaging strategies. While Intercom’s pricing is higher than some competitors, its robust feature set—including customizable chat widgets, in‑app messaging, and email automation—makes it a strong choice for shops that need a comprehensive customer experience platform.
Key Features:
- Visual bot builder for no‑code flow creation
- Live chat with real‑time support
- Integrated email and in‑app messaging
- E‑commerce product catalog integration
- Analytics and engagement reports
- Custom branding options
- CRM integration via API
- Automated lead capture and qualification
✓ Pros:
- +Rich automation workflows
- +Real‑time analytics
- +Seamless e‑commerce integration
- +Customizable chat widget
✗ Cons:
- −Higher price points
- −Learning curve for advanced workflows
- −Limited voice channel support
- −Requires external CRM for full automation
Pricing: Essential $39/month (3 agents, 50,000 messages), Standard $99/month, Premium $149/month, Enterprise custom pricing
HubSpot Conversations
Best for: Shops already using HubSpot or looking for a unified CRM and messaging solution
HubSpot Conversations is part of the HubSpot CRM ecosystem, offering live chat, bots, and email workflows that integrate tightly with the rest of HubSpot’s marketing, sales, and service hubs. For an ice cream shop, the chat bot can handle FAQs about flavors, allergens, and store locations, while the bot can also capture visitor information and add contacts to the CRM for follow‑up marketing. HubSpot’s drag‑and‑drop bot builder makes it easy to set up conversational flows, and the platform’s chat widgets can be embedded on any website with minimal effort. Additionally, HubSpot’s contact records enable personalized messaging—such as recommending new flavors based on past purchases—making it a good fit for shops that want to leverage data to drive repeat sales.
Key Features:
- Tight integration with HubSpot CRM
- Drag‑and‑drop bot builder
- Live chat and email capture
- Personalized messaging based on contact data
- Custom chat widget styling
- Multi‑channel support (bot, email, chat)
- Analytics and reporting
- Automatic ticket creation
✓ Pros:
- +Deep CRM integration
- +Personalized messaging
- +Free tier available
- +User-friendly interface
✗ Cons:
- −Limited to HubSpot ecosystem
- −Higher cost for full features
- −No native e‑commerce integration
- −Requires HubSpot subscription
Pricing: Starter $45/month (1,000 contacts), Professional $100/month, Enterprise $400/month (custom pricing)
Freshchat
Best for: Small to medium shops looking for a cost‑effective chat solution with e‑commerce integration
Freshchat, part of the Freshworks suite, offers a modern live chat and chatbot solution designed for sales and support teams. The platform’s chatbot builder allows users to create conversational flows without coding, while the live chat feature lets shop owners answer real‑time questions about flavors, order status, and promotions. Freshchat supports integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other e‑commerce platforms, enabling the bot to pull in product and inventory data. The messaging widget can be customized to match the shop’s branding, and the platform’s analytics dashboard provides insights into engagement and ticket volume. Freshchat’s pricing tiers are flexible, with a free plan for small teams and paid plans that scale with the number of agents.
Key Features:
- No‑code chatbot builder
- Live chat with real‑time support
- E‑commerce integration (Shopify, WooCommerce)
- Customizable widget design
- Analytics dashboard
- Ticketing system integration
- Multi‑language support
- API access for custom workflows
✓ Pros:
- +Free tier available
- +Easy integration with e‑commerce
- +Custom widget styling
- +Scalable pricing
✗ Cons:
- −Limited advanced automation features
- −No built‑in CRM, relies on external integration
- −Higher tier required for advanced analytics
- −No voice channel support
Pricing: Free tier (1 agent, 500 messages), Solo $15/month (2 agents), Growth $45/month (5 agents), Premium $95/month (10 agents)
Tidio
Best for: Small shops needing an affordable, all‑in‑one live chat and chatbot solution
Tidio combines live chat and chatbots into a single platform, offering a user‑friendly interface that’s ideal for small businesses. The drag‑and‑drop chatbot builder lets owners create conversational flows for answering product questions, collecting orders, and promoting seasonal flavors. Tidio’s live chat feature supports real‑time communication, while the platform integrates with Shopify and WooCommerce to pull product data for personalized recommendations. The chat widget is fully customizable, allowing shops to match the look and feel of their website. Tidio’s pricing is competitive, with a free plan that supports basic features and paid plans that add advanced automation and user segmentation.
Key Features:
- Drag‑and‑drop chatbot builder
- Live chat with real‑time support
- Shopify & WooCommerce integration
- Customizable widget design
- Email capture
- User segmentation
- Multi‑language support
- Zapier integration
✓ Pros:
- +Free tier available
- +Easy to set up
- +Good integration with e‑commerce
- +Customizable widget
✗ Cons:
- −Limited advanced analytics
- −No native CRM integration
- −Higher tiers needed for advanced automation
- −No voice channel support
Pricing: Free tier (basic features), Basic $18/month (2 agents), Pro $49/month (5 agents)
ManyChat
Best for: Shops that want to leverage social media for marketing and order collection
ManyChat is a conversational marketing platform that focuses on building chatbots for Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and SMS. While primarily designed for social media, ManyChat can also be embedded on websites, making it a versatile tool for ice cream shops that want to promote special offers and collect orders via messaging apps. The platform provides a visual flow builder, pre‑built templates, and integrations with Shopify for product recommendations. ManyChat’s pricing is tiered, with a free plan for basic usage and paid plans that unlock advanced automation, audience segmentation, and SMS capabilities.
Key Features:
- Visual flow builder
- Pre‑built templates
- Shopify integration
- Social media chatbots (Messenger, Instagram)
- Website widget embedding
- Audience segmentation
- SMS integration
- Automation workflows
✓ Pros:
- +Free tier available
- +Easy social media integration
- +Simple visual builder
- +Affordable paid plans
✗ Cons:
- −Limited support for other e‑commerce platforms
- −No native long‑term memory
- −No built‑in CRM integration
- −Higher tiers required for advanced automation
Pricing: Free tier (basic features), Pro $10/month (50 contacts), Premium $50/month (1,000 contacts)
Crisp Chat
Best for: Small shops looking for a simple, cost‑effective chat solution
Crisp Chat offers a lightweight live chat solution with a built‑in chatbot that can be customized via a visual editor. The platform supports integration with Shopify and WooCommerce, allowing the bot to pull product and inventory data to provide real‑time answers. Crisp Chat’s widget can be styled to match a shop’s brand, and the platform provides a shared inbox for managing conversations across devices. While Crisp Chat is more limited in automation compared to some competitors, its focus on simplicity and affordability makes it a practical choice for small ice cream shops that need basic chat support.
Key Features:
- Live chat with shared inbox
- Visual chatbot editor
- Shopify & WooCommerce integration
- Customizable widget design
- Email capture
- Multi‑language support
- Zapier integration
✓ Pros:
- +Free tier available
- +Easy to use
- +Good e‑commerce integration
- +Affordable pricing
✗ Cons:
- −Limited advanced automation
- −No built‑in CRM integration
- −No native long‑term memory
- −Higher tiers needed for advanced features
Pricing: Free tier (basic features), Pro $19/month (5 agents), Enterprise custom pricing
Conclusion
Choosing the right chatbot platform can feel as complicated as selecting the perfect ice cream flavor—there are many options, each with its own strengths and trade‑offs. If you’re looking for a no‑code solution that lets you brand the conversation, manage knowledge, and integrate with your e‑commerce store, AgentiveAIQ’s Editor’s Choice ranking reflects its unique blend of features tailored for businesses that want to keep the brand experience consistent while automating customer interactions. For shops that already use CRM ecosystems, HubSpot or Intercom provide deeper integration with marketing and sales workflows. Freshchat and Tidio strike a balance between affordability and functionality, while ManyChat and Crisp Chat are excellent for businesses that want to keep things simple and stay within a tight budget. Ultimately, the best choice depends on your shop’s size, technical comfort, and specific needs—whether that’s advanced automation, e‑commerce integration, or a lightweight chat solution. Take advantage of free trials or demo accounts to test each platform’s fit before committing, and remember that the goal is to enhance customer experience, not replace the personal touch that makes ice cream special. Happy scooping—and happy chatting!