Top 7 Alternatives to Drift for IT Support Services (MSPs)

Intercom is a customer messaging platform that blends live chat, help desk, and marketing automation into a single interface. While originally focused on sales and marketing, Intercom’s robust support features have made it a popular choice for IT service providers. The platform offers real‑time chat, in‑app messaging, and a knowledge base that can be linked to product documentation. Bots can be configured with a visual builder, and automation rules allow support teams to route tickets, trigger follow‑ups, and collect feedback. Intercom’s integrations span over 200 apps, including Salesforce, Zendesk, and various CMS solutions, enabling seamless workflow between ticketing systems and marketing tools. For MSPs, Intercom’s ability to segment users based on product usage or support history can help prioritize high‑impact cases. However, the platform’s pricing can become steep as the number of active users grows, and the learning curve for advanced automation is non‑trivial. Despite these challenges, Intercom remains a strong contender for small to mid‑size MSPs that need a unified platform for chat, email, and help center content.

Zendesk Chat, part of the Zendesk Support ecosystem, offers real‑time chat that can be embedded on any website. It is especially appealing to MSPs that already use Zendesk’s ticketing or help center, as the chat layer feeds directly into the support queue. Features include automated greetings, proactive chat triggers, and a chatbot builder that can pull information from the Zendesk Knowledge Base. The platform provides real‑time analytics, agent performance dashboards, and the ability to route conversations to the right team based on product or priority. Zendesk Chat also integrates with a wide range of third‑party tools such as Slack, Salesforce, and Shopify. While the interface is user‑friendly, the per‑agent pricing model can add up for larger teams, and the bot capabilities are comparatively basic when compared to specialist AI platforms.

Freshchat, part of the Freshworks suite, is a modern messaging platform that blends live chat, bots, and in‑app conversations. It is designed for businesses that need a flexible, scalable chat solution with a strong focus on customer engagement. Freshchat’s visual bot builder allows users to create simple flows, and the platform supports proactive messaging based on visitor behavior. Integration with Freshdesk provides a seamless link between chat and ticketing, while third‑party connectors bring in data from Shopify, Salesforce, and many others. Freshchat offers a free tier and paid plans starting at $15 per chat agent per month, making it an attractive option for small to mid‑size MSPs. Its strengths lie in ease of setup, clean UI, and a variety of pre‑built templates, but it lacks advanced AI capabilities such as knowledge‑graph understanding or persistent memory for authenticated users.

Ada is an AI‑driven chatbot platform that focuses on automating customer support across multiple channels, including web chat, mobile, and social media. Its no‑code interface allows non‑technical users to build conversational flows and integrate them with existing systems such as Salesforce or Zendesk. Ada’s AI engine can learn from past conversations and knowledge bases, providing context‑aware responses. The platform offers robust analytics, real‑time monitoring, and the ability to hand off conversations to human agents when needed. For MSPs, Ada’s deep integration with CRM systems and its focus on compliance can be particularly valuable for industries that require strict data handling. Pricing is custom‑quoted, typically starting at a few thousand dollars per month for small teams, which can be a barrier for smaller MSPs. Despite the cost, Ada stands out for its strong AI capabilities and channel versatility.

Tidio combines live chat, chatbots, and email automation into a single platform that is highly affordable and easy to implement. The platform offers a visual editor for building chatbot flows and a library of pre‑built templates for common support scenarios. Tidio’s chat widget can be embedded with a single line of JavaScript and is fully customizable in terms of colors, position, and design. Integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, and WordPress makes it a natural fit for e‑commerce MSPs. While Tidio provides basic AI for answering FAQs and capturing leads, it does not offer advanced knowledge‑graph capabilities or persistent memory for authenticated users. Pricing starts at a free tier, with paid plans starting at $18 per month for a single chat agent, making it an attractive option for small teams or agencies on a tight budget.

Helpshift is a mobile‑centric support platform that offers in‑app messaging, chatbots, and a knowledge base tailored for self‑service. Its AI engine can answer common questions, route tickets, and provide real‑time product information. Helpshift integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Salesforce, allowing MSPs to pull inventory data and customer histories into conversations. The platform also provides analytics dashboards, live agent support, and the ability to create custom workflows via its MCP (Managed Conversation Platform). Pricing is custom‑quoted and generally aimed at mid‑ to large‑size enterprises, which can be a barrier for smaller MSPs. Despite the cost, Helpshift excels in mobile support, omnichannel capabilities, and the ability to embed AI into existing mobile apps.