Top 7 Alternatives to Freshchat for Resorts

Intercom has long been a staple in the hospitality sector for its robust live‑chat capabilities combined with a suite of customer engagement tools. The platform allows resorts to embed a customizable chat widget that can be tailored to match brand colors, logos, and messaging styles. Intercom’s AI features include its Articles Bot, which pulls information from a knowledge base to answer common questions automatically, and Product Tours that can guide guests through booking or check‑in processes. The system supports real‑time ticketing, enabling staff to resolve issues quickly and hand off conversations to human agents when needed. Intercom’s automation workflows make it possible to trigger follow‑ups, send personalized offers, or request feedback after a stay. Pricing begins at $39/month for the Essentials plan, which includes basic live chat, email, and help desk features, with higher tiers offering enhanced automation, advanced reporting, and integration with CRM systems such as Salesforce. Intercom’s strengths lie in its comprehensive customer support suite and tight integration with other business tools, making it a solid choice for resorts that need a full customer relationship management ecosystem.

Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) is a widely adopted live‑chat solution known for its ease of deployment and tight coupling with the Zendesk suite of customer support tools. The platform offers a floating chat widget that can be styled with custom colors, logos, and welcome messages, ensuring a seamless visual experience for resort guests. Zendesk Chat provides real‑time visitor monitoring, allowing agents to see which pages guests are on and what they’re looking at, which can be invaluable for proactive assistance. The system includes a knowledge base integration that lets agents quickly pull in relevant articles, and the AI‑powered Answer Bot can automatically respond to common queries. Pricing starts at $19/month for the Starter plan, with higher tiers adding more agents, advanced analytics, and integration with the broader Zendesk ecosystem. Zendesk Chat is well‑suited for resorts that already use Zendesk for ticketing or want a single platform for both chat and support.

Drift positions itself as a conversational marketing platform that goes beyond basic live chat, offering chatbot functionality that can qualify leads, book meetings, and provide instant answers. The platform’s chat widget is highly configurable and can be styled to match resort branding. Drift’s AI bots use machine learning to answer common questions and can automatically route conversations to the appropriate sales or support team. One of Drift’s standout features is its ability to schedule meetings directly within the chat, a useful tool for resorts that want to book premium experiences or private tours. The system also integrates with major CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot, ensuring that interactions are captured and can influence marketing campaigns. Drift’s pricing starts at $400/month for the Basic plan, with higher tiers adding more agents, advanced features, and increased message limits. While Drift is powerful for lead generation and marketing automation, its higher cost and focus on sales may make it less suitable for resorts primarily focused on customer support.

LiveChat is a straightforward, feature‑rich live‑chat solution that has become popular among small to mid‑size hospitality operators. The platform offers a floating chat widget that can be customized with brand colors, logos, and welcome texts, ensuring a cohesive guest experience. LiveChat includes an AI‑powered bot that can answer basic questions and trigger live agent hand‑offs when needed. The system also supports integration with e‑commerce platforms, allowing real‑time product catalog access and simple booking widgets. LiveChat’s pricing starts at $16/month for the Basic plan, which includes one agent and limited features; the Premium plan at $32/month adds unlimited agents, advanced reporting, and more customization options. The platform is known for its usability, responsive customer support, and quick deployment, making it a solid choice for resorts that need a reliable chat solution without a steep learning curve.

Tidio combines live chat and chatbots into a single, user‑friendly package that is popular among small businesses, including boutique resorts and bed‑and‑breakfast operators. The platform offers a floating chat widget that can be styled to match resort branding and supports real‑time chat with agents. Tidio’s chatbot builder allows users to create automated flows that handle common questions, book reservations, and provide local attraction information. The system integrates with popular e‑commerce platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce, making it easy to pull product or booking data into the chat. Tidio offers a free tier with basic features and paid plans starting at $18/month for the Starter plan, which includes one agent and a limited number of chatbots. The paid plans scale up to include more agents, advanced chatbot features, and priority support. Tidio’s strengths lie in its affordable pricing, no‑code chatbot builder, and straightforward integration with e‑commerce.

Crisp is a lightweight, open‑source inspired chat solution that offers a floating chat widget, live chat, and basic chatbot functionality. The platform is known for its clean interface and easy setup, allowing resort owners to embed a chat widget that matches their brand colors and logo. Crisp’s bot can answer FAQs and direct visitors to relevant resources, while the live chat feature supports real‑time communication with guests. The system includes a knowledge base integration, allowing agents to pull in articles quickly. Crisp offers a free tier with limited messages and a paid tier at $25/month that removes the Crisp logo, adds more agents, and provides priority support. The platform integrates with major CRMs like HubSpot and Zapier, enabling data flow to other systems. Crisp is ideal for resorts that need a simple, low‑cost chat solution with basic AI capabilities.