Top 7 Platforms for a Project Inquiry Chat for Web Design

Intercom is a customer messaging platform that offers a robust chatbot framework for gathering project inquiries. Its chatbot builder supports a drag‑and‑drop flow designer, allowing marketers to create guided conversations that can collect contact details, project scope, and design preferences. Intercom’s chatbot can hand off to live agents or trigger automated email sequences, making it suitable for agencies that need to triage incoming design requests. The platform also integrates tightly with popular design tools such as Figma and Photoshop through Zapier, enabling a seamless transition from conversation to asset creation. Pricing begins with a free plan that includes basic messaging, but the chatbot features are part of the paid Business tier starting at $79 per month. The plan allows up to 1,000 monthly active users and includes access to Intercom’s Bot Builder, Live Chat, and Automation workflows. Intercom’s strengths lie in its extensive integration ecosystem, real‑time analytics dashboard, and robust customer segmentation, which help teams target the right prospects. However, the platform’s visual customization is limited compared to a dedicated WYSIWYG editor, and its knowledge base capabilities are basic, relying on static FAQ articles rather than dynamic RAG or graph‑based retrieval.

Drift is a conversational marketing platform that places a powerful chatbot at the forefront of its offering. It is designed to qualify leads, book meetings, and surface product information in real time. The bot builder includes a visual editor that lets users define conversation flows, add personalized prompts, and integrate with Calendly for instant meeting scheduling—a feature useful for design agencies that want to book discovery calls directly from the chat. Drift’s pricing starts at $499 per month for the Essentials plan, which includes up to 5,000 conversations per month, advanced automation, and custom branding. The platform also offers a Pro plan that removes the Drift logo and adds more advanced analytics. Drift excels at B2B lead generation and has a strong reputation for high‑quality outbound messaging. Its primary drawback for design project inquiries is the lack of a dedicated knowledge base—information must be entered manually into the bot or fed via static FAQ pages. Additionally, customization of the widget’s appearance is limited compared to a true WYSIWYG editor.

ManyChat is a chatbot platform that focuses on social media and messaging apps, but it also offers a web chat widget that can be embedded on any site. The platform is built around a no‑code visual builder that lets users create conversational flows using drag‑and‑drop blocks. ManyChat supports broadcasting, broadcasting to email lists, and integration with Zapier to connect to external CRMs. Pricing begins with a free plan that allows basic chat flow creation and up to 500 contacts, but the web chat widget is only available on the paid plans. The Pro plan costs $10 per month per 1,000 contacts, while the Max plan is $25 per month per 1,000 contacts. ManyChat also offers a paid plan for large enterprises. ManyChat’s strengths are its ease of use, low cost, and native integration with Facebook Messenger and Instagram. For design agencies, it can be used to capture project inquiries and trigger email follow‑ups. However, the platform lacks a robust knowledge base, advanced AI capabilities, and the ability to store persistent memory across sessions.

Tidio combines chatbots and live chat into a single platform that can be embedded on any website. The bot builder is visual and allows users to create quick reply buttons, automated greetings, and integration with e‑commerce platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce. Tidio also offers a real‑time chat feature that can be used by designers to answer questions on the fly. The platform offers a free tier that includes 500 contacts and 12 chatbots. Paid plans start at $18 per month for the Business plan, which removes the Tidio branding and adds unlimited contacts and additional integrations. Tidio’s strengths include its straightforward pricing, built‑in e‑commerce integrations, and the ability to combine live chat with bot automation. However, it does not provide a knowledge base or advanced AI, and its customization options are limited to color and logo changes rather than full WYSIWYG editing.

Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) is part of the Zendesk suite of customer service tools. It offers a web chat widget that can be added to any site with a simple snippet of code. The platform provides a visual builder for creating automated responses and can be paired with Zendesk Support for ticket creation. Pricing for Zendesk Chat starts at $15 per month per agent for the Essentials plan, which includes basic chat features, automated triggers, and customizable widget appearance. The Professional plan costs $35 per month per agent and adds advanced reporting and integration with more Zendesk products. Zendesk Chat’s core advantage is its integration with a full help desk system, providing a seamless path from chat to ticket. For design agencies, this can be useful for logging client inquiries. The drawback is that the chatbot itself is relatively simple and lacks a sophisticated knowledge base, AI, or learning capabilities.

Chatbot.com is a SaaS platform that focuses on creating AI chatbots for websites, applications, and messaging channels. Its builder uses a visual flow editor that lets users design conversational paths, add multimedia, and integrate with APIs. The platform supports deployment on web pages, Shopify, and Facebook Messenger. Pricing is tiered: the Starter plan is $50 per month, the Pro plan is $150 per month, and the Enterprise plan is priced on request. All plans include access to the visual builder, API integration, and analytics. Chatbot.com is praised for its flexibility and the ability to integrate with third‑party services. However, it does not offer a dedicated knowledge base, advanced AI prompting, or persistent memory for users. The visual editor is functional but not as intuitive as a true WYSIWYG interface, and the platform’s design‑specific features are minimal.