Drift is the conversational marketing platform for B2B — combining live chat, chatbots, and email to qualify leads in real-time. Drift is generally best suited to smb teams and buyers. Drift is founded in 2015 and headquartered in Boston, USA.
Integrations: Zapier|Salesforce|HubSpot|Slack|Shopify|Google
Support: Email|Live Chat|Documentation
Drift is one of 104 Live Chat & Support tools we track and compare on this site. Our editors currently rate it 4.4 out of 5, versus a 4.3/5 average across the category. On balance, its strongest points are easy to implement and strong analytics, while the main trade-off buyers report is premium features cost more. Its feature set centers on API Access, Analytics, Automation, among others.
Drift is rated 4.4/5 by our editors, above the 4.3/5 average across the 104 Live Chat & Support tools we track. Pricing starts at Contact for pricing on a custom model, with a free trial available to test it first. It integrates with tools including Zapier|Salesforce|HubSpot|Slack|Shopify|Google. Support is offered via Email|Live Chat|Documentation.
If Drift isn't quite the right fit, these are the other Live Chat & Support tools we rate highest:
Gorgias (rated 4.8/5) — Gorgias unifies email, live chat, social and phone support in one helpdesk built specifically for online stores — with order data, refunds and subscription actions available right inside every ticket, plus an AI agent that resolves routine questions automatically. Priced from From $10/month, versus Contact for pricing for Drift. Rated slightly higher than Drift by our editors.
Re:amaze (rated 4.7/5) — Re:amaze is a customer support platform for e-commerce combining live chat, helpdesk, chatbots, and push campaigns in one tool. Priced from From $29/month, versus Contact for pricing for Drift. Rated slightly higher than Drift by our editors.
Tidio (rated 4.7/5) — Tidio combines live chat, AI chatbots, and email marketing for e-commerce businesses. Deep Shopify integration with a generous free plan. Priced from Free / $29/month, versus Contact for pricing for Drift. Rated slightly higher than Drift by our editors.
Hiver (rated 4.6/5) — Hiver turns Gmail into a shared inbox and helpdesk — team collaboration on support emails without leaving Gmail. Priced from From $19/user/month, versus Contact for pricing for Drift. Rated slightly higher than Drift by our editors.
Reply.io (rated 4.6/5) — Reply.io is a sales engagement platform combining email sequences, LinkedIn automation, calls, and AI personalisation for outbound teams. Priced from From $59/user/month, versus Contact for pricing for Drift. Rated slightly higher than Drift by our editors.
BoldDesk (rated 4.6/5) — BoldDesk is a modern cloud helpdesk by Syncfusion with AI automation, ticket management, and a knowledge base at competitive pricing. Priced from Free / $25/agent/month, versus Contact for pricing for Drift. Rated slightly higher than Drift by our editors.
Crisp (rated 4.5/5) — Crisp is an all-in-one messaging platform for startups offering live chat, a shared inbox, chatbots, and a knowledge base. Priced from Free / $25/month, versus Contact for pricing for Drift. Rated slightly higher than Drift by our editors.
Intercom (rated 4.5/5) — Intercom is the leading customer communications platform combining live chat, bots, help desk, and product tours in one platform. Priced from From $74/month, versus Contact for pricing for Drift. Rated slightly higher than Drift by our editors.
Customerly (rated 4.5/5) — Customerly combines live chat, email marketing, and NPS surveys to manage the entire customer lifecycle in one tool. Priced from Free / $29/month, versus Contact for pricing for Drift. Rated slightly higher than Drift by our editors.
Chaport (rated 4.5/5) — Chaport provides simple live chat with a unified inbox combining website chat, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and email. Priced from Free / $23/month, versus Contact for pricing for Drift. Rated slightly higher than Drift by our editors.
Does Drift offer a free tier?
Drift does not currently offer a permanent free tier. A free trial is available if you want to test it before committing.
How much does Drift cost?
Plans start at Contact for pricing on a custom pricing model.
What are Drift's standout features?
The features our editors flag most: API Access, Analytics, Automation, Integrations.
What do people like about Drift?
Reviewers most often point to: Easy to implement; Strong analytics; Excellent support.
What are the downsides of Drift?
The most commonly cited drawbacks are: Premium features cost more; Setup time required.
What's a good Drift alternative?
For most buyers we'd point first to Gorgias — see the full comparison above for how it stacks up on price and features.
Drift is worth considering if you're evaluating Live Chat & Support tools as a smb buyer. It's one of the higher-rated options we track in this category, so it's a reasonable starting point for a shortlist.Read the pros and cons above, and check the alternatives if you want a wider comparison before deciding.
If you're comparing more than one option in this space, it helps to write down the two or three requirements that actually matter for your team before you start reading reviews, since pricing pages and marketing copy tend to make every tool sound like the right fit on paper. Ask each vendor directly about contract length, cancellation terms, and what happens to your data if you switch providers later, and weigh that alongside the feature comparison above rather than the headline price alone. It's also worth checking recent user discussions on forums or review sites for anything that's changed since a vendor last updated their own marketing pages, since pricing, limits, and supported integrations can shift between major updates. A short trial period, where one is offered, is usually the fastest way to confirm a tool actually fits your workflow before you commit to a longer contract. It's also fine to start with whichever tool has the best free trial or lowest-commitment plan, use it for real work for a week or two, and only then decide whether to negotiate a longer contract — that's usually a better test than anything a comparison page, including this one, can tell you in advance.
