Freshchat: Pricing, Review, and Alternatives

• February 15, 2024

Reading Time: 9 minutes

In today’s fast-paced digital world, effective communication between businesses and customers is paramount. Freshchat emerges as a contemporary solution designed to bridge this gap, offering an intuitive messaging platform that promises to elevate customer experiences. Developed by Freshworks, it is tailored for businesses seeking to enhance their customer service and engagement strategies across various channels. This blog article embarks on an in-depth exploration of Freshchat, evaluating its pricing structure, providing an insightful review of its features and performance, and presenting alternatives to consider. Whether you’re a small business owner, a customer support manager, or part of a sales team looking to streamline your communication processes, this piece aims to offer valuable insights into whether Freshchat aligns with your business needs.

What is Freshchat?

Freshchat is a modern messaging software created for sales and customer engagement teams to facilitate conversations with prospects and customers across various platforms. It marks a significant departure from traditional live-chat systems, incorporating the continuity and consumer-like messaging experience into the business realm. This tool enables businesses to convert visitors into customers and delight them with a continuous, context-driven messaging experience. Whether it’s through a website, mobile app, or social pages, Freshchat aims to make communication more accessible and effective, helping teams focus on creating a seamless experience for users​​.

Essential Features of Freshchat:

• AI-Powered Assistance: Freshchat integrates Freddy, an AI-powered assistant, to streamline customer query resolution.
• Unified Messaging Channels: Offers integration with popular channels such as Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM, WhatsApp, Telegram, and email, enabling centralized management of customer communications.
• Support for Marketing and Sales: Utilized for engaging marketing campaigns, conversational commerce, and chat-based support, Freshchat provides tools for outbound messaging, facilitating direct purchases, and delivering post-sale services.
• Drag-and-Drop Conversation Design: Features a user-friendly, no-code interface for crafting chat and survey templates, accessible to non-technical users.
• Real-Time Translation: Supports instant translation in over 33 languages, accommodating a worldwide audience.
• E-commerce Compatibility: Seamlessly integrates with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Stripe for enhanced customer experiences.
• Automated Workflows: Includes the Automations App for creating efficient chat workflows to optimize customer interactions.
• Organizational Features: Offers centralized file storage and tools for managing business hours, helping in efficient scheduling and organization of customer engagements.
• Cross-Platform Support: Available on Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows, Freshchat ensures accessibility for a broad user base.
• Diverse Customer Targeting: Suitable for a variety of users including freelancers, large enterprises, medium-sized businesses, small businesses, and solo entrepreneurs.

Overview of Freshchat Pricing Tiers

• Free Plan: Offered at no cost, this plan supports up to 10 agents and serves as an entry-level option for small teams or businesses exploring chat-based customer service. It provides basic functionalities to get started.
• Growth Plan: Aimed at businesses seeking enhanced features, the Growth Plan costs $19 per agent, per month with annual billing, or $23 per agent, per month on a monthly basis. It’s designed for businesses in expansion mode needing more than what the Free Plan offers.
• Pro Plan: Designed for larger teams with complex requirements, the Pro Plan is priced at $49 per agent, per month when billed annually, and $59 per agent, per month for monthly billing. This plan includes advanced features for well-established businesses.
• Enterprise Plan: Tailored for large enterprises with significant needs, this plan begins at $69 per agent, per month, providing a comprehensive feature set, including advanced customization, enhanced support, and broader integration options suitable for large-scale operations.

Each plan is structured to meet the evolving needs of businesses, from startups to large enterprises, by offering a scalable range of features and capabilities.

Understanding the Limitations of Freshchat

Freshchat has established itself as a sought-after messaging solution for businesses aiming to provide a digital-first approach to customer service across various channels. Nonetheless, it’s essential to recognize that no software solution is without its constraints. Below are pivotal limitations associated with Freshchat:

• Session-Based Chat Limitations: Unlike more flexible messaging options, traditional chat on Freshchat is session-based. This necessitates that both the customer and the chat support team remain actively engaged throughout the conversation. The risk here is potential timeouts if either party becomes inactive, interrupting the communication flow and possibly impacting customer satisfaction.
• Restrictions in the Free Version: Users considering the free version of Freshchat should be aware of its limitations. This may include restrictions on the number of active conversations, available storage, and access to other critical features. For detailed information on the specific limitations of the free versus paid plans, visiting the Freshchat website is advisable.
• Platform Integration Challenges: Although Freshchat is designed to consolidate messaging across different platforms for a unified communication experience, it may not support integration with every desired platform. Users should explore the “Settings” section within Freshchat to understand which integrations are available for their setup.

It’s crucial for you to conduct a comprehensive assessment of Freshchat, considering these limitations in the context of their specific operational needs and customer service goals.

A thorough evaluation will help ensure that the chosen software aligns with the business’s requirements and expectations. Let’s talk about some of the alternatives which you can consider.

Top 10 Freshchat Alternatives for 2024

For customer engagement and support, various platforms offer distinctive features catering to diverse business needs. Here’s an expanded look at some notable alternatives to Freshchat:

1. tawk.to

tawk.to is a free live chat application that empowers you to monitor and interact with visitors on your website or through a personalized page. Unlike many paid services, tawk.to offers an extensive set of features at no cost, including real-time visitor monitoring, customizable widgets, and automated triggers to engage visitors efficiently. Its ease of integration and operation makes it an attractive option for startups and small businesses looking to enhance their customer support without a hefty investment.

2. Chatwoot

Chatwoot is an open-source platform that presents itself as a viable alternative to commercial products like Intercom and Zendesk. It supports integration with popular messaging services such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and more, facilitating a unified communication channel. The open-source nature of Chatwoot allows for customization and flexibility, making it suitable for businesses that require tailored solutions for live support chat, customer engagement, and agent management.

3. ProProfs Chat

ProProfs Chat is an online chat software designed to provide instant support to customers and engage visitors on your website. It features real-time chat capabilities, pre-chat forms, chat history, and analytics to help businesses understand customer needs better. ProProfs Chat also offers integrations with major CRM and e-commerce platforms, enhancing its utility in capturing leads and improving the customer service experience.

4. Zendesk Chat

Zendesk Chat, previously known as Zopim, offers a streamlined way to connect with customers through live chat. Integrated within the broader Zendesk customer service ecosystem, it provides a seamless experience for both agents and customers, featuring advanced analytics, AI-powered chatbots, and customizable chat widgets. This solution is well-suited for businesses looking for an integrated approach to customer support and engagement.

5. Intercom

Intercom is a comprehensive conversational relationship platform that combines customer communication through AI, bots, and messaging. It’s designed to automate repetitive tasks and questions, thereby reducing support costs and improving the efficiency of customer service teams. With its focus on creating personalized customer experiences, Intercom is ideal for businesses aiming to build stronger relationships with their customers through targeted messaging and automation.

6. BotPenguin

BotPenguin is an AI chatbot platform that enables businesses to build chatbots for customer support, lead generation, and engagement without requiring coding skills. By automating responses and interactions, BotPenguin helps reduce customer support workload and enhance service availability, making it an excellent tool for businesses looking to improve their customer interaction with AI technology.

7. Zendesk

Zendesk offers a broad suite of customer service tools, including messaging, ticketing, and a knowledge base, integrated into a single platform. It allows for streamlined communication across multiple channels, ensuring that customer interactions are managed efficiently. Zendesk’s flexibility and scalability make it suitable for a wide range of businesses, from small startups to large enterprises.

8. Help Scout

Help Scout provides an intuitive customer service platform that focuses on delivering exceptional customer support. It features an easy-to-use interface, shared inboxes for team collaboration, a knowledge base for self-service options, and detailed reporting. Help Scout is designed for businesses that prioritize a straightforward yet powerful tool for enhancing their customer support operations.

9. DelightChat

DelightChat is designed specifically for e-commerce brands, offering help desk software that integrates customer support, social media, and WhatsApp messaging in one platform. It aims to simplify customer service for e-commerce operations, providing tools for efficient query resolution, order management, and customer interaction. DelightChat’s focus on e-commerce makes it an ideal choice for online retailers looking to streamline their customer support while boosting sales.

10. LiveChat

LiveChat stands out as a robust customer service platform that specializes in enabling businesses to engage with customers in real-time through live chat. Its comprehensive suite of features includes customizable chat widgets, visitor tracking, automation workflows, and extensive integration options with over 170 services including e-commerce platforms, CRM systems, and marketing tools. LiveChat’s analytics and reporting capabilities provide deep insights into chat efficiency, customer satisfaction, and agent performance, helping businesses optimize their customer service strategies. Ideal for companies of all sizes, LiveChat emphasizes quick response times and effective communication, aiming to improve the overall customer experience and support sales conversion efforts. With its emphasis on ease of use, scalability, and providing a seamless customer interaction, LiveChat is a powerful solution for businesses looking to elevate their customer support and engagement initiatives.

Trivia: Use Salespanel to track leads from Freshchat and other customer engagement platforms

Salespanel can significantly enhance the capabilities of Freshchat and other customer engagement platforms by seamlessly integrating conversational data with CRM systems. This integration helps businesses consolidate their lead acquisition and engagement data, providing a holistic view of customer interactions across various channels, including live chat, email forms, and social media touchpoints. By bridging the gap between CRM systems and lead acquisition widgets, Salespanel enables sales representatives to access unified buyer engagement information. This comprehensive insight allows for more personalized follow-ups, improved lead qualification processes, and ultimately, a more cohesive and efficient sales strategy. Sales teams can leverage this integrated data to create targeted campaigns, personalize communication-based on user interactions, and streamline the sales process by focusing on the most promising leads, thereby enhancing the overall customer experience and boosting conversion rates.

Final Thoughts and Review

The exploration of Freshchat, alongside its pricing, features, and alternatives, reveals a dynamic landscape for businesses seeking to optimize their customer engagement and support strategies. Freshchat, a product of Freshworks, stands out for its modern approach to messaging, offering a rich set of features designed to enhance customer interactions across multiple channels. With its AI-powered assistance, unified messaging channels, and seamless integration with e-commerce platforms, Freshchat caters to a broad spectrum of business needs, from small startups to large enterprises.

The article delves into Freshchat’s pricing tiers, from a free plan suitable for small teams to more advanced options that cater to the needs of growing businesses and large enterprises, highlighting the platform’s scalability and flexibility. Despite its strengths, the piece also acknowledges Freshchat’s limitations, such as session-based chat constraints and platform integration challenges, urging businesses to consider these aspects when choosing their messaging solution.

Alternatives to Freshchat, including tawk.to, Chatwoot, ProProfs Chat, Zendesk Chat, Intercom, and others, are presented, offering businesses a comparative view to make informed decisions. Each alternative brings unique features to the table, from open-source flexibility with Chatwoot to the comprehensive conversational platform offered by Intercom, catering to the varied demands of customer engagement and support.

This blog post underscores the importance of selecting a customer engagement platform that aligns with a company’s specific needs and goals. Whether opting for Freshchat or one of its alternatives, the decision should be informed by a thorough evaluation of features, pricing, and the specific customer engagement strategy of the business. With the right tool, businesses can significantly enhance their customer service experience, foster stronger customer relationships, and drive growth in today’s digital-first marketplace.