19 Best Drift Alternatives in 2026

By Elena Kowalski, Security & Enterprise EditorยทUpdated April 24, 2026ยท16 min read

The top 10 Drift alternatives in 2026 include Gladly (score 63/100, from $180/agent/mo), Help Scout (score 67/100, from $22/user/mo), Gorgias (score 67/100, from $10/mo), and 16 more customer support tools. Drift is a customer support platform used by 5K+ orgs teams. Teams switching from Drift typically look for better pricing, specific customer support features, or different integration options. hiltonsoftware.co evaluates each Drift alternative using a weighted scoring system that measures user ratings (40%), feature depth (25%), value for money (20%), market presence (10%), and growth trajectory (5%). 5 of the 19 Drift alternatives offer free plans. The highest-rated Drift alternative is Gladly with a hiltonsoftware.co score of 63/100 and pricing starting at $180/agent/mo.

Drift (60/100 on hiltonsoftware.co) is a customer support tool used by 5K+ orgs users, with pricing from $2500/mo. Below are 19 alternatives ranked by our proprietary score โ€” 5 of them offer free plans. The top-rated alternative is Gladly with a score of 63/100.

What are the best alternatives to Drift in 2026?

#1
๐Ÿ˜Š
GladlyTOP PICK

People-centered customer service platform organizing support around customers, not tickets.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.7
From $180/agent/mo500+ orgs users
#2
๐Ÿ”ญ
Help Scout

Customer support platform that feels like email, not a ticket system.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.6
From $22/user/mo12K+ orgs users
#3
๐Ÿ›๏ธ
Gorgias

Helpdesk built for e-commerce with deep Shopify and WooCommerce integrations.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.6
From $10/mo14K+ orgs users
#4
๐Ÿค–
TidioFREE PLAN

AI customer service platform with chatbots, live chat, and email for SMBs.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.6
From $29/mo500K+ orgs users
#5
๐Ÿ’ฌ
Intercom

Customer service platform combining AI chatbot, inbox, and help center.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $39/mo25K+ orgs users
#6
๐ŸŸข
CrispFREE PLAN

Customer messaging platform with shared inbox, chatbot, and CRM for startups.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $25/mo500K+ orgs users
#7
๐Ÿ—จ๏ธ
LiveChat

Live chat and customer service platform with customizable chat widgets.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $20/agent/mo38K+ orgs users
#8
๐Ÿ”ท
Dixa

Customer service platform unifying all channels with conversation routing.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $39/agent/mo800+ orgs users
#9
๐Ÿ“ฅ
Front

Shared inbox platform for teams handling email, SMS, and chat collaboratively.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $19/user/mo9K+ orgs users
#10
๐ŸŽต
Groove

Simple help desk and shared inbox for small businesses with knowledge base.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $4.80/user/mo12K+ orgs users
#11
๐Ÿ’›
Re:amaze

Customer support platform for e-commerce with live chat, helpdesk, and FAQ.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $29/agent/mo3K+ orgs users
#12
๐Ÿ“ง
HiverFREE PLAN

Gmail-based help desk that turns Gmail into a shared inbox for customer support.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.5
From $19/user/mo10K+ orgs users
#13
๐ŸŒฑ
FreshdeskFREE PLAN

Helpdesk software with ticketing, live chat, and omnichannel support.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.4
From $15/agent/mo60K+ orgs users
#14
๐ŸŸฃ
Kustomer

CRM-based customer service platform with full customer timeline view.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.4
From $89/agent/mo1K+ orgs users
#15
๐Ÿ“ž
Talkdesk

Cloud contact center platform with AI-powered voice and digital customer support.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.4
From $75/agent/mo1.8K+ orgs users
#16
๐ŸฆŠ
HappyFox

Help desk and customer support software with ticketing, live chat, and self-service.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.4
From $9/agent/mo12K+ orgs users
#17
๐ŸŸข
Zoho DeskFREE PLAN

Context-aware help desk software with AI assistant and Zoho ecosystem integration.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.4
From $14/agent/mo100K+ orgs users
#18
๐ŸŽง
Zendesk

Enterprise customer service platform with ticketing, chat, and self-service.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.3
From $19/agent/mo100K+ orgs users
#19
๐Ÿ›ถ
Kayako

Help desk software with unified customer journey view across all channels.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…4.1
From $30/agent/mo35K+ orgs users

Frequently asked questions about Drift alternatives

What is the best alternative to Drift?
The top-rated Drift alternative is Gladly with a hiltonsoftware.co score of 63/100. Gladly people-centered customer service platform organizing support around customers, not tickets. Gladly starts at $180/agent/mo. Other strong Drift alternatives include Help Scout (67/100, from $22/user/mo) and Gorgias (67/100, from $10/mo).
Are there free alternatives to Drift?
Yes, 5 of the 19 Drift alternatives offer free plans. The highest-rated free Drift alternatives are Tidio (77/100), Crisp (74/100), Hiver (70/100). Unlike Drift (starting at $2500/mo), these free Drift alternatives let teams get started without any financial commitment. Each free plan includes core customer support features.
How does Drift compare to Gladly?
Drift scores 60/100 while Gladly scores 63/100 on hiltonsoftware.co. Drift strengths include "best conversational marketing tool", while Drift limitations include "very expensive". Gladly starts at $180/agent/mo, compared to Drift pricing from $2500/mo.
Last updated: March 2026ยทPricing verifiedยทMethodology

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