Top 10 Free Alternatives to Drift in 2025

As Drift continues to be a popular choice for live chat and customer engagement, 2025 has brought forth several compelling free alternatives. These alternatives offer various features, including live chat, chatbots, and integration with other platforms. Here’s a look at the top 10 free alternatives to Drift in 2025.

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1. Tawk.to

Description: Tawk.to provides a completely free live chat application with unlimited agents and chats. It offers all essential features for basic customer communication without any hidden costs.
Free Plan: Yes, 100% free with unlimited agents and chats.
Features: Live Chat, Ticketing, Knowledge Base integration, chat history, customizable widget, integrations with other platforms, and multi-language support.
Ease of Use: User-friendly setup and simple interface.
Scalability: Suitable for small to medium-sized businesses, scales to unlimited use.
Customer Support: Offers support, but primarily community-based for free users.
Learn more about Tawk.to

2. Tidio

Description: Tidio offers a combination of live chat, chatbots, and email marketing within a single platform. It's a strong option for businesses looking for AI-driven solutions in 2025.
Free Plan: Yes, with up to 3 agents.
Features: Live chat, AI-powered chatbots, email marketing, visitor tracking, integrations, canned responses, and mobile app.
Ease of Use: Easy-to-use chatbot builder and intuitive interface.
Scalability: Free plan suitable for small teams, paid plans offer more features and scale.
Customer Support: Email & Chat support, extensive help center.
Explore Tidio

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3. Freshchat (by Freshworks)

Description: Freshchat provides a solid live chat experience along with a variety of tools for customer communication and support. It has a free plan and is a good pick for businesses looking for scalability.
Free Plan: Yes, with limited features and up to 10 agents.
Features: Live chat, chatbot, targeted campaigns, detailed customer context, canned responses, mobile app.
Ease of Use: User-friendly interface with clear layout and easy navigation.
Scalability: Free plan for small teams; paid plans for growing businesses.
Customer Support: 24/7 support on premium plans, email support for free users.
Discover Freshchat

4. Chaport

Description: Chaport is a user-friendly live chat software with a balance of features and affordability. It includes chatbots and a knowledge base.
Free Plan: Yes, with 1 agent and basic live chat features.
Features: Live chat, chatbots, knowledge base, auto-invitations, integrations with other channels like Facebook Messenger.
Ease of Use: Simple and intuitive user interface.
Scalability: Suitable for small to medium-sized businesses, with premium plans for more features.
Customer Support: Email and live chat support.
Explore Chaport

5. Smartsupp

Description: Smartsupp offers a combination of live chat and AI-driven chatbots with a multi-channel approach that includes co-browsing.
Free Plan: Yes, limited to 1 agent and 100 conversations.
Features: Live chat, AI chatbots, co-browsing, targeted chat invitations, visitor behavior tracking, conversation recording, customizable chat widget.
Ease of Use: Intuitive and user-friendly interface.
Scalability: Suitable for small to medium-sized businesses; paid plans for higher conversation volume.
Customer Support: Email and chat support.
Learn more about Smartsupp

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6. Userlike

Description: Userlike focuses on providing messaging and automation tools to transform customer communication, placing emphasis on GDPR compliance.
Free Plan: Yes, basic features with limited agents.
Features: Live chat, website messaging, WhatsApp Business integration, analytics, canned messages, customizable chat widget, GDPR compliance.
Ease of Use: Clear interface, easy setup.
Scalability: Free plan for small businesses, paid plans for more advanced features and larger teams.
Customer Support: Email support available, more comprehensive support on premium plans.
Discover Userlike

7. HubSpot Service Hub

Description: HubSpot Service Hub offers a suite of tools, including live chat and conversational bots, that integrate with their CRM, suitable for sales teams.
Free Plan: Yes, with HubSpot branding and limited features.
Features: Live chat, conversational bots, ticketing, knowledge base, CRM integration, reporting.
Ease of Use: User-friendly interface and easy to integrate with other HubSpot tools.
Scalability: Free plan for small teams; paid plans for advanced functionality.
Customer Support: Email & community support, paid plans have more options.
Explore HubSpot Service Hub

8. LiveAgent

Description: LiveAgent is a help desk software with robust live chat capabilities and gamification features for agents.
Free Plan: Yes, limited to 1 agent and basic chat features.
Features: Live chat, ticketing system, knowledge base, social media integration, agent gamification, and automation rules.
Ease of Use: Straightforward setup, user-friendly interface.
Scalability: Free plan is limited; paid plans offer advanced capabilities and scalability.
Customer Support: Email and chat support.
Discover LiveAgent

9. Hiver

Description: Hiver is a customer support platform that offers live chat directly within Gmail and Outlook inboxes, making it a convenient tool for teams using those platforms.
Free Plan: Yes, limited features, and access to multiple channels including chat.
Features: Live chat, chat assignment, internal collaboration tools, status tracking, shared inboxes, mobile app, works within Gmail or Outlook.
Ease of Use: Seamless integration with email providers.
Scalability: Free plan for smaller teams; paid plans with more features and agents.
Customer Support: 24/7 customer support.
Explore Hiver

10. ChatSimple

Description: ChatSimple stands out for its AI-powered voice and text engagement, offering dual-mode (text and voice) AI agents for customer interaction.
Free Plan: Limited free trial or basic version.
Features: Voice and text AI agents, multilingual support (175+ languages in chat), voice AI proactively calls out to visitors, integrates AI throughout sales and support.
Ease of Use: Easy to set up, can proactively engage website visitors.
Scalability: Designed for businesses seeking advanced AI engagement.
Customer Support: Contact support for assistance with setup and issues.
Learn more about ChatSimple

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FAQ

1. Is there a completely free alternative to Drift?

Yes, Tawk.to offers a completely free live chat application with unlimited agents and chats. Learn more about Tawk.to

2. Which alternative is best for small teams?

Tidio is a good choice for small teams, offering a free plan with up to 3 agents and features like live chat, AI-powered chatbots, and email marketing. Explore Tidio

3. What is a scalable alternative for growing businesses?

Freshchat by Freshworks offers a scalable solution with a free plan for up to 10 agents and various features such as live chat and targeted campaigns. Discover Freshchat

4. Which alternative provides integration with multiple channels?

Chaport is a user-friendly option that integrates with various channels including Facebook Messenger and offers live chat and knowledge base features. Learn more about Chaport

5. What is a good option for AI-driven customer support?

Smartsupp combines live chat with AI-driven chatbots and supports co-browsing and visitor behavior tracking. Explore Smartsupp

6. Which alternative emphasizes GDPR compliance?

Userlike focuses on providing GDPR-compliant live chat and messaging tools, making it suitable for businesses that prioritize data privacy. Learn more about Userlike

7. Which alternative offers integration with CRM systems?

HubSpot Service Hub integrates seamlessly with HubSpot's CRM system and offers live chat, conversational bots, and ticketing features. Discover HubSpot Service Hub

8. Is there an alternative with gamification features for agents?

LiveAgent offers a help desk software with live chat and agent gamification features to boost agent engagement and productivity. Learn more about LiveAgent

9. Which alternative integrates directly with email platforms like Gmail and Outlook?

Hiver provides a customer support platform that offers live chat directly within Gmail and Outlook inboxes, making it a convenient tool for teams. Explore Hiver

10. What is an innovative alternative offering voice and text AI engagement?

ChatSimple stands out with its AI-powered voice and text engagement capabilities, supporting multilingual interactions across sales and support. Learn more about ChatSimple

References

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.

Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).

She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.

For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.

About the Publication

Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.

Mission and Purpose

Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.

Key Features

The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:

Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials

Impact and Growth

Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:

3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
100+ startup tools built
5,000+ pieces of articles and news written

Partnerships

Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.

Recognition

Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.