Why people look for Drift alternatives

Drift is excellent B2B conversational marketing software, but it's not for everyone. The $2,500/month minimum puts it squarely in enterprise territory, and the recent acquisition by Salesloft means you're now buying into a broader revenue platform rather than a standalone chat tool. Many startups and mid-market companies find they can get 80% of Drift's value from more affordable alternatives, especially if their primary need is live chat rather than full conversational marketing with revenue attribution. Here's why teams look elsewhere.

The $2,500/month reality

Drift's Premium plan starts at $2,500/month. Enterprise is $50k-150k/year. For most startups, this budget doesn't exist until significant funding. Alternatives like Intercom start at $29/seat/month, and Tidio has a free tier. Read our Drift comparison page for a detailed breakdown.

Requires a sales team

Drift's core value is connecting website visitors with sales reps through chat. The chatbot qualifies visitors, books meetings, and routes to reps. If you don't have sales reps ready to take those chats, you're paying for capabilities you can't use.

The Salesloft acquisition

Salesloft acquired Drift in 2024. While Drift continues operating, it's now part of a larger revenue orchestration platform. Some teams prefer standalone tools with clearer product direction.

The alternatives, honestly

For SaaS email marketing: Sequenzy

If you need email marketing, not chat, why pay for conversational features? Sequenzy is purpose-built for SaaS with AI-generated sequences and native Stripe integration. At $19/mo vs Drift's $2,500/mo, it's 50x cheaper for email-focused use cases.

The catch: email only. No live chat, no chatbots. If you need conversational marketing, Sequenzy isn't the answer.

For premium chat on budget: Intercom

Intercom is the most direct Drift comparison. Both offer chat, AI, and lead capture. Key differences: transparent pricing ($29-132/seat vs Drift's hidden quotes), Fin AI Agent handles support automatically, and more support-focused than sales-focused.

The trade-off: still expensive at scale with per-seat fees and $0.99/AI resolution charges. But significantly cheaper than Drift for most teams.

For budget chat: Tidio

Tidio offers live chat with Lyro AI chatbot at a fraction of Drift's cost. Free tier for starters, paid plans from $29/month. Good for e-commerce with Shopify integration.

Trade-off: less sophisticated than Drift. E-commerce focused. But for small businesses wanting affordable chat, it delivers.

For Salesforce natives: Qualified

Qualified is built directly on Salesforce with native integration. Piper AI SDR qualifies leads 24/7. At $2,500/mo, it matches Drift's pricing but offers deeper Salesforce integration.

Trade-off: same enterprise pricing as Drift. Requires Salesforce commitment. But for Salesforce-centric B2B companies, it's the closest alternative.

The pricing comparison

At comparable usage:

• Drift: $2,500/mo minimum (Premium)
• Sequenzy: $49/mo for 10k subs (email only)
• Intercom: $29-132/seat/mo + AI resolution fees
• Tidio: Free tier, paid from $29/mo
• Qualified: $2,500/mo (Salesforce native)
• Crisp: Free tier, Plus €295/mo
• HubSpot Service Hub: $9-90/seat/mo

Note: Different platforms charge differently (per seat, per conversation, flat rate). Compare based on your team size and needs. Check our pricing page for Sequenzy's simple per-subscriber model.

When Drift is still the right choice

Drift wins if:

• You have a B2B sales team ready to engage visitors
• The $2,500/mo budget is justified by sales volume
• Revenue attribution from chat is critical
• You need deep Salesforce or HubSpot integration
• You're committed to the Salesloft ecosystem

Don't switch just to save money if Drift's conversational marketing drives real pipeline. But if you're paying for chat capabilities you don't use, simpler tools are often better and cheaper. Use our email validator tool to ensure list quality when evaluating any platform.