Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Sendbird.
Want the closest match?
CrispMost similar to Sendbird in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Crisp in a new tab)Need a free plan?
FreshchatHas a free plan, rated 4.3 out of 5.
Visit (opens Freshchat in a new tab)Want to pay less than Sendbird?
HyroFrom $10/mo, against from $349/mo for Sendbird.
Visit (opens Hyro in a new tab)Want the best rated?
Genesys Cloud CXRated 4.3 out of 5 in our review, against 4.2 for Sendbird.
Visit (opens Genesys Cloud CX in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Sendbird, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 SendbirdBaseline | 4.2 | $349/mo | Yes | Started as chat infrastructure for any app, now with AI agents added | |
| Crisp | 4.4+0.2 | $45/mo$304 less | Yes | A multichannel messaging inbox, not just an enterprise AI agent | vs Sendbird |
 Yellow.ai | 4.2Same | Free | Yes | Broad channel coverage from an India-based enterprise CX platform | vs Sendbird |
 Talkdesk | 4.0−0.2 | $85/mo$264 less | No | Cloud contact-center platform since 2011, now layering AI agents onto tiered per-agent pricing | vs Sendbird |
| Freshchat | 4.3+0.1 | $19/mo$330 less | Yes | Freshworks' AI-powered messaging platform for live chat, chatbots, and omnichannel support. | vs Sendbird |
 Ada | 4.2Same | Not listed | No | A Toronto customer service platform since before generative AI existed | vs Sendbird |
 Whelp | 4.1−0.1 | $29/mo$320 less | Yes | Customer support platform that pairs AI agents trained on your FAQs, policies and catalog with one inbox for WhatsApp, web chat, SMS, email, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram. | vs Sendbird |
| Genesys Cloud CX | 4.3+0.1 | $75/mo$274 less | No | Unifies customer and employee experience, with pricing tiers published openly | vs Sendbird |
| Hyro | 3.9−0.3 | $10/mo$339 less | No | Conversational AI tuned for healthcare, finance, and retail rather than general-purpose support | vs Sendbird |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Sendbird.
Crisp
4.4$45/mo
vs Sendbird$304 less+0.2
A multichannel messaging inbox, not just an enterprise AI agent.
- Multichannel shared team inbox (chat, email, and more)
- AI chatbot automation alongside human agent handoff
- Genuinely published, self-serve pricing
Published, accessible pricing unlike most enterprise-only competitors
Less specialized in pure AI resolution than dedicated enterprise agent platforms
Yellow.ai
4.2Free
vs SendbirdSame
Broad channel coverage from an India-based enterprise CX platform.
- Broad coverage across WhatsApp, voice, web chat, and regional messaging apps
- Built for multinational, multi-region customer bases
- AI automation across all supported channels from one platform
Unusually broad messaging channel coverage, including WhatsApp and regional apps
Breadth across many channels can mean less depth in any single one
Talkdesk
4.0$85/mo
vs Sendbird$264 less−0.2
Cloud contact-center platform since 2011, now layering AI agents onto tiered per-agent pricing.
- Cloud-native contact-center platform operating since 2011
- AI agents layered on top of established voice and digital channel infrastructure
- Tiered pricing from $85/agent (Digital Essentials) to $165/agent (Elite)
Long operating history gives real confidence at enterprise call volumes competitors lack
Per-agent pricing at the higher tiers adds up fast for large contact-center teams
Freshchat
4.3$19/mo
vs Sendbird$330 less+0.1
Freshworks' AI-powered messaging platform for live chat, chatbots, and omnichannel support.
- Unified inbox spanning web, mobile, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, email, and SMS
- No-code chatbot builder for automating routine conversations
- Freddy AI Agent and Copilot add-ons for automated responses and agent assistance
Genuinely free tier for up to 10 agents, not a time-limited trial only
Freddy AI Agent and Copilot are billed as separate add-ons on top of per-agent pricing
Ada
4.2Not listed
vs SendbirdSame
A Toronto customer service platform since before generative AI existed.
- No-code automated resolution builder
- Operating since 2016, predating the generative AI wave
- Resolution-rate tracking rather than pure deflection metrics
Long track record refining automated customer service specifically
No free tier or self-serve signup
Whelp
4.1$29/mo
vs Sendbird$320 less−0.1
Customer support platform that pairs AI agents trained on your FAQs, policies and catalog with one inbox for WhatsApp, web chat, SMS, email, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram.
- AI Agents trained on FAQs, policies and catalog
- Order and booking lookups inside conversations
- Unified inbox for WhatsApp, chat, SMS, email and social
Free plan with unlimited conversations for one seat
AI Agents start at the $79 per seat plan
Genesys Cloud CX
4.3$75/mo
vs Sendbird$274 less+0.1
Unifies customer and employee experience, with pricing tiers published openly.
- Unifies customer experience and employee/workforce management in one platform
- Four published pricing tiers, not sales-negotiated-only
- AI-powered routing, virtual agents, and copilots built in
Published pricing tiers, unusual transparency for this category
Among the higher prices in this category at the top tiers
Hyro
3.9$10/mo
vs Sendbird$339 less−0.3
Conversational AI tuned for healthcare, finance, and retail rather than general-purpose support.
- Conversational AI purpose-tuned for healthcare, finance, and retail industries
- Patient-facing scheduling and benefits conversation handling for healthcare systems
- Compliance-aware design for regulated-industry conversational interactions
Healthcare-specific compliance awareness addresses a real gap in general support chatbots
Narrower industry focus makes it a less natural fit for general e-commerce or SaaS support
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Sendbird free?
Sendbird has a free plan, and paid plans start from $349/mo.
What is the best free alternative to Sendbird?
Crisp is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.4 out of 5). Other free options: Freshchat, Yellow.ai, Whelp.
What is the cheapest alternative to Sendbird?
Among paid plans, Hyro has the lowest starting price (from $10/mo). If you need it free, start with Crisp.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.