Acquire

Acquire (acquire.io) is a customer engagement platform founded in 2017 in San Francisco that combines live chat, co-browsing, video calling, and screen sharing into a unified agent workspace. The platform targets mid-market and enterprise organizations — its client list includes United Airlines, Audi, Samsung, and the University of Miami, according to SMB Guide. Acquire holds a 4.2 out of 5 rating on G2 from 43 reviews (G2, 2026), and the platform is SOC2, GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS compliant according to its privacy policy. Capterra rates it 5/5 from 15+ reviews, while SMB Guide gives it 8.6/10 but scores pricing at just 5/10.

Converge is a messaging-first customer support inbox at $49/month flat for up to 15 team members with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required. The core difference between the two platforms: Acquire specializes in visual engagement — co-browsing, video calls, and screen sharing for complex support interactions — while Converge focuses on text-based messaging across WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Instagram, Zalo, Messenger, Gmail, email, and an embeddable chat widget with visitor tracking and lead capture built in.

Acquire's defining features are its visual engagement tools. Co-browsing lets agents view and interact with a customer's browser session without any downloads required — the agent can highlight elements, fill in form fields, and navigate pages alongside the customer. Video calling supports both 1-way (customer sees agent) and 2-way modes, with recording available on higher tiers. Screen sharing works within the same chat interface, so agents can switch between text, co-browse, and video during a single conversation. These capabilities are uncommon among customer support platforms and are Acquire's primary differentiator, as noted by Chatbots.org in their review. The platform also includes a chat widget, chatbot builder, knowledge base, SLA alerts, workflow automation, priority queues, VoIP calls, and 50+ integrations including Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot, Slack, and Shopify.

What Acquire lacks is messaging channel coverage. WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Instagram, and Zalo are not natively supported. Email and SMS are only available on the Integrated Solution tier ($2,000/month base). The chatbot builder exists but, as Chatbots.org notes, Acquire's bot capabilities are limited compared to dedicated chatbot platforms, and the platform lacks outbound marketing tools entirely.

Converge covers WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Instagram, Zalo, Messenger, Gmail, and email natively — all included at $49/month. The embeddable chat widget tracks visitor behavior (page views, UTM parameters, device info), captures leads before conversations start, and supports FAQ self-service. AI reply suggestions are configurable by tone (professional, friendly, casual) with BYOK API key support. Converge does not offer co-browsing, video calling, or screen sharing — for teams that need visual engagement, external tools like Zoom or Loom would fill that gap.

Acquire uses a base-fee-plus-per-agent model with annual billing required. Prices are listed on acquire.io/pricing and confirmed by SMB Guide and Findstack:

• Self-Service: $500/month base + $25/agent/month. Includes chat widget, SLA alerts, workflows, priority queues, 1-way and 2-way video, and reporting. No email, no SMS, no data export.
• Integrated Solution: $2,000/month base + $45/agent/month. Adds email, SMS (via call deflection), and customer data import/export. Annual billing required for both tiers.
• Coming Soon (third tier): Listed on the pricing page with bots, additional channels, video recording, live reporting, and task management. No pricing or availability date published.

Real cost examples for Acquire:

• 3 agents on Self-Service: $500 + (3 × $25) = $575/month ($6,900/year)
• 5 agents on Self-Service: $500 + (5 × $25) = $625/month ($7,500/year)
• 10 agents on Self-Service: $500 + (10 × $25) = $750/month ($9,000/year)
• 5 agents on Integrated Solution: $2,000 + (5 × $45) = $2,225/month ($26,700/year)
• 15 agents on Integrated Solution: $2,000 + (15 × $45) = $2,675/month ($32,100/year)

Converge: $49/month flat for up to 15 team members, all channels included, 14-day free trial with no credit card required. A 5-agent team on Acquire Self-Service pays $625/month; the same team on Converge pays $49/month — saving $6,912 per year. A 15-agent team on Acquire Integrated Solution pays $2,675/month vs. $49/month on Converge — a difference of $31,512 per year. Acquire also requires contacting sales for signup; Converge offers self-serve onboarding.

Choose Acquire if:

• Your support workflow depends on co-browsing, screen sharing, or video calling to resolve issues
• You operate in financial services, healthcare, insurance, or enterprise SaaS where visual guidance is a requirement
• Your primary support channel is website chat with visual engagement layered on top
• You need HIPAA/SOC2/PCI-DSS compliance with built-in visual tools (not third-party screen share workarounds)
• Your budget supports $500–$2,675+/month for the agent workspace

Choose Converge if:

• Your customers communicate through WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Instagram, Zalo, or Messenger
• You need a chat widget with visitor tracking, UTM capture, and lead lifecycle management built in
• Co-browsing and video calling are not part of your support workflow
• You want flat $49/month pricing for up to 15 agents with no base fees or per-agent charges
• You prefer self-serve signup with a 14-day free trial over a sales-gated evaluation process
• You want AI reply suggestions included without per-message costs (BYOK API key supported)