Birdeye vs Smooch (Sunshine Conversations)
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Birdeye | Smooch (Sunshine Conversations) |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $299/mo | From $115/seat/mo |
| Best For | Large enterprises needing comprehensive reputation management | Existing Zendesk customers needing omnichannel messaging |
| Standout Feature | Advanced reputation monitoring and management | Deep integration with Zendesk ecosystem |
| Free Plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| G2 Rating | 4.4 | 4.2 |
Birdeye and Smooch (now Sunshine Conversations by Zendesk) address different aspects of customer communication. Birdeye specializes in reputation management and local business growth, while Smooch provides conversational messaging APIs for businesses building custom chat experiences.
Birdeye helps local businesses manage reviews and customer outreach, whereas Smooch enables companies to integrate messaging across multiple channels through developer-friendly APIs.
Feature Comparison
Birdeye offers reputation management with automated review requests, social media monitoring, competitive analysis, and local listing management. It includes webchat, SMS marketing, and customer survey tools tailored for local businesses.
Smooch provides messaging APIs that connect businesses to customers across SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, web chat, and mobile apps. It focuses on unified conversations and seamless handoffs between channels.
Birdeye targets local businesses needing reputation management, while Smooch serves companies wanting to build custom messaging experiences with developer control over the conversation flow.
Pricing Comparison
Birdeye pricing ranges from $299-$599 per month per location, making it comprehensive but expensive for businesses with multiple locations.
Smooch costs $19-$99 per agent per month depending on features, with additional charges for SMS and WhatsApp usage. This makes it more affordable for larger teams but requires careful monitoring of usage costs.
For a 5-agent team, Birdeye costs $299-$599 monthly while Smooch costs $95-$495 monthly plus usage fees, making Smooch potentially more cost-effective for teams focused purely on messaging.
Birdeye
Pros
- ✓ Comprehensive reputation management
- ✓ Strong analytics and reporting
- ✓ Multi-location support
Cons
- ✗ Very expensive pricing
- ✗ Complex interface
- ✗ Steep learning curve
Smooch (Sunshine Conversations)
Pros
- ✓ Strong Zendesk integration
- ✓ Good channel coverage
- ✓ Mature platform
Cons
- ✗ Per-agent pricing gets expensive
- ✗ Complex setup process
- ✗ Limited customization options
Verdict
Choose Birdeye if you need comprehensive reputation management, review generation, and local business marketing tools. Choose Smooch if you want to build custom conversational experiences across multiple messaging channels.
Choose Birdeye if: You're a local business, healthcare provider, or service company needing active reputation management and customer review generation.
Choose Smooch if: You want to build custom messaging experiences across multiple channels with developer APIs and need flexible conversation routing.
For teams seeking simple customer communication without development overhead, Converge provides unified messaging at $49/month flat rate with no per-agent fees or usage charges.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Birdeye comparisons and all Smooch (Sunshine Conversations) comparisons.