Sendbird vs Smooch (Sunshine Conversations)
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Sendbird | Smooch (Sunshine Conversations) |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $399/mo | From $115/seat/mo |
| Best For | Developers building custom in-app messaging experiences | Existing Zendesk customers needing omnichannel messaging |
| Standout Feature | Comprehensive SDK with voice, video, and messaging | Deep integration with Zendesk ecosystem |
| Free Plan | ✓ | ✗ |
| G2 Rating | 4.3 | 4.2 |
Sendbird and Smooch (Sunshine Conversations) both provide messaging infrastructure, but serve different primary use cases. Sendbird focuses on in-app chat and community features for apps and games, while Smooch specializes in customer support conversations across multiple channels.
Your decision should align with whether you're building user engagement features or customer support workflows.
Feature Comparison
Sendbird excels in powering in-app messaging, group chats, and community features with robust SDKs for mobile and web applications. Its strength lies in real-time messaging infrastructure, moderation tools, and user engagement features.
Smooch focuses on customer support conversations, offering seamless integration across WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, and web chat. It unifies customer interactions from multiple channels into organized conversation threads for support teams.
The fundamental difference: Sendbird builds user-to-user communication within apps, while Smooch facilitates business-to-customer support conversations across channels.
Pricing Comparison
Sendbird offers a freemium model starting free for basic usage, scaling to $999 monthly for enterprise features. Pricing is based on monthly active users and message volume, making it predictable for app developers.
Smooch uses per-agent pricing from $19 to $99 monthly, with costs scaling based on support team size and feature requirements. This model aligns well with customer support operations where agent count is the primary cost driver.
For app developers, Sendbird's user-based pricing often proves more economical, while support teams typically find Smooch's agent-based model more predictable.
Sendbird
Pros
- ✓ Comprehensive SDK suite
- ✓ Excellent developer documentation
- ✓ Scalable infrastructure
Cons
- ✗ Expensive for small businesses
- ✗ Complex pricing structure
- ✗ Limited social media integrations
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 Sendbird if you need in-app messaging and community features with pricing from free to $999 monthly. Choose Smooch if you prioritize customer support conversations with per-agent pricing from $19-$99 monthly.
Choose Sendbird if: You're building in-app messaging, community features, or user engagement tools with pricing from free to $999 monthly based on usage.
Choose Smooch if: You need customer support conversation management across multiple channels with transparent per-agent pricing from $19-$99 monthly.
Consider Converge as an alternative for customer support needs with flat $49/month pricing that eliminates per-agent fees while providing essential communication features.
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