Drift vs Zendesk Chat
Converge Team
Side-by-side comparison for 2026
| Feature | Drift | Zendesk Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $2500/mo | From $89/seat/mo |
| Best For | Large enterprises with complex B2B sales processes | Large support teams needing comprehensive ticketing integration |
| Standout Feature | Advanced conversational AI and revenue acceleration | Deep integration with Zendesk Support platform |
| Free Plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| G2 Rating | 4.4 | 4.2 |
Drift and Zendesk Chat represent different approaches to customer communication. Drift focuses on conversational marketing and sales acceleration, while Zendesk Chat emphasizes traditional customer support within the broader Zendesk ecosystem.
The decision often depends on whether you prioritize marketing automation or comprehensive customer service capabilities.
Feature Comparison
Drift excels in conversational marketing with AI-powered chatbots, lead qualification, and sales pipeline integration. Its strength lies in converting website visitors into qualified leads through sophisticated conversation flows.
Zendesk Chat focuses on customer support excellence with features like proactive messaging, visitor monitoring, and seamless handoffs to ticket systems. It integrates natively with Zendesk's full customer service suite.
For marketing teams, Drift's account-based marketing and revenue attribution are compelling. For support teams, Zendesk Chat's integration with ticketing, knowledge base, and customer history provides better service continuity.
Pricing Comparison
The pricing structures are vastly different. Zendesk Chat ranges from free to $59/agent/month, making it accessible for teams of all sizes with predictable per-agent costs.
Drift starts at $2,500/month minimum with custom enterprise pricing, targeting large organizations with substantial budgets. This represents roughly a 40x difference at the entry level.
For small to medium teams, Zendesk Chat's pricing is far more reasonable. Only enterprises with significant marketing automation needs can justify Drift's premium pricing.
Drift
Pros
- ✓ Powerful conversational AI
- ✓ Strong B2B focus
- ✓ Advanced lead qualification
Cons
- ✗ Extremely expensive pricing
- ✗ Complex setup and learning curve
- ✗ Overkill for small businesses
Zendesk Chat
Pros
- ✓ Strong brand recognition
- ✓ Comprehensive support suite
- ✓ Good integrations
Cons
- ✗ Per-agent pricing gets expensive
- ✗ Limited to web chat only
- ✗ No social media messaging
Verdict
Choose Drift if you need advanced conversational marketing and lead generation capabilities with enterprise-level automation. Choose Zendesk Chat if you want reliable live chat that integrates seamlessly with a full customer service platform.
Choose Drift if: You're an enterprise focused on conversational marketing, lead generation, and have budget for premium automation features.
Choose Zendesk Chat if: You want reliable live chat with excellent customer service integration and reasonable per-agent pricing.
Consider Converge at $49/month flat rate - it offers modern live chat capabilities without the complexity or high costs of either platform.
Looking for more options? Browse all 750+ platform comparisons, or see all Drift comparisons and all Zendesk Chat comparisons.