Drift
Conversational marketing chatbots.
why this verdict
Downgrade — pay for the workflow, not the AI
Tidio covers the headline feature free, so the $2,500/mo is now paying for the workflow around it.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- LLM chatbots any team can build. OpenAI, March 14, 2024 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers headline only editorial call
- The headline feature, but not the workflow, data or integrations around it.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 1 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Tidio.
- What the call is worth $30,000/yr
- $2,500/mo at the entry paid tier — $30,000 a year per seat.
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- March 14, 2024
- List price
- $2500/mo
- Per year
- $30,000
The backstory
Drift pioneered conversational marketing: chatbots on B2B websites that qualify visitors and book sales meetings, largely through scripted flows. Next to an LLM that answers naturally and handles anything, rule-based bot builders look dated, and any team can now stand up a smarter chatbot cheaply. Drift is wounded, and its independence effectively ended when it was folded into Salesloft. The playbook and pipeline integrations retain value, but the scripted-chat approach it was built on has been overtaken.
Escape hatches
switching could free up $30,000/yrAI chat and support with modern LLM agents
intercom.com open_in_newPipeline generation and conversational sales
qualified.com open_in_newWebsite chat with an AI bot, free tier
tidio.com open_in_new1 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.