My search for the best alternative of Yellow AI in 2025

Picking a conversational AI platform often feels like a shot in the dark. They all talk a big game about transforming your customer support with slick automation, but then you're stuck with a confusing setup, head-scratching pricing, and a tool that just doesn't click with how your team actually works. I've seen it happen more times than I can count.

Yellow.ai is a well-known name in this world, especially for big companies needing sophisticated voice automation. But that’s often where the problems begin. Many teams are looking for an alternative of Yellow AI because they’re fed up with slow rollouts, vague enterprise pricing, and a one-size-fits-all model that feels completely impersonal.

If this sounds like your situation, you’ve come to the right place. This isn't just another generic list of tools. It’s a straightforward guide to five of the best alternatives I've come across, each with its own clear advantages. My goal here is to help you find a platform that actually works for your team, your budget, and, most importantly, your customers.

What are conversational AI platforms?

Let's make sure we're on the same page. Conversational AI platforms are what power the chatbots you see on websites, in apps like WhatsApp, or working behind the scenes on email.

But we're not talking about those old, clunky bots that just follow a script. Today's tools use artificial intelligence to figure out what someone is actually trying to accomplish (their "intent"), dig through your knowledge bases for answers, and even take action, like processing a refund or scheduling a call. The idea is to take repetitive work off your agents' plates, offer instant 24/7 support, and make your whole support operation run a lot smoother. As the diagram below illustrates, this process involves several key stages.

Why look for an alternative of Yellow AI?

While Yellow.ai is a solid choice for huge corporations with busy call centers, its core strengths can be major downsides for other businesses. Let's get into the main reasons why so many teams are searching for something else.

• It’s all about voice: Yellow.ai's big specialty is its VoiceX platform, which uses fancy tech like "SmoothTalk AI" and "Sentiment AI". It's powerful stuff, for sure. But if most of your support happens over chat and email, you’re paying for an engine you'll barely use. It’s the classic case of buying a race car just to drive to the grocery store.

• Pricing is a mystery: The platform offers a very restrictive free plan, but its full-featured Enterprise plan has no public pricing. You’re forced into a sales cycle to get a custom quote. This usage-based model makes it nearly impossible for small and mid-sized companies to budget effectively, leaving the door open for surprise cost increases.

• Getting started is a marathon, not a sprint: Yellow.ai boasts over 100+ pre-built integrations, but it's fundamentally designed to be a massive, all-encompassing system. This usually means implementation drags on for weeks or months, eating up engineering resources and delaying any real return on your investment.

• The risk of being locked in: By billing itself as the single hub for all customer service, Yellow.ai can make it tough to use other specialized tools or to switch providers down the line. You risk getting stuck in an ecosystem that might not grow and change along with your business.

How we evaluated Yellow AI alternatives

To build a list that’s actually helpful, I looked past the marketing fluff and focused on what support teams really care about. Here’s the criteria I used to judge each platform:

• Speed to launch: How quickly can you get it working? Can you set it up yourself, or does it require a dedicated technical team and weeks of training?

• Plays well with others: Does it connect easily with the tools you already rely on? A good AI platform should fit into your existing helpdesk and knowledge bases, not make you start from scratch.

• You're in control: Can you set clear rules for what the AI handles and what goes to a human agent? Precise control is essential for building trust in your automation.

• No-surprise pricing: Is the cost clear, predictable, and fair? You should know exactly what you’re paying for without hidden fees.

• Room to grow: Can the platform keep up as your business expands? It needs to handle more channels, languages, and users without breaking a sweat.

A quick comparison of the top Yellow AI alternatives

Here's a snapshot of the top alternatives to give you a quick sense of which one might be the right fit.

Platform	Best For	Pricing Model	Key Differentiator
eesel AI	Teams wanting fast automation on their existing helpdesk	Starts at $299/mo (interaction-based)	Go live in minutes; simulates on past tickets
Kore.ai	Enterprises needing deep, secure process automation	Standard plan ($0.20/convo) & Custom Enterprise	Highly customizable no-code/low-code builder and on-premise option
Ada	Global brands needing high-volume ticket deflection	Custom enterprise only	Focus on high 'Automated Resolution Rate' and user-friendly builder
Rasa	Developer-led teams needing on-premise and full control	Free open-source & custom enterprise plans	Open-source framework avoids vendor lock-in
Drift	B2B sales teams focused on lead qualification	Starts at $2,500/mo	Automated meeting booking and account-based targeting

The 5 best Yellow AI alternatives for 2025

Alright, let's get into the details. Each of these platforms is a strong alternative to Yellow.ai, but they each have their own sweet spot.

1. eesel AI

eesel AI gets my top spot because it takes a different approach. It’s built for teams that want great automation without tearing down their current setup. Instead of making you move everything over, it just plugs into the helpdesk you already use, like Zendesk, and your knowledge sources, like Confluence. They're seeing an average autonomous resolution rate of 81%, which shows this approach works.

Why it's a great alternative: eesel AI is practically the antidote to the main frustrations of platforms like Yellow.ai. It has a do-it-yourself setup, clear pricing, and lets you decide exactly what gets automated. Its best feature, in my opinion, is the ability to simulate its performance on your past tickets before you ever turn it on. This lets you test and tune the AI in a safe space so you can launch knowing it will work.

• Pros: You can be up and running in minutes, it connects to over 120+ tools with one click, the pricing is based on interactions (not agent seats), and you have total say over the automation rules.

• Cons: It's a newer name on the block, so it doesn't have the same brand recognition as the old guard.

• Pricing: The Team Plan is $299/month for 1,000 interactions, and the Business Plan is $799/month for 3,000 interactions. You can also try everything with a 7-day free trial.

2. Kore.ai

Kore.ai is an enterprise-level platform for building very smart AI agents that can handle complicated, multi-step business tasks. It gives you a visual, no-code/low-code builder called "Tool Flow" for mapping out and automating complex processes.

Why it's on the list: This is a true workhorse for large companies that need serious customization and security. If you have strict compliance rules, its options for on-premise deployment and Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) encryption make it a very safe bet.

• Pros: Built to scale, has a powerful Natural Language Understanding (NLU) engine, and a full checklist of enterprise-grade security features.

• Cons: The platform can be intimidating for non-technical folks, and the custom enterprise pricing means it’s a big investment. This is definitely not a simple plug-and-play tool.

• Pricing: The Standard Plan is pay-as-you-go at $0.20 per conversation (with a $500 free credit to start). The Enterprise Plan is custom.

3. Ada

Ada calls itself an "AI Agent" platform and is obsessed with one thing: high automation rates that reduce the pressure on support teams. It’s built for huge global companies that manage millions of customer chats and want to deflect as many as they can.

Why it's on the list: Ada is a market leader for good reason. They are laser-focused on their core metric, the "Automated Resolution Rate," and they have a long history of helping big brands cut down their ticket counts.

• Pros: It’s known for delivering very high automation, with some customers saying up to 84% of issues are resolved without a human. The drag-and-drop conversation builder is also pretty easy for non-developers to pick up.

• Cons: Getting started with Ada is a major project, requiring a lot of time for setup and training. The pricing is only available through a custom quote, which puts it out of reach for anyone who isn't a large enterprise.

• Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing only. You’ll need to talk to their sales team.

4. Rasa

Rasa is an open-source framework that gives developer teams total control over their chatbot’s logic, data, and where it's hosted.

Why it's on the list: This is the default choice for companies that value customization and data security above all else. If you're in a heavily regulated field like finance or healthcare, or if you have a technical team that wants to build something truly unique without being tied to a vendor, Rasa is your answer.

• Pros: It's completely customizable, can be deployed on your own servers for maximum data privacy, and has a large, active community of developers for support.

• Cons: Let's be clear: this isn't a tool for beginners. You'll need a solid in-house technical team to get it running and keep it maintained, and the setup time is much longer than with other platforms.

• Pricing: Rasa provides a free Developer Edition for smaller projects and custom-priced Enterprise plans for teams needing more advanced features.

5. Drift

Drift is a conversational platform with a single-minded focus: generating revenue. It uses AI-driven "Playbooks" to engage visitors on B2B websites, qualify them as leads, and automatically book meetings for your sales team.

Why it's on the list: It's a great niche alternative if your main objective is sales and marketing, not customer support. While Yellow.ai aims to be an everything-platform, Drift is all about turning website visitors into sales opportunities.

• Pros: It’s extremely good at B2B lead qualification, connects tightly with CRMs like Salesforce, and brings chat, email, and video into one sales-focused platform.

• Cons: The price is very high, making it inaccessible for most companies. Its laser focus on sales also makes it a bad choice for teams that need a tool for customer service.

• Pricing: Premium plans reportedly start around $2,500 per month, with higher tiers costing much more.

Tips for choosing the right Yellow AI alternative

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the options? Don't be. Here’s a simple way to think through your decision:

• Know what you're fixing. Before you even look at a demo, figure out your main goal. Are you drowning in tickets? Trying to qualify more sales leads? Or just trying to give your internal team a break? Pinpointing the problem will help you cut through the options fast.

• Look at your current tools. Make a list of the software you can't live without, like your helpdesk, CRM, and knowledge base. Pick a platform that connects with them easily, not one that makes you rebuild your workflow.

• Try before you buy. Always take advantage of a free trial to test a platform with your real customer questions. This is where a tool like eesel AI's simulation feature is a huge help, since it shows you how the AI would have handled past tickets, risk-free.

• Understand the real cost. Don't just look at the monthly price. Factor in the time it will take to set up, train your team, and how the pricing model (per seat, per interaction, etc.) will change as your business grows.

The bottom line on finding a Yellow AI alternative

At the end of the day, finding an alternative of Yellow AI is about figuring out what your team really needs. Do you need speed? Full control? A predictable budget?

While the big, all-in-one enterprise platforms have their place, many teams are realizing that a nimble tool that works with their existing stack is a much better fit. Platforms like eesel AI are hitting that sweet spot, offering powerful automation without the enterprise-level headaches.

Ready to automate support with a Yellow AI alternative?

If you're done with long setup times and want an AI tool that works with the platforms you already use and love, it might be time to check out eesel AI. You can plug it into your helpdesk and knowledge bases and go live with powerful, easy-to-control automation in just a few minutes.

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