Top 7 Certainly AI alternatives & competitors in 2025

Stevia Putri
Written by

Stevia Putri

Last edited September 10, 2025

So, you’re using Certainly.io. It’s a solid conversational AI platform, no doubt, especially if you’re in e-commerce. But as your team grows and customer questions get trickier, you might be starting to feel a bit boxed in. Maybe you need an AI that connects to more than just your e-commerce backend, gives you more control over its responses, or has a pricing plan that doesn’t cause a minor heart attack every month.

If any of that sounds familiar, you’re in the right place. We’ve done the homework and put together a straightforward list of the best Certainly AI alternatives out there. We’ll break down what each one does well (and not so well) so you can find a tool that actually helps you scale.

What are conversational AI platforms anyway?

Let’s get on the same page real quick. Conversational AI platforms are tools that use artificial intelligence to automate chats with your customers. Think of them as super-smart assistants for your website, messaging apps, or email inbox.

They use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to figure out what a person is actually asking, much like a human agent would. From there, they scan your company’s knowledge, your help docs, past tickets, internal guides, to find the right answer and serve it up instantly. The main goal is to take all those repetitive questions off your team’s plate, freeing them up to handle the weird, complex issues that really need a person’s touch. It’s all about working more efficiently, being available 24/7, and getting customers answers faster.

Our criteria for picking the best Certainly AI alternatives

To make this comparison actually useful, we judged each platform on a few things that matter in the day-to-day life of a support team.

  • Ease of setup & integration: How long does it take to get this thing working? Does it play nicely with the helpdesk you already use and love, or are you looking at a massive, painful migration project?

  • Customization & control: Are you actually in charge here? Can you fine-tune what the AI does, what it sounds like, and what actions it can take? Or are you stuck with a one-size-fits-all bot that you can’t really change?

  • Knowledge management: How does the AI get its brain? Is it limited to a handful of FAQs, or can it tap into all the places your real knowledge lives, like old support tickets, internal wikis, and Google Docs?

  • Testing & deployment: Can you try before you buy, or, more importantly, before your customers see it? Good platforms let you run simulations so you can launch with confidence instead of just crossing your fingers.

  • Pricing model: Is the pricing straightforward? Or are there hidden fees and "per-resolution" costs that punish you for doing a good job?

Comparison of the top 7 Certainly AI alternatives in 2025

Here’s a quick side-by-side look at the platforms we’re about to dive into.

ToolBest ForKey DifferentiatorIntegrationsPricing Model
eesel AITeams wanting to enhance their existing helpdeskRadically self-serve setup and risk-free simulation100+ (Zendesk, Freshdesk, Confluence, etc.)Predictable, interaction-based tiers
IntercomBusinesses seeking an all-in-one support suiteTightly integrated ecosystem with live chat and AIDeep within its own platformCustom, often includes resolution-based fees
LandbotMarketing and lead generation teamsIntuitive no-code, drag-and-drop flow builderZapier, Google Sheets, CRMsTiered, based on features and seats
Boost.aiLarge enterprises with specific industry needsScalability and pre-trained industry modelsEnterprise systems (Salesforce, Zendesk)Custom enterprise contracts
Verloop.ioCompanies focused on omnichannel supportStrong support for WhatsApp, Messenger, and in-app chatZendesk, Shopify, SalesforceCustom, based on business needs
TidioSmall businesses starting with automationAccessible free plan and simple user interfaceShopify, WordPress, and moreFreemium model
HaptikLarge-scale e-commerce and telecom companiesAdvanced generative AI and pre-built solutionsWhatsApp, Instagram, popular CRMsCustom enterprise contracts

The top 7 Certainly AI alternatives to consider

Alright, let’s get into the details. Here’s our breakdown of the top platforms that could be great Certainly AI alternatives for your team.

1. eesel AI

eesel AI is an AI platform designed to plug right into the helpdesk you already have, whether that’s Zendesk, Freshdesk, or something else. Its entire philosophy is about bringing all your scattered knowledge together, from past tickets and macros to Confluence pages and Google Docs, to power automation that is genuinely helpful.

Why it’s the top alternative:

  • Get started in minutes, not months: This is probably the biggest difference. Most competitors make you book a demo just to see the product. With eesel AI, you can sign up on your own, connect your helpdesk, and have a working AI agent running in less time than it takes to make a pot of coffee.

  • It learns from your actual team: Instead of only learning from a static FAQ page, eesel AI trains on your team’s actual past support tickets. That means it picks up your brand voice, understands common problems, and learns from successful resolutions right away. The result is answers that feel accurate and relevant from the get-go.

  • Launch with confidence: Worried about letting a new AI talk to your customers? Fair enough. eesel AI’s simulation mode lets you test your setup on thousands of your own past tickets in a safe space. It gives you a clear forecast of how much it will automate and save you before you ever go live. It takes the guesswork out of rolling out AI.

  • No "rip and replace" required: eesel AI is built to make the tools you already use smarter. It’s an AI layer that works with your current stack, so you don’t have to migrate your whole operation to a new, unfamiliar platform.

Pros:

  • Incredibly fast, self-serve setup that doesn’t waste your time.

  • Risk-free simulation using your own data shows you what to expect.

  • Connects to all your scattered knowledge sources for more accurate answers.

  • Clear pricing without confusing per-resolution fees.

Cons:

  • It’s a specialized AI tool, not an all-in-one CRM. It focuses on doing one thing really, really well.

  • While it’s well-documented, setting up advanced custom API actions might be easier with a bit of technical guidance.

Pricing: Plans start at $239/month on the annual plan, with straightforward tiers based on AI interactions.

2. Intercom

You’ve probably heard of Intercom. It’s a huge name in customer service, offering a full suite of tools including live chat, a helpdesk, and its own AI agent, Fin. It’s designed to be the one and only place you talk to customers.

Pros: If you’re fully committed to their ecosystem, the experience is seamless. The tools are mature and all work together quite nicely.

Cons: It’s an all-or-nothing proposition. You have to move your entire support workflow over to their platform, which is a big project. Their pricing can also be tricky to navigate and often includes per-resolution fees, which means your bill gets higher as your AI gets more effective.

Pricing: You’ll need a custom quote for the AI features, and they’re usually bundled into their more expensive plans.

3. Landbot

Landbot is a no-code chatbot builder that’s great for creating interactive, guided conversations. It’s particularly strong for marketing and lead generation, where the goal is to create an engaging experience for people visiting your website.

Pros: The drag-and-drop interface is one of the most intuitive out there. It’s a great fit for non-technical teams who want to build something visually appealing without writing code.

Cons: It’s not really built for deep, knowledge-heavy customer support. It can handle basic FAQs just fine, but it struggles to connect with complex knowledge sources and resolve technical issues compared to tools designed specifically for support.

Pricing: Starts around $40/month, but you’ll need the pricier plans for more advanced features.

4. Boost.ai

Boost.ai is a heavyweight platform built for big companies. It’s known for its ability to handle huge volumes of conversations and comes with pre-trained AI models for industries like banking, insurance, and telecom.

Pros: It’s incredibly powerful and built to scale. The industry-specific models mean it has a lot of relevant knowledge baked in from the start, which can save time.

Cons: This isn’t a tool you can just sign up for online. It requires a serious budget, a lengthy sales process, and an implementation project that can take months. It’s the complete opposite of self-serve.

Pricing: Custom enterprise-level contracts that can easily run into five or six figures.

5. Verloop.io

Verloop.io is an omnichannel platform that focuses on automating support for e-commerce, finance, and food-tech companies. It’s especially good at plugging into popular messaging apps.

Pros: Its strong support for channels like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger is its main draw. It lets you manage conversations from various apps all in one place.

Cons: Some users report that the interface and customization options feel a bit clunky and less intuitive than more modern platforms. It can feel a little dated.

Pricing: Custom pricing based on your business needs.

6. Tidio

Tidio is a popular all-in-one tool for small businesses, combining live chat, chatbots, and email marketing into a single, affordable package. It’s designed as an easy entry point for teams just starting with automation.

Pros: The free plan is quite generous, which is great for teams on a tight budget. It’s also very simple to set up for basic use cases, like greeting website visitors.

Cons: You get what you pay for. The AI is fairly basic and tends to hit a wall with complex questions or when trying to pull information from outside its own system.

Pricing: It has a freemium model. Paid plans with more useful features start around $29/month.

7. Haptik

Haptik is another powerful, AI-first platform that uses generative AI to handle complex automation for large brands. It’s especially popular in the e-commerce and telecom industries.

Pros: The AI is very sophisticated, and its analytics capabilities run deep. It also offers pre-built solutions for certain industries to help speed up deployment.

Cons: Like Boost.ai, it’s built for the enterprise. That means high costs and a complex, hands-on implementation process. You won’t be setting this up by yourself over a weekend.

Pricing: Custom enterprise contracts.

Choosing the right Certainly AI alternatives for your business

Picking the right tool is about more than just a feature checklist. Here’s what to really think about:

  • Prioritize integration over migration: Ask yourself: do you want a tool that forces you to "rip and replace" your helpdesk, or one that just makes it smarter? An integration-first platform like eesel AI works with your existing tools, saving you the time and stress of a months-long migration.

  • Think about your team’s time: Do you have 3-6 months to dedicate to a traditional enterprise sales cycle and onboarding? Or do you need a tool that can start showing its value this week? Self-serve platforms give you control and let you move at your own speed.

  • Figure out where your knowledge lives: Even the smartest AI is useless if it can’t access your information. If your team’s collective wisdom is spread across past tickets, wikis, and internal docs, you need a tool that can connect to all of it, not just a single, polished knowledge base.

Pro Tip: Look for a transparent pricing model. Be careful with platforms that charge per resolution or per ticket. Those models lead to unpredictable bills and basically penalize you for being successful. Straightforward, tier-based pricing means your costs stay under control, no matter how busy you get.

Choosing Certainly AI alternatives without blowing up your workflow

Choosing a new AI tool shouldn’t require you to tear down the support process you’ve worked so hard to build. The best Certainly AI alternatives are the ones that fit into your operations, not the other way around.

Things like how fast you can get up and running, how well a tool integrates with your current stack, and whether you can test it safely are just as important as the AI tech itself. For teams that want to add a powerful, self-serve AI layer that makes their existing helpdesk better and unifies all their knowledge, eesel AI is designed to provide value right away, without all the friction.

Ready to see how AI can help your helpdesk in minutes? Start your free eesel AI trial today or book a quick demo to learn more.

Frequently asked questions

It varies a lot. Some platforms require you to migrate your entire workflow, which is a major project. Others, like eesel AI, are designed to integrate directly with your existing helpdesk in minutes, so there’s no disruptive “rip and replace” needed.

Yes, absolutely. Modern AI platforms don’t need a perfectly polished knowledge base. Tools like eesel AI are built to connect to all your scattered knowledge sources, including past tickets, wikis, and Google Docs, to provide accurate answers from day one.

The main thing to watch for is "per-resolution" pricing, where your bill increases as the AI successfully resolves tickets. Look for platforms with predictable, tier-based pricing based on interactions so you aren’t penalized for effectively automating support.

Definitely. While some options like Boost.ai are built for large enterprises, tools like Tidio and eesel AI are perfect for smaller teams. They offer self-serve setup and straightforward pricing plans that don’t require a six-figure budget.

This is a crucial feature to look for. The best platforms offer a simulation mode where you can run the AI against your own past support tickets in a safe environment. This lets you see exactly how it will perform before any customer ever interacts with it.

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Stevia Putri

Stevia Putri is a marketing generalist at eesel AI, where she helps turn powerful AI tools into stories that resonate. She’s driven by curiosity, clarity, and the human side of technology.