Kore vs Forethought: An enterprise AI platform comparison for 2025

The term "agentic AI" is popping up everywhere lately. We're talking about a shift from simple chatbots that just spit out answers to AI agents that can actually do things, like automating tasks, managing workflows, and figuring out complex problems on their own. In the world of enterprise customer support, two names you'll hear a lot are Kore.ai and Forethought. Both claim they can overhaul your service operations with some seriously powerful AI.

But here's the thing: they're built on completely different philosophies. Picking the right one isn't just about ticking off feature boxes. It’s about finding a platform that actually clicks with your team’s workflow, technical know-how, and, of course, your budget. This article will give you a clear, no-fluff comparison of Kore vs Forethought, breaking down what they do, how you get them set up, and what they might cost, so you can figure out which, if either, makes sense for your team.

What is Forethought?

Forethought bills itself as an "agentic AI" platform made just for customer support. The big idea is to use a team of different AI agents to handle specific parts of the support journey. For example, one agent might deflect common questions (they call this Solve), another could automatically route tickets to the right person (Triage), and a third might whisper suggestions to your human agents (Assist).

It’s built to work everywhere you do, across chat, email, voice, and SMS. The platform digs into your company’s past support tickets and knowledge bases to learn your brand's voice and deliver personalized answers. They’ve also added a nifty feature called Browser Agent, which lets the AI take action right inside your web-based tools, even if they don't have a modern API. It’s a clever workaround for older systems and integrates with the big helpdesks like Zendesk and Salesforce.

What is Kore.ai?

Kore.ai approaches the problem from a much broader, developer-first perspective. It's a massive conversational and generative AI platform that big companies can use to build their own custom AI for pretty much anything, from customer service bots to internal HR tools. Instead of having a collection of separate agents like Forethought, Kore.ai is all about its single, unified platform.

Its main draw is the sheer flexibility and control it offers. It has no-code tools for business folks and pro-code options for developers, letting teams build and launch highly tailored AI agents and workflows. A standout feature is its "multi-agent orchestration," which allows different AI agents to work together on really complicated tasks. Kore.ai also makes a big deal about its ability to connect to almost any data source, using a smart retrieval system to pull info from over 100 different enterprise systems. It's a beast of a platform that can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise, giving technical teams a huge sandbox to play in.

Core capabilities and a feature deep dive

While both platforms use the term "AI agents," how they use them shows what they really care about. Forethought is all about selling you pre-built solutions for support, while Kore.ai is giving you a powerful toolkit to build your own.

Forethought's specialized agent system

Forethought's game plan is to give you a specific AI for each job. Solve deflects tickets, Triage routes them, and Assist helps your human team. This can work really well for teams who just want a solution for a specific problem without a ton of setup. The Browser Agent is especially cool because it lets the AI act like a person, clicking buttons and filling out forms in a web app, which is great for automating tasks in systems that are a bit behind the times.

The potential hiccup? Juggling a bunch of different products can feel a bit disjointed. Instead of one smooth experience, you might find yourself bouncing between different interfaces and rule sets, which can add a layer of complexity you weren't expecting.

Kore.ai's all-in-one, developer-focused platform

Kore.ai rolls everything into one powerful platform. For big companies with developers on staff, this is a huge plus. You can build, test, and launch AI agents from one central place, with slick features like multi-agent collaboration, a search layer that connects to all your data, and tight security controls.

But all that power has a trade-off. The platform’s flexibility means there's a much steeper learning curve. To really get the most out of Kore.ai, you often need someone with technical chops to set up workflows, connect data sources, and manage the AI models. It’s less of a plug-and-play tool and more of a full-blown development environment.

Where they miss the mark for agile teams

Here’s the catch with both Forethought and Kore.ai: they’re designed for a very specific customer. We're talking about massive corporations with deep pockets and a dedicated tech team to run the show. The complexity baked into both platforms means you’re not just buying software; you’re kicking off a major project that often involves professional services and a long-term commitment.

For teams that want enterprise-level results without the enterprise-level headache, that model just doesn't fly. A solution like eesel AI offers a much simpler alternative. It plugs straight into the helpdesk you already use and is designed to be truly self-serve, letting you get up and running in minutes, not months.

Getting started with implementation and ease of use

Rolling out a new AI platform is a big deal, and the experience with Forethought and Kore.ai is a far cry from the simple, self-serve tools most of us are used to.

The typical enterprise onboarding slog

Getting started with either of these platforms usually involves a string of sales calls, custom demos, and a long onboarding process led by their professional services teams. You can’t just sign up and start playing around. Both require a huge amount of your historical ticket data and well-organized knowledge base articles to train the AI properly. If your data is a mess or your documentation is thin, you could be looking at a major cleanup project before you even start. User reviews for both often point out the long setup time and the need for dedicated internal staff to get things running.

The anxiety of testing and validation

One of the biggest worries with any big AI project is the uncertainty. How do you know if it's actually going to work? What will your deflection rate look like? Will it sound like your brand? With platforms as complex as Forethought and Kore.ai, it can be tough to guess how they'll perform in the real world before you're locked in. They offer testing environments, but getting a true feel for how the AI will handle live customers often requires a leap of faith.

A simpler way to roll out with confidence

This is where a modern approach makes all the difference. Instead of just crossing your fingers, you should be able to know what you're getting into. eesel AI comes with a powerful simulation mode that lets you test your setup on thousands of your own past tickets in a safe environment. You can see exactly how your AI agent would have replied, get solid forecasts on automation rates, and tweak its behavior before it ever talks to a real customer. This takes all the risk out of the process and helps you launch with confidence.

A screenshot of the eesel AI simulation feature, which provides a safe testing environment in this Kore vs Forethought comparison.

Pricing and total cost of ownership

Money is always a deciding factor, and with enterprise AI platforms, it's often the shadiest part of the deal.

The black box of enterprise AI pricing

If you try to find pricing on Forethought or Kore.ai’s websites, good luck. You won't find it. In fact, Kore.ai’s pricing page doesn't even work anymore, it just gives you an error message. Both companies use a quote-based model, which is normal for enterprise software but can be super frustrating when you're just trying to figure out a budget. You have to talk to a sales team to get a custom price based on your needs.

Market reports hint that Forethought’s median annual contract value is around $59,500, but that number can swing wildly. This lack of transparency also hides other potential costs. Are you paying extra for implementation? What about a fee for every ticket the AI resolves? These "per-resolution" models can lead to shocking bills that basically punish you for having a successful month.

A clear alternative with eesel AI's pricing

In a refreshing change of pace, eesel AI believes in transparent and predictable pricing, with plans listed publicly right on its website. This cuts out the guesswork and lets you know exactly what you’re paying for.

A look at eesel AI's transparent pricing page, a key point in the Kore vs Forethought discussion.

Here’s why that’s a better way to go:

• No per-resolution fees: Your bill is based on the plan you choose, not on how many tickets your AI automates. You're never surprised by a huge bill after a busy period.

• Flexible plans: You can start with a month-to-month plan and cancel whenever, or get a discount for an annual plan. There are no scary long-term contracts.

• No hidden costs: What you see is what you pay. Setup is self-serve, so you don’t need to budget for pricey consultants just to get started.

Feature	Forethought	Kore.ai	eesel AI
Pricing Model	Custom Quote	Custom Quote	Transparent, tiered plans
Public Pricing	No	No	Yes
Per-Resolution Fees	Potentially	Potentially	No
Free Trial	No	No	Yes (Free plan available)
Self-Serve Setup	No	No	Yes

Kore vs Forethought vs eesel AI: A side-by-side comparison

Here’s a final look at how these platforms stack up against each other, making the key differences easy to see at a glance.

Aspect	Forethought	Kore.ai	eesel AI
Ideal User	Large enterprises that need multi-agent, action-based AI.	Enterprises with developers looking for a powerful, custom AI platform.	Support teams of any size needing a fast, self-serve AI solution.
Ease of Setup	Complex; needs professional services and takes weeks or months.	Complex; usually needs technical skills and heavy configuration.	Super simple; self-serve setup in minutes with one-click integrations.
Key Differentiator	"Agentic AI" with browser automation for older systems.	Multi-agent workflows and deep developer customization.	Go live in minutes, powerful simulation, and clear pricing.
Testing	Limited pre-launch validation.	Requires building and testing in a dev environment.	Robust simulation on your own tickets before going live.
Pricing	Opaque, custom quote.	Opaque, custom quote.	Transparent, predictable plans.

Choosing the right AI partner for your support team

The Kore vs Forethought debate really boils down to this: both are powerful, feature-packed AI platforms built for the biggest of big companies. They offer some impressive capabilities but come with all the baggage of high complexity, long setup times, murky pricing, and a steep learning curve.

If you’re a massive enterprise with a huge budget, a team of developers, and months to pour into a giant implementation project, then maybe Forethought or Kore.ai could work for you.

But if you need an AI solution that delivers enterprise-grade results without the enterprise-level overhead, it’s time to look at a more agile option. eesel AI gives you powerful automation that works with your existing tools, sets up in minutes, and lets you test everything with complete confidence.

Start your free trial today and see for yourself how quickly you can level up your support operations.