5 best Yellow.ai alternatives for customer support in 2025

Yellow.ai is a huge player in conversational AI, but let's be honest, it’s not the right fit for everyone. Maybe you were sold on the dream of powerful automation but ended up stuck in a tricky implementation, worried about being locked into one vendor, or just found that it didn't quite mesh with your team's workflow. If you're nodding along, you're definitely not alone.

That's usually the point when teams start searching for something more flexible, a tool that actually adapts to them, not the other way around. So, I rolled up my sleeves and dug into the best Yellow AI alternatives out there. In this guide, I’ll give you the straight goods on six solid options, breaking down what makes each one tick so you can find a tool that actually helps your team, without the pain of a massive migration.

What is a conversational AI platform?

Before we get into the comparisons, let's quickly get on the same page. A conversational AI platform is a tool that uses artificial intelligence to handle customer conversations automatically. You’ve probably bumped into them on websites as chatbots, in apps like WhatsApp, or working away behind the scenes in your helpdesk.

The whole point is to offer instant, round-the-clock support. They answer common questions, point people to the right info, and know when to pass a conversation over to a human. When it works well, customers are happier and your team can breathe a little easier.

How we evaluated the best Yellow AI alternatives

To put this list together, I looked at things from the perspective of a busy support team. It’s not about the flashiest features, but what actually makes a difference in your day-to-day work. Here's what I focused on, as summarized in the visual below.

Speed of setup

How fast can you actually get it working? The best tools let you get up and running in minutes, not months, without needing a dedicated IT squad for a long onboarding process.

Plays well with your other tools

Does it connect to the helpdesk you’re already using, like Zendesk or Freshdesk? Or is it going to demand you rip everything out and start over?

Customization and control

Can you easily teach the AI using your own knowledge, like past support tickets or internal guides? And can you adjust its personality and decide exactly when it should hand off a chat to a human agent?

Fair and clear pricing

Is the cost easy to understand and based on how much you use it? Or are you looking at confusing per-agent or per-resolution fees that end up costing you more as you become more efficient?

Yellow AI alternatives comparison

Here’s a quick table to see how these platforms compare side-by-side. We’ll get into the nitty-gritty for each one below.

Platform	Best For	Key Differentiator	Pricing Model
eesel AI	Teams wanting to automate support within their existing helpdesk	Plugs into 120+ tools; test on past tickets in a safe simulation mode	Starts at $299/mo (interaction-based)
Kore.ai	Large enterprises needing a mix of no-code and pro-code tools	Highly scalable agentic platform with deep customization	Pay-as-you-go & custom enterprise plans
Haptik	Quick deployment using industry-specific templates	Pre-built "Smart Skills" for common use cases	Custom tiered pricing
Drift	B2B sales and marketing teams focused on lead generation	Revenue acceleration and real-time website visitor engagement	Custom enterprise pricing (high-end)
Rasa	Teams needing full control with an open-source framework	Open-source, avoids vendor lock-in, highly customizable	Free developer edition & paid enterprise plans

5 best Yellow AI alternatives to consider in 2025

Here's a closer look at each platform and what makes it a solid alternative to Yellow.ai.

1. eesel AI

eesel AI is my top pick for teams that want serious AI automation without the headache of switching tools. Instead of making you move to a new platform, it works right on top of helpdesks like Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Front. You can train it on your past tickets, help docs, PDFs, and over 120 other sources to handle frontline support questions, draft replies for agents, and sort incoming tickets.

Why we chose it: The setup is incredibly self-serve, so you can get started in minutes. Its most impressive feature, though, is a simulation mode. It lets you test the AI on your historical tickets to see exactly how it would have performed. You get real numbers on its resolution rate and accuracy before it ever interacts with a live customer. This risk-free approach is a huge plus for support leaders who need to show results fast.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Very fast, self-serve setup; works inside your existing helpdesk (no migration); predictable, interaction-based pricing; a powerful simulation mode for testing without risk; strong security with SOC2 compliance and optional EU data residency.

• Cons: It's designed for teams already using a modern helpdesk like Zendesk.

Pricing:

• Team: $299/month for up to 3 bots and 1,000 AI interactions.

• Business: $799/month for unlimited bots, 3,000 interactions, and adds key features like training on past tickets and AI Actions for triage.

• Custom: Negotiated for higher volumes and advanced security needs.

All plans come with a 20% discount if you pay annually and a 7-day free trial.

2. Kore.ai

Kore.ai is the heavyweight contender, built for big companies with big needs. It gives you a mix of no-code tools for business users and pro-code tools for developers, offering a lot of flexibility for building complex AI agents.

Why we chose it: Kore.ai really shines in an enterprise setting. It has a smart system that can dig deep into your company's documents to find precise answers and its approach to understanding language ensures it gets what users are asking for. It’s built for businesses that need a ton of control, have complicated workflows, and plan to scale up.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Scales well for large companies; flexible options for both non-technical and technical users; powerful language understanding and data integration with over 100 pre-built connectors.

• Cons: It can be a bit intimidating for non-technical folks, and the setup is definitely more involved than a plug-and-play tool. The pricing can also be hard to predict for smaller teams.

Pricing:

• Standard Plan: A pay-as-you-go model at $0.20 per conversation. You get $500 in free credits to start, but heads up, they expire after 90 days.

• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing based on sessions (a 15-minute block of interaction). You’ll have to chat with their sales team for a quote.

3. Haptik

Haptik is a conversational AI platform designed to get you up and running quickly using a library of pre-built "Smart Skills." Think of them as templates for specific industries like eCommerce or Insurance, so you don't have to start from zero.

Why we chose it: Haptik is a great choice if you have a common use case and need to get a solution out the door fast. Its low-code Conversation Studio and ability to work with both voice and chat make it useful for a multi-channel support strategy. It also supports over 100 languages, which is a big deal for global teams.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Easy to get started with the pre-built templates; solid analytics to track bot performance; great for multilingual support.

• Cons: It's not as flexible if you have really unique or custom workflows. The biggest issue is that they don't list their prices publicly, which makes it tough to budget without talking to a salesperson.

Pricing: Haptik doesn't list its pricing. You have to request a demo to get a custom quote.

4. Drift

Now part of Salesloft, Drift is all about "revenue acceleration." Its main job is to chat with website visitors to qualify them as leads and build a sales pipeline, which sets it apart from a typical customer support tool.

Why we chose it: If your main goal is to turn website visitors into sales meetings, Drift is a beast. It’s excellent at spotting visitors who are likely to buy (even if they're anonymous), starting conversations with personalized AI chat, and sending qualified leads straight to a sales rep's calendar.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Fantastic for B2B lead generation and booking demos; can identify anonymous website visitors and the companies they work for; connects well with CRMs and other sales tools.

• Cons: It's expensive and usually more than what a customer support team needs. At its core, it's a sales and marketing tool, not a post-sales support platform.

Pricing: Drift is known for being a premium enterprise tool and doesn't publish its prices. You'll need to request a demo to get a custom quote.

5. Rasa

Rasa is the go-to open-source framework for building conversational AI. It gives your development team total control to build custom AI assistants without getting locked into a single vendor's ecosystem.

Why we chose it: This is the perfect choice for companies that have the in-house tech talent to build a solution from scratch. With its CALM (Conversational AI with Language Models) framework, Rasa is built to handle tricky, multi-turn conversations and is designed to avoid making things up (a common AI problem known as hallucinating).

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Complete customization and control; no vendor lock-in; can be hosted on your own servers for maximum security; has a large and active open-source community for support.

• Cons: The catch is, you need a team of developers to build, run, and maintain it. This is not a plug-and-play solution by any means.

Pricing:

• Developer Edition: Free for one bot with up to 1,000 external conversations per month.

• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for larger deployments that need premium support.

How to choose the right Yellow AI alternatives for your team

Feeling a bit overwhelmed? No worries. To find the right fit from these Yellow AI alternatives, just ask yourself the three key questions outlined in the chart below.

1. Do you want to improve your current helpdesk or replace it? If you're happy with your current tools, look for a platform that plugs right in. Ripping out your existing setup is a massive headache that can disrupt your whole team and add months of extra work and cost.

2. How important is a fast, do-it-yourself setup? Do you have a team of engineers and a few months to burn on a complicated project? Or do you need a tool that starts providing value within a few days? A platform with a simulation mode lets you prove its worth to your boss quickly and safely, without any risk.

3. Is the pricing predictable and fair? Watch out for per-resolution or per-agent fees. These models can get expensive fast, and they often punish you for handling more conversations or growing your team. Look for clear, interaction-based pricing that grows with your business in a predictable way.

A video guide to selecting the best Yellow.ai alternatives.

The right Yellow AI alternatives should adapt to you, not the other way around

Picking an alternative to Yellow.ai is about more than just a feature checklist. It's about finding a partner that fits how you already work, scales without surprise costs, and gives you the control you need to provide amazing service.

Tools that demand a months-long setup or trap you in their own world will just hold you back. The best AI should feel like a smart assistant that improves the tools your team already relies on every day.

Ready to see how AI can automate your support without messing up your workflow? Start your free 7-day trial of eesel AI and test it on your real ticket history today.

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