Quick Answer: The best Qualified alternative for most businesses is Tars (hellotars.com). It offers enterprise-grade conversational AI at 85% lower cost (starts at $499/month vs. $3,500+/month), can be deployed without engineering resources, and serves industries beyond B2B SaaS including healthcare (HIPAA-compliant), finance, government, and education. Unlike Qualified’s Salesforce dependency, Tars works with any CRM.

Why Look for Qualified Alternatives?

Qualified has established itself as a leading conversational sales and marketing platform for B2B companies, particularly those deeply embedded in the Salesforce ecosystem. With its AI SDR agent “Piper” and deep ABM integrations, it’s helped companies like Demandbase, Greenhouse, and Asana convert website visitors into pipeline.

However, Qualified isn’t the right fit for everyone. With annual costs starting at $42,000 and reaching $95,000+ for enterprise tiers, many companies find themselves priced out of the market. Add in the steep learning curve, Salesforce dependency, and website-only limitations, and it’s clear why businesses are actively searching for alternatives.

In this guide, we’ve researched and compared the 10 best Qualified alternatives for 2025, evaluating each on pricing, features, ease of use, and industry fit. Whether you’re a healthcare organization needing HIPAA compliance, a government agency requiring accessibility standards, or a mid-market company that simply can’t justify $40K+ annually for a chatbot, we’ve got you covered.

Common Reasons Companies Switch from Qualified

• High cost barrier: Minimum $42,000/year effectively excludes SMBs and most mid-market companies
• Salesforce lock-in: Platform DNA is Salesforce-native; HubSpot and other CRM users are underserved
• Implementation complexity: Reviews cite “steep learning curve” and slow setup requiring RevOps expertise
• Website-only focus: Limited to web chat; lacks omnichannel capabilities (SMS, WhatsApp, voice)
• Industry limitations: Optimized primarily for B2B SaaS; underserves healthcare, finance, government, and education

Quick Comparison: Top 10 Qualified Alternatives

Tool	Best For	Starting Price	G2 Rating	Free Trial	HIPAA
Tars ⭐	Multi-industry enterprise	$499/month	4.7/5	Yes (Freemium)	✓
Drift	B2B SaaS sales teams	$2,500/month	4.4/5	Demo only	✗
Intercom	SaaS customer support	$29/seat/month	4.5/5	14-day trial	✗
HubSpot	HubSpot CRM users	Free (limited)	4.4/5	Yes	✗
Tidio	SMB ecommerce	$29/month	4.7/5	Yes	✗
Freshchat	Freshworks ecosystem	Free (10 agents)	4.4/5	21-day trial	✗
Crisp	Budget-conscious startups	€45/month	4.5/5	Yes	✗
Landbot	Marketing lead gen	$45/month	4.7/5	Yes	✗
Ada	Enterprise support automation	~$4,000/year	4.6/5	Demo only	✓
Yellow.ai	Global enterprise CX	~$10,000/year	4.4/5	Demo only	✓

Detailed Reviews: Top 10 Qualified Alternatives

1. Tars — Best Overall Qualified Alternative

Website: www.hellotars.com

Tars is a no-code AI Agent platform that enables enterprises to implement Customer Service Agents and improve them in a systematic manner through testing and evals. Founded in 2016, the platform has powered over millions of conversations for 800+ enterprise brands including American Express, Vodafone, and government agencies like the State of Indiana.

What sets Tars apart from Qualified is its versatility. While Qualified focuses exclusively on B2B SaaS companies using Salesforce, Tars serves enterprises across telecom, finance, healthcare, government, and education—all with the compliance certifications these industries require (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR).

Pros

• 85% cost savings: $499/month vs. Qualified’s $3,500+/month minimum
• Deploy quickly: True no-code builder requires zero engineering resources
• CRM agnostic: Works with HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk, or any CRM via 600+ integrations
• Multi-channel: Website, WhatsApp Business API, SMS, and standalone agent pages
• Enterprise compliance: HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR ready
• 1,000+ templates: World’s largest pre-built AI chatbot template library
• 100+ languages: Global deployment without additional localization costs

Cons

• No native Facebook Messenger or Instagram DM integration
• HIPAA compliance only available on Enterprise tier

Pricing

• Freemium: $0/month (50 conversations, basic LLM, 5 knowledge bases)
• Premium: $499/month (500-10K conversations/month, advanced AI, SOC 2 & ISO compliance)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing (unlimited capacity, HIPAA, SSO, dedicated CSM)

Best For

Enterprises in regulated industries (healthcare, finance, government) that need compliant conversational AI without Qualified’s price tag or Salesforce dependency. Also ideal for companies wanting to launch quickly without dedicated RevOps resources.

Notable Customers

Global Payments, American Express (49.3% conversation automation), State of Indiana (saving 4,000+ calls/month), Vodafone, UCI Merage School of Business, Tata Motors Finance (69,000+ leads generated)

2. Drift (Salesloft) — Best for Sales-Led B2B SaaS

Website: salesloft.com/platform/drift

Drift pioneered the “conversational marketing” category and remains a strong choice for B2B SaaS companies with dedicated sales teams. Now part of Salesloft following their 2024 acquisition, Drift offers AI-powered chat, email sequencing, and buyer intent data in a unified revenue platform.

Pros

• Category-defining conversational marketing capabilities
• Strong lead qualification and routing workflows
• Now integrated with Salesloft’s sales engagement suite
• Robust ABM playbook capabilities

Cons

• Expensive: Starting at $2,500/month ($30,000/year minimum)
• Steep learning curve requiring dedicated admin
• Website-only (no WhatsApp, SMS, or voice)
• Acquisition uncertainty—product roadmap may shift

Pricing

Starts at approximately $2,500/month. Custom enterprise pricing available. No free tier.

Best For

B2B SaaS companies with established sales teams and $30K+ annual budget for conversational marketing tools.

3. Intercom — Best for AI-First Customer Support

Website: intercom.com

Intercom has evolved from a simple chat widget to an AI-first customer service platform. Their flagship AI agent “Fin” resolves up to 66% of customer queries automatically, making it a compelling choice for companies prioritizing support automation over sales use cases.

Pros

• Industry-leading UI/UX for agents and end-users
• Fin AI Agent achieves 66% automated resolution rates
• Unified inbox across email, chat, and social
• Strong product tour and onboarding features

Cons

• Costs escalate quickly with add-ons and resolution-based AI pricing
• Better suited for support than sales/marketing use cases
• Not HIPAA compliant
• Fin AI priced at $0.99/resolution (can add up fast)

Pricing

• Essential: $29/seat/month
• Advanced: $85/seat/month
• Expert: $132/seat/month
• Fin AI Agent: $0.99/resolution

Best For

SaaS companies prioritizing customer support automation with beautiful user experiences. Notable customers include Anthropic, Amazon, Atlassian, and Microsoft.

4. HubSpot Chatbot — Best for Existing HubSpot Users

Website: hubspot.com

If your company already uses HubSpot CRM, their native chatbot functionality offers seamless data integration without adding another vendor. The no-code builder creates basic qualification flows, and ChatSpot adds AI capabilities for HubSpot power users.

Pros

• Native CRM integration—no data syncing needed
• Free tier available for HubSpot users
• No-code visual builder for basic flows
• Unified reporting within HubSpot dashboard

Cons

• Basic AI capabilities compared to dedicated platforms
• Limited to 2 channels (website and Facebook Messenger)
• Full features require expensive Service Hub Enterprise ($3,600/month)
• Not suitable for complex conversational flows

Pricing

• Free: Basic chatbot with HubSpot branding
• Starter: $20/month
• Professional: $100/month
• Enterprise: $3,600/month

Best For

Companies already invested in HubSpot who want basic chatbot functionality without adding another tool to their stack.

5. Tidio — Best for SMB Ecommerce

Website: tidio.com

Tidio has carved out a niche serving small and medium ecommerce businesses, particularly Shopify stores. Their AI assistant “Lyro” achieves 70-90% automation rates for common customer queries, while the affordable pricing makes it accessible to businesses with tighter budgets.

Pros

• Easy setup (under 30 minutes)
• Excellent Shopify integration
• Lyro AI achieves 70-90% automation rates
• Free tier available

Cons

• Costs escalate significantly with conversation limits
• AI (Lyro) sold as separate add-on
• Better for support than sales qualification
• Limited enterprise features

Pricing

• Free: 50 conversations/month
• Starter: $29/month
• Growth: $59/month
• Lyro AI: $39/month add-on

Best For

Small to medium ecommerce businesses, especially those on Shopify, looking for affordable live chat with AI automation.

6. Freshchat — Best for Freshworks Ecosystem Users

Website: freshworks.com/live-chat-software

Freshchat is Freshworks’ messaging solution, offering omnichannel support across WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Business Chat, and more. Their AI assistant “Freddy” provides automation capabilities, and the generous free tier makes it attractive for startups.

Pros

• Free tier for up to 10 agents
• True omnichannel (WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Business Chat)
• Freddy AI for automated responses
• Seamless integration with Freshdesk, Freshsales

Cons

• Best value only within Freshworks ecosystem
• AI capabilities not as advanced as dedicated platforms
• Can feel bloated for simple use cases

Pricing

• Free: Up to 10 agents
• Growth: $19/agent/month
• Pro: $49/agent/month
• Enterprise: $99/agent/month

Best For

Teams already using Freshworks products who want unified customer messaging across multiple channels.

7. Crisp — Best for Budget-Conscious Startups

Website: crisp.chat

Crisp stands out with its per-workspace (not per-agent) pricing model, making it exceptionally cost-effective for growing teams. Unique features like MagicBrowse (co-browsing) and LiveTranslate (real-time message translation) add genuine value beyond basic chat.

Pros

• Flat pricing per workspace—add unlimited agents
• Unique features (MagicBrowse, LiveTranslate)
• Clean, modern interface
• Free tier for basic needs

Cons

• Limited AI capabilities on lower tiers
• Basic CRM features—not a replacement for dedicated CRM
• Less robust integrations than enterprise platforms

Pricing

• Free: 2 seats, basic features
• Pro: €25/month per workspace
• Unlimited: €95/month per workspace
• Enterprise: €295/month per workspace

Best For

Startups and small businesses who want premium chat features without per-agent pricing. Over 400,000 businesses use Crisp globally.

8. Landbot — Best for Marketing Lead Generation

Website: landbot.io

Landbot excels at turning conversations into leads through its visually stunning flow builder. If your primary goal is creating engaging conversational landing pages that capture and qualify leads, Landbot’s drag-and-drop interface makes it accessible to marketing teams without technical resources.

Pros

• Best-in-class visual flow builder
• Truly no-code—marketing teams can build independently
• Creates highly engaging conversational experiences
• WhatsApp Business API integration

Cons

• WhatsApp plans are significantly more expensive
• Limited NLP for complex support scenarios
• Better for lead capture than ongoing customer support

Pricing

• Sandbox: Free (100 chats/month)
• Starter: $45/month
• Pro: $110/month
• WhatsApp Pro: $220/month

Best For

Marketing teams focused on conversational lead generation. Notable customers include Uber, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Virgin Media.

9. Ada — Best for Enterprise Support Automation

Website: ada.cx

Ada is purpose-built for high-volume customer support automation, achieving industry-leading 83% resolution rates. With HIPAA compliance and omnichannel capabilities including voice, Ada serves large enterprises in regulated industries that need to scale support without scaling headcount.

Pros

• Industry-leading 83% automated resolution rates
• True omnichannel including voice
• HIPAA compliant for healthcare
• Sophisticated AI reasoning capabilities

Cons

• Enterprise pricing only ($4,000-$64,000+/year)
• Steep learning curve
• No sales/marketing features—support only
• Not suitable for SMBs

Pricing

Usage-based enterprise pricing. Estimates range from $4,000/year for small deployments to $64,000+/year for large enterprises. No free tier or self-serve signup.

Best For

Large enterprises with high support ticket volumes seeking automated resolution. Notable customers include Square, Pinterest, Meta, Verizon, and Shopify.

10. Yellow.ai — Best for Global Enterprise CX

Website: yellow.ai

Yellow.ai positions itself as an enterprise-grade conversational AI platform supporting both customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) use cases. With 135+ language support, 35+ channels, and multi-LLM architecture, it’s built for global deployments at scale.

Pros

• 135+ languages for global deployment
• 35+ channels including voice AI
• Multi-LLM architecture (not locked to single provider)
• Employee experience automation (HR, IT helpdesk)

Cons

• High cost ($10,000-$58,000+/year)
• Long implementation timeline
• Not suitable for SMBs
• Complex platform requiring dedicated resources

Pricing

Enterprise pricing only. Market estimates suggest $10,000-$58,000+/year depending on scale and modules. No free tier.

Best For

Large global enterprises needing both customer and employee experience automation across multiple languages and regions. Notable customers include Sony, Domino’s, Hyundai, and AirAsia.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free alternative to Qualified?

For a free alternative with meaningful capabilities, Tars offers a freemium tier with 50 conversations/month, basic LLM features, and 5 knowledge bases. HubSpot’s free chatbot is another option if you already use HubSpot CRM. Crisp and Tidio also offer functional free tiers for basic chat needs.

Is Drift or Qualified better?

Both are expensive enterprise platforms ($30K-$70K/year) targeting similar B2B SaaS audiences. Qualified has deeper Salesforce integration and ABM focus, while Drift (now Salesloft) offers broader sales engagement features. For most companies, neither justifies the cost—Tars delivers comparable conversational AI at 85% lower price.

Which Qualified alternative doesn’t require Salesforce?

Tars is completely CRM-agnostic, integrating with HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Zoho, and 600+ other tools via native integrations and Zapier. Intercom, Tidio, and Crisp are also CRM-flexible options.

What’s the cheapest Qualified competitor with enterprise features?

Tars at $499/month ($5,988/year) offers enterprise-grade features including SOC 2 compliance, ISO 27001 certification, OpenAI GPT integration, and 600+ integrations—at 85% less than Qualified’s minimum $42,000/year.

Which alternatives offer HIPAA compliance for healthcare?

Tars (Enterprise tier), Ada, and Yellow.ai offer HIPAA compliance with Business Associate Agreements. Most other platforms on this list, including Qualified, Drift, and Intercom, do not prominently offer HIPAA compliance.

Can I migrate from Qualified to another platform easily?

Yes. Most platforms allow you to export conversation histories and integrate with your existing CRM. Tars offers dedicated implementation support to help enterprises migrate from Qualified, including workflow recreation and knowledge base setup.

Which alternative is best for government agencies?

Tars has proven government deployments, including the State of Indiana which saves 4,000+ calls monthly. The platform meets Section 508 accessibility requirements and offers data residency options required by government contracts.

Conclusion: Our Top Recommendation

After extensive research, Tars stands out as the best overall Qualified alternative for 2025. Here’s why:

• 85% cost savings ($499/month vs. $3,500+/month)
• Deploy in hours, not weeks — true no-code platform
• Multi-industry versatility — healthcare, finance, government, education, telecom
• Enterprise compliance — HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
• CRM agnostic — not locked to Salesforce
• Proven results — 60M+ conversations, 800+ enterprise brands

For B2B SaaS companies with large budgets who are deeply invested in Salesforce, Qualified remains a capable (if expensive) option. But for the vast majority of businesses seeking conversational AI for sales, marketing, and customer experience, Tars delivers superior value.

Ready to see Tars in action? Start with the free tier at hellotars.com or book a demo to see how enterprises like American Express and Vodafone automate customer conversations at scale.

Methodology: This comparison was compiled using public pricing data, G2/Capterra reviews, vendor documentation, and firsthand platform testing. Pricing was verified as of December 2025 and may vary based on contract terms and negotiation.