The Top 15 Customer Engagement Tools for 2025

“If you are not taking care of your customers, your competitor will.” - Bob Hooey.

Nothing can be truer; customer loyalty has become thinner than ever, and every interaction is a make-or-break moment. Customers don’t wait, and they don’t explain. If the experience feels slow or generic, they simply move on. Customer engagement today isn’t about being everywhere; it’s about being relevant, fast, and proactive at the exact moment it matters.

Modern shoppers expect instant answers, personalized recommendations, and smooth conversations across chat, email, SMS, and social. When engagement breaks down, revenue follows. According to the Baymard Institute, nearly 20% of online shopping carts are abandoned due to long or complicated checkout experiences, a clear sign that friction, not price, often drives customers away.

That shift is why customer engagement tools in 2025 look nothing like basic live chat or email blasts. The best platforms combine AI-driven conversations, real-time data, omnichannel support, and automation to turn everyday interactions into outcomes, closing sales, recovering carts, and deflecting support tickets before they pile up.

We've done the hard work for you in this guide. We break down the top 15 customer engagement tools for 2025, showing what each does well, where it falls short, and who it’s best for. And while many tools perform well in their lane, Zipchat stands out for ecommerce brands, using an AI-first, conversion-driven approach that doesn’t just respond, it actively guides shoppers and prevents drop-offs before they happen.

Comparison Table of the Best Customer Engagement Platforms

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Best Customer Engagement Tools in 2025

Customer engagement in 2025 has shifted from reactive support to intent-driven conversations. Brands are no longer judged by how many channels they offer, but by how quickly and accurately they respond when customers show buying or support intent. The best engagement tools today don’t just manage messages; they understand context, pull in real-time data, and act on it automatically.

That’s why the top customer engagement tools now share a common theme: AI-powered automation paired with practical usability. They help teams reduce repetitive support work, stay consistent across different channels, and turn conversations into measurable outcomes. Some excel at enterprise-level orchestration, others at lifecycle marketing or human-led real-time support. But for ecommerce brands especially, the strongest tools are the ones that engage shoppers proactively, guiding decisions, removing friction, and driving revenue before a customer ever thinks about leaving, as we’ll see in the list below.

1. Zipchat — best for ecommerce brands that want proactive, revenue-driven engagement

Zipchat is built for one very specific outcome: turning customer conversations into conversions. Unlike generic engagement platforms that focus on tickets or broadcasts, Zipchat acts as an AI sales and support agent that works in real time across your store.

It doesn’t just answer questions; it pulls live order data, recommends products from your catalog, recovers abandoned carts, resolves WISMO queries, and nudges hesitant shoppers before they bounce. For ecommerce teams juggling growth and support load, Zipchat removes friction on both sides.

This is why, in 2025, Zipchat consistently outperforms broader “do-everything” support tools for Shopify and DTC brands: it’s focused, fast, and built around how customers actually shop.

Top features

• AI-powered chat trained specifically for ecommerce use cases
• Proactive messages for cart recovery, product discovery, and FAQs
• Real-time order lookup and WISMO deflection
• Native Shopify integration with no-code setup
• WhatsApp + onsite chat from a single dashboard + friendly user interface
• Smart automation that reduces tickets while increasing conversions

Pricing

Plans start at $49/month, with higher tiers unlocking advanced automation, higher conversation limits, and deeper integrations, without enterprise-style lock-ins.  

Rating

G2 rating: 4.8/5.

Want to engage more customers without hiring more agents? See how Zipchat helps ecommerce brands automate conversations, recover lost revenue, and deliver instant support, all from one AI-powered platform. Try Zipchat and see it in action.

2. Sprinklr Unified-CXM — best for enterprises managing customer engagement at a massive scale

Sprinklr Unified-CXM is one platform designed for global enterprises that need to manage customer engagement across multiple channels, regions, and teams, all under strict governance. It is less about speed or simplicity and more about control, consistent experiences, and intelligence at scale. Brands using Sprinklr typically have thousands of agents, complex approval workflows, and heavy social with messaging volume.

Top features

• Unified engagement across 30+ channels (social, messaging, email, voice)
• AI-driven sentiment analysis and intent detection
• Enterprise-grade compliance, approvals, and governance
• Deep analytics and reporting across teams and regions

Pricing

Custom enterprise pricing only.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.3/5.

3. Tidio — best for SMBs getting started with AI chat for customer support

Tidio is a popular entry-level engagement tool that blends live chat with AI automation. Its strength lies in accessibility: small and mid-sized businesses can deploy chatbots quickly without technical overhead. While it lacks deep ecommerce logic, it’s a solid starting point for brands that want basic automation and real-time conversations.

Top features

• Live chat with AI chatbot (Lyro)
• Multichannel inbox (web, WhatsApp, Instagram)
• Prebuilt chatbot flows
• Simple setup for non-technical users

Pricing

Pricing starts from $24.17/month.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.7/5.

4. Poptin — best for on-site lead capture and conversion nudges

Poptin focuses on on-site engagement, not conversations. It helps brands convert traffic through popups, embedded forms, and exit-intent prompts. While it doesn’t handle two-way customer communication, it plays a useful role in capturing leads and nudging visitors at key moments.

Top features

• Popups, bars, and embedded forms
• Exit-intent and behavioral triggers
• A/B testing
• CRM and email integrations

Pricing

A free plan is available; paid plans start at $20/month.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.6/5.

5. Tawk.to — best for teams needing free live chat

Tawk.to is one of the most widely used live chat tools because it offers a surprisingly robust free product. It’s ideal for support teams that need human chat without automation complexity. However, it’s largely reactive and lacks the proactive engagement or AI depth found in modern tools.

Top features

• Free live chat with unlimited agents
• Mobile apps for agents
• Basic reporting and visitor monitoring
• Optional paid AI and staffing add-ons

Pricing

Free core product; paid add-ons optional.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.5/5.

6. Zendesk — best for support-first engagement at scale

Zendesk is a veteran in customer support software. Its engagement capabilities are built around tickets, automated workflows, and resolution speed, making it ideal for large support organizations. While Zendesk has added AI and messaging, it’s still more about efficiency than conversion.

Top features

• AI bots and agent copilots
• Omnichannel capabilities (ticketing and messaging)
• Workflow automation
• Advanced reporting

Pricing

Pricing starts from $25/month.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.3/5.

7. LivePerson — best for custom conversational AI at the enterprise level

LivePerson is a powerful conversational AI platform for enterprises that want to build deeply customized and personalized customer experiences. It is flexible and scalable, but also complex, typically requiring dedicated teams to manage and optimize.

Top features

• Advanced NLP and AI orchestration
• Messaging across web, apps, and social media
• Bot builder and integrations
• Enterprise security and compliance

Pricing

Custom enterprise pricing.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.3/5.

8. Netcore — best for omnichannel lifecycle marketing

Netcore focuses on customer lifecycle engagement, helping brands design journeys across personalized email, SMS, push notifications, and in-app messages. Its advanced features are well-suited for retention and reactivation strategies rather than real-time conversational engagement.

Top features

• Omnichannel journey orchestration
• Predictive personalization
• Campaign automation
• Segmentation and analytics

Pricing

Custom pricing based on scale.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.3/5.

9. MoEngage — best for data-driven personalization

MoEngage is built for B2C brands that rely heavily on behavioral data. It excels at segmentation, experimentation, and cross-channel personalization, especially for mobile-first businesses.

Top features

• Cross-channel campaigns (email, push, SMS)
• Real-time detailed analytics
• AI-driven recommendations
• Strong mobile engagement tools

Pricing

Custom/quote-based pricing.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.5/5.

10. BIGContacts — best for SMBs needing simple CRM + engagement

BIGContacts combines CRM functionality with light engagement features, making it suitable for small businesses that want everything in one place without complexity.

Top features

• Contact and pipeline management
• Email tracking and templates
• Reporting dashboards
• Simple automation

Pricing

A free plan is available; paid plans start at $499/month.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.5/5.

11. Salesforce Marketing Cloud — best for enterprise marketing orchestration

Salesforce Marketing Cloud is an enterprise powerhouse built for brands running large, data-heavy engagement programs. It offers unmatched depth, but also demands significant resources to implement and maintain.

Top features

• Email, mobile, and advertising automation
• Customer Data Platform (CDP)
• AI-powered personalization
• Deep Salesforce ecosystem integration

Pricing

Pricing starts from $25/month.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.0/5.

12. HubSpot — best for teams wanting an all-in-one CRM and engagement stack

HubSpot brings CRM, marketing, sales, and service together in one unified platform. It’s especially attractive for growing teams that want alignment across departments, though costs rise quickly as usage scales.

Top features

• Unified CRM tools
• Live chat and bots
• Marketing and service automation
• Extensive integrations

Pricing

Pricing starts from $800/month.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.4/5.

13. Twilio SendGrid — best for programmable email at scale

SendGrid is built for teams that need reliable, high-volume email delivery. It’s developer-friendly and powerful, but not designed for conversational engagement on its own.

Top features

• Email API and SMTP relay
• Deliverability tools
• Analytics and monitoring
• Campaign management

Pricing

A free plan is available; paid plans start at $19.95/month.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.0/5.

14. Mailchimp — best for SMB omnichannel marketing campaign management

Mailchimp remains a go-to option for small businesses managing email and SMS campaigns. It’s intuitive and accessible, though advanced automation and personalization are limited compared to newer AI-first platforms.

Top features

• Email and SMS campaigns
• Automation and segmentation
• Landing pages
• AI-assisted content tools

Pricing

A free plan is available; paid plans start at $6.50/month.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.4/5.

15. Textmagic — best for SMS-first customer communication

Textmagic centers on two-way SMS communication, making it ideal for businesses that rely on text messaging for alerts, reminders, and direct customer outreach. It’s simple, effective, and pay-as-you-go.

Top features

• Mass and two-way SMS messaging
• Shared omnichannel inbox
• Message templates and automation
• Contact management and analytics

Pricing

Pricing starts from $59/month, and a free trial is available.

Rating

G2 rating: 4.4/5.

How to Choose the Best Customer Engagement Software

Choosing the right customer engagement software in 2025 goes far beyond comparing feature checklists. The real goal is to find a platform that aligns with how your customers behave, where they get stuck, and how they prefer to interact with your brand. Whether you’re running an ecommerce store, a SaaS product, or a service-based business, the best engagement software should remove friction across the entire customer journey, from first interaction to post-purchase support, while driving measurable outcomes like conversions, retention, and customer satisfaction.

Before committing to any tool, it’s critical to understand your current engagement gaps, your growth stage, and the level of personalization your customers expect. Once that foundation is clear, you can evaluate platforms more objectively using the criteria below.

1. Identify your biggest engagement bottlenecks

Start by pinpointing where customer engagement is breaking down today. Are shoppers abandoning carts because their questions aren’t answered in time? Are support teams overwhelmed by repetitive “Where is my order?” requests? Or are your campaigns generating traffic without conversions? The best customer engagement software should directly solve your most urgent problem first, not just add another dashboard to manage.

2. Prioritize proactive over reactive engagement for a better customer experience

Many tools only engage customers after they reach out, which is no longer enough. Modern customer engagement software should proactively guide users—surfacing recommendations, answering questions in real time, and recovering lost revenue before it disappears. This is especially important for ecommerce brands, where AI-powered, real-time engagement can significantly outperform traditional live chat or ticket-based systems.

3. Evaluate cross-channel coverage and omnichannel consistency

Your customers don’t live on one channel, and your engagement software shouldn’t either. Look for platforms that support the channels your audience actually uses, such as website chat, WhatsApp, email, SMS, or social messaging, and ensure conversations stay consistent across them. A fragmented experience leads to frustration and lost trust.

4. Check customer data access and integration depth

Customer engagement tools are only as smart as the data they can access. If a platform can’t pull in order details, customer behavior and history, or product data, it’s operating blind. Tools with seamless integrations into your existing stack, like Shopify, CRMs, or email platforms, will always deliver more personalized and relevant interactions.

5. Assess AI capabilities and use cases

Not all AI is created equal. Look beyond buzzwords and evaluate how AI is actually used within the platform. Can it handle common support questions accurately? Does it recommend products based on intent? Can it recover abandoned carts or qualify leads automatically? The best tools use AI to reduce workload and improve customer engagement, not just automate replies.

6. Consider ease of use and time to value

Powerful enterprise platforms often come with steep learning curves, long onboarding cycles, and ongoing maintenance costs. If you’re a growing business, prioritize software that’s intuitive, quick to deploy, and delivers visible results within weeks, not months. Faster time to value means faster ROI.

7. Plan for scalability and future growth

Finally, think beyond today. The right customer engagement software should grow with your business, supporting higher volumes, new communication channels, and more complex workflows without requiring a complete overhaul. Scalability doesn’t mean bloated features; it means flexibility, reliability, and room to evolve as your customer base expands.

By focusing on fit, functionality, and real-world impact, not just feature count, you’ll be far better positioned to choose a customer engagement platform that actually moves the needle.

Conclusion

Customer engagement in 2025 is no longer about sending more messages or adding more channels. It’s about having smarter, more timely conversations that move customers forward, from browsing to buying, and from issues to resolution.

The tools on this list each serve a different purpose. Enterprise platforms like Sprinklr and Salesforce excel at scale and governance. Marketing-led tools like Mailchimp and MoEngage shine in lifecycle campaigns. Support-first platforms like Zendesk and Tawk.to prioritize resolution speed.

But for ecommerce brands that care about conversions, efficiency, and real-time impact, Zipchat stands apart. Its AI-first, commerce-native approach allows brands to engage shoppers proactively, reduce support load, and turn everyday conversations into measurable revenue, without adding complexity.

Ready to turn customer conversations into conversions? See how Zipchat helps ecommerce brands engage shoppers in real time, automate support, and recover lost revenue, all from one AI-powered platform. Try Zipchat today and see the difference.

FAQs

What is customer engagement software?

Customer engagement software helps businesses communicate with customers across channels like chat, email, SMS, and social, with the goal of improving satisfaction, customer retention, and revenue. Modern tools use AI and automation to personalize customer interactions and respond instantly.

What is the best customer engagement software in 2025?

The best tool depends on your business model. Enterprise organizations may prefer platforms like Sprinklr or Salesforce, while ecommerce brands focused on sales and support automation often see the strongest results with AI-first tools like Zipchat.    

Do small businesses need customer engagement software?

Yes, even small businesses benefit from faster responses, automated FAQs, and proactive customer service. Lightweight tools can reduce manual workload and help small teams compete with larger brands by delivering better customer expectations.

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