Freshchat

Overview

Freshchat is Freshworks' conversational support product, with a team inbox, bots and the Freddy AI Agent across web and app chat, email, social messengers, SMS and WhatsApp. Its help center documents an Apple Messages for Business integration: you register with Apple, choose Freshchat as the messaging service provider and paste your Apple Business ID into Freshchat.

Key features

• Apple Messages list pickers, time pickers, Apple Pay requests, attachments and authentication messages
• Freddy AI Agent, with 500 free sessions on paid plans
• SMS, WhatsApp, LINE and Google Business Messages on paid plans
• Proactive campaigns over email, SMS and messaging apps

Pricing

Free for up to 10 agents. Growth is $19, Pro $49 and Enterprise $79 per agent a month, billed annually, with a 14-day trial. The Apple Messages article, last updated in June 2022, places the integration on the older Estate and Forest plans, and the current pricing page does not list Apple Messages.

How it compares to Linq

Apple Messages for Business is Apple's business chat channel in the Messages app, not iMessage from a phone number: customers chat with a verified brand and usually start the conversation. Linq sends iMessage, RCS and SMS from real phone numbers through an API, for a flat fee from $260 a month. Freshchat charges per agent seat.

Best for

Support teams on Freshworks that want Apple Messages next to their other chat channels.

Sources

• support.freshchat.com/support/solutions/articles/50000000130-integrating-apple-messages-for-business-with-freshchat
• freshworks.com/live-chat-software/pricing
• support.freshchat.com/support/search?term=apple+messages