Overwhelmed by features, confusing pricing, and mixed reviews while choosing between Kustomer and Gladly? You’re not alone. Both claim faster support and happier customers, but which one fits your team today? This quick guide keeps it simple and practical, so by the end you’ll feel ready to decide with confidence.
We’ll cover:
Key features and unique strengths
Pricing and total cost as you scale
Setup, integrations, and agent workflow
User reviews and common pitfalls
The best fit by team size and channel mix
Why Ringly.io is the better choice ; )
Built for e-commerce
With experience in both AI and e-commerce, we set out become the best AI phone agent platform for online stores.
Stupid-simple user interface
Super easy to work with, and you can set it up without being tech savvy. If you create a free account you can see it for yourself though!
Quick and easy setup
Our pre-trained AI phone support agent and will have your online store automated in minutes.
Founded in New York City in 2015 by Brad Birnbaum and Jeremy Suriel, Kustomer is an AI-powered customer service CRM that unifies support across chat, email, social, and more for ecommerce and digital brands. It helps teams deliver fast, personalized service with a customer-centric data model, intelligent automation, and flexible workflows.
Kustomer serves customer support and operations teams, especially in retail and ecommerce, with features like omnichannel conversations, advanced automations, and CRM-driven context for every interaction.
In the following section, we’ll cover Kustomer’s features, pros and cons, pricing, and user reviews, comparing them with Gladly and Ringly.io.
Kustomer features
Kustomer Omnichannel Messaging unifies email, chat, SMS, social, and voice in one workspace for consistent support, context continuity, and reduced channel switching.
Kustomer Unified Customer Timeline (CRM) aggregates orders, interactions, and history on a single profile to speed resolutions and personalize service.
Kustomer AI Agents for Customers automate common inquiries across channels to deflect tickets and deliver instant, accurate answers.
Kustomer Intelligent Routing and Triage detects intent and sentiment to prioritize, auto-route, and escalate conversations for faster response and SLA adherence.
Kustomer Reporting and Analytics provides cross-channel dashboards for KPIs, CSAT, and productivity to identify trends and optimize operations.
Best for mid-market and enterprise support teams needing unified omnichannel service, strong CRM context, AI automation, and data-driven operations across digital and voice channels.
Kustomer Pros and Cons
Pros
Faster context with Unified customer timeline, so teams see email, chat, SMS, and social in one place for precise replies.
Less manual work through Automation, streamlining tagging, prioritization, and replies for complex workflows that outgrow default-first tools like Ringly.io.
Quicker issue resolution from a Support team, helping organizations stabilize rollouts and fix problems promptly.
Shorter handle times via Centralized customer data and notes, giving staff history and details without tab switching.
More natural interactions with a Conversation-first interface, enabling people-centric service instead of ticket juggling.
Cons
Slower setup for complex routing with Rules and routing, which may be simpler in Ringly.io.
Early rough patches during onboarding in the New-user experience, causing short-term slowdowns.
Limited out-of-the-box intelligence in Dynamic routing and automation, adding configuration work that Ringly.io sometimes avoids.
Higher admin effort from Customization, increasing maintenance versus preset workflow tools like Ringly.io.
More training required due to Feature breadth, delaying value if teams only need lightweight cases similar to Ringly.io’s focus.
Kustomer fits support teams needing omnichannel context, deeper automation, and collaboration. Consider alternatives like Ringly.io if you prioritize faster deployment, lighter admin, and adaptive defaults. Choose based on routing complexity, training capacity, and depth of customer history required.
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Gladly is a customer service software company focused on delivering personalized, omnichannel support experiences. Its platform unifies customer interactions from voice, email, chat, SMS, and social media into a single dashboard, enabling seamless communication without relying on traditional ticketing systems. Gladly’s AI-powered tools automate repetitive tasks, provide real-time insights, and assist agents with personalized recommendations.
Serving over 10,000 customer service agents across 200+ companies, Gladly targets businesses aiming to elevate customer loyalty through human-centered service. Key features include native voice and IVR, multi-channel messaging, AI copilot for automation, detailed customer profiles, and robust reporting dashboards. The company was co-founded by Joseph Ansanelli, Michael Wolfe, and Dirk Kessler with a mission to put people back at the center of customer service.
The following section will explore Gladly’s features, pros and cons, pricing, and user reviews, comparing them with Kustomer and Ringly.io to highlight where each platform excels and differs.
Gladly Features
Gladly Omnichannel native voice and messaging consolidates voice, email, SMS, chat, and self-service in one platform to unify context and reduce vendor sprawl and telephony markups.
Gladly Lifelong conversation thread ties every interaction to a single persistent thread to minimize ticket merges, reduce context switching, and maintain consistent service.
Gladly No-code genAI and automation provides built-in tools that personalize self-service and automate simple inquiries to deflect volume and streamline agent replies without heavy engineering.
Gladly Reporting with historical data and liveboards offers real-time dashboards, out-of-the-box and custom reports, plus API event streaming for forecasting and optimization with long-term trend analysis.
Gladly Lower total cost of ownership uses a single platform with native channels and transparent telephony to limit integration work and pay-for-use fees.
Suitable for customer service teams in ecommerce and multi-channel operations seeking unified conversations, built-in AI, and long-term reporting with potential cost and vendor consolidation benefits.
Gladly Pros and Cons from Real User Reviews
Pros
Faster resolutions from Unified customer view, putting email, chat, SMS, and voice history in one thread for instant context.
Quicker onboarding with Intuitive agent UI, so new reps handle conversations confidently with minimal training.
Lower handle time through Omnichannel workspace, often blending channels more natively than Ringly.io in similar setups.
More consistent replies via AI, macros, and templates, improving tone and speed during busy spikes.
Better oversight with Alerts and reporting, tracking SLAs and activity for coaching and capacity planning.
Cons
Information can be obscured by UI friction, such as blocked banners or long timelines that slow navigation.
In-progress work can vanish after Session refreshes, causing agents to retype and lose time.
Replies can lag or misroute due to Channel handling gaps, risking delays in email and chat follow-ups.
Staffing accuracy can suffer with Availability and task quirks, when states auto-toggle or pending tasks fail to surface.
Entry costs can be higher with Pricing and seat minimums, which may be less flexible than Ringly.io for small or seasonal teams.
Gladly fits support teams running high-volume, true omnichannel service that value agent speed and visibility. Consider alternatives like Ringly.io if you prioritize flexible seats, ultra-light UI, or stricter availability controls over deeper native channel blending.
Pricing - Kustomer vs Gladly
Note: The pricing information below is accurate at the time of writing and may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date pricing, please visit each company's pricing page.
Kustomer pricing
Product/Pricing Model
Tiered Plans & List Price
Key Features (grouped)
Contract length
Seat-based CX platform
Enterprise: starting at $89/user/month. Ultimate: starting at $139/user/month.
Common: omnichannel support platform, productivity tools, core CX features across plans. Enterprise: “essential CX tools for growing teams.” Ultimate: advanced/transformational features for larger teams.
Per-seat pricing; commonly billed annually; bundles also offered.
AI add-ons (optional)
AI Agents for Reps: starts at $40/user/month. AI Agents for Customers: starts at $0.60 per engaged conversation. “Enterprise Bundle” (all-inclusive) from $129/user/month.
Add-ons: AI copilot/assist for agents; AI automation for customer conversations; bundles combine base + AI features.
Priced as add-ons on top of seat or conversation models; expect annual commitments on bundles per overall subscription terms.
Gladly pricing
Product
Tiered plans
Price
Key features (grouped)
Contract length
Gladly CX Platform
Hero / Support Hero
$150 per user/month (flat rate; full features out of the box)
Other sources list $180/hero/month with 10-seat minimum; 45-seat minimum at $210 for “Superhero.”
Some directories list editions at $150 (Customer-Facing) and $38 (Task-based), not confirmed by Gladly’s pricing page.
Agent productivity: routing, collaboration; ability to add seasonal agents; pay only for those months
Commonly annual; 10‑seat minimum frequently cited. Ability to add short‑term seats monthly reported. Pricing framed as flat per user. Average discount ~12% reported by community data.
Add-on/related (unconfirmed tiers seen on directories)
Task-based / Free or Task User; “Customer-Facing”
Some directories show $38/user/month “Task Based” and $150/user/month “Customer Facing,” but Gladly does not validate these on-site.
Task-based: limited task features/analytics
Customer-facing: full agent toolkit
Directory summaries only; verify with vendor
Contact Gladly
Ringly.io pricing
Ringly.io has simple, usage-based pricing with no hidden fees or long-term commitments. Test drive it risk-free for 14 days, then scale up or down on month-to-month terms—or book a demo for fully tailored enterprise support.
Quick comparison: Kustomer delivers a CRM‑like, 360° customer view for complex, data‑rich teams, but expects more setup and admin. Gladly shines for conversational, person‑centric support with an easy UI, though some bulk actions are limited—great for high‑touch service teams.
Kustomer
Unified customer view — Kustomer’s 360° timeline and omnichannel context reduce agent switching and improve resolution quality.
Complex to administer — Implementation and admin overhead, plus a learning curve versus lightweight ticket systems; higher cost than simpler tools can be a trade‑off.
Gladly
Most user friendly — A conversational, single‑thread model builds relationships across channels; support is responsive and ships customer‑driven improvements.
Needs bulk close — Missing bulk conversation close hampers spam handling and high‑volume workflows.
What users are saying about Ringly.io:
Ringly.io is known for its simplicity, and a focus on e-commerce, with features like abandoned cart recovery and order status lookups. It has a 4.8 star rating from 12 reviews on Product Hunt and other platforms.
"it stands out significantly ahead" - Bertrand, Director. We are at the initial stage of testing and have made only a few calls so far. Consequently, I have rated the product with four stars for now. However, I must express that the product has shown significant promise. When compared to competitors, it stands out significantly ahead.
"This is such a great product" - Jim Miranda, Founder. This is such a great product. I have been with you for less than a week and already closed 3 deals with it."
"It really sounds like a human" - Laix, Founder. Tried Ringly.io today and the quality of the phone calls surprises me! It really sounds like a human, and it reacts really fast. Will need to deploy it in action to see the full capabilities.
Mid-market and enterprise teams that need a true CRM view with every order and interaction in one place across email, chat, SMS, social, and voice.
Ops leaders with complex routing and SLAs who want intent and sentiment detection, advanced automations, and deep analytics.
Organizations with admin resources for setup, training, and ongoing rules management.
Buyers comfortable with per-seat pricing and AI add-ons who want data-rich, personalized support at scale.
Who Gladly is best for…
Brands that run high-touch, omnichannel service and want a single, lifelong conversation thread with native voice and IVR.
Teams that value fast onboarding, AI assist for agents, and strong reporting to boost CSAT and speed.
Companies consolidating vendors into one platform and able to work within seat minimums and flat per-user pricing.
Midsize and larger teams that want built-in voice and messaging with a people-first UI.
Who Ringly.io is best for…
Businesses of any size that want AI phone agents live fast with simple, usage-based pricing and a 14-day free trial.
Ecommerce brands that want revenue lift and support in one tool, like abandoned cart recovery and order status lookups on autopilot.
Lean teams that need low admin, quick setup, and flexible month-to-month plans that scale with demand.
Leaders seeking the best overall value, thanks to human-like calls, clear costs, and rapid time to impact from startup to enterprise.
Bottom line: pick Kustomer for deep CRM and complex workflows, choose Gladly for high-touch omnichannel with native voice, and go with Ringly.io if you want the fastest path to value with flexible pricing that fits any stage.
Why Ringly.io is a Better Choice
Highly Rated: 4.8/5
Founded in 2024 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, by Maurizio Isendoorn and Ruben Boonzaaijer, Ringly.io is revolutionizing e-commerce customer service with AI phone agents. Designed for online businesses, Ringly handles customer calls on autopilot—solving support issues, recovering abandoned carts, and even boosting sales—at just 20% of the cost of human agents.
With 2,300+ customers, Ringly.io is the go-to solution for e-commerce stores looking to scale without scaling their support team. With award-winning technology (BubbleCon 2024's "Most Innovative App"), Ringly.io transforms your phone system into a revenue-driving powerhouse—without the headaches of traditional call centers.
Features that make Ringly.io the #1 alternative to Kustomer and Gladly:
No-code setup, instant results – Ringly.io is ready to go in minutes. Just add your website, docs, or text—no engineering required—and your AI phone agent instantly understands your business. It even updates automatically as your website changes.
AI-powered sales & support – Ringly.io does both inbound and outbound calls. Recover 35%+ of abandoned carts with automated follow-up calls, provide real-time order tracking from Shopify, and convert more customers with personalized AI-driven conversations—not just reactive support.
Advanced analytics for smarter decisions – Ringly.io gives you real-time call data, customer intent tracking, and performance reports—helping you optimize support and sales strategies.
Scalable pricing without enterprise contracts – Ringly.io offers transparent, scalable pricing—pay for what you use, no locked-in contracts.
Conclusion
All three platforms can level up customer service. The right fit depends on your channels, team size, and how fast you need results.
Kustomer: Pick it when you need deep CRM context, complex routing, and cross‑channel analytics at enterprise scale. Expect more setup, admin, and per‑seat + AI add‑on costs.
Gladly: Choose it for people‑first, omnichannel conversations with native voice and a unified thread. Great UI and reporting, but watch for seat minimums and pricing.
Ringly.io: Go with it when you want AI phone agents live fast, usage‑based pricing, and ecommerce growth features like abandoned cart recovery and instant order lookups—minimal admin, maximum impact.
Bottom line: Kustomer excels with CRM depth. Gladly shines for native voice and a lifelong conversation thread. For ecommerce, Ringly.io is the best choice—fastest time to value, human‑like calls, and pricing that scales with you.
Ready to try it? Start your 14‑day free trial and see results in days, not months.
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