Is Sendbird Your Best Choice? 2025 Review + Alternative

In 2025, customer expectations are higher than ever — fast replies, 24/7 availability, and smarter conversations powered by AI. Businesses now face a critical decision: which platform truly delivers?

Sendbird has long been recognized for its chat APIs and messaging tools, enabling brands to integrate scalable conversations into their apps. However, as AI-first platforms emerge, messaging alone is no longer enough. Companies need contextual intelligence, automation, and agent-like reasoning to stay ahead of the competition.

So, does Sendbird still meet modern business needs, or are alternatives like pagergpt better equipped for the future?

Our review guide explores Sendbird in 2025—the good, the bad, and the ugly—covering features, strengths, limitations, pricing, and how it compares to pagergpt.

Sendbird is a customer engagement and messaging platform that offers APIs and SDKs for in-app chat, voice, and video communication. Instead of relying on external channels like email or SMS, Sendbird allows businesses to embed real-time conversations directly inside their apps or platforms. This makes it popular among industries like marketplaces, healthcare, e-commerce, and gaming, where keeping users engaged in-app is critical.

At its core, Sendbird offers:

• Chat SDKs and APIs to build 1:1, group, or community chats.

• Customer engagement tools such as notifications and chatbots.

• Voice and video APIs for live, interactive conversations.

Below, we break down significant capabilities, what they do, and real-world limitations buyers report most often.

Intuitive or easy-to-use interface 

Sendbird provides an intuitive, easy-to-navigate experience that makes connecting with members seamless. Its AI-powered functions ensure communication remains clear and accurate, reducing the risk of misinterpretation when messages are transferred across applications. For small businesses, this combination of usability and reliable AI assistance helps maintain smooth interactions without technical hurdles. Overall, Sendbird stands out as a platform that strikes a balance between simplicity and intelligent functionality, making it a practical choice for teams that value clarity and ease of communication.

Seamless chat  

Sendbird is a strong option for powering real-time chat experiences in platforms like Stacked. Its SDKs are reliable, and the documentation is clear, making integration smooth and efficient. Businesses can launch chat quickly without building infrastructure from scratch, saving significant development time. The support team is responsive and helpful, ensuring issues are resolved quickly.

Overall, Sendbird offers speed to market, developer-friendly tools, and dependable support for real-time chat. It is especially valuable for platforms that need scalable, in-app conversations without heavy engineering overhead. For teams focused on user engagement, Sendbird provides a solid foundation that balances reliability with flexibility.

Reliable in-game chat 

Sendbird offers a robust solution for in-game chat, especially for mobile games that require seamless communication between players. The platform’s messaging reliability ensures that players stay connected and collaborative, which is critical in competitive gaming environments. For developers looking to enhance community interaction and retention, Sendbird offers a stable and effective foundation for in-game communication.

Easy setup 

Sendbird offers powerful AI-driven tools that enhance communication and engagement. Businesses find the platform both smart and simple to implement, making it a practical choice for teams that want advanced functionality without added complexity. By combining intelligent features with ease of deployment, Sendbird helps organizations quickly elevate their customer interactions.

Seamless API integration  

Sendbird makes it easy to integrate chat and AI chatbot features into applications, providing a scalable solution as user bases grow. The platform covers the full spectrum of real-time communication needs—from group chats to media sharing—while offering strong moderation tools to keep conversations safe. Its customizable API and straightforward dashboard make it developer-friendly, and the spot-on documentation helps teams avoid roadblocks. For organizations building customer support solutions, Sendbird has become a game-changer for boosting user engagement and ensuring smooth, AI-powered interactions.

Steep pricing  

Some users highlight pricing as a concern, especially for startups that may find it difficult to justify the cost. The learning curve can also be a hurdle for new users, making onboarding less straightforward than expected. Additionally, there are reports that customer support could improve, particularly in resolving issues quickly and effectively. These factors suggest that while Sendbird delivers on features, the overall experience may require extra effort and investment for smaller teams or first-time adopters.

Bug issues 

While Sendbird is generally reliable, some users have raised concerns about its frequent software updates. These updates, while intended to improve performance, have occasionally introduced bugs and temporary production issues. In one case, downtime was experienced during October 2024, creating setbacks for the team. For businesses that depend on uninterrupted service, such disruptions can be frustrating and highlight the need for more stable update cycles or better change management processes.

Limited documentation 

While Sendbird offers strong functionality, some users feel the documentation could be more comprehensive. Clearer guides and examples would help streamline integration for teams that may not have advanced technical resources. Additionally, there are occasional concerns about the licensing model, which can be complex to fully understand. Providing more transparent explanations of licensing terms would help businesses make confident decisions and plan better for long-term usage.

Complex customization 

One drawback users have noted with Sendbird is the lack of UI kit options for certain frontend frameworks. While Sendbird does provide a UI kit for popular frameworks, developers working with less common stacks may face extra work in customizing or building their own components. This limitation can add time and complexity for teams looking for a more plug-and-play experience across diverse tech environments.

• In-App Chat SDKs & APIs – Build 1:1, group, or community chat directly into apps with reliable, real-time messaging.

• AI-Powered Chatbots – Automate FAQs and support workflows with smart, AI-driven responses.

• AI Agent Builder – Create and customize AI-powered agents to handle conversations without heavy coding.

• Voice & Video APIs – Enable live calls and video conferencing for richer customer interactions.

• Push Notifications – Keep users engaged with instant alerts and real-time updates.

• Moderation Tools – Filter spam, block abuse, and maintain safe chat environments.

• UI Kits – Pre-built components for faster integration and customizable chat UIs.

• Scalability – Handle millions of concurrent users with high reliability.

• Analytics – Track chat usage and engagement trends with built-in insights.

Pros:

• Reliable SDKs & APIs – Developers praise Sendbird’s stable SDKs and clear documentation, making integration smooth and efficient.

• Fast Time to Market – Businesses can launch chat and engagement features quickly without building infrastructure from scratch.

• AI Features – Tools like AI chatbots, agent builder, and agent voice add automation and intelligence to customer interactions.

• Scalability – Handles millions of users and high message volumes, ideal for enterprises and large-scale apps.

• Versatility – Supports in-app chat, voice, and video across industries from gaming to healthcare.

• Moderation Tools – Built-in filters and safety controls keep conversations secure and community-friendly.

• Responsive Support – Many reviews highlight the helpful and proactive customer support team.

Cons:

• Pricing concerns – Costs are considered high for startups and smaller businesses, with overages adding up.

• Steep learning curve – New users sometimes find onboarding and adoption challenging.

• Frequent updates – Software updates can occasionally introduce bugs or downtime, which can be frustrating for production environments.

• Documentation gaps – While improving, some users want deeper, more detailed documentation.

• Customer support inconsistencies – Although responsive, some reports mention slow resolution times for technical issues.

• UI Kit limitations – Limited support for specific frontend frameworks requires extra customization.

• Gaming – Game studios use Sendbird to enable in-game chat, guild messaging, and player-to-player communication for stronger community engagement.

• Healthcare – Hospitals and telehealth platforms rely on Sendbird for secure patient–doctor chat, virtual consultations, and appointment reminders.

• Marketplaces & E-Commerce – Online marketplaces leverage Sendbird to connect buyers and sellers with real-time messaging, order updates, and customer support.

• Social & Community Apps – Community-driven platforms integrate Sendbird to support group chats, live discussions, and content moderation.

• Customer Support – Businesses deploy Sendbird to automate FAQs with AI chatbots and provide seamless handoffs to human agents.

• Education & E-Learning – EdTech providers utilize Sendbird for live class discussions, peer collaboration, and direct student–teacher communication.

Developer / Free Trial

• Cost: Free

• Includes: Access to all Pro features for evaluation purposes (up to 1,000 MAUs; no overages)

• Note: Intended for testing or MVPs; limited support and functionality in production

Starter Plan

• Cost: $349/month (annually billed) or ~$399/month (month-to-month)

• MAU Tier: ~5,000 Monthly Active Users included

• Features: Basic messaging, moderation, ticketed support, free business messaging credits (~30K messages)

Pro Plan

• Cost: $499/month annually (or ~$599/mo on a month-to-month basis)

• MAU Tier: ~5,000 Monthly Active Users included (scalable)

• Features: All Starter features plus message translation, image moderation, data export, supergroup channels, and business messaging credits

Enterprise Plan

• Pricing: Custom, based on scale (e.g., hundreds of thousands to millions of MAUs)

• Includes: Full Pro functionality plus dedicated servers, advanced moderation tools, priority support, premium SLAs, data export, and custom integrations

Additional Products & Pricing Models

• Business Messaging: Supports in-app, SMS, WhatsApp, KakaoTalk messaging, with global coverage and analytics. Pricing is custom—contact sales

• AI Customer Service / AI Agent Platform: Consumption-based pricing—ideal for scaling AI agent capabilities. Volume discounts and tailored onboarding are available

• Sendbird Calls (Voice & Video API): Priced separately, likely based on usage metrics like minutes or concurrent streams

• Live Streaming & Desk (Customer Support): Sold as standalone modules with custom pricing based on usage and requirements

When choosing between platforms for AI-powered customer engagement, pagergpt offers a compelling alternative to Sendbird, especially for modern, intelligent support experiences. Here's a detailed breakdown comparing the two:

Pricing model

• Sendbird operates on a Monthly Active Users (MAU) pricing model, which can escalate quickly as usage grows—especially when additional features like translation, moderation, or storage are added.

• pagergpt offers transparent, session-based pricing measured via Sessions and Character Count:

1. Magic Plan (Free): 100 sessions, up to 1 M characters, 1 chatbot, 1 admin, removal of branding included.

2. Business Plan ($349/month): 1,000 sessions, 50 M characters, 2 chatbots, 5 admins, plus live chat inbox, knowledge training, app integrations, and lead capture.

3. Enterprise Plan (Custom): Tailored packages with advanced security features like RBAC, MFA, SSO (coming soon), dedicated support manager, and more.

This model makes pagergpt more predictable and scalable, with usage-based billing rather than user-based costs.

Accuracy

• Sendbird excels in messaging reliability but doesn't inherently deliver advanced AI accuracy—it requires integration with external NLP systems for intelligent responses.

• pagergpt is built for accuracy from the ground up, featuring fine-tuned data connectors that enhance understanding, minimize hallucinations, and deliver more context-aware responses.

Message credit limit

• Sendbird’s pricing focuses on user access rather than message volume, potentially penalizing organizations with high-frequency messaging needs.

• pagergpt ties costs directly to usage via Sessions, offering limitless messaging within each session—making it efficient for heavy conversation volumes.

Agentic RAG capabilities

• Sendbird doesn’t natively offer RAG — businesses must build or integrate external tools for context-based reasoning.

• pagergpt comes with advanced RAG-powered training, enabling AI agents to draw from websites, documents, apps, and knowledge bases for informed, accurate real-time responses. 

Live inbox and escalation

• Sendbird is primarily infrastructure-focused and lacks a consolidated support inbox.

• pagergpt provides a shared live inbox where AI and human agents collaborate, with real-time notifications and escalation options.

No-Code AI agent setup

• Sendbird requires more developer input to build and customize.

• pagergpt enables no-code AI agent creation—upload data, set a persona, and deploy in minutes.

Multi-channel deployment

• Sendbird offers a strong in-app messaging infrastructure but is limited on cross-channel deployment.

• Pagergpt deploys agents across websites, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Slack, MS Teams, and more with minimal setup.

Integrations and automation

• Sendbird provides APIs but limited automation out of the box.

• pagergpt connects directly to Stripe, Calendly, HubSpot, Zendesk, Freshdesk, Notion, and more, with workflow automations for payments, scheduling, and ticketing.

Head-to-head comparison: Sendbird vs. pagergpt

Dive deeper into the top alternatives to Sendbird— read our full guide here and find the platform that best fits your support strategy.

Sendbird has built its reputation as a reliable messaging infrastructure, helping businesses embed scalable chat, voice, and video into their apps. But in 2025, customer support requires more than messaging—it demands AI-first platforms that deliver accuracy, automation, and multilingual support at scale.

This is where pagergpt shines. With transparent, session-based pricing, advanced Agentic RAG capabilities, multilingual support, and deep integrations, pagergpt is designed to handle customer conversations intelligently from day one. Instead of layering AI on top of messaging infrastructure, pagergpt gives you a ready-to-go AI agent platform that saves costs, improves accuracy, and scales effortlessly.

If your priority is future-ready, AI-powered customer support, pagergpt is the smarter choice over Sendbird in 2025.

👉 🚀 Ready to move beyond traditional live chat? Book a demo with pagergpt or get started today with the free Magic Plan to see the difference AI-native support can make.