Here’s a concise, vendor-neutral list of the top AI messaging platforms for customer engagement (2025) with a one-line strength and when to pick each. I’ve cited each vendor’s product/announcements so you can dive deeper.

Top platforms (brief)

• Intercom — Fin (AI Agent): strong no-code AI agent focused on conversational, multilingual support across chat, email, voice and social; good for product-led companies that want fast setup and a deeply integrated inbox + bot experience. (intercom.com)

• LivePerson — Conversational Cloud: enterprise conversational AI with rich NLU, conversation analytics and bot‑to‑agent orchestration for large scale messaging and voice automation. Best when you need enterprise-grade analytics, omnichannel scale and advanced intent management. (liveperson.com)

• Ada: purpose-built customer-service LLM and generative-AI suite for automated self‑service and agent copilot workflows; strong for multilingual self‑service and fast, low-code bot management. (prnewswire.com)

• Zendesk Messaging / AI Agents: omnichannel messaging + AI agents that tie directly into Zendesk ticketing/guide; good if you already use Zendesk and want native AI-driven message automation and routing. (zendesk.com)

• Freshworks (Freshchat + Freddy): integrated support suite with Freddy generative/assistant features (self‑service bots, agent copilot, insights) — good for mid‑market to enterprise teams wanting bundled ticketing + messaging + AI. (freshworks.com)

• Salesforce (Service Cloud / Einstein GPT / Einstein Copilot): deeply integrated generative AI inside CRM and Service Cloud — best when you need AI that uses CRM data for highly personalized agent replies, automation and case generation at enterprise scale. (salesforce.com)

• Twilio (Flex Conversations / Conversational AI features): developer-first CPaaS for building custom messaging & voice AI (Flex Conversations, Agent Copilot, ConversationRelay); choose Twilio when you need maximum channel coverage, custom integrations or a programmable platform. (twilio.com)

• Drift (Drift Engage / Bionic Chatbots): conversational marketing & buyer-engagement platform with intent scoring and AI chatbots optimized for B2B pipeline generation — ideal for revenue teams that want to convert website visitors into meetings/leads. (prnewswire.com)

• ManyChat: easy, no‑code chat marketing automation for social channels (Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger) with AI add‑ons — best for SMBs and ecommerce/social‑first brands focusing on marketing and sales automation. (manychat.com)

• Genesys Cloud (Genesys Cloud AI / Copilot): contact‑center and experience‑orchestration platform with agent copilots, virtual agents and conversational intelligence — strong choice for large contact centers needing CX orchestration and deep QA/analytics. (genesys.com)

Quick selection guide (how to pick)

• If you want no-code, fast bot setup + integrated agent inbox: Intercom, Ada, Freshchat. (intercom.com)
• If you need B2B revenue-focused chat (lead qualification & intent): Drift, ManyChat (for social). (prnewswire.com)
• If you’re an enterprise contact center (voice + messaging + analytics): Genesys, LivePerson, Salesforce, Twilio (Flex). (genesys.com)
• If you need maximum programmability and channel reach: Twilio (developers). (twilio.com)
• If you want CRM-native generative AI (pulls customer data for personalized replies): Salesforce (Einstein GPT). (salesforce.com)

Practical tips for a POC

• Test on the channels you actually use (web chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, voice).
• Use real knowledge sources (FAQs, help center, transcripts) to train/seed the bot.
• Measure containment rate, time-to-resolution, handoff quality and CSAT.
• Check governance: data residency, model‑training policies, PII handling and audit logging.

If you want, I can:

• produce a 2–3 vendor short‑list tailored to your company size, channels and tech stack (no extra info required), or
• summarize pricing/implementation timelines for any 3 vendors above.

(References: vendor product pages and recent product announcements used above.)