Conversational marketing, being sunset · checked 28 Sept 2026
DeskFerry vs Drift
Drift was a website chat tool for qualifying visitors and booking sales meetings. Salesloft bought it in 2024 and announced its gradual sunset in March 2026. Drift.com now redirects to Salesloft, which points buyers to 1mind. This page covers what that means if you use Drift today.
Choose Drift when
- you are an existing customer mid-contract and it still does the job
- your pipeline already runs in Salesloft cadences
Choose DeskFerry when
- you're replacing the back-office work Drift conversations used to trigger
- you want agents to update the CRM, route leads and follow up after a chat
- you want a product with an active roadmap
01 · Status
Drift: gradual sunset since March 2026
DeskFerry: actively developed
02 · New signups
Drift: none: drift.com redirects to Salesloft
DeskFerry: 7-day free trial
03 · Successor
Drift: 1mind, under a Salesloft partnership
DeskFerry: n/a
04 · Focus
Drift: website visitor chat and meeting booking
DeskFerry: back-office agents across your apps
What happened to Drift
From acquisition to sunset in two years
The short history, from Salesloft's own announcements and Salesforce's security advisory.
Feb 2024
Salesloft acquires Drift
Drift's chat and Playbooks become part of Salesloft's revenue platform.
SourceAug 2025
The Drift–Salesforce token breach
Between 8 and 18 August, attackers used compromised OAuth tokens from the Drift integration to pull data from the Salesforce instances of hundreds of organisations. Salesforce disabled the connection on 28 August.
SourceMar 2026
Gradual sunset announced
Salesloft announced the gradual sunset of standalone Drift and an exclusive partnership referring customers to 1mind. No hard shutdown date was published.
SourceSep 2026
Drift.com redirects to Salesloft
Salesloft's chat page now reads "We've transitioned from Drift to 1mind." Existing customers keep a login link.
What it means
If you're choosing a website chat tool, Drift isn't really an option anymore; compare 1mind or a help desk with chat. If you're replacing what happened after a Drift conversation (CRM updates, lead routing, follow-up emails), that's the work DeskFerry agents do.
Feature by feature
Where each one wins
| Feature | Drift | DeskFerry | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Availability | Existing customers only; being sunset | Available | DeskFerry |
| Website visitor chat | Playbooks for qualification and booking | Embeddable chat widget | Depends |
| Sales cadences | Tied into Salesloft | Not a sales engagement tool | Drift |
| CRM updates after a conversation | Via the Salesforce integration (disabled after the 2025 incident) | Agents update HubSpot, Salesforce and others | DeskFerry |
| Roadmap | Customers referred to 1mind | Active | DeskFerry |
Sources: Salesloft: 1mind partnership · Salesloft chat agents · Salesforce security advisory · checked 28 Sept 2026
Straight talk
When to stay on Drift
You're mid-contract and it works
Nothing forces an overnight switch. Use the remaining term to plan the move calmly.
You live in Salesloft
If cadences run in Salesloft, its recommended path to 1mind will fit your pipeline better than any outside tool.
You only need on-site chat
DeskFerry isn't a like-for-like chat replacement. For live website qualification, compare dedicated chat tools.
Moving over
Split what Drift did into two jobs
Drift did two things: it talked to visitors, and it set off work afterwards. Replace them separately.
Pick a chat front end
1mind, a help desk's chat, or DeskFerry's widget for simpler cases.
List what fired after a Playbook
Lead routing, CRM fields, meeting follow-ups, Slack alerts to reps.
Brief an agent for that list
It picks up new leads from the chat tool and does the rest across your CRM and inbox.
FAQ
Drift questions
Is Drift shutting down?
Salesloft announced a gradual sunset of standalone Drift on 5 March 2026 and refers customers to 1mind. No hard shutdown date has been published, and drift.com now redirects to Salesloft.
What was the Salesloft Drift breach?
In August 2025, attackers used compromised OAuth tokens from the Drift–Salesforce integration to export data from hundreds of organisations' Salesforce instances. Salesforce disabled the integration on 28 August 2025. Check Salesforce's advisory to see whether your org was affected.
Is DeskFerry a Drift replacement?
Partly. DeskFerry replaces the work that happened after a Drift conversation: routing, CRM updates and follow-ups. For the live chat itself, look at a dedicated chat tool.
What is 1mind?
An independent AI sales-engagement company that Salesloft partnered with exclusively when it began sunsetting Drift. It is Salesloft's recommended path for Drift customers.
Replace what happened after the chat
Brief an agent to route leads, update the CRM and follow up, whichever chat tool you move to.