--- title: "Skolbot vs Drift: which chatbot for student recruitment?" description: "B2B live chat and conversational chatbot" url: "https://www.skolbot.ai/en-AU/comparison/skolbot-vs-drift" language: "en" dateModified: "2026-11-09" --- # Skolbot vs Drift: which chatbot for student recruitment? Updated on November 9, 2026 Drift is Salesloft's B2B conversational chat tool. In March 2026, Salesloft announced its gradual sunset and is referring existing customers to 1mind, presented as its successor. The public pages describe agents that qualify visitors and pass conversations to the CRM and to sales reps. ## The differences that matter ### The available offer In March 2026, Salesloft announced the gradual sunset of Drift and is referring existing customers to 1mind, with no published end date. A school choosing a tool today should ask Salesloft for the timeline and terms of that move. Skolbot is an active offer, built only for student recruitment. ### B2B buyers or applicants Drift qualifies B2B visitors through preset questions, routes them to sales reps and syncs conversations with the CRM. Skolbot qualifies applicants by study level, programme and campus, then sends their record, with a score based on the school's rules and a call brief, to HubSpot, Salesforce, OSCAR Campus, Slate, Zoho or Odoo. ### Setup and timing With Drift's Standard onboarding, launch takes 60 to 90 days and Drift guides the customer through building up to 4 playbooks; with Expedited, reserved for Premium and Advanced plans, it takes 30 days and Drift builds up to 2 playbooks. With Skolbot, our team builds the knowledge base, connects the CRM and configures the agents: go-live comes two weeks after the content, CRM access and WhatsApp number are in place. ## Criterion by criterion | Criterion | Skolbot | Drift | | --- | --- | --- | | Dedicated higher-education offer | Documented. Built for student recruitment in higher education ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-AU/solutions), 2026-08-13) | Conditional or unspecified ([source](https://www.salesloft.com/platform/chat-agents), 2026-08-13) | | Set up by the vendor's team | Documented. Our team builds the knowledge base, connects the CRM and configures the agents ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-AU/onboarding), 2026-10-27) | Conditional or unspecified. Guided onboarding; with Expedited, Drift builds up to 2 playbooks ([source](https://www.salesloft.com/legal/drift/drift-onboarding-details), 2026-10-27) | | Multilingual (6+ languages) | Documented. Answers in the candidate's language ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-AU/solutions), 2026-08-13) | Conditional or unspecified ([source](https://www.salesloft.com/platform/chat-agents), 2026-08-13) | | EU data residency | Documented. Data hosted in the EU, DPA signed with each school ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-AU/security), 2026-08-13) | No. The Drift platform is hosted on AWS in the US ([source](https://www.salesloft.com/security-compliance), 2026-08-13) | | CRM handoff or sync | Documented. HubSpot, Salesforce, OSCAR Campus, Slate, Zoho, Odoo; others by API or webhook ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-AU/integrations), 2026-08-13) | Documented. Interactions synced with the CRM; no CRM named on the page ([source](https://www.salesloft.com/platform/chat-agents), 2026-08-13) | | After-hours responses | Documented. Answers day and night, from the knowledge base ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-AU/solutions/web-agent), 2026-08-13) | Not stated ([source](https://www.salesloft.com/platform/drift/custom-chatbots), 2026-11-09) | | WhatsApp channel | Documented. Answers inbound messages (Capture) and re-engages CRM cohorts (Activate) ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-AU/solutions/whatsapp-capture), 2026-08-13) | Conditional or unspecified ([source](https://www.salesloft.com/platform/chat-agents), 2026-08-13) | | Instagram channel | Documented. Answers Instagram direct messages, day and night ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-AU/solutions/instagram-answer), 2026-10-27) | Not stated ([source](https://www.salesloft.com/platform/drift), 2026-10-27) | | Lead qualification | Documented. Study level, programme, campus; hot, warm or cold lead ([source](https://www.skolbot.ai/en-AU/solutions/web-agent), 2026-08-13) | Documented. Preset questions, data capture, routing to sales reps ([source](https://www.salesloft.com/platform/chat-agents), 2026-08-13) | ## Verdict Drift, being gradually sunset by Salesloft since March 2026, mainly concerns its current B2B customers, who are referred to 1mind. For a school that wants to capture and follow up applicants on its website, WhatsApp and Instagram, with the setup handled and its current CRM, Skolbot is the one to choose. **Choose Skolbot if**: You recruit students and want the setup handled for you: our team builds the knowledge base from your sources, connects your CRM and configures the agents. Your team provides access, settles contradictions and approves before go-live. Your visitors are applicants, not B2B buyers: Skolbot talks programmes, campuses and intakes, and your data stays hosted in the EU. Four agents answer on three channels: the website, WhatsApp and Instagram. When an applicant leaves their details and gives consent, their record reaches your CRM with the information collected and a score based on your qualification rules. **Choose Drift if**: You are already a Drift customer in the Salesloft ecosystem, you sell B2B and you are preparing the move to 1mind offered by Salesloft. ## What Drift does well - Qualification through preset questions and data capture, with routing to sales reps - Interactions synced with the CRM and the sales workflow - Signals fed into Salesloft's Predictive Revenue System - Standard, Expedited and Custom onboarding packages; with Expedited, Drift builds up to 2 playbooks ## Check before you choose - In March 2026, Salesloft announced the gradual sunset of Drift and is referring existing customers to 1mind, with no published end date - No Drift price published on Salesloft's pricing page - B2B positioning, with no published offer for higher education - Languages, WhatsApp and Instagram not specified on the cited product pages - Drift platform hosted on AWS in the US, according to the security page - Standard onboarding: launch in 60 to 90 days; Expedited (Premium and Advanced plans): 30 days ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Drift a good fit for a higher-education school? Drift is a Salesloft B2B chat tool, being gradually sunset since March 2026, that qualifies visitors for sales teams; no offer for higher education is published. For a school that wants to capture and follow up applicants on its website, WhatsApp and Instagram, with the setup handled and its current CRM, we recommend Skolbot, built only for student recruitment. ### What is happening to Drift? On March 5, 2026, Salesloft announced the gradual sunset of Drift and is referring existing customers to 1mind, presented as its successor; no end date is published. A school looking for an agent for its applicants can choose Skolbot, an active offer built only for student recruitment, set up by our team and connected to its current CRM. ### How much do Drift and Skolbot cost? Salesloft's pricing page publishes no price for Drift. Skolbot is on quote, depending on the size of the school and the package. For a school that wants to capture and follow up applicants with the setup handled, Skolbot includes the knowledge base build and the CRM connection by our team; ask each vendor what its price covers.