Alternatives · Help Desks
Crisp alternatives
Crisp compared with 7 alternatives: Tidio, Intercom, Chatwoot, tawk.to, Text by LiveChat and 2 more.
Crisp has a free plan. Paid plans start at $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats. 4 of the 7 alternatives are free or have a free plan. 3 more offer a free trial.
7 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 17, 2026 · Where the facts come from
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| CrispThis tool | Free plan · from $45/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Tidio | Free plan · from $24.17/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Intercom | Free trial · from $29/mo | Trial only | Web, iOS, Android |
| Chatwoot | Free plan · from $19/mo | Yes | Web, iOS, Android |
| tawk.to | Free plan · from $29/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Text by LiveChat | Free trial · from $19/mo | Trial only | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Chatbase | Free trial · from $32/mo | Trial only | Web |
| Smartsupp | Free plan · from $17/mo | Yes | Web, iOS, Android |
Price against what you get
Crisp starts at $45 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 1 of the 7 alternatives on this chart scores higher and starts lower: Tidio.
Intercom, Chatwoot, tawk.to, Text by LiveChat, Chatbase and Smartsupp start lower without scoring higher.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from Crisp
- Free plan · from $24.17/mo
Tidio
Live chat, ticketing and the Lyro AI agent priced by conversations
- Tidio starts at $24.17 per month for 100 conversations, billed annually ($29 monthly). Crisp starts at $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats.
- Tidio also covers help desk.
- Crisp also covers shared inbox and help center.
Suits: Small online stores, especially on Shopify or WordPress
- Free trial · from $29/mo
Intercom
Helpdesk with live chat and the Fin AI agent priced per outcome
- Intercom starts at $29 per seat / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly). Crisp starts at $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats.
- Crisp has a free plan. Intercom does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Crisp lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Intercom also covers reports and help desk.
Suits: Software and app companies that support customers through in-app chat
- Free plan · from $19/mo
Chatwoot
Open-source support inbox you can self-host or use in the cloud
- Chatwoot starts at $19 per agent / month, billing term not stated. Crisp starts at $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats.
- Only Crisp lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Chatwoot is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
Suits: Teams that want to run their support inbox on their own servers
- Free plan · from $29/mo
tawk.to
Free live chat, ticketing and help center, with paid add-ons
- tawk.to starts at $29 per month for the AI Assist or Whitelabel add-on. Crisp starts at $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats.
- tawk.to also covers help desk.
- Crisp also covers shared inbox.
Suits: Small businesses that want website chat without paying per seat
- Free trial · from $19/mo
Text by LiveChat
Website chat, ticketing and an AI agent from the LiveChat team
- Text by LiveChat starts at $19 per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly). Crisp starts at $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats.
- Crisp has a free plan. Text by LiveChat does not, though it has a free trial.
- Text by LiveChat also covers help desk.
- Crisp also covers shared inbox and help center.
Suits: Online stores, especially on Shopify, that sell through chat
- Free trial · from $32/mo
Chatbase
Build AI support agents trained on your content, priced by credits
- Chatbase starts at $32 per month for 700 message credits, billed annually ($40 billed monthly). Crisp starts at $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats.
- Crisp has a free plan. Chatbase does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Crisp lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- Chatbase also covers help desk.
- Crisp also covers shared inbox, live chat and help center.
Suits: Businesses adding an AI agent to their website or messaging apps
- Free plan · from $17/mo
Smartsupp
Live chat, WhatsApp and email inbox with the Mira AI shopping agent
- Smartsupp starts at $17 per month for 1 operator, billed annually ($24 billed monthly). Crisp starts at $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats.
- Only Crisp lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Crisp also covers help center.
Suits: Small online stores, especially in Europe
Limits worth knowing in Crisp
- The Free plan has 2 seats, chat and contact forms only, 100 customer profiles and no AI.
- AI use is capped by credits: $5 on Mini, $25 on Essentials and $75 on Plus. The pricing page does not say what extra credits cost.
- WhatsApp, Instagram, a help center and analytics need Essentials at $95 a month; ticketing and white labelling need Plus.
- A workspace connects one account per messaging channel; more require higher limits. Agents beyond 20 on Plus cost $10 a month each.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Crisp?
The alternatives to Crisp in this directory are Tidio, Intercom, Chatwoot, tawk.to, Text by LiveChat, Chatbase and Smartsupp. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Crisp.
Is there a free alternative to Crisp?
Yes. Tidio, Chatwoot, tawk.to and Smartsupp have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Is there an open-source alternative to Crisp?
Chatwoot is described as open source on its own site.
When were these prices checked?
Every listing on this page was checked on Oct 17, 2026, against the pages it cites. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.