Chatbase vs Crisp
We give Chatbase a 2.0 GPA and Crisp a 2.6, out of 4.0. Crisp grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Chatbase
Build AI support agents trained on your content, priced by credits
Crisp
Live chat and shared inbox priced per workspace, not per seat
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAChatbaseFair | 2.6GPACrispGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DHobby is $32 a month billed yearly for 700 message credits and 2 members, at the dearer quarter of help desks. What a support team needs, the helpdesk inbox, API and Zendesk links, starts on Standard at $120 for 3 members, and five people need Pro at $400. | CMini is $45 a month for 4 seats, about $11 each, but $45 for one person. A team of five needs Essentials at $95 for 10 seats, $19 a head, a little under the middle of help desks. That's also where WhatsApp, Instagram and a help center start. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 7-day trial of Hobby, Standard or Pro. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card, and there's no free plan. | CA free plan with 2 seats, the chat widget, a contact form and the apps, plus a 14-day trial. The cap you'll hit is 100 customer profiles, and there's no email channel and no AI. |
| Features | CIt does the AI agent job fully: trained on your files and site, a choice of AI models, actions in other tools, and voice from Standard. The human side is thinner, a hand-off inbox from Standard, and the listing shows no ticketing or help center. | BChat with a live visitor map, a shared inbox for email, social, WhatsApp, SMS and phone, the Hugo AI agent, a chatbot and workflow builder and a multilingual help center. Across the plans it covers the job, though ticketing needs Plus. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You feed it documents and pages, pick a model, set up actions and channels, and check its answers. That's real setup before customers see it. | C4.43 from 522 App Store ratings, below most support apps here. The chat box is quick to add, but the chatbot builder and channel connections take setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web app with no desktop or phone app, but the agent goes out to websites, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Slack and email, with Zendesk, Salesforce, HubSpot, Intercom, Shopify and Zapier, and an API from Standard. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android apps, with Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, Slack, HubSpot, Zapier, Stripe and Salesforce, and an API. Every device type is covered. |
| Best for | building an AI agent from your own docs | flat-priced chat and inbox for small teams |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Chatbase and Crisp. How we grade
Price against what you get
Chatbase starts at $32 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Crisp starts at $45 a month and scores 3.0.
Crisp scores higher, and starts $13 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 11 score higher than Chatbase for less, and 2 score higher than Crisp for less.
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
Where they differ
- 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.
At a glance
| Chatbase | Crisp | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $32 per month for 700 message credits, billed annually ($40 billed monthly) | $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats |
| Free plan | None | 2 seats, the website chat widget, a contact form and shared inbox, mobile and desktop apps, store integrations and 100 customer profiles. No AI credits. |
| Free trial | 7-day trial of the Hobby, Standard or Pro plan | 14-day free trial of any plan |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Chatbase Inc. | Crisp IM SAS |
| Price read from | chatbase.co | crisp.chat |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Chatbase
- Businesses adding an AI agent to their website or messaging apps
- Support teams that want AI in front of an existing help desk
- Teams that prefer usage-based pricing to per-seat plans
Crisp
- Small teams that want chat and email support at a flat monthly price
- Online stores on Shopify, WooCommerce or WordPress
- Teams that dislike being billed per conversation
Worth knowing
Chatbase
- Every plan includes one AI agent; more cost $300 per agent a year.
- Message credits beyond the monthly allowance cost $40 per 1,000 through auto recharge; those credits do not expire.
- Removing the "Powered by Chatbase" branding costs $1,188 a year.
- Hobby has no API access and no help desk or CRM integrations; those, voice and the helpdesk inbox start on Standard.
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.
Key features
Chatbase
- AI agents trained on your content
- Agents learn from uploaded files, websites and, on Pro, past support tickets, and can re-sync their sources automatically from Standard up.
- Choice of AI model
- Every plan can run agents on models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Mistral, DeepSeek and others.
- AI actions
- Agents can take actions in other tools, with 5 actions per agent on Hobby, 8 on Standard and 12 on Pro.
- Channels
- Deploy on a website, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Slack and email; voice agents and phone calls start on Standard.
- Helpdesk hand-off
- Standard adds a Chatbase helpdesk inbox for human replies and integrations that pass conversations to Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, Gorgias and others.
- Analytics
- Basic conversation analytics on every plan; Pro adds advanced analytics and suggestions for content the agent is missing.
Crisp
- Chat widget
- A customizable chat box for websites with a live visitor map, proactive messages and, from Essentials, video and audio chat and live translation.
- Shared inbox for every channel
- Chat, contact forms, email, Messenger, Telegram and X from Mini; WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, Viber, LINE and phone from Essentials.
- Hugo AI agent
- An AI agent answers customers from Mini up, paid from included AI credits. Essentials adds knowledge training, an internal copilot and writing help.
- Chatbot and workflow builder
- A no-code builder for AI chatbots and automated flows with conditions, webhooks and CRM triggers, from the Essentials plan.
- Help center
- A multilingual help center with its own domain, search and SEO settings, included from Essentials.
- Unlimited conversations
- Every plan is a flat monthly price per workspace with no cap on the number of conversations handled.
Plans
Chatbase
Hobby$32
per month for 700 message credits, billed annually ($40 monthly)
1 AI agent, 2 members, 10 MB of training content, basic analytics and basic integrations such as Shopify, Slack, WhatsApp and WordPress.
Standard$120
per month for 4,000 message credits, billed annually ($150 monthly)
3 members, the Chatbase helpdesk inbox, voice and phone calls, outbound campaigns, API access and links to Zendesk, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier.
Pro$400
per month for 15,000 message credits, billed annually ($500 monthly)
5 members, 40 MB of training content, 12 AI actions per agent, advanced analytics, source suggestions and past tickets as a training source.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom usage and billing, SSO, HIPAA eligibility, audit logs, custom roles, white-labeling, SLAs and a success manager. Sold through sales.
Crisp
Free$0
2 seats, website chat and a contact form in a shared inbox, 100 customer profiles and Shopify, WooCommerce and WordPress links. No AI.
Mini$45
per workspace / month, with 4 seats
Adds email, Telegram, Messenger and X, canned replies, internal notes, full history and the AI Agent with $5 of credits, around 90 automated conversations.
Essentials$95
per workspace / month, with 10 seats
Adds WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS and phone, a help center, a workflow and chatbot builder, analytics, round-robin and $25 of AI credits (about 450).
Plus$295
per workspace / month for 20 seats, plus $10 per extra agent
Adds a ticketing portal, white labelling, Stripe and Salesforce, AI spam filter and summaries, and $75 of AI credits, around 1,350 automated conversations.
EnterpriseCustom
A custom plan arranged with Crisp for larger needs.
Ways to pay less
Chatbase
- Annual discount
20% off with yearly billing
Chatbase's pricing page gives 20% off for yearly billing: Hobby is $32 a month billed yearly against $40 monthly, a saving of $96 a year.
Crisp
- Nonprofit
50% off for nonprofits
Crisp's pricing FAQ offers nonprofits a 50% discount through a promo code requested in chat.
- Education
50% off for students
Crisp's pricing FAQ offers students a 50% discount through a promo code requested in chat.
- Other savings
20% off extra workspaces
Accounts paying for several Essentials or Plus workspaces can get 20% off three additional workspaces by asking Crisp in chat.
