Gist vs HelpCrunch (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Gist grades higher than HelpCrunch: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Gist grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Gist
Live chat, help desk and email marketing in one small-business app
HelpCrunch
Live chat, shared inbox, chatbot and email in one platform
Which one is for you
Pick Gist if
- Fits if you are a very small team, as the free plan covers 2 support seats
- Works for teams that prefer a flat price for several seats
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 2 seats, and email forwarding is a paid feature
- Watch out: Premium's $99 is shown against a crossed-out $499 and marked ending soon, with no end date
- Watch out: marketing and all-in-one bundles are priced by contact count, and no annual rate is shown
- Watch out: the page mentions 30% off for new customers in India for a limited time
Pick HelpCrunch if
- Fits if one or two people answer site visitors and also send email campaigns
- Works for a small team that wants chat and a shared inbox at $12 a seat
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need WhatsApp, chatbots or AI Agents, which start on PRO at $20
- Pricey if you outgrow PRO, since Unlimited is $495 a month billed annually
- Tight if you lean on AI: extra AI conversations are $29 a month for 100 on monthly billing
- Watch out: the shown price is for 1 team member and the lowest email volume, and sliders raise it
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there is only a trial
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAGistGood | 2.4GPAHelpCrunchFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$29 a month for up to 5 support seats on Professional. Premium's $99 is a promotion, shown against a crossed-out $499. | B$12 per team member a month on annual billing is inside the cheapest quarter of this category ($19). PRO is $20, then Unlimited jumps to $495 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | BA free plan with 2 support seats, live chat, team inbox, unlimited history and mobile apps, plus a 21-day trial. | CA free trial with no credit card, and no free plan after it. |
| Features | CLive chat, inbox, knowledge base and bots. Email, bots and reports sit on paid plans, and marketing is sold separately. | CLive chat, shared inbox, chatbot flows, AI agents, a knowledge base, popups and email campaigns. The listing's gap: Basic has no WhatsApp, chatbot or AI Agents, and no ticketing with SLAs is shown. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Chat, bots and a knowledge base to set up. | CNo store rating on record, and widgets, channels, chatbot flows and popups all need setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with Zapier, WordPress, WooCommerce, Stripe, Google Calendar and Zoom. | BWeb plus iPhone and Android apps, and the pages list a REST API and mobile SDKs. Only 3 integrations are named. |
| Best for | live chat and a team inbox for a very small team | live chat and email for a small site |
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: Gist and HelpCrunch. How we grade
Price against what you get
Gist starts at $29 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. HelpCrunch starts at $12 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and HelpCrunch starts $17 a month lower. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 16 score higher than Gist for less, and 4 score higher than HelpCrunch 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
- Gist also covers marketing automation.
- HelpCrunch also covers AI support agent and popups.
At a glance
| Gist | HelpCrunch | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 per month for 5 support seats | $12 per month for 1 team member, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Gist Support Free: 2 support seats with live chat, team inbox, unlimited conversation history, saved replies and mobile apps. | None |
| Free trial | 21-day free trial of paid plans | Free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Gist | HelpCrunch Corporation |
| Price read from | getgist.com | helpcrunch.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Gist
- Premium is shown at $99 against a crossed-out $499, marked "ending soon" with no end date; the regular price may apply later.
- Marketing and All-in-One bundle prices are separate and depend on contact count; only the Support plans are listed here.
- The pricing page was read with its billing toggle hidden, so these are monthly prices; the page did not show an annual rate.
- The pricing page says new customers based in India can get 30% off some plans for a limited time.
HelpCrunch
- Basic has no WhatsApp channel, chatbot, AI Agents or branding removal; those start on PRO.
- AI conversations are an extension: on monthly billing 100 more cost $29 a month and 1,000 cost $200.
- The displayed price is for 1 team member and the lowest email volume; the page's sliders raise it with more members and emails.
- Unlimited is $495 a month billed annually ($620 billed monthly), a large step above PRO.
Key features
Gist
- Live chat and team inbox
- A messenger for your site or app and a shared inbox for the team, with saved replies, office hours and iOS and Android apps.
- Knowledge base
- A multilingual help center that customers can search, with article ratings and feedback. The public knowledge base starts on the Professional plan.
- Chatbots and support bot
- A lead qualification bot comes on Professional and custom bots on Premium. A support bot that answers repeat questions is listed as an add-on.
- Email marketing and automation
- Email campaigns, workflows, event tracking, forms and a deal pipeline sit in a separate Marketing product line priced by contact count.
- Meetings and surveys
- Automated meeting scheduling syncs with Google and Office 365 calendars; surveys and product tours are on the Premium support plan.
HelpCrunch
- Live chat and shared inbox
- Chat widgets for websites and apps feed a shared inbox, with Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, Viber and WhatsApp channels counted as messenger channels.
- AI Agents
- AI Agents trained on your content answer common questions across channels and languages. Plans include a limit of AI conversations and data sources, extendable for a fee.
- Chatbot flows
- Chatbot flows handle common questions and engagement; PRO allows 15 active flows and Unlimited has no cap.
- Email and popups
- Email blasts, automated campaigns and popups are part of the product, with a monthly email allowance that the pricing slider sets.
- Knowledge base
- A help center for customer self-service; Basic is limited to one language and PRO and Unlimited are multilingual.
- Mobile apps and SDKs
- Mobile apps let agents reply on the go, and iOS, Android and React Native SDKs add the chat widget to your own app.
Plans
Gist
Free (Support)$0
2 support seats, live chat, team inbox, unlimited conversation history, saved replies, office hours and mobile apps.
Professional (Support)$29
per month for up to 5 support seats
Adds email forwarding, Facebook and Twitter integrations, a public knowledge base, chat triggers, a lead qualification bot, satisfaction ratings and Zapier.
Premium (Support)$99
per month for unlimited support seats
Adds custom chatbots, surveys, product tours, assignment rules, reports and roles. Shown as $99 against a crossed-out $499, marked "ending soon".
HelpCrunch
Basic$12
per month for 1 team member, billed annually ($15 monthly)
1 widget, 15 messenger channels, 3 auto messages and popups, 20 AI Editor requests. No WhatsApp, chatbot or AI agents. Price rises with team size and email volume.
PRO$20
per month for 1 team member, billed annually ($25 monthly)
5 widgets, 25 messenger channels, WhatsApp, 15 chatbot flows, 5 AI Agents and 50 AI conversations. Price rises with team size and email volume.
Unlimited$495
per month for unlimited team members, billed annually ($620 monthly)
50,000 emails, unlimited widgets, chatbot flows and AI Agents, 100 messenger channels, 100 AI conversations and the highest priority support.
Ways to pay less
Gist
No public discounts listed.
HelpCrunch
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
The pricing page says billing annually saves 20%, and shows Basic at $12 against $15, PRO at $20 against $25 and Unlimited at $495 against $620.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Gist or HelpCrunch?
As of Nov 12, 2026, HelpCrunch is cheaper to start with: $12 a month, against $29 a month for Gist. Gist starts at $29 per month for 5 support seats, and HelpCrunch starts at $12 per month for 1 team member, billed annually ($15 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Gist or HelpCrunch?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Gist has a free plan. HelpCrunch does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.