The Cresta Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Cresta in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Cresta
The Insider’s Guide
AI platform for contact centers: agents, live assist and analytics
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among help desk and live chat tools, read from Cresta’s own pages.
Made by Cresta Intelligence, Inc. · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Cresta’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Cresta’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.6
GPA, above 2 of the 92 other help desk and live chat tools we grade
Cresta is an enterprise platform for customer service and sales conversations. It combines AI agents that handle conversations, real-time guidance for human agents, and analytics that review every interaction. It targets large contact centers in sectors such as airlines, insurance, retail and financial services.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about Cresta, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It publishes no price and is sold through a demo.
- 1
Best for an AI platform for contact centers
Cresta is an AI platform that sits on top of a contact center, with agents, live assist and analytics.
- 2
It runs on Web
Web.
- 3
AI Agent
Handles customer conversations across channels and languages, with the option to hand off to a person.
- 4
Agentic Assist
Gives human agents real-time guidance, knowledge and automation during a live conversation.
- 5
Conversation Intelligence
Analyzes every interaction, with an AI Analyst that reports on themes, quality management and journey-level context.
- 6
A 1.6 GPA, above 2 of 92
That is against the other help desk and live chat tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
To replace Cresta you would be making an AI model answering your customers from your own help articles. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Cresta at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Cresta Intelligence, Inc., since 2017
- Category
- Help Desks & Live Chat
- Our grade
- 1.6 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for an AI platform for contact centers
Cresta is an AI platform that sits on top of a contact center, with agents, live assist and analytics. It publishes no price and is sold through a demo.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No price is published, so nothing says it is cheap or dear. |
| Free plan and trial | F | No free plan and no trial is listed, only a demo you book through sales. |
| Features | C | AI agent, live assist, conversation analytics and coaching. It sits on top of existing systems rather than replacing them. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. Enterprise rollout through sales, connected to your CRM and contact-center platform. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web only, and the listing names no integrations. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Cresta is for
- Fits if you run a large contact center that wants AI on top of it
- Works for teams that buy through a sales process
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want to see a price, because none is published
- Not for you if you want a self-serve help desk, as this is a sales-led enterprise platform
- Too light for a small team, since it adds to systems you already run
- Skip it if you want to try it, as only a demo is offered
Good to know
Good for
- Large contact centers with voice and chat volume
- Regulated sectors such as insurance and financial services
- Teams that want AI agents and human-agent coaching in one vendor
Worth knowing
- No pricing is published; the site directs visitors to book a demo, so no plans are listed here.
- It is an enterprise platform with a sales-led rollout, not a self-serve help desk.
- It sits on top of existing systems such as a CRM or contact-center platform rather than replacing them.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Cresta's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No price is published, so nothing says it is cheap or dear.
We could not confirm Cresta’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. cresta.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
AI platform for contact centers: agents, live assist and analytics. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, transcription, workflow automation, AI agents, reports, AI support agent.
AI agent, live assist, conversation analytics and coaching.
- AI Agent
- Handles customer conversations across channels and languages, with the option to hand off to a person.
- Agentic Assist
- Gives human agents real-time guidance, knowledge and automation during a live conversation.
- Conversation Intelligence
- Analyzes every interaction, with an AI Analyst that reports on themes, quality management and journey-level context.
- Deputy Agent
- A long-running agent that carries out back-office CX work from request to completion.
- Coaching and training
- Quality management, coaching and a training simulator built on real conversations, for supervisors and agents.
- Opera orchestration
- A no-code engine for building and orchestrating AI workflows on top of existing systems such as CRM and CCaaS.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Cresta is made by Cresta Intelligence, Inc., and has been around since 2017.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
2/92
Other help desk and live chat tools it is graded above
Cresta's GPA of 1.6 is higher than 2 of the 92 other help desk and live chat tools we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on value for money (C, above 23 of 92) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 93 help desk and live chat tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Cresta’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 23 of 92
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 92
- CFeaturesAbove 3 of 92
- CEase of useAbove 5 of 92
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 92
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Cresta you would be making an AI model answering your customers from your own help articles. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 87 of the 92 other help desk and live chat tools grade higher.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- An AI model answering your customers from your own help articles.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- People on the other end: coaches. No app builder makes those.
What this rests on. Cresta’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
LivePerson, Five9, Talkdesk, Genesys Cloud CX and NICE CXone
The 5 tools Cresta is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 1.8GPA
LivePerson
Paid
Messaging and AI agent platform for enterprise customer service.
- Cresta also covers transcription and workflow automation.
- LivePerson also covers business texting, whatsApp messaging and chatbots.
- 1.8GPA
Five9
From $119/mo
Cloud contact center for voice and digital channels, sold in bundles.
- Cresta also covers transcription and AI agents.
- Five9 also covers live chat and business phone line.
- 1.8GPA
Talkdesk
Free plan · from $85/mo
Cloud contact center for voice and digital channels, with AI agents.
- Talkdesk has a free plan. Cresta does not.
- Cresta also covers transcription and AI agents.
- Talkdesk also covers live chat and business phone line.
- 1.8GPA
Genesys Cloud CX
From $75/mo
Cloud contact center platform for voice and digital service.
- Cresta also covers transcription and AI support agent.
- Genesys Cloud CX also covers whatsApp messaging and chatbots.
- 1.8GPA
NICE CXone
From $110/mo
Cloud contact center suite for voice, digital and AI agents.
- Cresta also covers transcription.
- NICE CXone also covers chatbots.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
9
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Cresta free?
No. Cresta is a paid product.
What platforms does Cresta work on?
Cresta is available on Web.
Does Cresta have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Cresta is listed for Web.
Does Cresta have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Cresta is listed for Web.
Is Cresta open source?
Cresta is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Who makes Cresta?
Cresta is made by Cresta Intelligence, Inc. It dates from 2017.
What are the alternatives to Cresta?
The closest alternatives to Cresta in our directory are LivePerson, Five9, Talkdesk, Genesys Cloud CX and NICE CXone.
How does Cresta compare with other help desk and live chat tools?
Cresta's GPA of 1.6 is higher than 2 of the 92 other help desk and live chat tools we grade, and level with 3.
Could I make my own version of Cresta?
To replace Cresta you would be making an AI model answering your customers from your own help articles.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Cresta’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Cresta's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Cresta Intelligence, Inc. Prices change, so check cresta.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Cresta, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/cresta
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Cresta: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/cresta
Know someone choosing between help desk and live chat tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/cresta/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded help desk and live chat tools after Cresta, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Help Desks & Live Chat Insider's GuideEvery one of the 93 help desk and live chat tools we grade, compared
- Zoho Desk Insider's GuideLow-cost ticketing help desk with a free plan for three users3.4 GPA
- Tidio Insider's GuideLive chat, ticketing and the Lyro AI agent priced by conversations3.2 GPA
- ProProfs Live Chat Insider's GuideLive chat with an AI agent, free for a single operator3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Cresta’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Cresta is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Cresta Intelligence, Inc. Prices and plans change: check cresta.com before you buy.