The best Crisp alternative depends on why you are leaving. For AI chat, a team inbox and a CRM pipeline with up to 20 users for one flat price, try CRMsoftware.pro (free for 3 users, $19 a month for 8). For free live chat with no seat limit, tawk.to. For a free plan with up to 10 agents, Freshchat. For open source, Chatwoot. For email-first support, Help Scout. For the most capable AI agent, Intercom.
We checked every price on the vendor's own pricing page on October 5–6, 2026. Prices are in US dollars, billed yearly unless we say otherwise, before tax. CRMsoftware.pro is our own product, so we list its limits too. No made-up scores or tests: each tool gets its real price, its pros and cons, and who it suits.
Why teams look for a Crisp alternative
Crisp has a clean shared inbox and charges per workspace, not per seat. Teams usually start looking when one of these becomes a problem:
- Seat limits force big jumps. Free has 2 seats, Mini ($45 a month) 4, Essentials ($95) 10 and Plus ($295) 20, with extra seats at $10 on Plus. The fifth teammate moves you from $45 to $95; the eleventh from $95 to $295.
- Channels sit on Essentials. WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and the omnichannel AI chatbot start on Essentials. Mini covers website chat and a shared email inbox.
- AI runs on credits. Mini includes $5 of AI credits, Essentials $25 and Plus $75. Crisp's help center puts a full AI-handled conversation at about $0.05–$0.10, and after the included credits you pay as you go. The free plan has no AI.
- The full AI suite and ticketing are on Plus. The "AI-First Support Suite", the ticketing system and white labelling start at $295 a month.
Crisp alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Entry price (checked Oct 5–6, 2026) | How AI is billed | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crisp (for reference) | Flat-priced shared inbox | $45/mo per workspace (4 seats) | Credits; $5 included on Mini | Yes, 2 seats, no AI |
| CRMsoftware.pro | AI chat + inbox + CRM, users included | $19/mo for up to 8 users | AI messages included (1,000 a month on Launch) | Yes, 3 users, 100 AI messages |
| tawk.to | Free live chat for any team size | Free | AI Assist: 100 message credits a month free | Yes; branding removal from $29/mo |
| Freshchat | Free plan for a larger team | $19/agent/mo | $49 per 100 AI sessions | Yes, up to 10 agents |
| Chatwoot | Open source and self-hosting | $19/agent/mo (cloud) | Captain credits; extra $20 per 1,000 | Yes, 2 agents; or self-host |
| Help Scout | Email-first support | $25/user/mo | $0.75 per AI resolution | Yes, 5 users, 1 inbox |
| HubSpot | Teams already on HubSpot CRM | $20/seat list ($7 limited-time offer) | HubSpot Credits | Yes, live chat for 2 users |
| Intercom | AI-first support at scale | $19/seat/mo | $0.99 per Fin outcome | No, 14-day trial |
| LiveChat | Human-led sales chat | $19/seat/mo (Starter, 1 user); Team $49/seat | AI agent sold via Text, from $19/user/mo | No, 14-day trial |
| Tidio | Small online stores | $24.17/mo (100 conversations) | Lyro from $32.50/mo for 50 AI conversations | Yes, 50 conversations a month |
What a 6-person team really pays
Six people is where Crisp's Mini plan (4 seats) no longer fits. Here is one realistic month: 6 people, 800 chats, the AI answers every chat first and fully resolves 300, and people handle the other 500. Billed yearly, list prices, before tax.
| Tool and plan | How the bill adds up | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|
| tawk.to | Free live chat for all 6; AI beyond 100 credits a month is a paid add-on | $0 + AI |
| CRMsoftware.pro Growth | $49 flat for 20 users; 3,000 AI messages included (about 2,400 used at roughly 3 per chat) | $49 |
| Crisp Essentials | $95 flat (10 seats); 800 AI conversations at about $0.05–$0.10 each, minus the $25 of credits included | About $110–$150 |
| Chatwoot Startups (cloud) | 6 × $19 = $114, plus AI credits beyond the included amount ($20 per 1,000) | From $114 |
| HubSpot Service Hub Starter | 6 × $20 = $120 at list price ($42 on the current $7 offer), plus HubSpot Credits for the AI agent | $120 + AI |
| LiveChat Team | 6 × $49 = $294; the AI agent is a separate Text subscription | $294 + AI |
| Help Scout Standard | 6 × $25 = $150 + 300 AI resolutions × $0.75 = $225 (free for the first 3 months) | $375 |
| Intercom Essential | 6 × $19 = $114 + 300 Fin outcomes × $0.99 = $297 | $411 |
| Freshchat Growth | 6 × $19 = $114 + 800 AI sessions × $0.49 = $392 | $506 |
| Tidio Growth + Lyro | $107.50 (600 billable conversations) + $583.33 (1,000 Lyro conversations), from Tidio's calculator; tiers round up | $690.83 |
Crisp stays good value at this size. The difference comes from AI billing: tools that charge per AI session or per resolution cost far more once the AI answers every chat. Your mix will differ, so try our free AI chatbot pricing calculator, and the live chat staffing calculator to see how many agents your volume needs.
CRMsoftware.pro includes users and AI messages in one flat price: 8 users on Launch, 20 on Growth, with a team inbox, human handover and a CRM pipeline. Start free with 3 users, or see pricing.
The 9 best Crisp alternatives
1. CRMsoftware.pro: best for AI chat plus a CRM
CRMsoftware.pro puts an AI chat and voice agent on your website, trained on your own content, with human handover, a unified inbox and a sales pipeline in the same workspace. A chat can become a contact and a deal, and the AI can book a meeting. The AI replies in 95+ languages.
- Price: Free (3 users, 100 AI messages and 3 AI voice minutes a month, 1 bot, 1 website); Launch $19/mo for 8 users and 1,000 AI messages; Growth $49 for 20 users and 3,000; Scale $99 for 50 users and 10,000. Monthly billing: $24, $59 and $119.
- Pros: users and AI messages are included; WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Messenger and Slack from Launch; bookings, quotes and invoices built in.
- Cons: not a full ticketing help desk with SLAs; the email inbox is in beta; the API and HubSpot/Salesforce sync start on Scale.
- Best for: small businesses where the same people answer customers and close sales.
2. tawk.to: best free live chat
tawk.to is free live chat with no limit on agents or chats. AI Assist comes with 100 message credits a month, and removing the tawk.to branding starts at $29 a month per website.
- Pros: free for any number of agents; ticketing, a knowledge base and a contact list included.
- Cons: the AI allowance is small; branding removal and some features are paid add-ons; fewer automation options than paid tools.
- Best for: teams that need human live chat and have no software budget.
3. Freshchat: best free plan for a larger team
Freshchat is free for up to 10 agents, and paid plans start at $19 per agent per month billed yearly. The Freddy AI Agent costs $49 per 100 sessions. Freshdesk Omni, which adds full ticketing, starts at $29 per agent.
- Pros: the most generous free seat count here; WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and SMS channels.
- Cons: AI sessions get expensive at volume; Freshchat and Freshdesk Omni overlap, which makes the choice confusing.
- Best for: teams of 5–10 that want messaging channels with no seat fee.
4. Chatwoot: best open-source option
Chatwoot is an open-source support inbox with its own AI agent, Captain. You can self-host it for free or use the cloud: Startups is $19 per agent per month, Business $39. The free cloud plan covers 2 agents and 500 conversations a month with 30-day data retention. Extra Captain credits are $20 per 1,000.
- Pros: open source; keep data on your own servers; many channels, including WhatsApp and email.
- Cons: self-hosting needs technical skills; the cloud plans are priced per agent.
- Best for: technical teams that want control over their data.
5. Help Scout: best for email-first support
Help Scout feels like a shared email inbox that customers do not notice. Standard is $25 per user per month billed yearly, Plus $45 and Pro $75. Its AI Answers bot costs $0.75 per resolution, with a spending cap and 3 months of free resolutions for new accounts. The free plan covers 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site; chat channels start on Standard.
- Pros: excellent email collaboration; useful free plan; simple to learn.
- Cons: per-user pricing; chat channels need a paid plan.
- Best for: teams where most customer questions arrive by email.
6. HubSpot: best if you already use HubSpot CRM
HubSpot's free tools include live chat for up to 2 users. Service Hub Starter lists at $20 per seat per month, with a limited-time offer of $7. The AI agent runs on HubSpot Credits.
- Pros: chats land in the same CRM as your marketing and sales data; a large app marketplace.
- Cons: the free plan shows HubSpot branding; the AI agent runs on HubSpot Credits on top of seat prices.
- Best for: companies that already run sales or marketing in HubSpot.
7. Intercom: best AI agent at scale
Intercom's Fin is one of the most capable AI support agents. Essential is $19 per seat per month billed yearly ($29 monthly), Advanced $85, Expert $132, and Fin costs $0.99 per outcome. There is a 14-day trial and no free plan.
- Pros: strong AI agent, help center and reporting; good for product-led SaaS.
- Cons: seat plus per-outcome pricing adds up; more than a small team needs. See our Intercom alternatives if the price is the issue.
- Best for: growing support teams that will use the help center and AI heavily.
8. LiveChat: best for human-led sales chat
LiveChat is $19 per seat per month billed yearly on Starter, which has one user; Team is $49 per seat. An AI reply assistant is included, and the full AI agent is sold through its sister product Text, from $19 per user per month billed yearly. There is a 14-day trial.
- Pros: polished agent app with mobile apps; many integrations.
- Cons: per-seat pricing gets expensive; the AI agent and a CRM are separate purchases.
- Best for: sales teams with people online during business hours.
9. Tidio: best for small online stores
Tidio combines live chat, a team inbox and the Lyro AI agent. Starter is $24.17 a month billed yearly ($29 monthly) for 100 billable conversations and 10 seats; Lyro starts at $32.50 a month ($39) for 50 AI conversations. Tidio counts a Lyro conversation whenever the AI sends at least one reply.
- Pros: easy setup; Shopify integration; a free plan with 10 seats.
- Cons: AI is billed per conversation on top of the plan, which gets expensive at volume.
- Best for: small stores with low chat volume. Compare more options in our Tidio alternatives guide.
Free Crisp alternatives
Crisp's free plan has 2 seats and no AI. Here is what other free plans include today.
| Tool | What the free plan includes (Oct 5–6, 2026) | Main catch |
|---|---|---|
| tawk.to | Unlimited agents and chats; AI Assist with 100 message credits a month | Branding removal from $29/mo per website |
| Freshchat | Up to 10 agents | AI is paid |
| Help Scout | 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site | Chat channels start on Standard |
| CRMsoftware.pro | 3 users, 100 AI messages and 3 AI voice minutes a month, 1 bot, 1 website, a pipeline | 3 users |
| HubSpot | Live chat for 2 users, free CRM | HubSpot branding on chat |
| Chatwoot | 2 agents, 500 conversations a month (cloud), or self-host | 30-day data retention on the free cloud plan |
| Tidio | 50 conversations a month, 10 seats, 50 one-time Lyro AI conversations | The AI allowance does not renew |
How to choose
| If you… | Choose |
|---|---|
| want AI chat, an inbox and a CRM pipeline with users included | CRMsoftware.pro |
| have no budget and need human live chat | tawk.to |
| need a free plan for up to 10 agents | Freshchat |
| want to host the software yourself | Chatwoot |
| get most questions by email | Help Scout |
| already run sales or marketing in HubSpot | HubSpot |
| want the strongest AI agent and have the budget | Intercom |
| sell through live conversations during business hours | LiveChat |
| run a small online store | Tidio |
| like Crisp and only need more seats or channels | Stay on Crisp and move to Essentials |
How to switch from Crisp in a week
- Export the contacts and conversation history you want to keep before your renewal date.
- Load your help articles and website into the new tool's AI and test it with 20 real questions from your Crisp inbox.
- Recreate shortcuts as saved replies. The live chat canned responses template saves time.
- Reconnect your channels (email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger) and set routing.
- Set the handover rule: when does the AI pass a chat to a person, and who gets it?
- Run both widgets on different pages for a few days, then remove the Crisp script.
FAQ
What is the best Crisp alternative?
For small teams that want AI chat and a CRM together with users included, CRMsoftware.pro. For free human live chat, tawk.to. For a free plan with up to 10 agents, Freshchat. For open source, Chatwoot.
How much does Crisp chat cost in 2026?
On October 6, 2026: Free (2 seats, no AI), Mini $45 a month per workspace (4 seats, $5 of AI credits), Essentials $95 (10 seats, $25 of credits), Plus $295 (20 seats, $75 of credits, extra seats $10).
What is the best free live chat?
tawk.to is free for unlimited agents. Freshchat is free for up to 10 agents, Help Scout for 5 users, and CRMsoftware.pro for 3 users with 100 AI messages a month.
Does Crisp have an AI chatbot?
Yes. Crisp's AI agent, Hugo, runs on credits starting on the Mini plan; a full AI-handled conversation costs about $0.05–$0.10. The omnichannel AI chatbot starts on Essentials, and the full AI-first suite is on Plus.
Is there an open-source alternative to Crisp?
Chatwoot is open source and includes its own AI agent, Captain. You can self-host it for free or use its cloud plans from $19 per agent a month.
Is Crisp cheaper than Intercom?
Usually, yes. Crisp charges per workspace, while Intercom charges per seat plus $0.99 per AI outcome. For 6 people and 300 AI resolutions a month, Intercom Essential is about $411; Crisp Essentials is about $110–$150 with AI.
How long does it take to switch from Crisp?
A small team can switch in about a week: export your data, load the knowledge base, rebuild saved replies and routing, then run both widgets side by side for a few days.
Sources
- Pricing pages checked Oct 6, 2026: Crisp, Tidio (plans and calculator).
- Pricing pages checked Oct 5, 2026: tawk.to, Freshchat, Freshdesk Omni, Chatwoot, Help Scout, HubSpot Service Hub, Intercom, LiveChat, CRMsoftware.pro.
- Crisp help center: Hugo pricing and billing explained, checked Oct 6, 2026.
More seats without a bigger bill
AI chat, a team inbox and a CRM pipeline with users included. Free for 3 users; Launch is $19/month billed yearly for 8 users, Growth $49 for 20.
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