Freshchat is a good free live chat for up to 10 agents. Teams leave when the AI bill starts: Freddy AI Agent costs $49 per 100 sessions, and a session is every 24-hour window in which the bot talks to a visitor, even when it hands over to a person. For AI chat with users and AI messages included from $19 a month, try CRMsoftware.pro. For the strongest AI agent that bills only for resolved chats, Intercom (Fin). For a full help desk, Zendesk. For a flat price per workspace, Crisp. For online stores, Tidio. For the cheapest paid seats, Zoho SalesIQ. For polished paid chat, LiveChat. For free human chat, tawk.to. For open source, Chatwoot.
We checked every price on the vendor's own pricing page on October 7, 2026 (Zoho, Crisp and tawk.to on October 6). Prices are in US dollars, billed yearly unless we say otherwise, before tax. Zoho showed us prices in euros only, so we quote them in euros. 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.
What Freshchat costs in 2026
Freshchat is the live chat and messaging product in the Freshworks suite. Tickets live in a separate product, Freshdesk. The plans on October 7, 2026:
| Plan | Price (billed yearly) | What you get | AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, up to 10 agents | Web and mobile chat widget, shared inbox, email, roles | None |
| Growth | $19/agent/mo | Adds social messengers, text messaging, reports | Freddy AI Agent at $49 per 100 sessions |
| Pro | $49/agent/mo | Adds multilingual conversations, custom dashboards, intelligent routing, SLAs | AI Agent sessions as above; Freddy AI Copilot $29/agent/mo |
| Enterprise | $79/agent/mo | Adds skill-based routing, audit logs, JWT, IP allow-lists | Same as Pro |
Monthly billing costs about 20% more. Day passes for occasional agents are $2 on Growth, $7 on Pro and $12 on Enterprise. The 14-day trial runs on the Enterprise plan.
The part that matters for your bill is how sessions work, per the Freshworks help article updated August 12, 2026:
- A session is all interactions between one visitor and the AI agent or chatbot within a 24-hour window. One short bot reply that ends in a handover to a human still uses a session.
- Sessions are bought in packs of 100 for $49, so each AI conversation costs about $0.49.
- Growth, Pro and Enterprise get 500 complimentary sessions once, not every month. Unused purchased sessions do not carry over to the next billing cycle. The free plan gets none.
- When sessions run out, chats go to live agents; self-service widgets stop working.
Why teams look for a Freshchat alternative
- AI is billed per session, not per answer. At 1,000 AI-first chats a month you pay about $490 for sessions on top of agent seats, whether the bot solved the question or passed it on. Intercom charges only for resolved chats; CRMsoftware.pro, Crisp and Chatwoot include an AI allowance in the plan.
- The free plan has no AI and no WhatsApp. Social messengers, text messaging and the AI agent start on Growth.
- Routing and languages cost extra. Multilingual conversations, intelligent routing and SLAs need Pro at $49 per agent, and Freddy AI Copilot is another $29 per agent on top.
- Chat and tickets are two products. For a help desk you also pay for Freshdesk (from $19 per agent) or Freshdesk Omni (from $29 per agent), which bundles both.
- You want a CRM, voice or self-hosting, which Freshchat does not focus on.
Freshchat alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Entry price (checked Oct 6–7, 2026) | How AI is billed | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshchat (for reference) | Free human chat for up to 10 agents | $19/agent/mo | $49 per 100 sessions (24-hour windows) | Yes, 10 agents, 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 (AI only) |
| Intercom (Fin) | Strongest AI agent, pays per result | $19/seat/mo | $0.99 per Fin outcome, only when resolved | No, 14-day trial |
| Zendesk | Full help desk with chat | $55/agent/mo (Suite Team) | 5 automated resolutions per agent included, then $1.50–$2.00 each | No, 14-day trial |
| Crisp | Flat price per workspace | $45/mo per workspace (4 seats) | Credits; $5 included on Mini, $25 on Essentials | Yes, 2 seats, no AI |
| Tidio | Online stores | $24.17/mo (100 conversations) | Lyro from $32.50/mo for 50 AI conversations | Yes, 50 conversations a month |
| Zoho SalesIQ | Cheapest paid seats | €7/operator/mo | Bot sessions included; the answer bot that learns from your site is on Enterprise (€20) | Yes, 3 operators, 100 chats a month |
| LiveChat (Text) | Polished paid live chat | $19/user/mo | 10 AI resolutions a month on Essential, 200 on Growth | No, 14-day trial |
| tawk.to | Free human chat, unlimited agents | Free; add-ons from $29/mo | AI Assist credits: 100 free a month, paid from $29/mo | Yes, unlimited agents |
| Chatwoot | Open source and self-hosting | $19/agent/mo (cloud) | Captain credits included; extra $20 per 1,000 | Yes, 2 agents; or self-host |
What 5 agents really pay
Freshchat users are usually support teams, so here is one realistic month: 5 agents, 1,000 chats, the AI answers every chat first and fully resolves about 500, and the team handles the rest. Billed yearly, list prices, before tax.
| Tool and plan | How the bill adds up | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|
| tawk.to | Free for 5 agents; AI Assist paid plans from $29 (the free 100 credits are far below 1,000 AI-handled chats); Whitelabel $29 to remove the badge | From $29; from $58 without the badge |
| Zoho SalesIQ | 5 × €7 = €35 on Basic; 5 × €20 = €100 on Enterprise, where the answer bot learns from your web pages | €35–€100 |
| CRMsoftware.pro Growth | $49 flat for 20 users with 3,000 AI messages, enough for 1,000 chats at about 3 AI messages each; Scale is $99 with 10,000 messages if you need headroom | $49–$99 |
| Chatwoot Startups (cloud) | 5 × $19 = $95, plus Captain AI credits beyond the 300 included ($20 per 1,000) | From $95 + AI credits |
| Crisp Essentials | $95 flat (10 seats) with $25 of AI credits; 1,000 AI conversations at about $0.05–$0.10 each | About $120–$170 |
| Freshchat Growth | 5 × $19 = $95 + 1,000 sessions × $0.49 = $490; the 500 one-time free sessions cut the first month by $245 | $585 |
| Intercom Essential | 5 × $19 = $95 + 500 resolved chats × $0.99 = $495; chats Fin cannot solve cost nothing | $590 |
| Tidio Growth + Lyro | $107.50 (600 billable conversations) + $583.33 (1,000 Lyro conversations), from Tidio's calculator | $690.83 |
| LiveChat (Text) Growth | 5 × $79 = $395 with 200 AI resolutions, plus 6 packs of 50 at $49.50 for the other 300 | $692 |
| Zendesk Suite Team | 5 × $55 = $275 + 475 resolutions beyond the 25 included × $1.50–$2.00 = $712.50–$950 | $987.50–$1,225 |
Two things stand out. Per-session and per-resolution billing puts Freshchat, Intercom, Tidio and LiveChat in the same $585–$692 band once the AI does real work. Zendesk costs the most, because each automated resolution beyond the included ones is $1.50–$2.00. And Freshchat charges for all 1,000 sessions, while Intercom charges for the 500 it resolves, so the two end up almost equal even though Freshchat's unit price is half. Your numbers will differ, so try our free AI chatbot pricing calculator, and the live chat staffing calculator to see how many agents your chat volume needs.
The 9 best Freshchat alternatives
1. CRMsoftware.pro: best for AI chat plus a CRM
CRMsoftware.pro is our product, so judge this section with that in mind. It bundles the three things Freshchat sells separately or not at all: an AI agent that answers on your website, WhatsApp, Telegram, email and Slack; a team inbox with handover to people; and a CRM pipeline where every conversation becomes a contact and a deal. AI voice calls are included. Plans are priced per team, with AI messages included, so there is no per-session meter.
Price (Oct 7, 2026): Free for 3 users and 100 AI messages a month (AI only: no human handover or unified inbox). Launch $19/mo billed yearly ($24 monthly) for 8 users, 1,000 AI messages, 2 websites, no branding. Growth $49 ($59) for 20 users, 3,000 AI messages, 5 websites, team inbox and saved replies. Scale $99 ($119) for 50 users and 10,000 AI messages.
Pros: flat price for the whole team; AI messages included; CRM pipeline and bookings built in; AI voice; no badge from Launch.
Cons: no ticketing system in the help-desk sense; the free plan has no human inbox; far fewer third-party integrations than Zendesk or Intercom.
Best for: small sales and support teams that want AI chat and a CRM in one bill.
Count last month's bot conversations and compare them with a plan that includes AI messages. Start free, no card needed, or see pricing.
2. Intercom (Fin): best AI agent that bills per result
Intercom is now sold by Fin, the company's new name since May 2026, and Salesforce completed its acquisition of Fin on September 10, 2026. The product stays the same: the Intercom helpdesk with the Fin AI Agent built in. Fin is the most capable AI agent in this list, and the billing is the opposite of Freshchat's: you pay $0.99 per outcome, at most one per conversation, and nothing when Fin cannot answer or the customer asks for a human.
Price (Oct 7, 2026): Essential $19/seat/mo billed yearly ($29 monthly), Advanced $85 ($99), Expert $132 ($139). Fin $0.99 per outcome on every plan, with spending limits. 14-day trial without a card. Fin also works on Zendesk, Salesforce, HubSpot and Freshdesk with no seats required.
Pros: top-tier AI with per-result billing; help center, tickets and messenger in one; strong reporting; mature integrations.
Cons: no free plan; seats get expensive on Advanced and Expert; a busy AI still means a large monthly bill.
Best for: SaaS and support teams that want the best AI and are happy to pay per solved chat.
3. Zendesk: best full help desk with chat
Zendesk is the enterprise answer: email, tickets, messaging, live chat, phone, a knowledge base and AI agents in one suite with a large app marketplace. Live chat starts on Suite Team, not on the cheaper Support Team plan, which is email and tickets only.
Price (Oct 8, 2026): Support Team $19/agent/mo billed yearly (no chat). Suite Team $55 ($69 monthly) with messaging, live chat, phone and AI agents, including 5 automated resolutions per agent a month. Suite Professional $115 ($149) with 10 included resolutions, SLAs and Admin Copilot. Extra automated resolutions cost $1.50 each with a volume commitment or $2.00 pay-as-you-go. Copilot for agents is $50/agent/mo billed yearly. 14-day trial on Suite Professional.
Pros: every channel and a real ticketing system; AI billed only for resolved requests; deep reporting and SLAs.
Cons: the cheapest plan with chat is $55 per agent; setup takes real work; AI beyond the included resolutions costs $1.50–$2.00 per resolution, more than Intercom's $0.99.
Best for: mid-size teams that have outgrown chat-first tools and need a help desk.
4. Crisp: best flat price per workspace
Crisp charges a flat rate per workspace with seats included, which is the simplest answer to per-agent pricing. The omnichannel inbox covers website chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and more; the Hugo AI agent runs on prepaid credits.
Price (Oct 6, 2026): Free for 2 seats, no AI. Mini $45/mo per workspace for 4 seats with $5 of AI credits. Essentials $95 for 10 seats with $25 of credits, the omnichannel inbox, AI chatbot, workflows and a knowledge base. Plus $295 for 20+ seats with $75 of credits, ticketing and white labelling; extra seats $10. Crisp's help center puts a full AI conversation at about $0.05–$0.10.
Pros: flat price; AI conversations cost cents, not $0.49; good mobile apps; 14-day trial on every plan.
Cons: the omnichannel inbox and knowledge base start at $95; AI credits must be topped up; Plus is a big jump.
Best for: small teams that want predictable pricing and cheap AI.
5. Tidio: best for online stores
Tidio pairs a live chat inbox with Lyro, an AI agent built for ecommerce questions such as orders, shipping and returns, with native Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce apps. It bills by conversations rather than seats, which suits small shops with many chats and few agents.
Price (Oct 7, 2026): Free for 50 billable conversations a month, 10 seats and 50 one-off Lyro conversations. Starter $24.17/mo billed yearly ($29 monthly) for 100 conversations. Growth from $49.17 ($59) for 250. Plus from $300 plus usage. Lyro on its own from $32.50 ($39) for 50 AI conversations. Branding removal $16.67/mo on Growth and Plus. Self-serve plans cap at 10 seats.
Pros: strong ecommerce AI; seats are not the price driver; free plan to start.
Cons: Lyro gets expensive fast ($583 for 1,000 AI conversations); the badge costs extra; 10-seat cap.
Best for: small and mid-size online stores.
6. Zoho SalesIQ: best for cheap paid seats
Zoho SalesIQ is live chat plus visitor tracking and chatbots, tied to Zoho CRM. The paid seats are the cheapest here, and bot sessions are included in the plan instead of metered separately.
Price (Oct 6, 2026, shown to us in euros): Free for 3 operators and 100 operator chat sessions a month. Basic €7/operator/mo billed yearly with 1 chatbot. Professional €12.75 with unlimited operator chats, 5 chatbots and Zia AI features. Enterprise €20 with the Answer Bot that learns from your web pages. Brand add-on €16/mo.
Pros: lowest seat price; bot sessions included; native Zoho CRM sync; visitor scoring.
Cons: the AI that answers from your site needs the top plan; the interface shows its age; strongest inside the Zoho ecosystem.
Best for: Zoho CRM users and sales-led teams on a budget.
7. LiveChat (Text): best polished paid live chat
LiveChat's pricing page now sells Text, its AI-first plans; the classic LiveChat plans remain on a legacy page. The chat widget and agent console are among the most polished you can buy, and AI resolutions are included per plan rather than metered from zero.
Price (Oct 7, 2026): Essential $19/user/mo billed yearly ($25 monthly) with 1 AI agent and 10 AI resolutions a month. Growth $79 ($99) with 10 AI agents and 200 resolutions. Extra resolutions $49.50 per pack of 50. White-label widget only on Enterprise. 14-day trial, no free plan.
Pros: excellent agent experience; a large integrations marketplace; AI resolutions bundled.
Cons: Growth is $79 per user; extra resolutions cost $0.99 each, like Intercom; no badge removal below Enterprise.
Best for: teams that live in chat and want the best agent console.
8. tawk.to: best free human live chat
tawk.to is free with no limit on agents, chats or history, and it has grown into a shared inbox with contacts, tickets and a knowledge base. If you only use Freshchat's free plan with humans answering, tawk.to removes the 10-agent cap.
Price (Oct 6, 2026): Core platform free. Add-ons per property: AI Assist $29/mo (free Hobby tier with 100 message credits a month), Whitelabel $29/mo to remove the badge, Voice Agents from $49/mo plus usage, Data Enrichment from $59/mo. Hired agents from $1 per hour.
Pros: unlimited free agents; add-ons are cheap for one site; iOS, Android and desktop apps.
Cons: badge unless you pay; add-ons repeat for every website; the free AI allowance is small.
Best for: teams that mostly answer by hand and want zero seat cost.
9. Chatwoot: best open-source option
Chatwoot is an open-source omnichannel inbox you can self-host for free or use as a cloud service. Channels include website chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and SMS, and the Captain AI agent runs on credits included in each plan.
Price (Oct 7, 2026, cloud): Hacker free for 2 agents, 500 conversations a month, live chat only. Startups $19/agent/mo with all channels and 300 Captain credits. Business $39 with voice and 500 credits. Enterprise $99 with SSO, audit logs and 800 credits. Extra credits $20 per 1,000. 15-day trial. Self-hosting is free; you pay for servers and your own AI keys.
Pros: own your data; no per-session AI meter; active open-source project.
Cons: self-hosting needs an engineer; the free cloud plan is live chat only; fewer polished integrations.
Best for: teams with technical staff or strict data-residency rules.
Free Freshchat alternatives
If you only need the free plan, these are the limits that matter on October 7, 2026:
| Tool | Free plan | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| Freshchat | 10 agents, web and mobile chat, shared inbox, email | No AI, no WhatsApp or SMS, no reports |
| tawk.to | Unlimited agents and chats | Badge; AI and whitelabel are paid add-ons |
| CRMsoftware.pro | 3 users, 100 AI messages a month, website chat | AI only: no human handover or team inbox until Launch ($19) |
| Crisp | 2 seats, website chat, mobile apps | No AI, no email inbox |
| Zoho SalesIQ | 3 operators, 100 chat sessions a month | Session cap; bots on paid plans |
| Tidio | 50 conversations a month, 10 seats | Conversation cap; Lyro is 50 one-off |
| Chatwoot | 2 agents, 500 conversations (cloud) or self-host | Cloud free plan is live chat only; 30-day retention |
When to stay on Freshchat
- Humans answer most chats. Free for 10 agents is the most generous free plan among the big vendors, and Growth at $19 adds WhatsApp, Messenger and SMS.
- Low AI volume. A few hundred bot sessions a month costs less than $150, and the 500 one-time sessions cover the first weeks.
- You already run Freshdesk. Freshchat and Freshdesk share contacts and agents, and Freshdesk Omni bundles both with 500 AI sessions included from $29 per agent.
How to choose
- Count your AI conversations first. Under about 300 a month, per-session billing is fine. Above 1,000, a plan with AI included (CRMsoftware.pro, Crisp, Chatwoot) or per-result billing (Intercom) saves the most.
- Decide if you need tickets. If customers email you and you track SLAs, pick Zendesk, Intercom or Crisp Plus. If chat is the job, a chat-first tool is cheaper.
- Check the channels. WhatsApp costs extra or needs a higher plan on most tools; confirm the exact plan before you migrate.
- Price the badge. tawk.to, Tidio and LiveChat charge for removing it; CRMsoftware.pro removes it from Launch.
- Run a 2-week trial with real chats and compare resolution rate and cost per chat, not feature lists.
How to switch from Freshchat
- Export what you own. Download contacts and conversation history from Freshchat, and copy your canned responses and FAQ articles.
- Rebuild the bot from your knowledge base. Most alternatives train the AI on your website and help articles in minutes; use our FAQ knowledge base starter to fill gaps.
- Set handover rules. Decide when the AI passes to a person and who gets the chat; our human handover playbook has the rules we use.
- Swap the widget. Replace the Freshchat snippet on your site, reconnect WhatsApp and email, and keep Freshchat read-only for a month.
- Compare the first full month against the table above before you cancel.
FAQ
What is the best Freshchat alternative?
For small teams that want AI chat, a team inbox and a CRM with AI messages included, CRMsoftware.pro from $19 a month. For the strongest AI agent with per-result billing, Intercom (Fin). For a full help desk, Zendesk. For a flat price per workspace, Crisp. For free human chat with unlimited agents, tawk.to.
How much does Freshchat cost per month?
On October 7, 2026: Free for up to 10 agents; Growth $19 per agent a month billed yearly; Pro $49; Enterprise $79. Monthly billing is about 20% more. Freddy AI Agent costs $49 per 100 sessions, and Freddy AI Copilot is $29 per agent on Pro and Enterprise.
Does Freshchat have a free plan?
Yes. The free plan covers up to 10 agents with the web and mobile chat widget, a shared inbox, email and roles. It has no AI agent, no social or SMS channels and no reports.
What is a Freddy AI Agent session?
All interactions between one visitor and the AI agent or chatbot within a 24-hour window. Sessions are sold in packs of 100 for $49, paid plans get 500 complimentary sessions once, and unused purchased sessions expire at the end of the billing cycle.
What is the best free live chat?
tawk.to has no limit on agents or chats but shows a badge. Freshchat is free for 10 agents without AI. CRMsoftware.pro is free for 3 users with 100 AI messages a month. Crisp is free for 2 seats, and Chatwoot can be self-hosted for free.
What is the difference between Freshchat and Freshdesk?
Both are Freshworks products. Freshchat is live chat and messaging; Freshdesk is email ticketing and a help desk. Freshdesk Omni bundles both from $29 per agent a month billed yearly, with 500 AI sessions included.
Is Intercom better than Freshchat for AI?
Fin is the stronger AI agent, and Intercom bills $0.99 only when Fin resolves a conversation, while Freshchat bills $0.49 for every 24-hour session the bot touches. At 1,000 AI-first chats with half resolved, both cost about $590 a month for 5 agents on their entry plans.
Can I keep WhatsApp when I leave Freshchat?
Yes, but check the plan. CRMsoftware.pro, Crisp Essentials, Chatwoot Startups, Intercom and Zendesk Suite connect WhatsApp; on Tidio and Zoho SalesIQ it depends on the plan. You will need to move your WhatsApp Business number to the new provider.
Sources
- Freshworks pages checked Oct 7, 2026: Freshchat pricing, Freshdesk pricing, Freshdesk Omni pricing, and the help article Freddy AI Agent sessions FAQs (updated Aug 12, 2026).
- Pricing pages checked Oct 7, 2026: Intercom, Zendesk, Tidio, LiveChat (Text), Chatwoot, CRMsoftware.pro.
- Pricing pages checked Oct 6, 2026: Crisp and the Hugo billing article, Zoho SalesIQ, tawk.to add-ons.
- Fin rename and Salesforce acquisition: Salesforce completes acquisition of Fin, Sep 10, 2026.
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