Stack
Crisp
A live chat widget and shared inbox that bills a flat rate per workspace rather than per agent.
What it actually does
Crisp puts a chat bubble on your website and routes those conversations, plus email, WhatsApp, and Messenger, into a single shared inbox. One person can answer everything from one screen without switching apps.
Its billing model is the distinctive part: you pay a flat fee for the whole workspace instead of a fee per seat, so a solo founder and a later cofounder cost roughly the same. The free plan gives 2 seats and a working widget with no expiry, capped at 100 stored customer profiles.
Paid tiers add a CRM, triggers, chatbot flows, and AI replies. AI conversations draw down a credit balance rather than being unlimited, so heavy automation adds cost on top of the base plan.
Crisp vs its main rivals
The tools people actually weigh against Crisp: Tidio, Tawk.to, LiveChat. Same criteria for every column, including where Crisp loses.
| Crisp | TTidio | TTawk.to |  LiveChat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pricing & access | ||||
| Free tier | Yes2 seats | Yes50 chats/mo | YesUnlimited agents | NoTrial only |
| Starting price | $45/mo flat | $24.17/mo | $19/mo add-on | $19/agent/mo |
| Flat per-workspace pricing | YesFlat | NoPer workspace + AI | YesFlat | NoPer agent |
Channels | ||||
| Website chat widget | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes |
| Email + shared inbox | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes | NoChat only |
| WhatsApp + Messenger | YesYes | YesYes | YesWhatsApp | YesYes |
Automation & AI | ||||
| AI reply bot | YesCredits | YesLyro | YesAI Assist | YesAdd-on |
| Unlimited AI (no credit meter) | NoCredits | NoPer resolution | NoMetered | NoMetered |
| Visual chatbot builder | YesPaid | YesFree tier | NoNo | YesChatBot add-on |
Developer & API | ||||
| REST API | Free | Paid | Free | Free |
Scaling & limits | ||||
| Stored profile cap (free) | 100 | Unlimited | Unlimited | n/a |
| Cheapest paid step | $45/mo | $24/mo | $19/mo | $19/mo |
- Free plan gives 2 seats and a working chat widget with no time limit, workable for one person
- Flat per-workspace billing means adding a cofounder does not double the bill
- One inbox covers chat, email, WhatsApp, and Messenger
- First paid tier jumps from $0 straight to $45/mo with nothing in between
- Free plan caps stored customer profiles at 100, easy to hit with real traffic
- AI replies burn credits rather than being unlimited
Pay less for it
4 ways found2 seats and a working widget cost $0 with no expiry; only the 100-profile cap forces an upgrade
Paying yearly trims roughly 15% off the monthly Mini rate
AI is metered, so skipping automated chats keeps the bill at the flat base rate
Tawk.to — Free unlimited agents and a comparable widget if you can live with a paid remove-branding add-on and lighter polish
StackTracker tracks what you actually pay for Crisp and every other tool, flags overpayment, and shows the dollars you would save by switching.
Is it the right tool for you
- You want a free live chat widget on your site today
- You expect to add a cofounder and want the bill to stay flat
- You need chat, email, and WhatsApp in one inbox
- You need a shared inbox for email-based support at scale rather than live chat → use Help Scout
- You want to fully own and self-host your data → use Chatwoot
Track what Crisp and the rest of your stack cost
StackTracker adds up every subscription, plus your hours, so you see the real number.
Prices and limits last verified 2026-07-20.