Crisp vs tawk.to: Best Free Live Chat Tool in 2026
Quick Comparison
| Crisp | tawk.to | |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Teams that expect to outgrow a basic chat widget and want a path to a shared inbox and AI automation. | Small businesses and budget-conscious teams that want the entire live chat product for free, with no agent or chat-volume caps. |
| Pricing | Free tier available / $45/mo starting | Free tier available (full product) / paid add-ons only |
| Winner | Our Pick |
Tool Breakdown
tawk.to
tawk.to's free plan is the entire product with zero limits on agents, chats, or sites — a fundamentally more generous free tier than Crisp's 2-seat cap.
- The free plan is the entire core product — unlimited agents, chats, chat history, and websites
- Includes email ticketing, hosted knowledge base, and CRM at no cost
- No credit card required to sign up or stay on the free plan indefinitely
- No built-in AI chatbot builder comparable to Crisp's — AI Assist is a paid add-on
- Removing the 'Powered by tawk.to' branding requires a paid add-on
Crisp
Crisp is an all-in-one messaging platform combining live chat, a shared inbox, and an AI chatbot builder on flat per-workspace pricing.
- Free plan includes a shared inbox and mobile apps, not just a chat widget
- Clear upgrade path to AI chatbot builder, knowledge base, and omnichannel inbox on paid tiers
- Flat per-workspace pricing instead of per-seat fees on paid plans
- Free plan caps at 2 seats, far below tawk.to's unlimited agents
- AI features require a paid plan and are metered by AI credits
Frequently Asked Questions
Is tawk.to really free with no limits? +
Yes — tawk.to's free plan is the entire core product: live chat, email ticketing, hosted knowledge base, and CRM, with unlimited agents, concurrent chats, chat history, and websites. The company makes money from optional add-ons like removing the 'Powered by tawk.to' branding or AI Assist, not from limiting the core free product.
Why would I pay for Crisp if tawk.to is fully free? +
Crisp's paid tiers add features tawk.to doesn't include in its core free product, like an AI chatbot builder, omnichannel inbox across channels, and a more polished shared-inbox workflow. If you only need a basic chat widget and knowledge base, tawk.to's free plan covers it; if you need AI automation built in, Crisp's paid tiers are the more direct path.
Does Crisp's free plan compare to tawk.to's in seat limits? +
No — Crisp's free plan caps at 2 seats, while tawk.to's free plan has no agent limit at all. For a small team of 2 or fewer agents, this difference doesn't matter much, but it becomes the deciding factor for any team larger than that on a zero budget.