Tawk.to vs Crisp: which one should you use?
Last updated July 3, 2026
Tawk.to and Crisp solve the same basic problem, chat with your website visitors, from almost opposite directions. Tawk.to is free-forever and broad: unlimited agents, ticketing, a knowledge base, all included at no cost, funded by optional add-ons. Crisp is paid-and-polished: a genuine omnichannel inbox with email, SMS, and WhatsApp alongside chat, priced per seat from the start.
If you’re choosing between them, the real question isn’t which is “better.” It’s whether you want Tawk.to’s free breadth with a dashboard-based workflow, or Crisp’s unified, multichannel inbox with a seat-based bill attached.
Pricing
Tawk.to’s core product costs nothing, ever. You pay only if you want the badge removed, AI-drafted replies, or video chat, each priced separately at $29/mo. Crisp’s free plan caps at 2 seats with no workflows or AI; paid tiers start at $45/mo for 4 seats and jump to $295/mo for 20.
Feature comparison
The tables below cover the areas that actually differ. Tawk.to wins on cost-to-entry and simplicity. Crisp wins on channel breadth and team workflow tooling.
What each one does well
Tawk.to’s strongest case is teams that want ticketing, a knowledge base, and visitor monitoring without paying anything, as long as the badge and dashboard-only workflow don’t bother you. Crisp’s strongest case is teams that genuinely field support across email, SMS, and WhatsApp in addition to chat, and want it all in one shared inbox with internal notes and automation.
Verdict
If you’re weighing free-forever breadth against a paid omnichannel inbox, the deciding factor is usually whether you actually need the other channels. If chat is the only thing you use, both tools are more than you need, and it’s worth looking at what a narrower, Telegram-routed tool costs by comparison.
Also see our full breakdowns: Tawk.to alternative, Crisp alternative, Tawk.to pricing, Crisp pricing.
Pricing at a glance
Feature comparison
| Feature | Tawk.to | Crisp |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier with unlimited agents | ||
| Multichannel inbox (email, SMS, WhatsApp) | ||
| Telegram integration | ||
| AI-assisted replies | ||
| Built-in ticketing | ||
| Knowledge base builder | ||
| Automated workflows | ||
| Flat, unlimited seats on paid tier | ||
| Visitor analytics | ||
| CRM and contact management |
What people like about Tawk.to
- Genuinely free forever with unlimited agents and sites
- Ticketing, knowledge base, and CRM included at no cost
- No seat-based pricing to worry about as the team grows
- 24/7 live chat support even on the free tier
Common complaints about Tawk.to
- No native Telegram integration for replies
- Removing the badge and unlocking AI/video costs $29/mo per add-on
- Mobile app has a reputation for missed notifications
- No omnichannel inbox: it's chat, tickets, and a knowledge base, nothing more
What people like about Crisp
- True omnichannel inbox: email, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat unified
- Workflow automation and an AI chatbot on paid tiers
- Shared inbox with internal notes for team collaboration
- Telegram messages land inside the same shared inbox as everything else
Common complaints about Crisp
- Free plan caps at 2 seats with no workflows or AI
- Seat pricing jumps in large steps: $45 to $95 to $295/mo
- "Telegram support" means replying from Crisp's dashboard, not Telegram itself
- More product than a team that only wants live chat will ever use
Tawk.to or Crisp?
Choose Tawk.to if you want a genuinely free tool with ticketing and a knowledge base and don't mind a badge or a dashboard-based workflow. Choose Crisp if you need a real omnichannel inbox, email, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat unified, and are willing to pay seat-based pricing for it. Neither is a good fit if all you actually want is chat routed to a place you already check.
Or consider a third option
Neither Tawk.to nor Crisp lets you reply from Telegram itself; both route messages into their own dashboard, one for free with a badge, the other for a seat-based fee. If the reason you're comparing these two is that you want simple chat that ends up somewhere you already look, Bubblegram routes widget messages directly into a Telegram group. No dashboard, no seats, no add-ons: $10/mo flat for up to 10 sites.
Common questions
Which one is cheaper?
Tawk.to's core product is free forever; Crisp's free plan caps at 2 seats. Once you add features, Tawk.to's add-ons are $29/mo each and Crisp's paid tiers start at $45/mo for 4 seats, so the cheaper option depends entirely on what you need unlocked.
Does either one let me reply from Telegram?
No. Crisp can receive Telegram messages into its shared inbox, but you reply from Crisp's dashboard. Tawk.to has no Telegram integration at all.
Which has better analytics?
Both include visitor analytics on their base tiers. Crisp's is deeper once you're on a paid plan with the omnichannel view; Tawk.to's is included free but more basic.
Is Crisp's AI better than Tawk.to's AI Assist?
They serve similar purposes, drafting or assisting replies, but Crisp's is built into its omnichannel workflow while Tawk.to's is a standalone $29/mo add-on with no other integration.
What if I only need live chat, nothing else?
Both tools give you more than a plain chat widget. If that's genuinely all you want, it's worth comparing either one against a narrower tool like Bubblegram before committing to either dashboard.
Reply from Telegram.
Skip the dashboard.
Most support tools are overkill. Bubblegram routes messages to Telegram and gets out of the way.
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