Crisp
FreemiumAll-in-one business messaging platform
About Crisp
Crisp is the customer messaging platform with a genuinely useful free tier that competes with early-stage Intercom use cases. Free plan (2 agents) includes live chat, shared inbox, and basic automation — functional enough that many early startups run support on it without paying. Pro is $25/month for 4 agents, Unlimited is $95/month for 20 agents. Features beyond chat: a no-code chatbot builder, help center, email campaigns, and a contact CRM for managing customer conversations over time. MagicReply AI suggests responses based on past conversation history. The platform aggregates Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, and email into one inbox alongside the live chat widget. The main limitations: routing rules are limited compared to Intercom or Zendesk, reporting is basic, and the knowledge base is functional but not as polished as Help Scout Docs or Zendesk Guide. The free plan is real but shows the ceiling quickly — CSAT surveys, advanced automation, and SLA tracking all require paid tiers or switching tools. r/SaaS recommends Crisp as the starting point when budget is the primary constraint before graduating to Intercom. Competes with Intercom (more powerful, far more expensive), Freshdesk (better ticketing), and Tawk.to (also free, less featured).
Key Features
Pricing Plans
Basic
- 2 agents
- Live chat
- Contact form
- Mobile apps
Pro
- 4 agents
- Chatbot
- Knowledge base
- Audio messages
Unlimited
- Unlimited agents
- Co-browsing
- Video chat
- Analytics
Pros
- Generous free plan for small teams
- Modern and fast chat widget
- Co-browsing feature is unique and useful
- Includes basic CRM functionality
- Video and audio messaging built in
- Affordable pricing for growing teams
Cons
- Limited automation compared to enterprise tools
- Knowledge base is basic on lower plans
- Fewer integrations than major competitors
- Reporting is relatively simple
- English documentation could be better
- Less established brand in enterprise market
Best For
- early-stage startups that need live chat and shared inbox at zero cost
- small teams that want to consolidate WhatsApp, Instagram, and email into one inbox
- companies evaluating live chat before committing to Intercom pricing
- bootstrapped SaaS products where the free 2-agent plan covers actual support volume
Not Ideal For
- growing support teams that need SLA tracking, complex routing, or CSAT surveys
- enterprise or mid-market companies where Intercom or Zendesk are the real comparison
- teams that need a polished knowledge base — Crisp help center is basic
Potential Deal Breakers
- routing rules and automation are limited compared to Intercom or Zendesk
- reporting is basic — no meaningful analytics without third-party integration
- free plan is 2 agents only, which constrains even small teams as they grow
Data & Privacy
French customer messaging platform. Data hosted in France. Strong GDPR compliance as EU company. AI features process chats but no data used for training. Conversation data exportable.
Who Is This For?
Hands-on tested May 2026
Signup Experience
Email signup with no credit card required. Free tier activates immediately with 2 agent seats and a live chat widget. Script installs in minutes. Chat inbox, contact database, and knowledge base are all accessible on the free plan. Chatbot builder requires the Pro plan.
For Home Users
Free tier with 2 seats is the most generous entry point of any major customer messaging platform. Live chat widget for a personal or small project site works immediately without paying anything. EU hosting is a bonus for privacy-conscious users.
For Business Users
Pro at $25/workspace/mo for 4 seats is dramatically cheaper than Intercom for equivalent core features. Unlimited at $95/workspace/mo for 20 seats covers most growing teams. Includes live chat, shared inbox, chatbot, email campaigns, and CRM in one platform. Intercom has more sophisticated AI and automation at higher price points; Crisp covers 80 percent of customer messaging needs at a fraction of the cost.
Our Verdict
Crisp is the best free option in the live chat category — the 2-agent free plan with WhatsApp and Instagram integration is genuinely more useful than Tawk.to. The ceiling arrives once you need reporting, advanced automation, or more than 20 agents. Treat Crisp as the zero-cost starting point and plan to migrate to Intercom or Freshdesk once you have enough support volume to justify the cost.