10 Best Crisp Alternatives With More Channels (2026)

Looking for the best Crisp alternatives? Crisp offers solid live chat with EU hosting and GDPR compliance. But its AI chatbot requires the $95/month Unlimited plan. It also supports only six channels. If you need more channels, affordable AI, or both, these ten alternatives deliver more value in 2026.

Crisp Alternatives Compared

Why People Switch from Crisp

Before diving into the alternatives, here are the common pain points that push teams away.

1. AI requires the expensive Unlimited plan. The AI chatbot and automated responses only work on the $95/month Unlimited plan. For small businesses, paying over $1,100/year just to access AI is hard to justify. Competitors include AI at a fraction of the cost.

2. Limited to roughly six channels. Crisp covers live chat, email, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, and Telegram. That is a decent starting set. But it leaves out WhatsApp, SMS, Viber, WeChat, Signal, Slack, Discord, and many more.

3. Knowledge base only on higher plans. A self-service knowledge base is one of the best ways to reduce ticket volume. Yet Crisp reserves it for the Unlimited tier. Alternatives like Boei and HubSpot offer this at lower price points.

4. The free tier is very limited. Two seats and basic live chat are fine for testing. But adding a third team member or any automation forces you into a paid plan with big feature gaps.

10 Best Crisp Alternatives (Reviewed)

1. Boei - Best for Multi-Channel Support

Crisp is popular for its EU hosting and clean design, but it limits you to about six channels and locks AI behind a $95/month plan. Boei matches Crisp on EU hosting (Amsterdam servers, full GDPR compliance) while adding 50+ contact channels at $8/month and AI at $14/month total. WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, Signal, Viber, email, phone, SMS, and dozens more are all in one widget.

Boei dashboard

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What makes Boei stand out as a Crisp alternative is the mix of channel breadth and price. Like Crisp, Boei is EU-hosted (Amsterdam) and fully GDPR-compliant, so privacy-conscious businesses do not need to compromise. The AI chatbot is $6/month on top of the $8/month base plan. You can train it on your website content and documents. It handles common questions automatically. The widget is fully customizable and lightweight.

1. Over 50 channels in a single widget, far beyond what Crisp or most competitors offer
2. AI chatbot available for $14/month total ($8 base + $6 AI) with no per-conversation fees
3. Easy five-minute setup on any platform including WordPress, Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace

Weaknesses:

1. Not a full helpdesk with ticket management and agent routing
2. Built more for lead capture and first contact than complex support workflows

Best for: Businesses that want every possible contact channel with AI-powered responses at an affordable price.

Pricing: $8/month per domain for the widget, inbox, contacts, and analytics. $6/month AI chatbot add-on (2,000 replies). $6/month per live chat agent. Annual plan. 7-day free trial, no credit card.

Try Boei Free

Compare Boei vs Crisp in detail

2. Tidio - Best for E-Commerce Stores

Tidio has carved out a strong niche in e-commerce, especially among Shopify and WooCommerce store owners. The platform combines live chat with AI-powered chatbots through their Lyro AI product. It handles product recommendations, order status questions, and common pre-sale queries.

Tidio dashboard

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The catch is the pricing structure. The base plan at $29/month gets you live chat and basic chatbots. But Lyro AI conversations cost $0.50 each. For a busy store handling hundreds of AI conversations monthly, that adds up fast. WhatsApp costs an extra $59/month on top of your plan.

1. Excellent Shopify and WooCommerce integrations with product sync and order tracking
2. Visual chatbot builder that non-technical teams can use right away
3. Lyro AI is genuinely good at understanding e-commerce queries

Weaknesses:

1. Per-conversation AI pricing can get expensive at scale
2. WhatsApp integration is a costly add-on at $59/month

Best for: Small to mid-sized e-commerce stores that want AI-powered product recommendations and sales automation.

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $29/month. Lyro AI costs $0.50 per conversation. WhatsApp is $59/month extra.

Visit Tidio

3. tawk.to - Best for Zero Budget

If your budget is genuinely zero, tawk.to is the most capable free live chat tool on the market. It offers unlimited agents, unlimited chat history, and a working ticketing system without charging a cent. The company makes money by selling hired chat agents at $1/hour.

tawk.to dashboard

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The trade-off is that tawk.to only supports one channel: live chat on your website. There is no WhatsApp, no Messenger, no Instagram. The interface feels dated compared to modern tools. AI is a paid add-on, not a core feature. But for basic live chat at zero cost, it is hard to beat.

1. Completely free live chat with unlimited agents and unlimited history
2. Hired agent service at $1/hour for businesses that cannot staff chat themselves
3. Working ticketing system included in the free plan

Weaknesses:

1. Only one channel: live chat on your website
2. AI assistant costs $29/month and branding removal costs $19/month as add-ons

Best for: Bootstrapped startups and small businesses that need live chat with zero budget.

Pricing: Free forever. AI Assist at $29/month, branding removal at $19/month.

Visit tawk.to

4. LiveChat - Best for Agent Teams

LiveChat is one of the oldest and most polished live chat tools available. The agent experience is excellent. It has chat routing, canned responses, chat ratings, and detailed analytics. These help teams manage high volumes of conversations well.

LiveChat dashboard

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The downside is that LiveChat is exactly what the name says: live chat. For AI chatbot features, you need their separate ChatBot product. For a help desk, you need HelpDesk. For a knowledge base, you need KnowledgeBase. Each is a separate subscription. WhatsApp is only available through third-party integrations.

1. Best-in-class agent experience with smart routing and queue management
2. Over 200 integrations with CRMs, e-commerce platforms, and productivity tools
3. Very reliable uptime and fast performance

Weaknesses:

1. AI chatbot, help desk, and knowledge base are separate paid products
2. Per-agent pricing gets expensive for larger teams

Best for: Support teams that need a professional, reliable live chat tool with strong agent management.

Pricing: Starts at $20 per agent per month. ChatBot, HelpDesk, and KnowledgeBase are separate subscriptions.

Visit LiveChat

5. HubSpot Service Hub - Best for CRM Integration

If your company already uses HubSpot for marketing or sales, Service Hub is the natural choice. The CRM integration means every conversation links to a contact record automatically. Agents get full context on who they are talking to and what deals are open.

HubSpot Service Hub dashboard

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HubSpot's AI features have improved a lot in 2025 and 2026. Breeze AI now handles conversation summaries, suggested replies, and knowledge base article generation. WhatsApp is available on Professional and Enterprise plans. The challenge is that pricing escalates fast beyond the free tools.

1. Deep CRM integration gives agents full customer context in every conversation
2. Breeze AI included for summaries, suggested replies, and content generation
3. Generous free tier with live chat, ticketing, and basic automation

Weaknesses:

1. WhatsApp and advanced features need expensive Professional or Enterprise plans
2. Can be overkill for teams that just need messaging without a full CRM

Best for: Teams already in the HubSpot ecosystem who want unified customer data across marketing, sales, and support.

Pricing: Free tools available. Starter at $45/month. Professional at $450/month. Enterprise at $1,200/month.

Visit HubSpot Service Hub

6. Freshchat - Best for Freshworks Ecosystem

Freshchat is the messaging part of the Freshworks suite, which also includes Freshdesk, Freshsales, and Freshservice. It offers a modern chat interface with bot features through Freddy AI. The platform supports 8+ channels including web chat, email, Messenger, Instagram, Apple Business Chat, and LINE.

Freshchat dashboard

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Pricing follows a per-agent model starting at $15 per agent per month. AI and WhatsApp are paid add-ons. Freshchat works best when you already use other Freshworks products. As a standalone tool, it faces tough competition from alternatives that include AI and WhatsApp without extra fees.

1. Tight integration with Freshdesk, Freshsales, and the broader Freshworks ecosystem
2. Freddy AI provides conversation analysis, auto-triage, and suggested responses
3. Supports Apple Business Chat and LINE, which many competitors lack

Weaknesses:

1. AI and WhatsApp are add-ons that raise the total cost significantly
2. Most valuable with other Freshworks products, less compelling standalone

Best for: Companies already using Freshdesk or other Freshworks tools who want a unified messaging layer.

Pricing: Starts at $15 per agent per month. Freddy AI and WhatsApp are paid add-ons.

Visit Freshchat

7. Help Scout - Best for Email-First Support

Help Scout takes a deliberate email-first approach to support. The shared inbox is one of the best in the industry. It has collision detection, internal notes, saved replies, and workflows that make email support efficient.

Help Scout dashboard

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They added AI features in 2025 that summarize conversations, draft replies, and suggest knowledge base articles. The limit for teams considering Help Scout as a Crisp alternative is channel coverage. Help Scout handles email, live chat through their Beacon widget, and in-app messaging. There is no WhatsApp, no Messenger, no social media integration.

1. Best-in-class shared inbox for email support with excellent collaboration tools
2. AI features included in all plans for drafting replies and summarizing threads
3. Clean, focused interface that agents genuinely enjoy using

Weaknesses:

1. No WhatsApp, Messenger, or social media channel support
2. Limited to roughly four channels, fewer than Crisp

Best for: Support teams that handle most volume through email and want a focused, well-designed inbox.

Pricing: Starts at $20 per user per month with AI features included.

Visit Help Scout

8. Intercom - Best for Enterprise SaaS

Intercom is the enterprise-grade messaging platform that pioneered many features others have copied. The product is powerful. It has sophisticated automation through their Fin AI agent, custom bots, product tours, a help center, and detailed reporting.

Intercom dashboard

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The price tag matches the enterprise positioning. Starting at $74 per seat per month, with Fin AI billed at $0.99 per resolution, Intercom is the most expensive option on this list. For companies handling thousands of conversations monthly, the AI costs alone can reach thousands of dollars.

1. Fin AI is one of the most capable AI support agents with high resolution rates
2. Very powerful automation, targeting, and segmentation features
3. Product tours, tooltips, and in-app messaging for user onboarding

Weaknesses:

1. Most expensive option on this list at $74/seat plus $0.99 per AI resolution
2. Similar channel count to Crisp, does not fix the channel limitation

Best for: Enterprise SaaS companies with large support budgets that need top-tier automation and AI.

Pricing: Starts at $74 per seat per month. Fin AI costs $0.99 per resolution.

Visit Intercom

9. Chatbase - Best for Simple AI Chatbots

Chatbase is not a traditional live chat tool. It is a purpose-built AI chatbot platform. You create a GPT-5-powered chatbot trained on your website content, documents, and custom data. Embed it on your site and it answers visitor questions automatically.

Chatbase dashboard

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As a Crisp alternative, Chatbase only makes sense if your main goal is deflecting common questions with AI. The setup is remarkably simple: point it at your website URL, let it crawl your content, and you have a working chatbot in minutes. The AI quality is good since it uses the latest GPT-5 models.

1. Fastest setup of any tool on this list, from zero to working AI chatbot in minutes
2. Trains on your actual website content and documents for accurate answers
3. Simple pricing with no per-conversation or per-resolution charges

Weaknesses:

1. Primarily a single-channel chat widget, though WhatsApp is available via integration
2. No live agent handoff, ticketing, or human support features

Best for: Businesses that want a simple AI chatbot to answer common questions without building a full support operation.

Pricing: Starts at $40/month with AI included. Free tier available with limits.

Visit Chatbase

10. Kommunicate - Best for Mobile App Support

Kommunicate focuses on AI-powered customer support for web and mobile apps. The platform combines a chatbot builder with live chat handoff. AI handles first-line support and escalates to human agents when needed. WhatsApp integration is included.

Kommunicate dashboard

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The mobile SDK is where Kommunicate stands out. If you have iOS or Android apps that need in-app support, Kommunicate provides native SDKs that integrate smoothly. The AI chatbot supports multiple languages and can train on your help center content. At $40/month, it offers good value for mobile-first businesses.

1. Native iOS and Android SDKs for seamless in-app support
2. WhatsApp integration included without extra fees
3. AI-to-human handoff works smoothly with context preserved

Weaknesses:

1. Roughly five channels, fewer than Boei, HubSpot, or Freshchat
2. Less mature than established players like Intercom or LiveChat

Best for: Mobile app developers and companies that need AI-powered support with native in-app messaging.

Pricing: Starts at $40/month with AI and WhatsApp included.

Visit Kommunicate

Crisp Alternatives: Cost Comparison

Crisp Alternatives FAQ

What is the cheapest Crisp alternative with AI included?

Boei at $14/month total ($8 base + $6 AI add-on) is the most affordable option with AI. Chatbase starts at $40/month for a pure AI chatbot without live chat. Help Scout at $20 per user per month also includes AI features. Crisp requires the $95/month Unlimited plan to access AI.

Which Crisp alternatives are GDPR compliant?

Several alternatives offer strong data protection. Boei is a European company with EU servers in Amsterdam. HubSpot offers a data processing agreement and EU data residency options. Freshchat through Freshworks provides GDPR-compliant data handling. Crisp itself is strong on GDPR since it is a French company.

What does Crisp actually do well?

Crisp deserves credit in several areas. The shared inbox is well-designed and easy to use. GDPR compliance and EU hosting are genuine advantages for European businesses. The free tier with two seats is more generous than many competitors. The MagicBrowse co-browsing feature is unique and useful for technical support.

Which alternative offers the most channels?

Boei leads by a wide margin with over 50 channels. These include WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, Signal, Viber, WeChat, SMS, email, phone, and many more. HubSpot and Freshchat offer 8+ channels on higher plans. Crisp supports roughly 6 channels.

Can I migrate my data from Crisp to another tool?

Most alternatives do not offer a direct migration tool from Crisp. However, Crisp lets you export your conversation history. Tools like Intercom and HubSpot have import features for historical data. For simpler tools like Boei and Chatbase, migration matters less.

Do I need a developer to switch from Crisp?

Most tools on this list can be installed without a developer. Boei, Tidio, tawk.to, and Chatbase all use a simple code snippet or plugin. Setup takes minutes. HubSpot and Freshchat may need more setup for advanced features. Intercom is the most complex for custom bots and product tours.

Bottom Line

Crisp is a capable tool. But the $95/month price tag for AI and the limited channel selection push many teams to look elsewhere. If your priority is offering customers the widest range of contact options with AI at an affordable price, Boei is the strongest alternative. If you need a free tool and only care about live chat, tawk.to works. If you are already in HubSpot or Freshworks, their chat tools integrate naturally.

The right choice depends on your specific needs. But you should not have to pay nearly $100/month just to let AI answer common questions.

Try Boei free for 7 days or see how Boei compares to Crisp.

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