10 Best tawk.to Alternatives With AI & More Channels (2026)

Looking for tawk.to alternatives that offer AI, WhatsApp, and modern design? tawk.to is a solid free live chat tool, but it lacks an AI chatbot, multi-channel support, and clean branding. Add-ons for AI, badge removal, and calls quickly push costs to $77/month. This guide compares 10 alternatives with pricing, AI features, and channel support.

tawk.to Alternatives Compared

Top tawk.to Alternative Picks

• Best upgrade from tawk.to: Boei. Everything tawk.to charges $77/mo extra for costs $14/mo with AI included
• Best if you need free: Tidio or Crisp. Both have functional free plans with more modern interfaces than tawk.to
• Best for AI on a budget: Boei ($14/mo with AI) or Chatbase ($40/mo, AI-focused). No per-conversation fees
• Best for enterprise: Intercom. The most mature platform with Fin AI, but expect to pay $370+/month for a small team

Why People Upgrade From tawk.to

Before we dive into the alternatives, here are the four most common reasons businesses move on from tawk.to.

1. No AI Chatbot Means No Answers After Hours

tawk.to relies entirely on human agents. When your team is offline, visitors see an empty chat window or an offline form. Evenings, weekends, holidays. They leave. An AI chatbot can answer common questions instantly, 24/7. tawk.to does offer AI Assist, but it costs $29/month on top of the free plan.

2. No WhatsApp or Other Messaging Channels

Your customers use WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, SMS, and more. tawk.to only gives you website chat and email. There is no native WhatsApp integration and no social media channels. In 2026, a chat-only widget misses a large portion of how people want to talk to you.

3. Dated Widget Design With Branding

The tawk.to widget looks functional but outdated. It shows a "powered by tawk.to" badge on every page of your website, which looks unprofessional on polished sites. Removing that badge costs $19/month. That is nearly as much as some complete alternatives.

4. No Lead Capture Forms or Contact Options

tawk.to is a chat tool and nothing more. There are no built-in contact forms, no newsletter signup options, and no callback request widgets. If a visitor does not want to chat, you lose them entirely.

10 Best tawk.to Alternatives (Reviewed)

1. Boei - Best for Multi-Channel Upgrade

tawk.to is free but feels free: dated UI, mandatory branding, and no AI unless you pay extra. Boei modernizes the experience with a polished widget, built-in AI chatbot, and 50+ channels including WhatsApp, phone, and forms. It is built for businesses that want more than basic live chat without enterprise complexity.

Boei dashboard

×

Where tawk.to gives you one channel (live chat) and charges extra for everything else, Boei starts at $8/month for the widget with all 50+ channels. Add the AI chatbot for $6/month and live chat agents at $6/month each. A solo founder with AI pays just $14/month.

Key Strengths:

1. AI answers visitors 24/7. Boei's AI chatbot trains on your website content and answers visitor questions around the clock. tawk.to cannot do this without a $29/month add-on
2. 50+ channels including WhatsApp, phone, and forms. Beyond live chat, visitors can reach you via WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, phone, contact forms, callback requests, and dozens more. tawk.to offers website chat and email only
3. Modern clean widget with no branding. The Boei widget is minimal, fast-loading, and shows your brand, not Boei's. No badge removal fee required

Key Weaknesses:

1. Not free. Boei starts at $8/month, so it cannot match tawk.to's $0 price for teams that truly need nothing beyond basic manual chat
2. No real-time visitor monitoring. tawk.to lets you watch visitors browse your site in real time and start chats proactively. Boei does not offer this

Best for: Businesses upgrading from tawk.to that want AI, WhatsApp, and multiple channels without per-conversation fees.

Pricing: $8/month per domain for the widget + inbox + contacts + 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. With 5 agents + AI: $44/month.

Try Boei Free

Compare Boei vs tawk.to in detail -->

2. Tidio - Best for E-Commerce Stores

Tidio is a live chat and chatbot platform popular with e-commerce stores, especially on Shopify. It offers a functional free plan and an AI chatbot called Lyro that handles customer questions automatically. The visual chatbot builder makes it easy to create automated flows without coding.

Tidio dashboard

×

Key Strengths:

1. Functional free plan. Tidio's free tier includes 50 conversations per month. That is enough for small websites to get started without paying, similar to tawk.to
2. Lyro AI chatbot available as add-on. Lyro learns from your help center content and resolves common questions on its own, freeing your team for complex issues
3. Strong Shopify integration. Tidio connects deeply with Shopify. Agents can see order history, recommend products, and manage support from the chat interface

Key Weaknesses:

1. Lyro AI costs extra. AI conversations cost $0.50 each on top of your plan. That adds up fast. A site with 200 AI conversations per month pays an extra $100
2. WhatsApp costs $59/month extra. WhatsApp is not included in base plans. You need the Communicator plan plus the WhatsApp add-on

Best for: E-commerce stores, especially on Shopify, that want a free starting point with the option to add AI later.

Pricing: Free for 50 conversations/month. Paid plans from $29/month per operator, plus add-on costs for AI and WhatsApp.

Visit Tidio

3. Crisp - Best for EU Data Hosting

Crisp is a European customer messaging platform with data hosted in EU servers. It offers a generous free plan for up to two users and scales to a full messaging suite. If GDPR compliance and data residency matter, Crisp is worth a close look.

Crisp dashboard

×

Key Strengths:

1. EU data hosting. Crisp stores data on European servers. This simplifies GDPR compliance and appeals to privacy-conscious businesses. Boei also offers EU servers (Amsterdam) and full GDPR compliance if you want that same data residency with more channels
2. Free plan for 2 users. The free tier supports two team members with basic live chat. It is a solid tawk.to alternative for very small teams
3. Built-in knowledge base on Pro plan. The Pro tier includes a help center and knowledge base for self-service alongside your chat widget

Key Weaknesses:

1. AI requires the $95/month plan. Crisp's AI features are locked behind the Unlimited plan. That is much more expensive than Boei or Chatbase
2. Limited channel support. Crisp supports around 6 channels (chat, email, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram). Better than tawk.to's two but far fewer than Boei's 50+

Best for: EU-based teams that need GDPR-friendly data hosting and want a free starting plan with room to grow.

Pricing: Free for 2 users. Pro at $25/month. Unlimited at $95/month.

Visit Crisp

4. LiveChat - Best for Dedicated Agent Teams

LiveChat is a veteran in the live chat space with over 20 years of experience. It is built for support and sales teams that handle high volumes of conversations. The desktop agent app is arguably the best on the market. If your team has dedicated chat agents, LiveChat gives them professional-grade tools.

LiveChat dashboard

×

Key Strengths:

1. Best-in-class agent desktop app. The LiveChat agent interface is fast, polished, and built for productivity. Message sneak-peek lets agents see what customers type before they send
2. 200+ integrations. LiveChat connects to virtually every CRM, helpdesk, and e-commerce platform through its integration marketplace
3. Proven track record. With 20+ years in the market, LiveChat is stable, well-supported, and trusted by thousands of businesses

Key Weaknesses:

1. AI is a separate product. LiveChat's AI chatbot is sold separately as ChatBot, starting at $52/month. This is on top of your LiveChat subscription
2. Per-agent pricing adds up. At $20/agent/month on the Starter plan, a team of five pays $100/month before extras. tawk.to's unlimited free agents are hard to beat here

Best for: Businesses with dedicated support or sales agent teams that need professional chat tools and do not mind paying per seat.

Pricing: From $20/agent/month. ChatBot (AI) from $52/month extra.

Visit LiveChat

5. Intercom - Best for Enterprise Support

Intercom is the enterprise standard for customer messaging. Its AI chatbot, Fin, is one of the most capable on the market. It can resolve a big chunk of support queries without human help. But this power comes at a price that puts it in a different league than tawk.to.

Intercom dashboard

×

Key Strengths:

1. Fin AI is best-in-class. Fin resolves customer questions on its own using your help center content, past conversations, and custom data sources. It is one of the most advanced AI support bots available
2. Complete help center and knowledge base. Intercom includes a full self-service portal where customers can find answers without starting a conversation
3. Enterprise-grade workflows. Advanced routing, SLA management, custom bots, and detailed analytics give large teams the control they need

Key Weaknesses:

1. 500x tawk.to's price. Intercom starts at $74/seat/month. Five seats cost $370/month minimum, compared to tawk.to's $0. Fin AI resolutions cost an extra $0.99 each
2. Weeks of setup. Intercom is complex and takes real time to configure. Expect weeks of onboarding, not the 5-minute setup of tawk.to or Boei

Best for: Mid-market and enterprise companies with dedicated support teams and budget for a full customer messaging platform.

Pricing: From $74/seat/month. Fin AI costs $0.99 per resolution on top.

Visit Intercom

6. Freshchat - Best for Freshworks Ecosystem

Freshchat is the messaging part of the Freshworks business software suite. If your company already uses Freshdesk, Freshsales, or other Freshworks products, Freshchat plugs right in and adds live chat and messaging to your existing workflows.

Freshchat dashboard

×

Key Strengths:

1. Part of the Freshworks suite. Freshchat connects natively with Freshdesk (ticketing), Freshsales (CRM), and other Freshworks tools
2. Reasonable starting price. At $15/agent/month, Freshchat is more affordable than many competitors at the entry level. Costs do grow with team size
3. Multi-channel on higher plans. Growth and Pro plans add WhatsApp, Messenger, Apple Messages, and more

Key Weaknesses:

1. Per-agent pricing. Like most competitors, Freshchat charges per agent. A growing team quickly pays more than alternatives like Boei
2. Best within the Freshworks ecosystem. Freshchat shines alongside other Freshworks products. As a standalone tool, it is less unique compared to dedicated chat platforms

Best for: Companies already using Freshworks products that want to add live chat and messaging.

Pricing: From $15/agent/month. AI and extra channels available as add-ons on higher plans.

Visit Freshchat

7. Chatbase - Best for AI-Only Chatbot

Chatbase is a focused AI chatbot builder. It trains on your website content, documents, and knowledge base to answer visitor questions automatically. Unlike the other tools on this list, Chatbase is not a live chat platform. It is purely an AI chatbot you embed on your site.

Chatbase dashboard

×

Key Strengths:

1. Focused AI chatbot experience. Chatbase does one thing and does it well. Upload your content and it creates a GPT-5-powered chatbot that answers questions based on your info
2. Trains on your content. Feed Chatbase your website URLs, PDFs, and text files. It learns your business and gives accurate, contextual answers
3. GPT-5-powered intelligence. Built on OpenAI's latest models, Chatbase gives natural, conversational responses instead of rigid keyword-matching replies

Key Weaknesses:

1. Chat-focused, like tawk.to. Chatbase is primarily a chat widget. WhatsApp is available via integration, but there are no phone, forms, or other channels. You solve the AI problem but not the full channel problem
2. Credits-based pricing. Chatbase uses a credits system for AI responses. High-traffic sites can burn through credits fast, making costs less predictable

Best for: Businesses that want to add an AI chatbot without replacing their entire communication setup.

Pricing: From $40/month. Higher plans available for more credits and features.

Visit Chatbase

8. JivoChat - Best for Budget Multi-Channel

JivoChat is a multi-channel business messenger. It combines live chat, phone, social media, and email into a single dashboard. It is popular in emerging markets and offers a generous free plan alongside competitive paid pricing.

JivoChat dashboard

×

Key Strengths:

1. Free plan with decent features. JivoChat's free tier supports one agent with basic live chat. Accessible for solo operators looking beyond tawk.to
2. Phone, chat, social, and email in one place. Even on affordable plans, JivoChat supports live chat, phone, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, email, and more
3. Callback widget. JivoChat includes a callback request feature. Visitors can request a phone call, which is a useful lead capture tool tawk.to does not offer

Key Weaknesses:

1. AI capabilities are limited. JivoChat's AI features are basic compared to tools like Chatbase or Intercom. Do not expect autonomous resolution of complex queries
2. Interface can feel busy. With so many channels in one dashboard, the interface can feel cluttered. Especially for new users or small teams

Best for: Budget-conscious businesses that need multi-channel communication (phone + chat + social) without enterprise pricing.

Pricing: Free for 1 agent. Professional from $19/agent/month.

Visit JivoChat

9. Zendesk Chat - Best for Full Support Suite

Zendesk Chat is part of the Zendesk Suite, one of the most established support platforms in the world. It combines live chat with ticketing, help center, phone support, and analytics in one place. If you need a full support operation, not just a chat widget, Zendesk has the complete package.

Zendesk Chat dashboard

×

Key Strengths:

1. Complete support platform. Zendesk Suite includes ticketing, help center, phone, chat, and reporting. You get everything a support team needs, not just chat
2. Enterprise scale. Zendesk handles millions of conversations and is trusted by some of the largest companies in the world. It scales reliably
3. AI-powered answers. Zendesk's AI agent can resolve common questions using your help center content. Each resolution costs $1

Key Weaknesses:

1. $55/agent minimum. The Suite Team plan starts at $55/agent/month. Five agents pay $275/month before adding AI. One of the most expensive options on this list
2. Complex administration. Zendesk is powerful, but that power comes with complexity. Configuration and ongoing admin require real time and expertise

Best for: Companies that need a complete support suite with ticketing, phone, and chat, not just a chat widget.

Pricing: From $55/agent/month for the Zendesk Suite Team plan. AI resolutions cost $1 each.

Visit Zendesk Chat

10. Olark - Best for Simple Live Chat

Olark is a straightforward live chat tool. It is for businesses that want something cleaner and more professional than tawk.to without the complexity of enterprise platforms. It does one thing, live chat, and does it reliably with simple, honest pricing.

Olark dashboard

×

Key Strengths:

1. Straightforward live chat. Olark does not try to be everything. It gives you clean, reliable chat with canned responses, transcripts, and visitor info
2. Clean design and easy setup. The Olark widget looks modern and professional. Setup takes minutes, not hours
3. Good for basic needs. If all you need is a better-looking, brandable version of tawk.to's chat widget, Olark delivers exactly that

Key Weaknesses:

1. No AI chatbot. Olark has no AI capabilities. Like tawk.to, when your team is offline, visitors cannot get automated answers
2. No WhatsApp or multi-channel. Olark is chat-only. No WhatsApp, no social media channels, no forms, and no phone. It solves the design problem but not the channel problem

Best for: Small businesses that want a simple, professional live chat upgrade from tawk.to.

Pricing: $29/seat/month.

Visit Olark

tawk.to Alternatives FAQ

Why pay for chat when tawk.to is free?

tawk.to is free for basic manual live chat, and that is a genuine strength. But once you need more, the costs add up. AI Assist costs $29/month. Removing branding costs $19/month. Voice and video calls cost $29/month. That is $77/month for a tool that started at zero. You still do not have WhatsApp, contact forms, or other channels. Boei includes AI, WhatsApp, 50+ channels, and no branding starting at $14/month with AI. Paying a small amount for a complete tool often costs less than stacking add-ons on a free one.

Is tawk.to really free? What is the catch?

tawk.to is genuinely free for basic live chat with unlimited agents and unlimited chat history. There is no trial period or hidden expiration. The company makes money through paid add-ons (AI Assist, branding removal, voice/video) and a hired-agent service. The main catch is that the free widget shows tawk.to branding on your site. The most useful features (AI, clean branding, voice) all need paid upgrades.

What is the cheapest tawk.to alternative with AI?

Boei at $14/month with AI is the most affordable all-in-one option. It includes the AI chatbot plus 50+ communication channels. Chatbase at $40/month is another budget-friendly choice if you only need an AI chatbot without extra channels. Tidio offers AI through Lyro, but at $0.50 per conversation, costs get unpredictable at higher volumes.

Can tawk.to alternatives match unlimited agents?

Most alternatives charge per agent or per seat. Costs grow as your team expands. Boei charges $8/month for the widget plus $6/month per live chat agent, so it scales affordably. tawk.to is still the only option with truly unlimited free agents. If you need AI, WhatsApp, and 50+ channels though, Boei gives you far more for the money.

What can tawk.to do that paid alternatives cannot?

tawk.to's core advantage is its $0 price for a genuinely useful set of features. Unlimited agents, unlimited chat history, real-time visitor monitoring, a built-in ticketing system, and canned responses. No paid tool matches this combination at zero cost. Real-time visitor monitoring is a standout feature. You can watch visitors navigate your site and start chats proactively. Most alternatives either lack this or lock it behind expensive plans. If manual live chat fully covers your needs and you do not mind the branding, tawk.to remains a strong choice.

Bottom Line

tawk.to is an excellent free tool, and there is no shame in using it. But if you have hit its limits (no AI after hours, no WhatsApp, dated design, visible branding) the alternatives above give you clear upgrade paths at every budget level.

For most businesses upgrading from tawk.to, Boei offers the best value. AI, WhatsApp, 50+ channels, and no branding starting at $14/month with AI. That is less than what tawk.to charges for its add-on stack alone.

Ready to upgrade? Start your free trial -->

Related Guides

• 10 Best Intercom Alternatives
• 10 Best Tidio Alternatives
• 10 Best LiveChat Alternatives
• 10 Best Crisp Alternatives
• 10 Best GetButton Alternatives