Is Botpress or Crisp better?

Neither clearly leads. Botpress starts at Free and Crisp at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Botpress or Crisp?

Botpress starts at Free and Crisp at Free.

Does Botpress or Crisp run on more platforms?

Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud). Crisp runs on Cloud-based SaaS.

Can I use Botpress for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Botpress best used for?

Botpress is most often used for ai customer support ticketing and refund processing, multi-channel helpdesk automation with escalation, self-service account updates and order corrections, proactive customer outreach and retention. Of those, ai customer support ticketing and refund processing and multi-channel helpdesk automation with escalation are not what Crisp is typically brought in for.

What can Botpress do that Crisp cannot?

Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Analytics. Crisp covers Live chat, Shared inbox, Chatbots, Knowledge base. Both handle Slack.

Live Chat · head to head

Botpress vs Crisp

Botpress

Live Chat

Open-source chatbot platform and framework

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Crisp

Live Chat

Customer messaging platform for startups and SMBs

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Botpress dependent on OpenAI integration; users must provide and manage OpenAI API keys and costs; Crisp free tier limited to 2 seats and 100 customer profiles
They diverge on capability: Botpress covers Visual bot builder, Crisp covers Live chat.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Botpress and Crisp actually diverge.

Attributes where Botpress and Crisp differ
Attribute	Botpress	Crisp
Pricing model	subscription	freemium
Platforms	Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud)	Cloud-based SaaS
Founded	2016	2015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Live Chat).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Botpress

Visual bot builder
NLU integration
Multi-channel support
Analytics
Teams
Messenger
WhatsApp
On-premise support

Only in Crisp

Live chat
Shared inbox
Chatbots
Knowledge base
Video calls
CRM
WordPress
Shopify

Both cover

Slack

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Botpress

AI customer support ticketing and refund processingnot Crisp
Multi-channel helpdesk automation with escalationnot Crisp
Self-service account updates and order correctionsnot Crisp
Proactive customer outreach and retentionnot Crisp

Crisp

Customer service and support automationnot Botpress
Chat and omnichannel messagingnot Botpress
Chatbot and AI conversation managementnot Botpress
Customer profile and ticket managementnot Botpress
Team collaboration on customer communicationnot Botpress

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Botpress

Dependent on OpenAI integration; users must provide and manage OpenAI API keys and costs

Crisp

Free tier limited to 2 seats and 100 customer profiles
Additional agents cost $10/month per seat beyond included seats
Customer profile limits increase with each tier; 5,000 (Mini) to 200,000 (Plus)
Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales

Pricing, plan by plan

Botpress

Free

Standard$9000/year
- Up to 4 seats
- 1,200 conversations per month
- No per-seat cost

Crisp

Free

FreeFree
- 2 seats
- Website chat widget
- Shared inbox
Mini$45/month
- 4 seats
- ~$5 AI credits (around 90 automated conversations)
- Shared email inbox
Essentials$95/month
- 10 seats
- ~$25 AI credits (around 450 automated conversations)
- Omnichannel inbox
Plus$295/month
- 20+ seats
- ~$75 AI credits (around 1,350 automated conversations)
- Unlimited task automations

Which should you pick?

Choose Botpress if

You need visual bot builder.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud).
You also want nlu integration.

Botpress review

Choose Crisp if

You need live chat.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Cloud-based SaaS.
You also want shared inbox.

Crisp review

Questions people ask

Is Botpress or Crisp better?: Neither clearly leads. Botpress starts at Free and Crisp at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Botpress or Crisp?: Botpress starts at Free and Crisp at Free.
Does Botpress or Crisp run on more platforms?: Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud). Crisp runs on Cloud-based SaaS.
Can I use Botpress for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Botpress best used for?: Botpress is most often used for ai customer support ticketing and refund processing, multi-channel helpdesk automation with escalation, self-service account updates and order corrections, proactive customer outreach and retention. Of those, ai customer support ticketing and refund processing and multi-channel helpdesk automation with escalation are not what Crisp is typically brought in for.
What can Botpress do that Crisp cannot?: Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Analytics. Crisp covers Live chat, Shared inbox, Chatbots, Knowledge base. Both handle Slack.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Botpress: How much does Botpress cost?

Botpress charges $9,000 per year for the standard plan supporting 4 seats with 1,200 conversations monthly. No per-seat cost is applied when adding team members or expanding usage, and AI capabilities are included in the subscription.

Source

Crisp: How much does Crisp cost?

Crisp offers a free plan ($0/month for 2 seats), Mini ($45/month for 4 seats), Essentials ($95/month for 10 seats), Plus ($295/month for 20+ seats), and Enterprise (custom pricing).

Source

Botpress: Is there a free Botpress plan?

Yes, Botpress offers a free tier with no credit card required. You can try the platform for free and test it on your own support tickets before upgrading.

Source

Crisp: Is there a free version of Crisp?

Yes, Crisp Free includes 2 seats, website chat widget, shared inbox, and mobile/desktop apps with a 100 customer profile limit and no AI credits.

Source

Botpress: What does Botpress include compared to Zendesk or Intercom?

Botpress saves $25,500 per year compared to Zendesk and Intercom for a 4-seat team handling 1,200 monthly conversations, delivering the same AI-powered support without separate AI billing.

Source

Crisp: What are AI credits in Crisp?

AI credits power automated conversations. Mini plan includes ~$5 credits (90 conversations), Essentials includes ~$25 credits (450 conversations), Plus includes ~$75 credits (1,350 conversations).

Source

Crisp: Does Crisp charge per additional agent?

Yes, additional agents beyond included seats cost $10/month per person. Free plan includes 2 seats; additional seats available on paid plans.

Source

Botpress vs Crisp

Botpress

Crisp

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Botpress

Only in Crisp

Both cover

What people use each for

Botpress

Crisp

Where each one falls short

Botpress

Crisp

Pricing, plan by plan

Botpress

Crisp

Which should you pick?

Choose Botpress if

Choose Crisp if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Botpress

More on Crisp

Keep looking

Other head to heads