Software · head to head
Crisp vs Freshchat
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Crisp free tier includes only 2 agents and no AI credits; AI capability requires paid tier; Freshchat the free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting
- They diverge on capability: Crisp covers Shared inbox, Freshchat covers Campaigns.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Crisp and Freshchat actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Crisp
- Shared inbox
- Knowledge base
- Video calls
- CRM
- WordPress
- Zapier
- Segment
- SSL
Only in Freshchat
- Campaigns
- Apple Business Chat
- Freshdesk
- Freshsales
- Zendesk
- SOC2
Both cover
- Live chat
- Chatbots
- Slack
- Shopify
- GDPR
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Crisp
- Growing startups needing affordable all-in-one customer support with AI automationnot Freshchat
- Teams seeking omnichannel support consolidating email, chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagramnot Freshchat
Freshchat
- Live chat on a website or in an appnot Crisp
- Shared inbox across chat, email and social messengersnot Crisp
- Chatbot deflection before a conversation reaches an agentnot Crisp
- Routing conversations by skill or language on the higher tiersnot Crisp
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Crisp
- Free tier includes only 2 agents and no AI credits; AI capability requires paid tier
- Free tier customer profile limit of 100; higher limits require upgrade
- Omnichannel support and workflow automation excluded from Free and Mini tiers
- White labelling only available in Plus tier ($295+/month)
Freshchat
- The free plan covers up to 10 agents and omits social messengers, SMS and reporting
- Reporting and social channels need Growth at $19 per agent per month billed annually
- Intelligent routing, multilingual support and custom dashboards require Pro at $49 per agent per month
- Skill-based routing, audit logs and IP whitelisting are Enterprise only at $79 per agent per month
- Freddy AI is charged on top of the seat price, at $49 per 100 agent sessions and $29 per agent per month for Copilot
Pricing, plan by plan
Crisp
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Crisp review.
Freshchat
Free- FreeFree
- 100 contacts
- Chatbot
- Inbox views
- Growth$19/month
- 2000 contacts
- Pro$49/month
- 5000 contacts
- Auto-resolve
- Advanced routing
- Enterprise$79/month
- Unlimited contacts
- Custom bots
- User authentication
Which should you pick?
Choose Crisp if
- You need shared inbox.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud-based SaaS.
- You also want knowledge base.
Choose Freshchat if
- You need campaigns.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want whatsapp.
Questions people ask
- Is Crisp or Freshchat better?
- Neither clearly leads. Crisp starts at Free and Freshchat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Crisp or Freshchat?
- Crisp starts at Free and Freshchat at Free.
- Does Crisp or Freshchat run on more platforms?
- Crisp runs on Cloud-based SaaS. Freshchat runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Crisp for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Crisp best used for?
- Crisp is most often used for growing startups needing affordable all-in-one customer support with ai automation, teams seeking omnichannel support consolidating email, chat, whatsapp, messenger, instagram. Of those, growing startups needing affordable all-in-one customer support with ai automation and teams seeking omnichannel support consolidating email, chat, whatsapp, messenger, instagram are not what Freshchat is typically brought in for.
- What can Crisp do that Freshchat cannot?
- Crisp covers Shared inbox, Knowledge base, Video calls, CRM. Freshchat covers Campaigns, WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Business Chat. Both handle Live chat, Chatbots, Slack, Shopify.