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Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head

Crisp vs Rasa

Crisp logo

Crisp

Live Chat & Chatbots

Customer messaging platform for startups and SMBs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rasa logo

Rasa

Live Chat & Chatbots

Open-source framework for building conversational AI

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Crisp free tier includes only 2 agents and no AI credits; AI capability requires paid tier; Rasa free Developer Edition caps conversations at 1,000 external or 100 internal per company per month
  • They diverge on capability: Crisp covers Live chat, Rasa covers NLU engine.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Crisp and Rasa actually diverge.

Attributes where Crisp and Rasa differ
AttributeCrispRasa
Pricing modelfreemiumopen-source
PlatformsCloud-based SaaSOn-premise, Cloud deployment, Docker, Kubernetes
Founded20152016

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

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

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

Only in Rasa

  • NLU engine
  • Dialogue management
  • Multi-language support
  • Testing tools
  • Teams
  • Custom channels
  • API
  • On-premise support

Both cover

  • Slack

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 Rasa
  • Teams seeking omnichannel support consolidating email, chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagramnot Rasa

Rasa

  • Developers self-hosting an open source conversational AI framework before needing enterprise scalenot 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)

Rasa

  • Free Developer Edition caps conversations at 1,000 external or 100 internal per company per month
  • Rasa Pro and the Business Plan (Pro plus Studio) are not priced on the site and require contacting sales

Pricing, plan by plan

Crisp

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Crisp review.

Rasa

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full framework access
    • Community support
  • Rasa Pro$50/month
    • Additional tools
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Advanced features
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Rasa if

  • You need nlu engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on On-premise, Cloud deployment, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want dialogue management.
Rasa review

Questions people ask

Is Crisp or Rasa better?
Neither clearly leads. Crisp starts at Free and Rasa at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Crisp or Rasa?
Crisp starts at Free and Rasa at Free.
Does Crisp or Rasa run on more platforms?
Crisp runs on Cloud-based SaaS. Rasa runs on On-premise, Cloud deployment, Docker, Kubernetes.
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 Rasa is typically brought in for.
What can Crisp do that Rasa cannot?
Crisp covers Live chat, Shared inbox, Chatbots, Knowledge base. Rasa covers NLU engine, Dialogue management, Multi-language support, Testing tools. Both handle Slack.
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Related pages

More on Crisp

More on Rasa

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