Crisp
Multichannel customer messaging platform
What it does
Crisp is a multichannel customer messaging platform, live chat, chatbot, knowledge base, and a lightweight CRM in one tool, built for startups and SMBs wanting a broader inbox (website chat, email, social DMs) without HubSpot or Zendesk pricing. It has a genuine free tier, though it's narrower than it first appears.
Free tier
Yes
Starts at
$25/mo
Setup
easy
Key features
Integrates with
Slack, WordPress, Shopify, Zapier
Who this fits
- Startups and SMBs wanting website chat plus a basic CRM without a big subscription
- SaaS companies needing a support inbox that consolidates multiple channels over time as they grow
- Businesses starting on free/low tiers who plan to grow into paid automation features
Who it does NOT fit
- Anyone relying on the free tier for anything beyond website-widget-only chat, the free tier has real, production-limiting gaps: no chat transcript export, no date filtering, unreliable notifications, no "mark as unread," no email/social DM/WhatsApp integration, and a hard 30-day rolling window where older conversations are permanently deleted, this is not a viable long-term free plan for a real support operation (Source: user reviews and product analysis via WebSearch summary, 2026)
- Anyone assuming AI chatbot setup is simple, getting the AI chatbot and automated workflows running is reported as considerably more complex and technical than expected, budget real setup time or technical help (Source: user reviews via WebSearch summary, 2026)
- Budget-sensitive buyers expecting predictable costs, verified users report price escalations from $99 to $500/month as usage and feature needs grow, this isn't a flat, predictable cost structure at scale (Source: user reports via WebSearch summary, 2026)
Pricing
Real gotchas
- The 30-day conversation history limit on the free tier permanently deletes older conversations, if the client needs any support history retention, they need a paid tier from day one, not just when they hit a hard wall (Source: product analysis via WebSearch summary, 2026)
- Free tier is website-widget-only, no email, social DM, or WhatsApp channels, don't position Crisp's free tier as "multichannel" to a client, that capability is paid-tier only
- Occasional message-delivery bugs are reported (agent replies failing to reach the customer), a real trust-damaging issue for a support tool specifically, worth monitoring during initial rollout
- Real-world cost escalation to $99-500/month has been documented as usage grows, budget conservatively rather than assuming the headline entry price holds at scale
Integrations that matter
Otto’s take on this tool
Recommend Crisp for startups and SMBs wanting to start with a real free/cheap chat tool and grow into more channels and automation over time, but set the free tier's real limits explicitly (30-day history, website-only, no export), don't let a client assume it covers a full support operation. Budget for real cost growth beyond the entry price as the client's usage scales, and flag that AI chatbot setup takes more technical effort than the marketing suggests.
Affiliate disclosure: if you sign up through the link above, Ottomately may earn a referral commission at no cost to you. We only feature tools we have actually used or vetted through our recommendation engine.Partnership: 20% recurring via Direct.
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