Table of Contents
- Key takeaways: the best Tawk alternatives at a glance
- What is Tawk?
- Problems with Tawk that send teams to alternatives
- How the alternatives solve these problems
- How these Tawk alternatives were ranked
- The 7 best Tawk alternatives in 2026
- 1. Crisp: best like-for-like Tawk alternative with a free plan
- Key features
- Pros
- Cons
- Pricing
- Rating
- Best for
- 2. Tidio: best Tawk alternative for online stores
- Key features
- Pros
- Cons
- Pricing
- Rating
- Best for
- 3. SiteGPT: best for knowledge-trained AI answers that shorten the chat queue
- Key features
- Pros
- Cons
- Pricing
- Rating
- Best for
- 4. Chatwoot: best open source and self-hosted Tawk alternative
- Key features
- Pros
- Cons
- Pricing
- Rating
- Best for
- 5. Chatbase: best for an AI agent with a built-in helpdesk
- Key features
- Pros
- Cons
- Pricing
- Rating
- Best for
- 6. Intercom: best for teams that want a helpdesk with a native AI agent
- Key features
- Pros
- Cons
- Pricing
- Rating
- Best for
- 7. Zendesk: best for ticketing in larger service teams
- Key features
- Pros
- Cons
- Pricing
- Rating
- Best for
- Tawk alternatives comparison table
- What a 4-agent inbox costs on Tawk and its alternatives
- The stack: which tool does which job
- How to choose a Tawk alternative
- Tawk alternatives use-case cheat sheet
- Tawk alternatives FAQ
- Basics
- What is the best alternative to Tawk?
- Is Tawk really free?
- Does Tawk have an AI chatbot?
- Pricing
- What is the cheapest Tawk alternative?
- How much does it cost to remove the Tawk branding?
- Do Tawk alternatives charge per agent?
- Comparisons
- Tawk vs Crisp: which is better?
- Tawk vs Tidio: which is better?
- Tawk vs Intercom: what is the difference?
- AI and handoff
- Can SiteGPT replace Tawk?
- Does SiteGPT integrate with Tawk?
- Which Tawk alternatives include AI in the plan price?
- Compliance
- Which Tawk alternatives support HIPAA?
- Can a Tawk alternative keep data on your own servers?
- Sources
Created by
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Created time
May 14, 2026 10:53 AM
The best Tawk alternative for most small teams in 2026 is Crisp, a live chat inbox with a free plan for 2 seats and flat paid plans from $45 a month per workspace.
No tool in this guide is best overall. Each of the seven alternatives below has a "best for" label, a price read from the vendor's pricing page, and a G2 rating.
TL;DR
- Crisp is the closest like-for-like swap for Tawk. It has a free plan for 2 seats, no conversation limit, and flat pricing per workspace from $45 a month.
- Tidio fits online stores. It has a free plan with 50 billable conversations, and Starter is $24.17 a month billed annually.
- SiteGPT is not a live chat helpdesk and has no free plan. It is the knowledge-trained answer layer. Starter is $59 a month, or $39 a month billed yearly.
- Chatwoot is the open source option. Chatbase is an AI agent with its own helpdesk from $150 a month. Intercom and Zendesk fit larger teams that pay per agent.
- A 4-agent inbox costs $0 on Tawk, $24.17 a month on Tidio billed annually, $45 on Crisp, $116 on Intercom, and $220 on Zendesk before AI usage.
Key takeaways: the best Tawk alternatives at a glance
Tool | Best for | Type | Starting price | G2 rating |
1. Crisp | A like-for-like free inbox with flat paid plans | Shared inbox with an AI agent | Free plan. Mini $45 a month per workspace | 4.5 (205 reviews) |
2. Tidio | Online stores that want chat, flows, and tickets | Shared inbox with an AI agent add-on | Free plan. Starter $24.17 a month billed annually | 4.6 (1,962 reviews) |
3. SiteGPT | Knowledge-trained AI answers that shorten the chat queue | AI chatbot trained on your content. No email inbox | $59 a month, or $39 a month billed yearly | 4.9 (12 reviews) |
4. Chatwoot | Open source and self-hosting | Shared inbox with Captain AI | Free for 2 agents. Startups $19 per agent a month | 4.5 (16 reviews) |
5. Chatbase | An AI agent with a built-in helpdesk | AI agent builder | Free plan. Hobby $40 a month | 4.8 (46 reviews) |
6. Intercom | Teams that want a helpdesk with a native AI agent | Helpdesk with the Fin AI agent | $29 per seat a month billed annually, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome | 4.5 (3,919 reviews, listed as Fin) |
7. Zendesk | Ticketing for larger service teams | Helpdesk suite | $19 per agent a month paid yearly. Suite Team is $55 | 4.3 (7,095 reviews) |
What is Tawk?
Tawk, styled tawk.to by the vendor, is a free live chat platform. The free platform includes a chat widget, a shared inbox, a CRM, a pipeline, automations, and a knowledge base.
Tawk earns money from four optional add-ons, and the company says 99% of businesses use the platform entirely for free. Add-ons are billed per property and not per seat.
Tawk item | Price | Notes |
Platform | $0 | Chat widget, inbox, CRM, knowledge base. No credit card to start |
AI Assist | From $29 a month | AI agents and AI workflows trained on your knowledge base. Free tier for limited volume |
Whitelabel | $29 a month per property | Removes the "Powered by" badge, adds custom domains and branded emails |
Voice Agents | From $49 a month plus usage | Waitlist |
Data Enrichment | From $59 a month | Waitlist |
Source: tawk.to add-ons. Tawk holds 4.5 out of 5 from 203 reviews on G2.
Problems with Tawk that send teams to alternatives
The problems with Tawk fall into five groups: branding, AI cost, AI training sources, staffing, and missing features. Each point below comes from Tawk's add-ons page or from reviews on G2.
- The badge costs money to remove. Every free widget shows the vendor's badge. Whitelabel costs $29 a month per property. Three websites cost $87 a month, which is $1,044 a year.
- AI answers beyond the free tier are paid. AI Assist has a free tier for limited volume, and the add-ons page does not state that volume. Paid plans start at $29 a month. A property with AI Assist and Whitelabel costs at least $58 a month, which is $696 a year.
- The AI trains on your knowledge base. The add-ons page describes AI Assist agents as trained on your knowledge base and help docs. Teams with answers spread across a website, PDFs, and cloud drives may want an AI layer that reads those sources directly.
- A free inbox still needs people. Every chat the AI does not handle waits for a person on your team. Staff time is then the main cost of live chat. To price that staff time against a chatbot or a hybrid setup before you switch tools, use the chatbot vs live chat cost comparison.
- Reviewers ask for more. The complaint tags on G2 are Limited Features, Limitations, Chatbot Issues, and Inadequate Reporting. The G2 review summary also notes an inconsistent mobile app with delayed notifications.
Two more add-ons are not open yet. Voice Agents and Data Enrichment both sit behind a waitlist.
Tawk still holds 4.5 out of 5 on G2, and a free inbox is the right choice for many small teams. The alternatives below fit teams that hit one of these five limits.
How the alternatives solve these problems
Each Tawk problem maps to one type of alternative.
Tawk problem | What solves it | Tools |
Paid badge removal on every property | A cheaper branding add-on | Tidio |
Paid AI with an unstated free limit | AI credits or a message quota published on the pricing page | Crisp, SiteGPT, Chatbase, Chatwoot |
AI trained on a knowledge base | An AI layer trained on websites, files, and cloud drives | SiteGPT, Chatbase |
Every unanswered chat needs a person | An AI agent that answers first and hands off | Tidio with Lyro, Intercom with Fin, SiteGPT |
Limited features and reporting | A larger helpdesk suite | Intercom, Zendesk |
Teams that want to stay on a free plan and only add a bot can compare options in the free chatbot for website guide.
How these Tawk alternatives were ranked
These Tawk alternatives were ranked on five criteria, in this order.
- Fit as a replacement. Does the tool replace the free Tawk inbox, or only one part of it?
- Free plan and entry price. Is there a free plan, and what does a 4-agent team pay on published prices?
- AI answers. Is an AI agent included, and how is it billed?
- Branding. What does it cost to remove the vendor's badge?
- Third-party reviews. What is the G2 rating, and how many reviews sit behind it?
Crisp is first because it replaces the whole Tawk inbox, keeps a free plan, and charges a flat price per workspace. Tidio is second for the same job, with a stronger fit for online stores. Its entry price is lower than Crisp, but its plans are metered by billable conversations.
SiteGPT is this site's own product. It is third for a different job. SiteGPT is not a live chat helpdesk, and it has no free plan. It answers visitors from your own content, so fewer chats reach your team. Its limits are listed with the same weight as the others.
The 7 best Tawk alternatives in 2026
1. Crisp: best like-for-like Tawk alternative with a free plan
Crisp is a shared inbox and live chat helpdesk that bills a flat price per workspace. Its free plan includes 2 seats, a website chat widget, and a shared inbox. Plan limits and seven competing inboxes are covered in the Crisp alternatives guide.
Key features
- Website chat widget, shared inbox, and mobile apps on the free plan
- Shared email inbox, chat triggers, and private notes from Mini
- Omnichannel inbox, AI chatbot, knowledge base, and analytics from Essentials
- Ticketing system and white labelling on Plus
- AI credits included in every paid plan
Pros
- Free plan for 2 seats
- Crisp does not limit the number of conversations on any plan
- Flat price per workspace. Mini includes 4 seats, and Essentials includes 10
- 14-day trial of all features with no card required
Cons
- The free plan includes no AI credits and holds 100 customer profiles.
- The AI chatbot and the knowledge base start on Essentials at $95 a month.
- White labelling is on Plus at $295 a month. Tawk charges $29 a month per property for the same job.
- Extra agents cost $10 each a month.
Pricing
Plan | Price per workspace | Seats included | Included AI credits | Customer profiles |
Free | $0 | 2 | None | 100 |
Mini | $45 a month | 4 | $5 | 5,000 |
Essentials | $95 a month | 10 | $25 | 50,000 |
Plus | $295 a month | 20 or more | $75 | 200,000 |
Source: Crisp pricing.
Rating
Crisp holds 4.5 out of 5 from 205 reviews on G2.
Best for
Crisp is best for small teams that want to replace the whole Tawk inbox and keep a free plan. Teams that pick Crisp and want a second AI option can read the guide to the best AI chatbot for Crisp.
2. Tidio: best Tawk alternative for online stores
Tidio is a live chat and helpdesk platform for small businesses and online stores. It combines live chat, ticketing, email, and social channels in one inbox, and it adds an AI agent named Lyro. Plans and limits are covered in the Tidio review.
Key features
- Live chat, ticketing, and an email management system
- Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and email integrations
- Lyro AI agent with human handoff and knowledge-based answers
- Flows, a visual builder for sales and FAQ automations
- Native Shopify actions
- Desktop and mobile apps
Pros
- Free plan with 50 billable conversations a month
- A conversation is billable only when a human agent replies
- 10 seats on the Free, Starter, and Growth plans
- The first 50 Lyro AI conversations are free
- 1,962 reviews on G2, the largest base among the small-team tools here
Cons
- Plans are metered by billable conversations. Crisp does not limit conversations.
- Lyro is priced separately. It starts at $32.50 a month billed annually for 50 AI conversations, which is $0.65 per conversation.
- Removing Tidio branding is an add-on at $16.67 a month.
- The Plus plan starts at $300 a month plus usage.
Pricing
Plan | Price | Included |
Free | $0 | 50 billable conversations, 10 seats, 50 Lyro conversations one time |
Starter | $24.17 a month billed annually | 100 billable conversations, 10 seats, live chat and ticketing |
Growth | From $49.17 a month billed annually | From 250 billable conversations, 10 seats, analytics, macros |
Plus | From $300 a month plus usage | Custom limits, departments, custom branding, OpenAPI |
Premium | Contact sales | From 3,000 Lyro conversations, pay-per-resolution billing |
Lyro AI agent | From $32.50 a month billed annually | From 50 Lyro conversations |
Source: Tidio pricing. Paid plans have a 7-day free trial.
Rating
Tidio holds 4.6 out of 5 from 1,962 reviews on G2.
Best for
Tidio is best for online stores that want live chat, sales flows, and tickets in one tool. The feature and price math against SiteGPT is in SiteGPT vs Tidio.
3. SiteGPT: best for knowledge-trained AI answers that shorten the chat queue
SiteGPT is an AI chatbot trained on your own content. It is an alternative to the AI part of Tawk. It is not a live chat helpdesk, it has no shared inbox for email, and it has no free plan.
SiteGPT answers visitors first from your website and documents. When a visitor asks for a person, the AI stops and your team replies from the SiteGPT chat history. SiteGPT lists no Tawk integration, so the SiteGPT widget replaces the Tawk widget on your site.
Key features
- Trains on website URLs, sitemaps, files, raw text, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, Notion, GitHub, and YouTube
- Human handoff on every plan. The visitor asks for a person, and your team takes over the conversation
- Three chat modes: start with the AI, start with a person, or follow your working hours
- Auto refresh of trained content: monthly on Growth, weekly with a daily scan on Scale
- 95+ languages
- Chat integrations from Growth: Slack, Crisp, Messenger, Google Chat, Freshdesk Messaging, and Zoho SalesIQ
Pros
- Flat monthly price with a published message quota. Starter includes 4k GPT-4.1-mini messages a month, and Growth includes 10k
- Answers come from your own website, files, and cloud drives
- The escalation rules are written in plain language
- One chatbot can be embedded on as many sites as you want
Cons
- No free plan. The 7-day free trial requires a credit card.
- No shared inbox for email, social channels, or tickets. SiteGPT is the answer layer.
- Starter includes 1 member, manual content refresh, and no chat integrations.
- Removing SiteGPT branding is an add-on at $39 a month billed yearly.
- The quota is in GPT-4.1-mini messages. GPT-4.1 messages count as ten each.
- No Intercom or HubSpot integration today.
Pricing
Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | Messages a month | Chatbots | Members |
Starter | $59 | $39 | 4k GPT-4.1-mini | 1 | 1 |
Growth | $129 | $79 | 10k GPT-4.1-mini | 2 | 4 |
Scale | $429 | $259 | 40k GPT-4.1-mini | 3 | 10 |
Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
A signed DPA and a HIPAA BAA are available on the Enterprise plan only. Source: SiteGPT pricing and the human support guide.
Rating
SiteGPT holds 4.9 out of 5 from 12 reviews on G2.
Best for
SiteGPT is best for teams whose chat queue is mostly repeat questions that their website and documents already answer. It also fits teams that need a website chatbot with human handoff and no email inbox.
4. Chatwoot: best open source and self-hosted Tawk alternative
Chatwoot is an open source customer service platform with a shared inbox, a help center, and an AI teammate named Captain. Teams can use Chatwoot Cloud or host the software on their own servers.
Key features
- Shared inbox for live chat, email, and social channels on paid plans
- Captain AI: an assistant that answers customers, a copilot for agents, reply suggestions, and summaries
- Help center, teams, and automation rules
- Self-hosted plans as well as cloud plans
- Voice channel
Pros
- Free Hacker plan for up to 2 agents and 500 conversations a month
- Paid plans list unlimited conversations under a fair use policy
- Captain AI credits are included with paid plans. Extra credits cost $20 per 1,000
- Self-hosting keeps conversation data on your own servers
Cons
- Pricing is per agent. Four agents on Startups cost $76 a month. Tawk does not charge per seat.
- The free plan is limited to live chat and keeps data for 30 days.
- Self-hosting needs someone to run and update the server.
- The G2 base is small at 16 reviews.
Pricing
Plan | Price per agent a month | Conversations | Captain AI credits | Data retention |
Hacker | $0, up to 2 agents | 500 a month | Not listed | 30 days |
Startups | $19 | Unlimited, fair use | 300 | 1 year |
Business | $39 | Unlimited, fair use | 500 | 2 years |
Enterprise | $99 | Unlimited, fair use | 800 | 3 years |
Source: Chatwoot pricing. Chatwoot Cloud has a 15-day free trial.
Rating
Chatwoot holds 4.5 out of 5 from 16 reviews on G2.
Best for
Chatwoot is best for technical teams that want an open source inbox they can host themselves.
5. Chatbase: best for an AI agent with a built-in helpdesk
Chatbase is an AI agent builder that trains on your content and answers on your website and messaging channels. Its Standard plan adds a native Helpdesk, so human agents can work escalated conversations inside Chatbase. Plans and limits are covered in the Chatbase review.
Key features
- AI agents trained on your content, with AI actions
- Native Helpdesk from the Standard plan
- Voice and telephony from the Standard plan
- Integrations listed for Zendesk, Salesforce, Intercom, HubSpot, Slack, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Shopify
- Auto-resync of trained content from Standard
Pros
- Free plan with 50 message credits a month
- Low entry price at $40 a month
- Yearly plans are 20% off
- 4.8 out of 5 on G2
Cons
- The Helpdesk starts on Standard at $150 a month. The $40 Hobby plan does not list it.
- Usage is metered in message credits. Hobby includes 700 a month, and extra credits cost $40 per 1,000.
- Removing "Powered by Chatbase" costs $99 a month. That is $70 more than Tawk Whitelabel.
- Free agents are deleted after 14 days of inactivity.
Pricing
Plan | Monthly price | Message credits | Members | Helpdesk |
Free | $0 | 50 | 1 | No |
Hobby | $40 | 700 | 2 | No |
Standard | $150 | 4,000 | 3 | Yes |
Pro | $500 | 15,000 | 5 | Yes |
Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Yes |
Source: Chatbase pricing. Paid plans have a 7-day trial.
Rating
Chatbase holds 4.8 out of 5 from 46 reviews on G2.
Best for
Chatbase is best for teams that want the AI agent and a simple helpdesk from one vendor and can start at $150 a month. Teams that hit its credit limits can read the Chatbase alternative guide.
6. Intercom: best for teams that want a helpdesk with a native AI agent
Intercom is a helpdesk with a shared inbox, ticketing, a help center, and a native AI agent named Fin. It is a large step up from a free inbox in both features and price. Fin is covered in the Intercom Fin AI review.
Key features
- Messenger, shared inbox, and ticketing on every plan
- Fin AI agent for service, sales, and ecommerce
- Workflows automation builder and multiple team inboxes from Advanced
- Public help center, with private and multilingual help centers from Advanced
- Unlimited live chat, email, and in-app chats on all plans
- SSO, SLAs, and HIPAA support on Expert
Pros
- The inbox and the AI agent come from one vendor
- You pay for Fin only when a conversation reaches an outcome
- Advanced includes 20 free Lite seats, and Expert includes 50
- The second largest review base in this list: 3,919 G2 reviews
Cons
- Pricing is per seat. Four Essential seats cost $116 a month billed annually, which is $1,392 a year.
- Fin costs $0.99 per outcome on top of seats. 500 outcomes cost $495 a month.
- SMS, WhatsApp, phone, and email campaigns are pay-as-you-go.
- Copilot is an add-on at $29 per agent a month billed annually.
Pricing
Item | Price | Notes |
Essential | $29 per seat a month, billed annually | Messenger, shared inbox, ticketing, public help center |
Advanced | $85 per seat a month, billed annually | Workflows, multiple inboxes, 20 free Lite seats |
Expert | $132 per seat a month, billed annually | SSO, HIPAA support, SLAs, 50 free Lite seats |
Fin AI agent | $0.99 per outcome | Also sold for other helpdesks with no seats required |
Copilot add-on | $29 per agent a month, billed annually | AI assistant for human agents |
Source: Intercom pricing.
Rating
G2 lists the product as Fin. It holds 4.5 out of 5 from 3,919 reviews on G2.
Best for
Intercom is best for growing teams that need workflows, SLAs, and a native AI agent, and that accept per-seat pricing. Cheaper options in the same category are in the Intercom alternatives guide.
7. Zendesk: best for ticketing in larger service teams
Zendesk is a helpdesk suite built around ticketing. The Suite plans add messaging, live chat, a knowledge base, telephony, and AI agents. It suits teams that have many agents and formal processes.
Key features
- Email and ticketing system with routing, automations, and triggers
- Messaging and live chat, knowledge base, and telephony from Suite Team
- AI agents on every Suite and Support plan, billed by automated resolution
- Omnichannel routing from Suite Team and skills-based routing from Suite Professional
- Sandbox, approval workflows, and custom agent roles on Suite Enterprise
Pros
- The largest G2 review base in this list: 7,095 reviews
- Support Team starts at $19 per agent a month paid yearly
- AI agents are part of every plan
- A startups program gives early-stage companies a 6-month trial for up to 50 agents
Cons
- The $19 Support Team plan covers email and ticketing. Live chat starts on Suite Team at $55.
- Four Suite Team agents cost $220 a month paid yearly, which is $2,640 a year.
- AI agents are billed per automated resolution on top of seats.
- Copilot is an add-on at $50 per agent a month paid yearly.
Pricing
Plan | Price per agent a month, paid yearly | What it covers |
Support Team | $19 | Email and ticketing, routing, prebuilt dashboards |
Suite Team | $55 | AI agents, knowledge base, messaging and live chat, telephony |
Suite Professional | $115 | Skills-based routing, IVR, admin copilot, writing tools |
Suite Enterprise | Not listed | Sandbox, approval workflows, custom roles |
Source: Zendesk pricing.
Rating
Zendesk for Customer Service holds 4.3 out of 5 from 7,095 reviews on G2.
Best for
Zendesk is best for service teams with dozens of agents that need ticket routing and telephony in one suite. Lighter options are in the Zendesk chat alternatives guide, and the head-to-head with Intercom is in Zendesk vs Intercom.
Tawk alternatives comparison table
This Tawk alternatives comparison table lines up Tawk and all seven tools on the ranking criteria.
Tool | Replaces the Tawk inbox | Free plan | Entry paid price | AI agent billing | Badge removal | G2 rating |
Tawk | Baseline | Yes, the whole platform | $0 | AI Assist from $29 a month | $29 a month per property | 4.5 (203) |
Crisp | Yes | Yes, 2 seats | $45 a month | Credits included in paid plans | White labelling on Plus, $295 a month | 4.5 (205) |
Tidio | Yes | Yes, 50 billable conversations | $24.17 a month billed annually | Lyro from $32.50 a month billed annually | $16.67 a month add-on | 4.6 (1,962) |
No. Answer layer with handoff | No. 7-day trial | $59 a month, or $39 billed yearly | Included in the plan quota | $39 a month billed yearly add-on | 4.9 (12) | |
Chatwoot | Yes | Yes, 2 agents | $19 per agent a month | Credits included, $20 per 1,000 extra | Not listed on the pricing page | 4.5 (16) |
Chatbase | Partly. Helpdesk from Standard | Yes, 50 credits | $40 a month | Included in plan credits | $99 a month add-on | 4.8 (46) |
Intercom | Yes | No | $29 per seat a month billed annually | $0.99 per Fin outcome | Not listed on the pricing page | 4.5 (3,919) |
Zendesk | Yes | No | $19 per agent a month paid yearly | Per automated resolution | Not listed on the pricing page | 4.3 (7,095) |
What a 4-agent inbox costs on Tawk and its alternatives
A 4-agent inbox costs between $0 and $220 a month on published prices. Tawk is the cheapest because the platform is free and its add-ons are not billed per seat.
Tool | Plan priced | Monthly price for 4 agents | Difference against Tawk | 12-month cost |
Tawk | Free platform | $0 | Baseline | $0 |
Tidio | Starter, billed annually, 10 seats, 100 billable conversations | $24.17 | $24.17 more | $290.04 |
Crisp | Mini, 4 seats included, no conversation limit | $45 | $45 more | $540 |
Chatwoot | Startups, 4 x $19 | $76 | $76 more | $912 |
Intercom | Essential, 4 x $29, billed annually | $116 | $116 more | $1,392 |
Zendesk | Suite Team, 4 x $55, paid yearly | $220 | $220 more | $2,640 |
The table leaves out AI usage and branding, and both change the order. Tawk with AI Assist and Whitelabel on one property costs at least $58 a month. That is $13 more than Crisp Mini, which includes $5 of AI credits. Intercom adds $0.99 for every Fin outcome, so 500 outcomes add $495 a month.
Small teams can stay free on three alternatives. Tidio Free covers 10 seats and 50 billable conversations a month. Crisp Free covers 2 seats, and Chatwoot Hacker covers 2 agents.
SiteGPT and Chatbase are not in this table because neither sells a shared inbox on its entry plan. Costs for AI chatbots alone are in the AI chatbot pricing comparison.
The stack: which tool does which job
The stack for a team leaving Tawk has four layers, and one tool does not have to cover all of them. SiteGPT is not a live chat helpdesk. It takes the knowledge-trained answer layer and leaves the multichannel inbox to another tool.
Layer | Job | Tool |
Human inbox | Agents reply to chat, email, and social messages, assign conversations, and report on them | Tawk, Crisp, Tidio, Chatwoot, Intercom, or Zendesk |
Knowledge-trained answer layer | Answers first from your website, files, and cloud drives | |
Handoff | Moves the conversation to a person | The visitor asks for a person, the AI stops, and your team replies |
Knowledge source | Holds the content the answer layer trains on | Your website, documents, cloud drives, and YouTube videos |
SiteGPT fits this stack in two ways. The first is to run the SiteGPT widget on your website and answer escalated chats from the SiteGPT chat history. Growth includes 4 members and costs $129 a month, or $79 a month billed yearly.
The second is to move the inbox to Crisp and connect SiteGPT to it. From the SiteGPT Growth plan, the chatbot answers in the Crisp chatbox, and it stops when an operator replies in the Crisp inbox. This route adds the price of a Crisp plan.
The stack has limits. SiteGPT lists no Tawk integration. SiteGPT does not read or answer email in a shared inbox, and it has no ticketing. Starter has 1 member and no chat integrations.
How to choose a Tawk alternative
Choose a Tawk alternative by answering four questions: what you want to replace, what you can spend, who answers most chats, and where the data should live.
If you need... | Pick... | Why |
A free inbox with flat paid plans | Crisp | Free for 2 seats, and Mini is $45 a month for 4 seats |
Chat, flows, and tickets for an online store | Tidio | Free plan, native Shopify actions, and Starter at $24.17 a month billed annually |
AI answers from your website and documents | Trains on URLs, files, and cloud drives, with human handoff on every plan | |
Data on your own servers | Chatwoot | Open source with self-hosted plans |
An AI agent with a simple helpdesk | Chatbase | Helpdesk is built in from Standard at $150 a month |
Workflows, SLAs, and a native AI agent | Intercom | One vendor for the inbox and Fin |
Ticket routing and telephony for many agents | Zendesk | Suite plans include messaging, voice, and AI agents |
A free inbox and a team that answers every chat | Stay on Tawk | The platform costs $0, and add-ons are not billed per seat |
Teams that mainly care about escalation quality can read the AI chatbots with human handoff roundup.
Tawk alternatives use-case cheat sheet
This cheat sheet maps ten common situations to one pick each.
Scenario | Best pick | Why |
Solo founder or pair who wants a free inbox with flat paid plans later | Crisp | Free for 2 seats with no conversation limit |
Shopify store with a small team and no budget | Tidio | Free plan and native Shopify actions |
SaaS team whose chats repeat what the docs already say | Answers from your website and files, then hands off | |
Website that needs a chatbot and no email inbox | Starter is $59 a month, or $39 billed yearly | |
Company that must host customer data itself | Chatwoot | Self-hosted plans |
Team that wants AI and a helpdesk from one vendor | Chatbase | Helpdesk from Standard |
Team of 15 that needs workflows and SLAs | Intercom | Advanced adds workflows, and Expert adds SLAs |
Service desk with 50 agents and phone lines | Zendesk | Suite plans include telephony and routing |
Store that wants the vendor badge removed at the lowest listed price | Tidio | Branding removal is a $16.67 a month add-on |
Team of 10 with no software budget | Tawk | The platform is free and not billed per seat |
Tawk alternatives FAQ
Basics
What is the best alternative to Tawk?
Crisp is the closest alternative to Tawk for small teams. It has a similar inbox, a free plan for 2 seats, and flat paid plans from $45 a month. Online stores often pick Tidio, and teams that want AI answers from their own content can use SiteGPT.
Is Tawk really free?
Yes. The Tawk platform is free, with no credit card needed to start. Tawk charges for four optional add-ons: AI Assist from $29 a month, Whitelabel at $29 a month per property, Voice Agents from $49 a month plus usage, and Data Enrichment from $59 a month.
Does Tawk have an AI chatbot?
Yes. The AI Assist add-on runs AI agents that answer from your knowledge base and hand off to your team. It has a free tier for limited volume, and paid plans start at $29 a month.
Pricing
What is the cheapest Tawk alternative?
Crisp, Tidio, Chatwoot, and Chatbase all have free plans. Among paid plans, Tidio Starter is the lowest at $24.17 a month billed annually. Crisp Mini is $45 a month and includes 4 seats.
How much does it cost to remove the Tawk branding?
Removing the Tawk badge costs $29 a month per property with the Whitelabel add-on. That is $348 a year for one website. Tidio charges $16.67 a month for the same job, and Chatbase charges $99 a month.
Do Tawk alternatives charge per agent?
Some do. Chatwoot, Intercom, and Zendesk charge per agent or per seat. Crisp charges a flat price per workspace, and Tidio, SiteGPT, and Chatbase charge by plan with a usage quota.
Comparisons
Tawk vs Crisp: which is better?
Tawk is cheaper, and Crisp includes more in its paid plans. The Tawk platform is free. Crisp is free for 2 seats, and its paid plans include AI credits, from $5 on Mini to $75 on Plus.
Tawk vs Tidio: which is better?
Tawk suits teams that want a free inbox and can answer every chat themselves. Tidio suits online stores that want Shopify actions and sales flows. Tidio plans are metered by billable conversations, and the free plan includes 50 a month.
Tawk vs Intercom: what is the difference?
Tawk is a free live chat platform with paid add-ons. Intercom is a paid helpdesk with workflows, SLAs, and the Fin AI agent. Four Intercom Essential seats cost $116 a month billed annually, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome.
AI and handoff
Can SiteGPT replace Tawk?
Partly. SiteGPT replaces the chat widget and the AI answers, and your team can take over chats when a visitor asks for a person. SiteGPT does not replace a shared inbox for email, social channels, or tickets.
Does SiteGPT integrate with Tawk?
No. SiteGPT lists no Tawk integration. Its chat integrations are Slack, Crisp, Messenger, Google Chat, Freshdesk Messaging, Zoho SalesIQ, Zendesk, and WhatsApp. Zendesk needs the Scale plan, and WhatsApp is a paid add-on.
Which Tawk alternatives include AI in the plan price?
Crisp includes AI credits in every paid plan. Chatwoot includes Captain AI credits in paid plans. SiteGPT and Chatbase include a monthly message quota. Tidio, Intercom, and Zendesk bill their AI agents on top of the plan.
Compliance
Which Tawk alternatives support HIPAA?
Intercom lists HIPAA support on its Expert plan, and Chatbase lists HIPAA eligibility on Enterprise. SiteGPT offers a HIPAA BAA on its Enterprise plan only, and integrations are not available in a HIPAA workspace. More vendors are compared in the HIPAA compliant AI chatbot guide.
Can a Tawk alternative keep data on your own servers?
Yes. Chatwoot is open source and offers self-hosted plans, so conversation data stays on servers you run. The other six tools in this guide are hosted by the vendor.
Sources
All pages below were opened on 11 October 2026.
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