Chatwoot vs Crisp — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Chatwoot starts at $19/mo. Crisp starts at $48.6/mo. Chatwoot is $29.6/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Crisp.
Open-source customer support platform positioned as the alternative to Zendesk and Intercom for teams that want self-hosting + no per-agent seat trap. Distinctive as the OSS challenger with a serious cloud offering. Priced free (community edition, self-hosted) up to $99/user/mo Enterprise Cloud. Popular with agencies, regulated industries, and teams building customer-facing chat into their own products via API.
French all-in-one customer messaging platform (live chat + shared inbox + knowledge base). Positioned as the alternative to Intercom at roughly 1/10th the price. Distinctive for its "lifetime deal" mentality — flat pricing per workspace, not per contact or per seat, which lets fast-growing SMBs avoid the Intercom scaling trap. Priced $0-$95/mo per workspace. Popular with SMBs and European e-commerce.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Chatwoot monthly | Chatwoot annual | Crisp monthly | Crisp annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Hacker / Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Startups / Mini | $19 | $19 | $48.6 | $48.6 |
| Mid tier | — / Essentials | — | — | $102.6 | $102.6 |
| Pro / power | — / Plus | — | — | $318.6 | $318.6 |
| Teams | Business / — | $39 | $39 | — | — |
| Enterprise | Enterprise / — | $99 | $99 | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Chatwoot is worth it if… Chatwoot is the open-source Intercom alternative for teams (2-100 agents) that want customer messaging + shared inbox + Captain AI — with the option to self-host if data sovereignty matters. Free Hacker tier covers 2 agents; Startups scales for small teams; Business adds more Captain AI credits and admin controls.
Crisp is worth it if… small businesses and startups (1-30 people) that want live chat + shared inbox + chatbot in one tool — particularly if you're EU-based and value the French-native UX polish. Free tier is usable; Mini covers solo/small; Essentials adds shared inbox and automations; Plus adds AI and MagicReply.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Chatwoot is per seat, Crisp is flat rate.
Choose Chatwoot over Crisp if…
Choose Chatwoot if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $19/mo).
- You match the profile Chatwoot is built for: the open-source Intercom alternative for teams (2-100 agents) that want customer messaging + shared inbox + Captain AI — with the option to self-host if data sovereignty matters.
- You need a general-purpose customer support option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Crisp if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (flat rate, from $48.6/mo).
- You match the profile Crisp is built for: small businesses and startups (1-30 people) that want live chat + shared inbox + chatbot in one tool — particularly if you're EU-based and value the French-native UX polish.
- You need a general-purpose customer support option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Chatwoot | Crisp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $19/mo | $48.6/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Seat | Flat Rate |
| Last verified | September 12, 2026 | September 18, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 18, 2026. Tracked daily.