Crisp
All-in-one AI customer messaging platform for startups and SMBs
About Crisp
Crisp is a bootstrapped, AI-powered customer messaging platform founded in 2015 in Nantes, France. It consolidates live chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, and SMS into a single shared inbox, giving support teams one place to manage every conversation. Beyond messaging, Crisp bundles a knowledge base, CRM contact management, AI-driven chatbot builder, co-browsing (MagicBrowse), campaign messaging, and a ticketing system into a flat-rate workspace pricing model. With 600,000+ users and no venture capital, Crisp has built a reputation as a cost-effective Intercom alternative that delivers omnichannel support, automation, and AI capabilities at a fraction of the price. The platform is particularly well-suited for startups and growing SMBs that want professional customer support tooling without enterprise-level budgets.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Generous free plan with 2 seats and unlimited conversations for testing
- Flat-rate workspace pricing keeps costs predictable as teams scale within a tier
- Significantly cheaper than Intercom and Zendesk for comparable omnichannel features
- Unified inbox consolidates chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, and more in one place
- Quick setup with chat widget installable in under 10 minutes via JavaScript snippet
- Built-in AI assistant (MagicReply) for instant replies, summaries, and multilingual support
- Bootstrapped company with no VC pressure, focused on sustainable product development
- Strong developer API and 100+ native integrations with popular tools
Cons
- AI usage capped at just 50 uses/month on the Essentials plan, insufficient for meaningful automation
- Key features like ticketing, white-labeling, and advanced analytics locked behind the $295/mo Plus plan
- Workspace-based billing means managing multiple brands requires separate subscriptions, multiplying costs
- Chat widget customization options are limited compared to competitors like Intercom
- Analytics and reporting capabilities are basic even on paid plans, lacking depth for data-driven teams
- No ability to export full chat transcripts or filter conversations by specific date ranges
- User interface feels dated compared to newer competitors and lacks recent design updates
Key Features
Omnichannel Shared Inbox
Centralizes conversations from live chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, and SMS into a single unified inbox so agents never have to switch between tools.
AI Agent & MagicReply
Built-in AI assistant that generates instant replies, summarizes conversations, transcribes audio messages, categorizes topics, and handles multilingual support automatically.
Chatbot Builder
Visual no-code workflow builder for creating automated chatbots that can handle tier-1 support requests, route conversations, collect data, and qualify leads across all channels.
Knowledge Base
Create and publish a self-service help center with articles, categories, and multilingual support. Integrates with the AI chatbot to surface relevant answers automatically.
Live Chat Widget
Customizable website chat widget with real-time messaging, typing indicators, file sharing, and rich media support. Installable via JavaScript snippet in under 10 minutes.
CRM & Contact Management
Built-in customer profiles with conversation history, custom data fields, segmentation, and integrations with external CRMs like HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, and Zoho.
Co-Browsing (MagicBrowse)
Real-time screen sharing that lets agents see what customers see on their screen and guide them through issues without requiring any downloads or plugins.
Campaigns & Targeted Messaging
Send proactive messages, chat triggers, and automated campaigns based on user behavior, page visits, or custom events to engage visitors and reduce churn.
Ticketing System
Organize and track complex support requests with a built-in ticketing system, priority levels, assignments, and status tracking for issues that need follow-up.
100+ Integrations
Native integrations with Shopify, WordPress, Slack, Zapier, Make, Stripe, Salesforce, and 100+ other tools. Plus a developer-friendly API and SDKs for custom integrations.
Pricing
- 2 agent seats
- Website chat widget
- Shared inbox (chat only)
- Mobile & desktop apps
- Contact form
- 100 customer profiles
- Push notifications
- 4 agent seats
- Everything in Free
- Email channel in inbox
- Chat triggers & shortcuts
- Private notes
- Custom email domain
- Unlimited data retention
- 5,000 customer profiles
- Internal search
- 10 agent seats
- Everything in Mini
- Omnichannel inbox (WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram)
- AI chatbot with 50 AI uses/month
- Workflow automation builder
- Knowledge base
- Analytics & reporting
- Routing rules & assignment
- CRM integrations
- 50,000 customer profiles
- 20 agent seats (extra at $10/agent/mo)
- Everything in Essentials
- Unlimited AI resolutions
- Ticketing system
- White-label / remove branding
- Advanced analytics
- 100+ integrations (Salesforce, Stripe)
- 200,000 customer profiles
- Priority support
Best For
Startup Customer Support
Early-stage startups can use Crisp's free plan to provide professional live chat support with 2 agents, then upgrade to Mini or Essentials as the team grows without switching platforms.
Omnichannel Support for E-Commerce
Online stores can centralize customer conversations from website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, and email into one inbox, with Shopify integration for order context during support interactions.
Automated Tier-1 Support
Build no-code chatbots to handle repetitive questions like shipping status, return policies, and account issues, freeing up human agents for complex cases.
Self-Service Knowledge Base
Create a multilingual help center that integrates with Crisp's AI to automatically surface relevant articles during conversations, reducing ticket volume.
SaaS User Onboarding
Use targeted campaigns and chat triggers to proactively guide new users through onboarding steps, answer questions in real-time, and reduce churn during the trial period.
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