CrispChatwootCrisp vs Chatwoot

Crisp vs Chatwoot: $55 against $95 a month

A customer messaging platform against an open-source customer support platform: Crisp is $40 a month cheaper for five people. Where Crisp and Chatwoot split, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick Crisp if you need more channels than most inboxes offer: Messenger, SMS, X, Viber, Line and phone. Pick Chatwoot if you want to self-host and own the data, and have someone to run it. For five people, Crisp is $40 a month cheaper than Chatwoot ($55 a month on Crisp against $95 on Chatwoot), before AI. Sellio Mini, at $45, comes in $10 below Crisp. Crisp and Chatwoot both include website chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram in the price. Between them Crisp and Chatwoot cover every channel Sellio ships. For a team of two to ten weighing Crisp against Chatwoot, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceCrispCrispChatwootChatwoot
Built aroundOne inbox, many channels · priced per workspaceOne inbox, self-hostable · open source
Entry plan$45/mo · Mini: 4 seats$19/agent/mo · Startups, yearly
Chat in the price$45/mo · chat on every plan, Free included$0 · Hacker: 2 agents, website only
AI agentAI credit included · $5 on Mini, $25 on Essentials$20 per 1,000 credits · Captain, after the plan's allowance
Copilot for agentsIncluded · AI drafts and summariesIn Captain · credits
Free planYes · 2 seats, 100 profilesYes · 2 agents, 500 conversations

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    CrispCrisp

    As a conversation in one inbox, whatever the channel; there is no ticket object, only states and assignment. Chatwoot has no ticket queue either.

    ChatwootChatwoot

    As a conversation in one inbox, whatever the channel, with labels and assignment rather than a ticket. Crisp has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    CrispCrisp

    $45 buys the workspace with four seats; a fifth seat is $10, and Essentials at $95 includes ten. $55 for five people, against $95 on Chatwoot.

    ChatwootChatwoot

    $19 buys every channel on Startups; the Hacker plan is free for two agents on website chat only. $95 for five people, against $55 on Crisp.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    CrispCrisp

    An AI credit is included in each paid plan ($5, $25, $75) and metered per message; top-ups after that. Chatwoot meters AI ($20 per 1,000 credits) above the seats instead.

    ChatwootChatwoot

    Captain, the AI agent, runs on credits: 300 a month on Startups, 500 on Business, then $20 per 1,000. Crisp folds AI (AI credit included) into the plan instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    CrispCrisp

    Chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Messenger, SMS, X, Viber, Line and phone on the paid plans. The same set as Chatwoot.

    ChatwootChatwoot

    Website, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, Messenger, TikTok and Line on the paid plans. The same set as Crisp.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    CrispCrisp

    Campaigns, a knowledge base, co-browsing, a status page and mobile apps. Chatwoot is an open-source customer support platform instead.

    ChatwootChatwoot

    Self-hosting on your own servers, an open API and a help center; no campaigns or contact center. Crisp is a customer messaging platform instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    CrispCrisp

    An afternoon: paste the script, connect the channels, invite the team. Chatwoot is an afternoon on the cloud.

    ChatwootChatwoot

    An afternoon on the cloud; a day or two self-hosted. Crisp is an afternoon.

Sources: Crisp pricing · Chatwoot pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The Crisp inbox: the conversation list with channel badges and the visitor profile
CrispCrisp. The Crisp inbox: the conversation list with channel badges and the visitor profile
The Chatwoot inbox: the conversation list with channel icons and the contact panel
ChatwootChatwoot. The Chatwoot inbox: the conversation list with channel icons and the contact panel

Pricing references: Crisp pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06); Chatwoot pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

Crisp, Chatwoot and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureCrispCrispChatwootChatwootSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per workspace, seats included per plan.
Per agent; AI by credits
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
2 seats, 100 profiles.
2 agents, 500 conversations, website chat
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
Yes.
All plans
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Yes.
Startups and up
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Yes.
Startups and up
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Yes.
Startups and up
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Yes.
Startups and up
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack integration.
Slack integration
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
AI agent on Plus; MagicReply on lower plans.
Captain, on credits
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
Included credits, same amounts as Sellio.
Credits by plan, then $20 per 1,000
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Yes.
Hands to an agent
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Conversations with status; no ticket object.
Conversations with statuses
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Bot builder.
Automation rules
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Analytics on Essentials and up.
Reports and CSAT
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Desktop and mobile apps.
Browser and mobile
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick Crisp if

  • You need more channels than most inboxes offer: Messenger, SMS, X, Viber, Line and phone.
  • You want co-browsing, campaigns and a status page in the same subscription.
  • Five people cost $40 a month less than on Chatwoot ($55 against $95), before AI.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Chatwoot does not ship.

Pick Chatwoot if

  • You want to self-host and own the data, and have someone to run it.
  • Telegram and WhatsApp must be native, at a per-agent price.
  • Time to the first reply is an afternoon on the cloud here and an afternoon on Crisp.
  • Its pricing model suits you better than Crisp's: per agent per month, billed yearly. Self-hosted community edition is free.

The third option: Sellio

  • Your team is two to ten people on chat, messaging and email. Weigh workspace pricing against $55 a month on Crisp against $95 on Chatwoot for five people; the billing units and included features differ.
  • You want a ceiling on AI spend: Crisp folds AI (AI credit included) into the plan, Chatwoot meters AI ($20 per 1,000 credits) above the seats, and Sellio stops at the cap you set.
  • You need tickets raised from a chat, which neither Crisp nor Chatwoot includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Crisp: $55 a month for five ($45 for 4 seats + $10 for the fifth); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. Chatwoot on Startups: $38, $95 and $190 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $10 less than Crisp and $50 less than Chatwoot for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $95 under Chatwoot.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Crisp is a customer messaging platform built around one inbox, many channels; Chatwoot is an open-source customer support platform built around one inbox, self-hostable. Both have a free plan: Crisp's is 2 seats, 100 profiles, Chatwoot's is 2 agents, 500 conversations. Crisp and Chatwoot both include website chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram in the price. Between them Crisp and Chatwoot cover every channel Sellio ships. Crisp folds AI (AI credit included) into the plan; Chatwoot meters AI ($20 per 1,000 credits) above the seats. Neither Crisp nor Chatwoot has a ticket queue, and only Crisp ships desktop apps. Crisp is an afternoon; Chatwoot is an afternoon on the cloud.

What each price leaves out

Crisp: AI credits included: $5 on Mini, $25 on Essentials, $75 on Plus. Chatwoot: Captain AI credits included by plan (300, 500, 800), then $20 per 1,000 credits. Beside Crisp's AI credit included and Chatwoot's $20 per 1,000 credits, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    CrispCrispSee vendorNot quoted
    ChatwootChatwoot$0.02$4
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    CrispCrisp · 14 days, no card
    ChatwootChatwoot · 15-day trial
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

Crisp vs Chatwoot: the questions people ask

Crisp is a customer messaging platform built around one inbox, many channels; Chatwoot is an open-source customer support platform built around one inbox, self-hostable. Neither Crisp nor Chatwoot has a ticket queue, and only Crisp ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: Crisp $45/mo (Mini: 4 seats); Chatwoot $19/agent/mo (Startups, yearly).
  • Chat in the price: Crisp $45/mo (chat on every plan, Free included); Chatwoot $0 (Hacker: 2 agents, website only).
  • Sellio: the same five Crisp and Chatwoot share, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Crisp and Chatwoot rows is on the shared inbox page.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

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