Far more AI per dollar
Starter includes 500 AI conversations for $29/mo — compared with roughly 90 on a $45 plan.
The Crisp alternative · updated Oct 2026
500 AI chats for $29, and a bot that never goes silent.
A European, per-workspace omnichannel inbox that is now AI-first with the Hugo agent and MagicReply copilot. Here's an honest look at how ChatKit compares — including when Crisp might suit you better.
Free plan · 14-day Growth trial · no credit card
At a glance
| Feature | Crisp | ChatKit |
|---|---|---|
| AI conversations at entry | ~90 on $45/mo | 500 on $29/mo |
| When AI runs out | Hugo stops answering | Email + human fallback |
| Seats | 4 / 10 / 20, then plan jump | Unlimited from Starter |
| Unanswered-question reports | Limited reporting | Weekly knowledge-gap report |
| EU hosting | Yes (France) | Yes |
Price at 500 AI chats / month
- Crisp
- ≈ $100/mo
- ChatKit
- $29/mo
Crisp: Essentials $95 includes ~450 AI conversations; top up AI credit (~$0.05–$0.10 each) for the rest. ChatKit: Starter, 500 conversations, branding removed, hard cap. Based on public pricing, Oct 2026.
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What Crisp users report
Common frustrations
- Seat cliffs: the 11th agent forces a jump from $95 to $295.
- AI credits expire monthly, and Hugo stops answering when they run out.
- Hugo takes work to tune.
- Reporting is shallow, with limited transcripts and filters.
Sourced from public pricing pages and customer reviews (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, Reddit) as of Oct 2026.
Where ChatKit wins
Built to fix exactly that.
Never goes silent
At your limit, the widget still collects emails and routes visitors to your team.
No seat cliffs
Unlimited seats from Starter, so growing the team never forces a plan jump.
Knowledge-gap reports
See exactly what visitors asked that your content couldn't answer, and fix it in one click.
Crisp pricing
How Crisp bills
Prepaid AI credit, roughly $0.05–$0.10 per conversation; Hugo stops when credits run out.
Public list prices as of Oct 2026. Vendors change pricing often.
Compare with ChatKit pricingFree
2 seats, no AI
$0
Mini
4 seats, $5 AI credit (~90 conversations)
$45/mo
Essentials
10 seats, $25 AI credit (~450 conversations)
$95/mo
Plus
20+ seats, $75 AI credit (~1,350 conversations); white-label
$295/mo
When Crisp might be the better choice
Crisp is a strong omnichannel inbox (WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, email and more) with a knowledge base and status page. If you mainly need a human helpdesk, it's a solid choice.
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