Analyzed in depth
Crisp
French helpdesk and live chat for startups, e-commerce and SMBs.
Crisp is a French editor based in Nantes, focused on websites and e-commerce. The Free plan is genuinely usable (2 seats, live chat, shared inbox), with paid tiers from $45 to $295/month. Prices are listed in USD on the site, roughly at EUR parity per third-party sources.
Who it's for
Startups, web-focused freelancers, e-commerce businesses and SMBs (up to 20 agents) who want a simple, European-sovereign helpdesk with live chat and chatbot.
Why
A Free plan that actually works (chat widget, shared inbox, mobile apps). Competitive omnichannel suite against Intercom and Zendesk. European-sovereign editor (Nantes, France).
Key features
- Free plan with 2 seats, chat widget and shared inbox
- AI chatbot and knowledge base from Essentials ($95/month)
- 100+ integrations in Plus ($295/month)
- 30% lifetime startup discount for companies that raised under $1M
Guarantee
100 % independent
No commercial ties with the vendor. Score never paid for.
Vendor health
0 release in 12 months
French editor based in Nantes, sustained growth. Trustpilot score relayed at 1.9/5 over 43 reviews (HTTP 403 on direct fetch, significant divergence with Capterra to be verified). Active AI roadmap.
Detailed scorecard
methodologyEvery score is backed by cited and dated sources. Unmeasured dimensions are excluded from the calculation, never invented.
Testimonials, fully transcribed
A selection of real user quotes. Click to read the original source.
« Free 2 seats, Mini 45$/month, Essentials 95$/month, Plus 295$/month, billed monthly, taxes not included »
Dimension : True hidden cost ↗
« One user reported jumping from €95 to €195/month in 6 months, tied to contact-count billing »
Dimension : True hidden cost ↗
« It's value for money already bringing us a 40 % reduction in queries (and increasing) due to their AI handling mundane queries »
Dimension : Native support quality ↗
Right for your profile?
TPE
Best if: The Essentials plan ($95/month, 10 seats) is well-priced for e-commerce or SaaS SMBs that need omnichannel support and a chatbot.
Avoid if: You need advanced analytics or strict SLAs: prefer Zendesk Suite Professional.
Freelance
Best if: The Free plan covers a basic chat widget on your website (2 seats, shared inbox).
Avoid if: You want the AI chatbot or shortcuts: Mini at $45/month (4 seats) is expensive for a solo operator.
Auto-entrepreneur
Best if: The Free plan works for basic live chat.
Avoid if: As soon as you need shared email or shortcuts, $45/month for 4 seats is too much for a solo. Look for a simpler alternative.
PME
Best if: Plus ($295/month) is competitive against Intercom and Zendesk with French sovereignty (Nantes). 30% lifetime startup discount for companies under $1M raised.
Avoid if: The ecosystem is less mature than Zendesk and there is delivery reliability risk. Mission-critical SMBs should pilot on a small scope before switching fully.
Artisan
Best if: No relevant use case.
Avoid if: Crisp targets websites and e-commerce, not tradespeople or local service businesses who rely on SMS and phone.
Real observed pricing
| Plan | Observed price/month | Observed on |
|---|---|---|
| Free | €0.00 | 18 June 2026 |
| Mini | €45.00 | 18 June 2026 |
| Essentials | €95.00 | 18 June 2026 |
| Plus | €295.00 | 18 June 2026 |
- 2 seats, website chat widget, shared inbox, mobile apps, unlimited conversations. Source: crisp.chat/en/pricing.
- 4 seats. Shared email inbox, shortcuts, chat triggers, private notes. About $5 of AI credits included (~90 conversations). Listed in USD ($45), roughly at EUR parity per third-party sources.
- 10 seats. Omnichannel, AI chatbot, knowledge base, analytics, routing. About $25 of AI credits included (~450 conversations).
- 20+ seats. AI-First Support Suite, ticketing, 100+ integrations, white-label, advanced analytics. About $75 of AI credits included. 30% lifetime discount for startups that raised under $1M.
Weaknesses, avoid if
- Unpredictable costs at scale: one user reported jumping from $95 to $195/month in 6 months due to contact-count billing (salesdorado.com, 2026).
- AI chatbot setup is complex and not intuitive without technical skills. Agent response delivery bugs reported (Trustpilot 2025, to be verified).
- No thread separation: you cannot keep distinct threads with the same customer, old exchanges resurface in new ones (Capterra, 2024).