3-Way Comparison
Crisp, HelpScout and Tawk.to.
Who wins?
Three popular support tools compared with SupportWire across 22 features, 7 categories. No marketing spin, just the data.
Feature Comparison
22 features. 7 categories.
No hiding.
Every feature that matters for customer support, compared honestly across 4 platforms.
| Feature | Crisp | HelpScout | Tawk.to | SupportWire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||||
| Starting Price | Free / $45 / $95 / $295 | Free / $25 / $75 / Custom | Free core | Simple per-seat pricing |
| Pricing Model | Per workspace (most pay $295) | Contact-based, unpredictable | Free + paid add-ons | Transparent per-seat |
| Per-Resolution AI Fees | $25 AI credits/mo on Essentials | $0.75 per AI resolution | $29-$399/mo add-on | Included in every plan |
| Channels | ||||
| Live Chat | Real-time chat | Beacon widget, reactive | Free live chat | Real-time with proactive triggers |
| Phone Support | Not available | Not available (14+ years) | Not available | All plans |
| Ticketing | Basic, no SLA management | Shared inbox | Basic ticketing | Full ticketing with SLAs |
| Knowledge Base | Help center included | Public only, broken editor | Hosted on their subdomain | Public and internal |
| AI | ||||
| AI Chatbot | $25/mo AI credit budget | $0.75/resolution add-on | Basic add-on | AI-native, included |
| AI Learning | Manual training only | Public articles only | Not autonomous | Learns from conversations |
| 24/7 Automation | Bot + triggers | Keyword-matching only | Stops when agents offline | Works 24/7 autonomously |
| Platform | ||||
| Setup Time | Quick setup | Hours to days | Minutes (basic chat) | Hours, not weeks |
| Design Quality | Clean, modern | Clean, simple | Recently refreshed, still dated | Modern, minimal |
| Widget Performance | Lightweight | Light Beacon widget | ~700KB payload | Performance-optimized |
| White-Label Branding | Plus plan only ($295/mo) | Limited customization | $19/mo to remove branding | Your brand only |
| Cancellation | Account suspension risk | Straightforward | Post-cancellation charges reported | One-click, any time |
| Data & Security | ||||
| Data Export | Cannot export full transcripts | CSV export available | Limited export | Full data portability |
| SOC 2 Compliance | Not certified | SOC 2 certified | No SOC 2, no HIPAA | |
| Analytics | ||||
| Reporting | Shallow analytics | Basic dashboards | Basic reports | Full analytics |
| SLA Management | Not available | No SLA tracking | Not available | Built-in SLA tracking |
| CSAT Surveys | Basic surveys | Satisfaction ratings | Not available | Built-in |
| Integrations | ||||
| Native Integrations | Limited ecosystem | 100+ apps | Limited native + Zapier | Growing ecosystem |
| Open API | REST API | REST API | Limited API | Full REST API |
Pricing
Starting Price
Crisp
Free / $45 / $95 / $295
HelpScout
Free / $25 / $75 / Custom
Tawk.to
Free core
SupportWire
Simple per-seat pricing
Pricing Model
Crisp
Per workspace (most pay $295)
HelpScout
Contact-based, unpredictable
Tawk.to
Free + paid add-ons
SupportWire
Transparent per-seat
Per-Resolution AI Fees
Crisp
$25 AI credits/mo on Essentials
HelpScout
$0.75 per AI resolution
Tawk.to
$29-$399/mo add-on
SupportWire
Included in every plan
Channels
Live Chat
Crisp
Real-time chat
HelpScout
Beacon widget, reactive
Tawk.to
Free live chat
SupportWire
Real-time with proactive triggers
Phone Support
Crisp
Not available
HelpScout
Not available (14+ years)
Tawk.to
Not available
SupportWire
All plans
Ticketing
Crisp
Basic, no SLA management
HelpScout
Shared inbox
Tawk.to
Basic ticketing
SupportWire
Full ticketing with SLAs
Knowledge Base
Crisp
Help center included
HelpScout
Public only, broken editor
Tawk.to
Hosted on their subdomain
SupportWire
Public and internal
AI
AI Chatbot
Crisp
$25/mo AI credit budget
HelpScout
$0.75/resolution add-on
Tawk.to
Basic add-on
SupportWire
AI-native, included
AI Learning
Crisp
Manual training only
HelpScout
Public articles only
Tawk.to
Not autonomous
SupportWire
Learns from conversations
24/7 Automation
Crisp
Bot + triggers
HelpScout
Keyword-matching only
Tawk.to
Stops when agents offline
SupportWire
Works 24/7 autonomously
Platform
Setup Time
Crisp
Quick setup
HelpScout
Hours to days
Tawk.to
Minutes (basic chat)
SupportWire
Hours, not weeks
Design Quality
Crisp
Clean, modern
HelpScout
Clean, simple
Tawk.to
Recently refreshed, still dated
SupportWire
Modern, minimal
Widget Performance
Crisp
Lightweight
HelpScout
Light Beacon widget
Tawk.to
~700KB payload
SupportWire
Performance-optimized
White-Label Branding
Crisp
Plus plan only ($295/mo)
HelpScout
Limited customization
Tawk.to
$19/mo to remove branding
SupportWire
Your brand only
Cancellation
Crisp
Account suspension risk
HelpScout
Straightforward
Tawk.to
Post-cancellation charges reported
SupportWire
One-click, any time
Data & Security
Data Export
Crisp
Cannot export full transcripts
HelpScout
CSV export available
Tawk.to
Limited export
SupportWire
Full data portability
SOC 2 Compliance
Analytics
Reporting
Crisp
Shallow analytics
HelpScout
Basic dashboards
Tawk.to
Basic reports
SupportWire
Full analytics
SLA Management
Crisp
Not available
HelpScout
No SLA tracking
Tawk.to
Not available
SupportWire
Built-in SLA tracking
CSAT Surveys
Crisp
Basic surveys
HelpScout
Satisfaction ratings
Tawk.to
Not available
SupportWire
Built-in
Integrations
Native Integrations
Crisp
Limited ecosystem
HelpScout
100+ apps
Tawk.to
Limited native + Zapier
SupportWire
Growing ecosystem
Open API
Crisp
REST API
HelpScout
REST API
Tawk.to
Limited API
SupportWire
Full REST API
Go Deeper
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