Free Live Chat for Your Website
Which live chat widgets and help desks a startup can use for free today, how many seats and conversations the free plan covers, what AI it includes, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each tool's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Live chat tools change their free plans and AI allowances often: confirm the terms on the tool's page before you put the widget on your site.
Live chat tools you can put on your website for free today include Tidio (50 billable conversations a month), Chatwoot (Free cloud plan, up to 2 agents), Crisp (Free forever: website chat, shared inbox), Help Scout (5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site), and tawk.to (Live chat, free forever). Each of the 10 free plans and trials below links to the tool's page that states it, with its main limit, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
A live chat widget lets a visitor ask a question while they are on your site, and a help desk keeps those chats and support emails in one shared inbox. Many of these tools have a free plan, which is often all a startup needs for its first customers.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. A free plan can cap seats or conversations a month, keep the AI replies for paid plans, or show the vendor's branding on your widget. Each tool below shows what is free, its main limit, the AI on its free plan, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the tool's own page with the date we read it.
Which tools we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the tools'. Some of these tools pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which tools are listed or where.
Live chat widgets with a free plan
A chat bubble for your website that sends visitors' messages to your team, with a free plan or a trial to start.
- 1
Tidio
Small teams that want chat and tickets at no cost
Tidio's Free plan covers 50 billable conversations a month. A conversation counts only once you reply to it, and the first 50 Lyro AI conversations are free (lifetime).
- AI on the free plan
- 50 Lyro AI conversations, lifetime (source: tidio.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $24.17 a month (source: tidio.com)
Start free at TidioReferral linkTerms read on tidio.com on Tidio: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Crisp
Solo founders and small teams with one shared inbox
Crisp's Free plan is free forever with 2 seats and no AI credits. The first paid plan, Mini, is $45 a month per workspace.
- Main limit
- 2 seats included (source: crisp.chat)
- AI on the free plan
- No AI credits on Free (source: crisp.chat)
- First paid plan
- Mini: $45 a month per workspace (source: crisp.chat)
- 3
tawk.to
Any website that wants free live chat with no card
tawk.to is free forever with no credit card. Removing its branding costs $29 a month, and AI Assist is paid from as little as $29 a month.
- What's free
- Live chat, free forever (source: tawk.to)
- AI on the free plan
- Not free: AI Assist from $29 a month (source: tawk.to)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: tawk.to)
- First paid plan
- Remove branding: $29 a month (source: tawk.to)
- 4
JivoChat
Teams of up to five agents who want chat on a website
JivoChat's Free plan includes online chat for websites, for up to 5 agents. The first paid plan, Basic, is $28 per agent a month when billed annually.
- First paid plan
- Basic: $28 per agent a month (source: jivochat.com)
- 5
Zoho SalesIQ
Small teams that need live chat on a site at no cost
Zoho SalesIQ's free plan has 3 operator licenses and 100 operator chat sessions. The first paid plan, Basic, is US$7 per operator a month when billed annually.
- What's free
- US$0: 3 operator licenses (source: zoho.com)
- First paid plan
- Basic: US$7 per operator a month (source: zoho.com)
- 6
LiveChat
Teams that want to try the full chat plan before paying
LiveChat's 14-day trial runs on Essential and Growth and does not ask for a credit card. Essential costs $19 per user a month with annual billing.
- AI on the free plan
- 1 AI Agent, 10 AI resolutions a month (source: livechat.com)
- Payment card
- No card to start (source: livechat.com)
Start free at LiveChatReferral linkTerms read on livechat.com on LiveChat: the free allowance and how to start
Help desks and shared inboxes with a free plan
Shared inboxes that bring chat, email and other channels into one place for a small support team.
- 1
Chatwoot
Support teams of up to two agents on a free inbox
Chatwoot's Hacker cloud plan is free for up to 2 agents and 500 conversations a month. Captain AI is not included on Hacker, and the Startups plan is $19 per agent a month.
- AI on the free plan
- Captain AI not included on Hacker (source: chatwoot.com)
- First paid plan
- Startups: $19 per agent a month (source: chatwoot.com)
Start free at ChatwootReferral linkTerms read on chatwoot.com on Chatwoot: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Help Scout
Small teams sharing one inbox and one help site
Help Scout's Free plan covers 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, and needs no payment method. New accounts also get 3 months of unlimited AI Answers, and Standard is $25 per user a month.
- AI on the free plan
- 3 months of AI Answers, then paid (source: helpscout.com)
- Payment card
- No card needed on Free (source: helpscout.com)
- First paid plan
- Standard: $25 per user a month (source: helpscout.com)
Start free at Help ScoutReferral linkTerms read on helpscout.com on Help Scout: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Intercom
Teams that want to try Intercom and Fin without a card
Intercom's 14-day trial needs no credit card and includes all features, Fin and add-ons. Essential is from $19 per seat a month.
- AI on the free plan
- 10 Copilot chats per agent a month (source: intercom.com)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: intercom.com)
- First paid plan
- Essential: from $19 per seat a month (source: intercom.com)
Start free at IntercomTerms read on intercom.com on Intercom: the free allowance and how to start Intercom Early Stage Program: what startups get - 4
Freshdesk
Teams that want to try Freddy AI on a 14-day trial
A new Freshdesk account gets the Enterprise plan for 14 days. Accounts can also use 500 free Freddy AI Agent sessions, once per account, and Growth is $19 per agent a month, billed annually.
- AI on the free plan
- 500 free Freddy AI Agent sessions (source: freshworks.com)
Start free at FreshdeskTerms read on freshworks.com on Freshdesk: the free allowance and how to start
Support and live chat startup programs
Programs from support and live chat companies that give startups free time or a discount on paid plans, largest tracked value first. Most ask for an application, and some for funding.
Also useful for customer support
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers live chat widgets and help desks a founder can use for free today without applying to a program, grouped into live chat for a website and help desks with a shared inbox. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each tool's terms. Every term comes from the tool's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. Seats, conversations a month, chat history and branding on the widget can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the tool states them. Some of these tools pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a tool appears, and no tool pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free live chat for a website?
It depends on your team and volume. By the terms each tool states, tawk.to's live chat is free forever with its branding on the widget, Crisp's free plan includes website chat and a shared inbox with 2 seats, Tidio's covers 50 billable conversations a month (only the ones you reply to count), and JivoChat's free plan allows up to 5 agents.
Is Tidio free?
Yes, within a limit. Tidio's free plan covers 50 billable conversations a month, and only conversations you reply to count, plus 50 Lyro AI conversations in total. The Starter plan costs $24.17 a month.
Is tawk.to really free?
Its live chat is free forever. The free widget shows a Powered by tawk.to badge, and removing the branding costs $29 a month; its AI Assist is a paid add-on from $29 a month.
Is there a free alternative to Intercom?
Intercom itself starts with a 14-day free trial and no card, then Essential from $19 a seat a month. For a standing free plan, Chatwoot's free cloud plan allows up to 2 agents and 500 conversations a month, Help Scout's free plan 5 users and 1 inbox, and Crisp's free plan 2 seats with website chat and a shared inbox.
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