{
  "$schema": "https://tiergauge.com/api/tools.schema.json",
  "feed_version": "1",
  "generated_at": "2026-05-01T02:58:26.522Z",
  "site": "https://tiergauge.com",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to TierGauge.",
  "category": {
    "slug": "live-chat",
    "display": "Live chat",
    "description": "Website chat widgets and unified inboxes."
  },
  "count": 3,
  "tools": [
    {
      "slug": "crisp",
      "name": "Crisp",
      "vendor": "Crisp",
      "homepage_url": "https://crisp.chat",
      "pricing_url": "https://crisp.chat/en/pricing/",
      "tagline": "Per-workspace live chat and shared inbox with omnichannel messaging.",
      "description": "Crisp is a customer messaging platform that bundles a website chat widget, shared inbox, omnichannel messaging (WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, SMS, email), AI chatbot, knowledge base, and ticketing into a single workspace. Pricing is unusual for the category: Crisp charges a flat fee per workspace rather than per seat, which can save real money for small support teams that would otherwise pay per-agent on Intercom, Zendesk, or Help Scout. The Free tier supports 2 agents with unlimited conversations, while paid tiers Mini ($45/mo, 4 agents), Essentials ($95/mo, 10 agents), and Plus ($295/mo, 20+ agents) layer on email channels, omnichannel inboxes, AI credits, automation, and white labeling. AI credits sit on top of the workspace fee and meter automated conversations.",
      "primary_category": "live-chat",
      "secondary_categories": [
        "help-desk"
      ],
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Free",
          "slug": "free",
          "tagline": "2 agents, unlimited conversations, forever free",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "free"
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": 0,
          "limits": {
            "seats": {
              "kind": "number",
              "value": 2,
              "unit": "agents"
            }
          },
          "features_included": [
            "Website chat widget",
            "Shared inbox",
            "Mobile apps (iOS, Android)",
            "Chat SDKs",
            "Contact forms",
            "Basic integrations",
            "Unlimited conversations"
          ],
          "features_missing": [
            "Email inbox",
            "Custom email domain",
            "Chat triggers",
            "Private notes",
            "AI chatbot",
            "Workflow automation",
            "Omnichannel inbox",
            "Knowledge base",
            "Ticketing system"
          ],
          "is_free": true,
          "has_free_trial": false,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://crisp.chat/en/pricing/",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual"
        },
        {
          "name": "Mini",
          "slug": "mini",
          "tagline": "Per-workspace flat $45/mo",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "monthly",
              "price": {
                "amount_cents": 4500,
                "currency": "USD"
              },
              "notes": "Flat rate per workspace, not per-seat"
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": 4500,
          "limits": {
            "seats": {
              "kind": "number",
              "value": 4,
              "unit": "agents"
            }
          },
          "features_included": [
            "Everything in Free",
            "Email inbox",
            "Custom email domain",
            "Chat triggers",
            "Private notes",
            "Shortcuts",
            "Unlimited data retention",
            "About $5 of AI credits (90 automated conversations)"
          ],
          "features_missing": [
            "Omnichannel inbox (WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS)",
            "AI chatbot",
            "Knowledge base",
            "Workflow automation",
            "Routing rules",
            "Analytics",
            "Ticketing system",
            "White labeling",
            "100+ integrations"
          ],
          "is_free": false,
          "has_free_trial": true,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://crisp.chat/en/pricing/",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual",
          "notes": "14-day free trial. Flat per-workspace pricing, not per-seat."
        },
        {
          "name": "Essentials",
          "slug": "essentials",
          "tagline": "Omnichannel inbox, AI chatbot, knowledge base",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "monthly",
              "price": {
                "amount_cents": 9500,
                "currency": "USD"
              },
              "notes": "Flat rate per workspace"
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": 9500,
          "limits": {
            "seats": {
              "kind": "number",
              "value": 10,
              "unit": "agents"
            }
          },
          "features_included": [
            "Everything in Mini",
            "Omnichannel inbox (WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, SMS)",
            "AI chatbot",
            "Knowledge base",
            "Workflow automation",
            "Routing rules",
            "Analytics",
            "About $25 of AI credits (450 automated conversations)"
          ],
          "features_missing": [
            "Ticketing system",
            "100+ integrations",
            "White labeling",
            "Unlimited task automations",
            "Advanced analytics"
          ],
          "is_free": false,
          "has_free_trial": true,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://crisp.chat/en/pricing/",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual",
          "notes": "14-day free trial. Flat per-workspace pricing."
        },
        {
          "name": "Plus",
          "slug": "plus",
          "tagline": "Best Value",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "monthly",
              "price": {
                "amount_cents": 29500,
                "currency": "USD"
              },
              "notes": "Flat rate per workspace; supports 20+ agents"
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": 29500,
          "limits": {
            "seats": {
              "kind": "number",
              "value": 20,
              "unit": "agents (20+)"
            }
          },
          "features_included": [
            "Everything in Essentials",
            "Ticketing system",
            "100+ integrations",
            "White labeling",
            "Unlimited task automations",
            "Advanced analytics",
            "About $75 of AI credits (1,350 automated conversations)"
          ],
          "features_missing": [],
          "is_free": false,
          "has_free_trial": true,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://crisp.chat/en/pricing/",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual",
          "notes": "14-day free trial. Marked Best Value on the pricing page. Flat per-workspace pricing."
        }
      ],
      "free_plan_available": true,
      "free_trial_days": 14,
      "starting_price_usd_cents": 0,
      "has_custom_enterprise": false,
      "alternatives": [
        "help-scout"
      ],
      "pros": [
        "Per-workspace flat pricing is rare in this space and saves real money for 4 to 10 agent teams compared with per-seat competitors",
        "Generous Free plan with 2 agents and unlimited conversations, not a token tier",
        "Omnichannel inbox unlocks at Essentials with WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, and SMS in one view",
        "Built-in AI chatbot with included AI credits on every paid plan",
        "Clean modern UI compared with the older Intercom feel"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Per-workspace pricing means agent count caps create awkward upgrade jumps (Mini to Essentials goes from 4 to 10 agents)",
        "Fewer enterprise governance features than Zendesk or Freshdesk",
        "AI credits stack on top of the workspace fee rather than being fully bundled",
        "Smaller integration ecosystem than Intercom"
      ],
      "best_for": [
        "SaaS startups and small teams that want chat and email in one tool",
        "E-commerce stores that want WhatsApp and Instagram DM unified with web chat",
        "Companies migrating off Intercom for cost reasons"
      ],
      "not_for": [
        "Solo operators (the Free plan already covers them)",
        "Enterprises with strict procurement and SSO requirements (HIPAA and SAML are not headline features)",
        "Teams that need deep ticket-form customization"
      ],
      "last_verified": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
      "scraper_status": "manual-only",
      "match": "primary"
    },
    {
      "slug": "help-scout",
      "name": "Help Scout",
      "vendor": "Help Scout",
      "homepage_url": "https://www.helpscout.com",
      "pricing_url": "https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/",
      "tagline": "Conversation-centric help desk and shared inbox for support teams.",
      "description": "Help Scout is a help-desk and shared-inbox platform built around a conversational UI rather than the ticket-grid model used by Zendesk or Freshdesk. The product bundles email-based shared inboxes, live chat, a knowledge base (Docs), basic SLA policies, workflows, and an AI Inbox assistant. Pricing is per-user, with a genuinely usable Free plan for teams up to 5, a Standard tier at $25/user, a Plus tier at $45/user with advanced workflows and unlimited AI Drafts, and a Pro tier at $75/user that adds HIPAA, SSO/SAML, and a dedicated onboarding specialist. AI Answers is sold separately at $0.75 per resolution.",
      "primary_category": "help-desk",
      "secondary_categories": [
        "live-chat"
      ],
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Free",
          "slug": "free",
          "tagline": "Up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "free"
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": 0,
          "limits": {
            "seats": {
              "kind": "number",
              "value": 5
            }
          },
          "features_included": [
            "1 shared inbox",
            "1 Docs (knowledge base) site",
            "10 saved replies",
            "10 tags",
            "Email support"
          ],
          "features_missing": [
            "Live chat",
            "Multiple inboxes",
            "Workflows",
            "SLA policies",
            "AI Inbox assistant",
            "AI Drafts"
          ],
          "is_free": true,
          "has_free_trial": false,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual"
        },
        {
          "name": "Standard",
          "slug": "standard",
          "tagline": "Entry paid tier with live chat and AI Inbox assistant",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "monthly",
              "price": {
                "amount_cents": 2500,
                "currency": "USD"
              },
              "per_unit": "user"
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": 2500,
          "limits": {
            "seats": {
              "kind": "number",
              "value": 25,
              "unit": "users (max)"
            }
          },
          "features_included": [
            "2 inboxes included",
            "Live chat",
            "Instagram and Messenger channels",
            "Multiple knowledge bases",
            "One basic SLA policy",
            "Basic workflows",
            "Unlimited tags and saved replies",
            "AI Inbox assistant"
          ],
          "features_missing": [
            "WhatsApp channel",
            "Advanced workflows",
            "Advanced SLA policies",
            "Unlimited AI Drafts",
            "Round robin routing",
            "Salesforce, Jira, HubSpot integrations",
            "SSO/SAML",
            "HIPAA compliance"
          ],
          "is_free": false,
          "has_free_trial": false,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual",
          "notes": "16% off with annual billing. 2 inboxes included; additional inboxes $10/mo each."
        },
        {
          "name": "Plus",
          "slug": "plus",
          "tagline": "Advanced workflows, unlimited AI Drafts, WhatsApp",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "monthly",
              "price": {
                "amount_cents": 4500,
                "currency": "USD"
              },
              "per_unit": "user"
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": 4500,
          "limits": {
            "seats": {
              "kind": "number",
              "value": 50,
              "unit": "users (max)"
            }
          },
          "features_included": [
            "5 inboxes included",
            "WhatsApp channel",
            "Advanced workflows",
            "Two advanced SLA policies",
            "Unlimited AI Drafts",
            "Round robin routing",
            "Salesforce, Jira, HubSpot integrations",
            "Internal teams",
            "Group conversations by company"
          ],
          "features_missing": [
            "Unlimited workflows and SLA policies",
            "SSO/SAML",
            "HIPAA compliance",
            "Light users",
            "Dedicated onboarding specialist",
            "Strategic account manager"
          ],
          "is_free": false,
          "has_free_trial": false,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual",
          "notes": "16% off with annual billing. 5 inboxes included."
        },
        {
          "name": "Pro",
          "slug": "pro",
          "tagline": "Unlimited users, SSO/SAML, HIPAA, dedicated onboarding",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "monthly",
              "price": {
                "amount_cents": 7500,
                "currency": "USD"
              },
              "per_unit": "user",
              "min_units": 10
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": 7500,
          "limits": {
            "seats": {
              "kind": "unlimited"
            }
          },
          "features_included": [
            "10 inboxes included",
            "Unlimited workflows",
            "Unlimited SLA policies",
            "Multiple routing types",
            "SSO/SAML",
            "HIPAA compliance",
            "Up to 50 light users",
            "Dedicated onboarding specialist",
            "Strategic account manager",
            "Preferred Aircall pricing"
          ],
          "features_missing": [],
          "is_free": false,
          "has_free_trial": false,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual",
          "notes": "16% off with annual billing. Minimum 10 users. 10 inboxes included; up to 50 free 'light users' available."
        }
      ],
      "free_plan_available": true,
      "free_trial_days": null,
      "starting_price_usd_cents": 0,
      "has_custom_enterprise": false,
      "alternatives": [
        "crisp"
      ],
      "pros": [
        "Clean conversation-centric UI compared with ticket-form-heavy competitors like Zendesk",
        "Genuinely useful Free plan with 5 users and 1 inbox, not a token tier",
        "HIPAA compliance available on Pro for healthcare buyers",
        "AI Drafts unlocked on the Plus tier rather than gated to the top plan",
        "16% annual discount applied across every paid tier"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Per-user pricing scales fast for high-headcount support orgs (10 users on Pro is $750/month)",
        "Advanced SLA policies are gated to Plus and above, which is $45 per seat",
        "Fewer enterprise governance controls than Zendesk or Freshdesk",
        "AI Answers is a separate per-resolution add-on at $0.75, stacking on top of the seat price"
      ],
      "best_for": [
        "SaaS support teams of 5 to 50 with email and chat as the main channels",
        "Healthcare-adjacent companies that need HIPAA on the help desk",
        "Teams that prefer a calm conversational inbox over the ticket-grid model"
      ],
      "not_for": [
        "Enterprises with thousands of agents (Zendesk or Freshdesk fit better)",
        "Companies whose primary support channel is voice (no built-in voice)",
        "Teams that need deeply customizable ticket fields beyond what Help Scout exposes"
      ],
      "affiliate_program": {
        "name": "Help Scout Partner Program",
        "network": "direct",
        "commission_type": "recurring",
        "joined": false
      },
      "last_verified": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
      "scraper_status": "manual-only",
      "match": "secondary"
    },
    {
      "slug": "intercom",
      "name": "Intercom",
      "vendor": "Intercom",
      "homepage_url": "https://www.intercom.com",
      "pricing_url": "https://www.intercom.com/pricing",
      "tagline": "Per-seat customer messaging with Fin AI Agent for tier-1 deflection.",
      "description": "Intercom is a customer messaging platform combining a website messenger, shared inbox, ticketing, help center, and the Fin AI Agent for automated resolutions. Pricing is per-seat across three tiers: Essential ($29/seat/mo), Advanced ($85/seat/mo), and Expert ($132/seat/mo). Advanced and Expert bundle 20 and 50 free Lite seats respectively, which lets viewer-only teammates participate without paying full price. Fin AI Agent runs as a standalone product priced per outcome at $0.99 per AI resolution with a monthly minimum, and can be layered on any plan or used independently against another helpdesk like Salesforce. Annual billing is offered at a discount but the rate is not published on the page.",
      "primary_category": "live-chat",
      "secondary_categories": [
        "help-desk"
      ],
      "plans": [
        {
          "name": "Essential",
          "slug": "essential",
          "tagline": "Messenger, shared inbox, ticketing, help center",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "monthly",
              "price": {
                "amount_cents": 2900,
                "currency": "USD"
              },
              "per_unit": "seat",
              "notes": "Fin AI Agent included at $0.99 per outcome"
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": 2900,
          "limits": {
            "seats": {
              "kind": "number",
              "value": 1,
              "unit": "seat (per-seat pricing)"
            }
          },
          "features_included": [
            "Intercom Messenger",
            "Shared inbox",
            "Ticketing",
            "Pre-built reports",
            "Help center",
            "Unlimited live chat",
            "Support email",
            "In-app messaging"
          ],
          "features_missing": [
            "Multiple inboxes",
            "Workflow automation",
            "Round-robin assignment",
            "Multilingual help center",
            "Free Lite seats",
            "SSO and identity management",
            "HIPAA support",
            "SLAs",
            "Multibrand"
          ],
          "is_free": false,
          "has_free_trial": true,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://www.intercom.com/pricing",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual",
          "notes": "14-day free trial. Fin AI Agent metered separately at $0.99 per outcome."
        },
        {
          "name": "Advanced",
          "slug": "advanced",
          "tagline": "Workflow automation plus 20 free Lite seats",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "monthly",
              "price": {
                "amount_cents": 8500,
                "currency": "USD"
              },
              "per_unit": "seat"
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": 8500,
          "limits": {
            "seats": {
              "kind": "number",
              "value": 1,
              "unit": "seat (per-seat pricing); includes 20 free Lite seats"
            }
          },
          "features_included": [
            "Everything in Essential",
            "Multiple inboxes",
            "Workflow automation",
            "Round-robin assignment",
            "Multilingual help center",
            "20 free Lite seats"
          ],
          "features_missing": [
            "SSO and identity management",
            "HIPAA support",
            "SLAs",
            "Multibrand",
            "50 free Lite seats"
          ],
          "is_free": false,
          "has_free_trial": true,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://www.intercom.com/pricing",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual",
          "notes": "14-day free trial. Includes 20 Lite seats for view-only teammates."
        },
        {
          "name": "Expert",
          "slug": "expert",
          "tagline": "SSO, HIPAA, SLAs, multibrand, 50 free Lite seats",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "monthly",
              "price": {
                "amount_cents": 13200,
                "currency": "USD"
              },
              "per_unit": "seat"
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": 13200,
          "limits": {
            "seats": {
              "kind": "number",
              "value": 1,
              "unit": "seat (per-seat pricing); includes 50 free Lite seats"
            }
          },
          "features_included": [
            "Everything in Advanced",
            "SSO and identity management",
            "HIPAA support",
            "SLAs",
            "Multibrand",
            "50 free Lite seats"
          ],
          "features_missing": [],
          "is_free": false,
          "has_free_trial": true,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://www.intercom.com/pricing",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual",
          "notes": "14-day free trial. Top published tier; SSO and HIPAA available without contacting sales."
        },
        {
          "name": "Fin AI Agent",
          "slug": "fin-ai-agent",
          "tagline": "Standalone AI agent (no seat fee)",
          "prices": [
            {
              "cycle": "usage-based",
              "per_unit": "outcome",
              "notes": "$0.99 per AI resolution; pay-as-you-go with monthly minimum"
            }
          ],
          "anchor_monthly_usd_cents": null,
          "limits": {},
          "features_included": [
            "Fin AI Agent",
            "Pay-per-outcome pricing",
            "No seat costs",
            "Works with existing helpdesks like Salesforce"
          ],
          "features_missing": [
            "Shared inbox",
            "Ticketing",
            "Help center",
            "Workflow automation"
          ],
          "is_free": false,
          "has_free_trial": false,
          "contact_sales": false,
          "source_url": "https://www.intercom.com/pricing",
          "captured_at": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
          "capture_method": "manual",
          "notes": "Standalone product. $0.99 per outcome with a monthly minimum. Layers on any Intercom plan or runs independently."
        }
      ],
      "free_plan_available": false,
      "free_trial_days": 14,
      "starting_price_usd_cents": 2900,
      "has_custom_enterprise": false,
      "alternatives": [
        "crisp",
        "help-scout"
      ],
      "pros": [
        "Industry-defining messenger UI that competitors still benchmark against",
        "Fin AI Agent is genuinely strong, with some teams replacing tier-1 support with it",
        "Lite seats on Advanced and Expert reduce real headcount cost for view-only teammates",
        "HIPAA and SSO are available on Expert without a sales contract",
        "Integrations breadth larger than most competitors in the live chat space"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Expensive at scale ($85 to $132 per seat before Fin AI Agent costs)",
        "Pay-per-Fin-outcome can spike unpredictably as deflection volume grows",
        "Pricing is per-seat AND per-AI-outcome, so teams budget against two cost vectors",
        "Aggressive sales experience reported by some buyers; smaller competitors are more transparent"
      ],
      "best_for": [
        "SaaS support teams that need both human chat and high-quality AI deflection",
        "Enterprises wanting messenger, ticketing, and help center in one tool",
        "Companies deflecting tier-1 with Fin AI"
      ],
      "not_for": [
        "Small teams who can run on Crisp or Help Scout for far less",
        "Teams averse to per-AI-outcome pricing",
        "Cost-conscious buyers who don't need the messenger pedigree"
      ],
      "last_verified": "2026-04-30T21:00:00.000Z",
      "scraper_status": "manual-only",
      "match": "primary"
    }
  ]
}