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It's a split decision.
Choose tawk.to if your priority is a free support desk: its listed core plan includes unlimited agent seats, chats, properties and chat history. Choose Chatwoot if you need a more clearly priced multichannel setup with a help center; paid plans start at $19 per agent monthly, while voice and automation are on Business at $39. tawk.to’s core is free, but branding removal, AI and voice/video tools are paid add-ons with prices that vary across listings.
01Side by side
| Chatwoot | tawk.to | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $0 free; paid plans start at $19/agent/month | $0; core plan is free |
| Free plan | Two agents, 500 conversations/month, 30-day retention | Unlimited seats, chats, properties and chat history |
| Best for | Multichannel teams needing a help center and automation | Teams wanting free chat plus CRM and tickets |
| Core strength | Shared inbox, help center, Captain AI and messaging channels | Free chat, CRM, tickets, AI answers and feedback portal |
| Learning curve | Review ease-of-use score: 7/10 | Review ease-of-use score: 8/10 |
| Integrations/data | All channels; retention ranges from 30 days to 3 years | Unlimited properties and chat history on the free plan |
| Team/seat costs | $19/agent/month; free plan caps teams at two agents | Free plan includes unlimited agent seats |
| Support | Review support score: 6/10 | Review support score: 4/10; verify support links |
Chatwoot Choose Chatwoot if
- Choose Chatwoot if you need multichannel support from one inbox.
- Choose Chatwoot if you need a help center and AI assistance.
- Choose Chatwoot if voice and automation justify $39/agent monthly.
tawk.to Choose tawk.to if
- Choose tawk.to if unlimited free agent seats matter most.
- Choose tawk.to if you need unlimited chats and chat history.
- Choose tawk.to if paid branding, AI, or voice add-ons fit.
02Pricing compared
tawk.to wins on listed starting price: its core plan is free and includes unlimited agent seats, chats, properties and chat history. Chatwoot also has a free Hacker plan, but it caps teams at 2 agents and 500 conversations a month, with 30-day data retention.
Chatwoot’s Startups plan is $19 per agent monthly, with all channels, a help center and 300 Captain AI credits. Business costs $39 per agent monthly and adds voice and automation rules. The pricing page lists monthly prices, not annual rates. tawk.to charges extra for some features: branding removal is listed at $29 per property monthly, though other listings show different prices. AI Assist starts at $29 monthly, and video, voice and screensharing are listed at $29 per property monthly in one source. Verify add-on pricing before comparing totals.
03Features and depth
Both products bring customer conversations into a shared workspace, but Chatwoot’s listed plans map more clearly to a multichannel support setup. Its features include website chat, email, social and messaging channels, plus a help center. Captain can answer routine questions, hand conversations to agents and suggest FAQs; translation is available through Captain or Google Translate. Macros can be run manually or triggered by conversation rules.
Chatwoot’s plan limits matter: voice and automation rules are listed on Business at $39 per agent monthly, not Startups. Captain AI credits are capped by plan, with extra credits listed at $20 per 1,000.
tawk.to’s free plan lists unlimited seats, chats, properties and chat history. Its wider platform includes a CRM, sales pipeline, ticket tracking and feedback portal, alongside AI answers and a customizable chat widget. Some extras—including AI Assist and voice/video tools—are paid, and prices vary across listings. If you need a help center, Chatwoot lists one on Startups; the published tawk.to feature details do not list one.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Both products bring support work into a shared dashboard, but the published details point to different trade-offs. tawk.to’s free plan has no agent-seat or chat cap listed, which makes it a straightforward place to start if live chat is the main need. Its add-on pricing is less tidy: several prices differ across listings, so check the current terms for anything beyond the core plan.
Chatwoot’s prices and feature gates are clearer: Startups covers all channels and a help center, while voice and automation rules require Business. That makes the upgrade path easier to assess, but teams must weigh per-agent costs and plan limits. Review scores give tawk.to higher ease-of-use scores, 8 versus Chatwoot’s 7; those scores are evaluations, not a guarantee for your team.
Questions people ask
Is tawk.to really free?
Its listed core plan is free and includes unlimited agent seats, chats, properties and chat history. Some extras cost more, including branding removal, AI Assist and voice/video tools. Add-on prices vary across listings, so confirm the current price before budgeting.
Does Chatwoot have a free plan?
Yes. Chatwoot’s Hacker plan is free, but it is limited to 2 agents, 500 conversations per month and 30-day data retention. For all channels and a help center, the listed Startups plan costs $19 per agent monthly.
Which is better for multichannel support?
Chatwoot’s published plan details explicitly list all channels on its paid plans, including Startups at $19 per agent monthly. tawk.to lists a shared inbox and broad support tools, but the published pricing details do not specify channel coverage for its free plan.
Does Chatwoot include voice and automation on its $19 plan?
No. The published pricing lists voice and automation rules on Chatwoot Business, at $39 per agent monthly. Startups costs $19 per agent monthly and includes all channels and a help center, but not those listed Business features.