Free Live Chat Software Comparison
Every live chat vendor claims a free plan. Most of those plans are trials in disguise: one agent, no automation, a branded widget, and an upgrade wall the moment a customer actually messages you.
This is an honest comparison of seven tools with genuinely usable free tiers, including ours (Emplorium). For each tool you’ll find what the free plan actually includes, the catch, and who it fits.
How We Compared
Three rules kept this list honest:
- Free plan must be permanent, not a 14-day trial.
- Must be usable for real conversations (working widget + inbox).
- We recorded the first paid price you’ll realistically hit.
Quick Comparison
| Tool | Agents (free) | AI included | Arabic + RTL | Catch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emplorium | 1 | Yes, AI agent + 500 credits/mo | Yes | Yes, full | 1 teammate |
| tawk.to | Unlimited | No (paid add-on) | No | Partial | You are the AI |
| Crisp | 2 | No | No | Partial | 2 seats, basics only |
| HubSpot | 5 | Limited | No | Interface only | CRM upsell engine |
| Smartsupp | 1 | No | No | Limited | 50 conversations/mo |
| JivoChat | 5 | No | Paid | Interface only | Feature gates |
| Chatwoot (self-hosted) | Unlimited | Bring your own | Yes | Community | You run the server |
Tool Highlights
1. Emplorium
- Free plan includes: 1 teammate, 1 AI agent (500 credits/mo), 25 KB articles, live chat, email, WhatsApp, unlimited users, full Arabic + RTL.
- Catch: one teammate only. Paid plans start at $31/mo.
- Best for: small teams wanting AI answers immediately, especially Arabic-speaking customers.
2. tawk.to
- Unlimited agents/chats/sites, free forever.
- Catch: no automation; every conversation is human.
- Best for: teams with more people than budget, low chat volume.
3. Crisp
- Two agents, polished widget, mobile apps.
- Catch: basics only; automation/integrations are paid.
- Best for: two-person teams valuing design.
4. HubSpot Free
- Five users, tied to CRM.
- Catch: upsell engine; chatbot logic limited.
- Best for: teams already using HubSpot CRM.
5. Smartsupp
- One agent, 50 conversations/month.
- Catch: cap is under two per day.
- Best for: very low-traffic sites testing chat.
6. JivoChat
- Five agents, web chat + mobile apps.
- Catch: features gated; WhatsApp is paid.
- Best for: seat-hungry teams with simple needs.
7. Chatwoot
- Open source, self-hosted, unlimited agents.
- Catch: operational burden (updates, security, uptime).
- Best for: teams with developers or data residency needs.
What No Free Plan Includes
- Vendor phone support
- SLAs
- Advanced routing
- Reporting history
- Removal of branding
Also watch for quiet limits: expiring history, KB caps, “unlimited agents” but limited concurrent chats.
How to Choose (30-second version)
- You want AI handling repeat questions: Emplorium
- You want unlimited human seats: tawk.to
- You serve Arabic-speaking customers: Emplorium (only one with full Arabic + RTL free)
- You have a developer + server: Chatwoot
- You live in HubSpot already: HubSpot
- You want a beautiful widget for two people: Crisp
Real question: which free plan can you grow inside without painful migration. Always check paid tier pricing before committing.
