Customer Support · decision tool
Chatwoot alternatives — ranked for your stack
Leaving Chatwoot? The other support tool options ranked at your usage, budget and constraints with verified dated pricing — plus when Chatwoot is still the right call.
Prices verified 2026-07-17 against official pricing pages · fit weights are our estimates (see methodology) · share the URL to share your configuration
As of Jul 2026, with 3 support seats, a $50 budget for this slot, Help Scout ranks first for these inputs at 93% fit and a StackSays-estimated $0/month (Crisp: 82% fit, $45.00/month). Fit weights are our estimates; prices trace to official pages. Change any input below and the verdict recomputes.
Your situation
The verdict updates as you move these.
Clear pick for your inputs
Genuinely usable free tier and flat, honest per-user pricing
vs Crisp: fit 93% against 82%, est $0 against $45.00 per month
Comparing 7 tools head-to-head. Open the full field (8 options) →
The decision, in plain words
For a solo builder at 3 support seats and a $50.00/mo budget for the support tool slot, Help Scout leads at 93% fit and $0/mo. The two rules doing the work: budget fit (Runs free at your usage — $0 vs your $50/mo budget); free-tier runway (Your usage fits the free tier today (Up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site — but only 100 contacts/month)).
The gap to Crisp (82% fit) is wide at these inputs — you'd need to change your requirements, not your taste, to flip it.
Honest weak spot of the pick: proprietary saas — conversation history export is usually partial.
Generated from the calculation above — every number traces to the sourced data; nothing here is written by an AI making things up.
Why Help Scout scores 93%
How the $0/mo estimate is calculated
Your usage fits Help Scout's free tier (Up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site — but only 100 contacts/month) — the estimate is $0.
What could change this verdict
Cost risk
Official prices verified 2026-07-17; calculation is deterministic code over those prices.
At a glance
| Tool | Free tier | Paid entry | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crisp | 2 seats free forever: chat widget, shared inbox, mobile/desktop apps, 100 profiles | Mini $45/mo | 2026-07-17 |
| Intercom | No free tier | Pay-as-you-go — $39/seat/month (monthly billing; $29 annual); Fin AI answers billed separately at $0.99 per resolution | 2026-07-17 |
| Plain | No free tier | Horizon $299/mo | 2026-07-17 |
| Zendesk | No free tier | Pay-as-you-go — $19/agent/month BILLED YEARLY; email/ticketing only — no messaging or live chat at this tier | 2026-07-17 |
| Help Scout | Up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site — but only 100 contacts/month | Pay-as-you-go — $25/user/month on MONTHLY billing (16% annual discount); 2 inboxes; unlimited AI drafts; AI Answers $0.75/resolution extra | 2026-07-17 |
| Tawk.to | No free tier | Free + Remove Branding $39/mo | 2026-07-17 |
| Front | No free tier | Pay-as-you-go — $25/seat/month BILLED ANNUALLY (monthly price not published); ONE channel type only; max 10 seats | 2026-07-17 |
Data sources
| Tool | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Crisp | Crisp pricing | 2026-07-17 |
| Intercom | Intercom pricing | 2026-07-17 |
| Plain | Plain pricing | 2026-07-17 |
| Zendesk | Zendesk pricing | 2026-07-17 |
| Help Scout | Help Scout pricing | 2026-07-17 |
| Tawk.to | tawk.to pricing | 2026-07-17 |
| Front | Front pricing | 2026-07-17 |
A monitor re-checks these pages for changes; when a vendor moves a price, the date updates and every verdict recomputes.