Best Free Live Chat -- 7 Tools That Are Actually Free With No Hidden Fees in 2026
“Free” is the most abused word in the SaaS industry. Many chat widget tools advertise a free plan that turns out to be a 14-day trial, a feature-stripped demo, or a lead generation tool designed to push you into a paid plan within weeks.
This article cuts through the marketing. It examines seven live chat tools that offer genuinely free plans – not trials, not demos, not freemium bait-and-switch – and honestly assesses what you actually get with each one.
What “Free” Actually Means in Live Chat
Before comparing tools, it helps to understand the common ways “free” chat plans limit you:
Limitation | How It Works | Which Tools Use It |
Conversation limits | Free plan allows only X chats/month | Tidio (50), Chatbase (50), Smartsupp (100) |
Branding badge | “Powered by [Tool]” appears on your widget | Tawk.to, Tidio, Crisp, Freshchat, HubSpot, Smartsupp |
Agent seat limits | Free plan allows only X agents | Smartsupp (1), Crisp (2), HubSpot (1) |
Feature gating | Advanced features locked behind paywall | Most tools |
History limits | Chat history only available for X days | Crisp (30 days) |
No offline form | Widget shows “offline” with no way to leave a message | Some tools |
No customization | Cannot change widget colors or branding | Some tools’ free plans |
A truly free chat widget should have: no conversation limits, no branding, no feature restrictions on core functionality, and no artificial time limits. Very few tools meet this standard.
Quick Comparison: 7 Genuinely Free Live Chat Tools
Tool | Conversation Limit | Branding | Agent Limit | Offline Form | Social Links |
None | None | None | Yes | Yes | |
None | “Powered by Tawk.to” | None | Yes | No | |
Limited | Crisp branding | 2 | Yes | No | |
50/month | Tidio branding | None | Yes | No | |
Limited | Freshworks branding | 10 | Yes | No | |
Limited | HubSpot branding | 1 | Yes | No | |
100/month | Smartsupp branding | 1 | Yes | No |
1. Knocket – The Only Truly Free Chat Widget With No Branding
Knocket is the only chat widget on this list that offers a completely free plan with no branding badge, no conversation limits, no agent seat limits, and no feature restrictions on core functionality.
What you get for free:
● Unlimited live chat conversations
● No “Powered by Knocket” branding on your widget
● Unlimited agent seats (your whole team can use the dashboard)
● Offline contact form for after-hours inquiries
● Social link aggregation (WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Facebook Messenger)
● Calendly meeting scheduling integration
● Proactive welcome messages
● Business hours configuration
● Full brand customization (colors, logo, widget theme)
● SSL encryption and GDPR compliance
What you do not get:
● AI chatbot automation (Knocket focuses on human-to-visitor chat)
● Ticket management system
● CRM integrations
● Session recording or visitor monitoring
Why Knocket is the best free option: No other chat widget offers all of these features at zero cost without branding. Tawk.to comes closest but has mandatory branding and a much heavier script (749KB vs Knocket’s ~45KB).
Best for: Small businesses, solo founders, freelancers, and anyone who wants a professional chat widget without spending money or displaying third-party branding.
2. Tawk.to – Most Popular Free Chat Widget
Tawk.to is the most widely used free chat widget, installed on over 4 million websites.
What you get for free:
● Unlimited conversations
● Unlimited agents
● Real-time visitor monitoring
● Ticketing system
● Screen sharing and file transfer
● Mobile apps for iOS and Android
● 30+ integrations
What you do not get on the free plan:
● No branding removal (displays “Powered by Tawk.to”)
● No white-label option without paying
● The script is 749KB, which is the heaviest of any chat widget
Why Tawk.to is popular: The feature set is genuinely impressive for a free tool. Visitor monitoring, ticketing, and multi-agent support make it suitable for teams that need more than basic chat.
The catch: The “Powered by Tawk.to” badge cannot be removed on the free plan. For businesses that want a professional-looking website, this branding is a significant drawback. The 749KB script size also impacts page speed – according to Denser.ai’s benchmark testing, Tawk.to is the heaviest chat widget on the market.
Best for: Teams of 2-10 agents who need visitor monitoring and ticketing and do not mind the branding or the heavy script.
3. Crisp – Free for Small Teams
Crisp offers a free plan that supports up to 2 agents with basic features.
What you get for free:
● Live chat widget
● 2 agent seats
● Shared inbox (chat + email + social)
● Basic chatbot triggers
● 30 days of chat history
What you do not get on the free plan:
● Crisp branding on your widget
● More than 2 agents
● Chat history beyond 30 days
● Advanced chatbot builder
● CRM features
Why Crisp is worth considering: The shared inbox is a genuinely useful feature that most free chat tools do not offer. Being able to see chat, email, and social messages in one place is valuable for small teams.
The catch: 2 agent seats and 30-day chat history are real limitations. If your team grows or you need to reference past conversations, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan ($25/month).
Best for: Small teams (2 people) who want a shared inbox across chat and email.
4. Tidio – Free With Conversation Limits
Tidio offers a free plan with 50 conversations per month.
What you get for free:
● 50 conversations per month
● Live chat widget
● Basic chatbot functionality
● Visitor list
● Integration with Shopify, WordPress, and Wix
What you do not get on the free plan:
● Tidio branding on your widget
● Lyro AI chatbot (paid plans only)
● More than 50 conversations per month
● Advanced chatbot builder
Why Tidio is worth considering: The chatbot functionality on the free plan is more capable than most other free tools’ bots. You can set up automated greetings and simple FAQ responses.
The catch: 50 conversations per month is very limiting. For context, a website with 1,000 monthly visitors and a 5% chat engagement rate would generate 50 chats – meaning Tidio’s free plan covers roughly one month of traffic for a small site before you must upgrade. According to Tidio’s own statistics, approximately 15% of website visitors engage with chat at some point, which means 50 conversations covers roughly 333 visitors per month.
Best for: Very low-traffic websites that want to try live chat with basic chatbot automation.
5. Freshchat – Free for Up to 10 Agents
Freshchat offers the most generous free agent allocation: up to 10 agents.
What you get for free:
● Up to 10 agent seats
● Live chat widget
● Basic chat assignment
● Integration with Freshdesk
What you do not get on the free plan:
● Freshworks branding on your widget
● AI chatbot functionality
● Advanced analytics
● Custom chatbot builder
Why Freshchat is worth considering: 10 free agents is unmatched. If you have a support team of 5-10 people and cannot afford per-seat pricing, Freshchat is the most cost-effective option.
The catch: The free plan is limited to basic chat functionality. No AI chatbot, no advanced routing, no custom branding. And you are locked into the Freshworks ecosystem – if you later want to switch tools, you will lose your chat history and configurations.
Best for: Support teams of 5-10 people who need basic multi-agent chat at no cost.
6. HubSpot Live Chat – Free With CRM Lock-In
HubSpot Live Chat is free but requires a HubSpot CRM account.
What you get for free:
● Live chat widget
● Chat-to-contact sync with HubSpot CRM
● Basic chatbot (chat flows)
● Meeting scheduling within chat
What you do not get on the free plan:
● HubSpot branding on your widget
● Advanced chat flows (requires Marketing Hub, $20/month)
● Multiple agents on advanced features
● Custom branding removal
Why HubSpot is worth considering: If you are already using HubSpot CRM, the live chat integrates seamlessly. Every chat creates or updates a contact record, which feeds into your sales pipeline automatically.
The catch: You need a HubSpot CRM account, and the free plan includes HubSpot branding. The real cost comes when you want to unlock advanced chat features, which require upgrading to Marketing Hub ($20-$3,600/month).
Best for: Businesses already using HubSpot CRM who want chat tightly integrated with their contact database.
7. Smartsupp – Free for 1 Agent
Smartsupp offers a free plan limited to 1 agent and 100 conversations per month.
What you get for free:
● 1 agent seat
● 100 conversations per month
● Live chat widget
● Basic chatbot
What you do not get on the free plan:
● Smartsupp branding on your widget
● Session recording (paid only)
● More than 1 agent
● More than 100 conversations
Why Smartsupp is worth considering: The 100-conversation limit is more generous than Tidio’s 50-conversation limit, making it suitable for slightly higher-traffic sites.
The catch: 1 agent is a hard limitation. If you need even 2 people monitoring chat, you must upgrade to a paid plan ($19.50/month). Smartsupp branding appears on the free widget.
Best for: Solo operators with low-to-moderate website traffic who want basic live chat.
The Bottom Line: Which Free Chat Tool Should You Choose?
For most small businesses: Knocket
Knocket is the only free chat widget with no branding, no conversation limits, no agent limits, and features like social link aggregation and Calendly scheduling. It covers everything a small business needs from a chat widget at zero cost.
For teams that need visitor monitoring: Tawk.to
Tawk.to offers the most feature-rich free plan, including visitor monitoring, ticketing, and unlimited agents. The trade-off is mandatory branding and a heavy script (749KB).
For teams of 2: Crisp
Crisp’s free plan supports 2 agents with a shared inbox. If you have a co-founder or one support person, Crisp provides basic multi-agent functionality at no cost.
For teams of 5-10 on a budget: Freshchat
Freshchat’s 10-agent free plan is unmatched for larger teams that cannot afford per-seat pricing. The trade-off is Freshworks branding and limited features.
For HubSpot users: HubSpot Live Chat
If you are already in the HubSpot ecosystem, the free live chat integrates seamlessly with your CRM. Just be aware that advanced features require paid HubSpot plans.
FAQ
Is there a completely free live chat with no branding?
Yes. Knocket is the only chat widget that offers a completely free plan with no branding badge, no conversation limits, and no agent seat limits. All other free chat widgets display “Powered by [Tool]” branding on their free plans.
What is the catch with free live chat tools?
Most “free” chat tools have limitations: branding badges (Tawk.to, Tidio, Crisp), conversation limits (Tidio: 50/month, Smartsupp: 100/month), agent seat limits (Smartsupp: 1, Crisp: 2), or feature restrictions (no chatbot, no customization). Knocket is the only tool with no catch on the free plan.
Can I use a free chat widget for my business?
Yes. Free chat widgets like Knocket, Tawk.to, and Crisp are used by millions of businesses. They provide the core functionality needed for live chat: real-time messaging, offline forms, and basic customization.
How many conversations can I handle on a free chat plan?
It depends on the tool. Knocket and Tawk.to offer unlimited conversations on their free plans. Tidio limits you to 50/month, Smartsupp to 100/month, and Crisp has a soft limit based on agent capacity.
When should I upgrade from a free to a paid chat tool?
Upgrade when you need a specific feature that the free plan does not offer, such as AI chatbot automation (Tidio), CRM integration (Intercom, HubSpot), or advanced routing and ticketing (Zendesk). If a free tool meets your needs, there is no reason to upgrade.