How do Knobot and Crisp compare at a glance?
The table below covers the dimensions that matter most to small businesses evaluating chat tools in 2026. Crisp pricing reflects Crisp's published tiers; Knobot pricing reflects its current plans.
| Feature | Knobot | Crisp |
|---|---|---|
| Core model | AI-first (RAG + Gemini Flash 2.5) | Shared inbox first; chatbot builder + AI assist add-on |
| AI capability | Autonomous RAG chatbot — answers visitors and captures leads without a human | MagicReply suggests draft replies to human agents; chatbot flows are rule-based |
| Human agent / live chat | Not available | Yes — core product; multi-agent shared inbox |
| Free tier | No — 14-day trial only | Yes — 2 agent seats, 1 website, basic chatbot |
| Entry paid plan | $79/month (Premium) | Paid tiers available — see crisp.chat/en/pricing/ |
| Conversation / message limits | 10,000 messages/month (Premium) | Varies by plan; see Crisp pricing page |
| Multi-business / multi-site | Yes — all paid plans | Separate workspace per site; additional seat costs |
| Mobile app | No | Yes — iOS and Android with agent notifications |
| CRM built in | No — email + webhook lead delivery | Yes — contact profiles, segments, conversation history |
| Campaigns / proactive messaging | No | Yes — in-app messaging and email campaigns (paid plans) |
| Setup method | One <script> tag; knowledge built from URL scrape | Script tag install; bot builder and inbox configured in app |
| Knowledge grounding | RAG with Voyage embeddings on all plans | MagicReply reads conversation context; bot flows are manual |
| Lead capture method | AI captures during conversation → email or webhook | Human agent collects details or bot form → Crisp CRM |
| G2 rating | — | 4.5 / 5 (see Crisp on G2) |
When is Knobot the better choice?
Knobot is the stronger option when your website needs an AI that works autonomously — capturing leads and answering questions at any hour without a person staffing a chat queue.
- You have no support staff and do not plan to hire any. Knobot is designed to run without human agents — the AI handles the full conversation, qualifies the lead, and routes contact details to your inbox.
- You want RAG-quality answers grounded in your actual business content from the moment you go live. Knobot indexes your site on signup and uses that knowledge base for every reply. Crisp's chatbot builder requires you to write rule-based flows manually.
- You manage multiple client sites or business locations. Knobot's multi-business tenancy is included on all paid plans, giving you one dashboard for every deployment. Crisp requires a separate workspace per site.
- You want flat, predictable pricing. Knobot charges $79/month for up to 10,000 messages. Crisp's paid tiers scale with agent seats and features — the cost grows as your team or usage grows.
- You run a service business — law, real estate, home services, healthcare consulting — where the goal is qualifying a lead and capturing their contact details, not resolving a support ticket in a shared queue.
- You want a sub-10-minute setup. Knobot's single <script> tag and automatic URL-scrape knowledge build get you from signup to live bot faster than configuring a multi-channel inbox.
When is Crisp the better choice?
Crisp is the right tool when your business model requires human agents responding to visitors. Reviewers on G2 consistently highlight its clean agent interface, mobile app, and the depth of its multichannel inbox as standout strengths for small and mid-size teams.
- You have a support or sales team that reads and responds to chats in real time. Crisp's shared inbox, agent assignment, and mobile push notifications are built for this workflow. Knobot has none of those features.
- You want a free product to start. Crisp's free tier gives you live chat with two agents and a basic chatbot at no cost. Knobot requires a paid plan after a 14-day trial.
- You need a built-in CRM. Crisp stores contact profiles, conversation history, and segments inside the platform. Knobot delivers leads to your email or webhook and relies on your existing CRM for storage.
- You want to run proactive campaigns — in-app messages, email sequences, or behavioral triggers. Crisp supports these on paid plans. Knobot only responds to visitors who initiate a conversation.
- You need agents to reply from a mobile device. Crisp has iOS and Android apps with notification support so agents can handle chats on the go. Knobot does not have a mobile app of any kind.
- You want to manage customer conversations across channels — live chat, email, Messenger, and more — from a single inbox. Crisp is purpose-built for this. Knobot is scoped to website chat only.
How do the prices compare?
Knobot has two plans: a 14-day trial and Premium at $79/month. Crisp has a free tier and paid plans that scale with agent seats and features. The table below uses qualitative tier descriptions because Crisp's exact per-seat pricing is subject to change — always check the Crisp pricing page for current figures before making a purchase decision.
| Feature | Knobot | Crisp |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | No | Yes — 2 agents, 1 website, basic chatbot; limited automation |
| Entry paid tier | $79/month — 10,000 messages, multi-business, RAG AI included | Pro plan — additional agents, campaigns, MagicReply AI; see crisp.chat/en/pricing/ for current rate |
| Higher paid tier | Custom — contact support@knobot.org | Unlimited plan — full feature set, unlimited chatbots; see Crisp pricing page for current rate |
| AI capability cost | Included in $79/month — no add-on fee | MagicReply is an AI add-on or included on higher tiers (verify on Crisp pricing page) |
| Multi-site (2 businesses) | $79/month (one Premium plan) | Separate workspace required — costs multiply with seats/plan per site |
| Pricing model | Flat per-workspace rate | Per-seat or per-workspace, tiered by features |
The core pricing difference is predictability. Knobot's $79/month covers AI conversations, lead capture, and multi-business management in a single flat charge. Crisp's cost grows as you add agent seats or unlock higher-tier features. For a solo operator or a small business with no support staff, Crisp's free tier is the cheapest starting point — but Knobot's AI works without anyone logged in, which may deliver more captured leads per dollar at steady traffic volume.
How difficult is it to migrate from Crisp to Knobot?
Switching from Crisp to Knobot is a straightforward technical process. The main work is extracting your existing knowledge content and accepting that the Crisp shared inbox has no equivalent in Knobot.
- 1
Export your Crisp knowledge base and bot flows
Download or copy any FAQ documents, helpdesk articles, or chatbot flow content you have built in Crisp. These become the source material for Knobot's RAG knowledge base. Note that rule-based bot flows will not translate directly — Knobot uses AI to determine responses, not branching logic.
- 2
Sign up and create your Knobot workspace
Register at knobot.org. The onboarding wizard prompts you for your site URL and core business details. Each client site or business location gets its own workspace under your account.
- 3
Seed the knowledge base
Enter your site URL to trigger an automatic scrape, or paste your exported Crisp content directly into the knowledge editor. Knobot indexes the content using Voyage embeddings for retrieval during conversations.
- 4
Add the embed snippet
Replace Crisp's widget script with Knobot's single <script data-key="..."> tag. Both are one-line installs — the swap is a copy-paste operation that takes under 5 minutes.
- 5
Configure lead routing
Set the email address or webhook URL where Knobot should deliver captured leads. If you use a CRM, point the webhook at it or at a middleware tool like Zapier or Make. Run a test conversation to verify the lead arrives correctly.
- 6
Notify your team and cancel your Crisp plan
Crisp plans renew on a monthly or annual cycle. If you have agents who monitor the Crisp inbox, inform them before removing the widget. Export any conversation history you want to retain before cancelling, as access to historic data may be limited after the plan ends.
The most significant thing you lose in migration is Crisp's shared inbox and CRM. If your team currently manages a meaningful volume of conversations through Crisp's agent interface — assigning chats, reviewing history, running campaigns — you will need to replace those workflows with other tools before switching. Knobot's scope is narrower by design: it captures the lead and hands it off, then gets out of the way.