Helpin vs Crisp at a glance
A shared inbox gives conversations a place to land. Helpin connects them to the work needed to solve the problem, with AI agents that can investigate, plan, write code and prepare the result for review.
Crisp combines a shared inbox, Hugo, workflows and a knowledge base. Helpin brings support into the same fast workspace as projects, deals, meetings and agents for coding, review and docs.
Both use workspace pricing and include AI usage on paid plans. Helpin adds unlimited teammates on every plan and the option to self-host the product and its agents.
- Helpin connects support to delivery and sales. The customer’s conversation can become agent work, a reviewed fix, a guide update or an owned follow-up in the same product.
- Crisp connects support channels and automation. Its inbox, Hugo and workflows handle customer conversations, with connected tools extending the actions they can take.
Both products combine a shared inbox with AI. Compare what else the agents and your team can do in the same workspace.
| Capability |  HelpinOpen source · Cloud or self-hosted | CrispShared inbox and Hugo AI |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing and access | ||
| Price model | Per workspace, unlimited teammates | Per workspace, seats included by plan |
| Published monthly plans | Starter $99; Growth $299 | Mini $45; Essentials $95; Plus $295 |
| Included teammates | Unlimited | Mini 4; Essentials 10; Plus 20, then extra seats |
| AI billing | Included usage allowance; optional metered extra usage | Included Hugo credits; optional pay-as-you-go |
| Open source and self-hosting | Free Community edition (AGPL-3.0) | |
| Support and knowledge | ||
| Shared chat and email inbox | Chat; shared email on paid plans | |
| Additional channels | Web chat and email | WhatsApp, social messaging, SMS and phone connections |
| AI answers and human handoff | ||
| Connected data and actions | Selected tools for account details, code and logs | Hugo tools, workflows and external MCP services |
| Public help center | Articles, AI answers, own domain and API reference | Knowledge base on Essentials and Plus |
| Native mobile apps and SDKs | Mobile apps and iOS/Android chat SDKs | |
| The work beyond a reply | ||
| Project planning | Objectives, roadmaps, epics, sprints and tasks | Separate project tools |
| Code delivery from a task | Built-in planning, coding and review; GitHub PRs and GitLab MRs | Separate coding and project workflow |
| CRM with deals | Contacts, companies, deals and AI follow-ups | Customer profiles and connected sales CRMs |
| Meeting notes and next steps | Meet, Zoom, Teams and Webex | Separate meeting tools |
| MCP connections | External tools; agents can read context and update work | External tools for Hugo; server for knowledge search |
Comparison data verified October 2026.
Why choose Helpin over Crisp?
Give agents the context and tools to carry out work, keep your team in control, and bring everyone into the same fast workspace.
Helpin- Report
- Investigation
- Code
- Review
Carry the conversation through to the fix.
A bug report should reach the agents and people who can solve it. In Helpin, the conversation can become a task with the relevant context attached. Planning, coding and review agents can take on the work while your team follows the progress and approves the change.
Helpin- Support
- Development
- Sales
- One workspace
Bring everyone in without counting seats.
Crisp already charges per workspace, with seats included by plan. Helpin includes unlimited teammates on every plan. Support, developers and sales can all review the same history, and AI agents can act across the connected work.
Helpin- Knowledge gap
- UI capture
- Reviewed update
Keep customers and agents on current instructions.
Quill can prepare updates for your help center and internal docs when the product changes or support reveals a missing answer. Fresh screenshots and browser recordings show the current steps. Your team reviews and publishes the changes.
Helpin- Conversation
- Deal and meeting
- Next action
Give agents the whole account context.
Deals, conversations and recorded meetings sit beside the work customers are waiting for. Beacon can identify buying intent and carry out approved follow-ups. Custom agents and flows can use the same context, with the tools, skills and permissions you choose.
Core feature comparison
Feature names can sound alike across tools. What matters is how each product handles the work, and what your team does next.
Support inbox and customer context
HelpinHelpin gives your team a fast shared inbox for chat and email. Echo, the support agent, can answer from your docs and check connected tools for account details, code and logs. It can follow up after a reply or bring in a teammate. Customer history, internal notes and linked tasks stay with the conversation.
Crisp brings chat, email and connected messaging channels into a shared inbox. Its support tools include notes, routing, saved replies and follow-up reminders. Mobile apps let teammates reply while away from their desks.
The difference: Helpin keeps the inbox close to product delivery and account work. Crisp also covers social messaging and native mobile access.
AI agents that carry out work
HelpinAsk Helpin AI to investigate an issue and get the work moving. Scribe plans the task, Forge writes and tests the code, Lens reviews it, and Quill updates the docs. Build custom agents and flows in plain language, with your choice of tools, skills and approval rules. Start work in chat or through configured automations.
Hugo answers questions and takes actions through connected services. Crisp also provides visual workflows, task automations and MCP connections for custom tools and data.
The difference: Helpin carries agent work into planning, code, review and docs, alongside customer support.
Help center and internal docs
HelpinKeep your help center and internal docs spaces current as your product changes. Quill can turn unanswered questions and released changes into article updates, with fresh screenshots and browser recordings. Your team reviews and publishes them. Customers can search your help center or ask AI for an answer with article citations.
Crisp includes a customer knowledge base on Essentials and Plus. Hugo can use help content and other connected knowledge to answer customers, while teammates manage the articles.
The difference: Helpin’s docs workflow covers internal spaces and public guides, including agent-prepared release updates and fresh UI captures.
From support conversation to reviewed fix
HelpinA customer’s bug report can become a task with the conversation attached. AI agents can investigate, plan, write code and open a GitHub pull request or GitLab merge request for review. After a confirmed release, configured automation can update affected customers under your approval rules. Objectives, roadmaps, epics and sprints keep the work in view.
Crisp’s task automations can call connected tools to carry out support actions. Engineering planning and code delivery run in the project and development tools you connect to that workflow.
The difference: Helpin includes the project structure and coding workflow, so your team can review the fix beside the customer evidence.
Sales follow-ups and meeting context
HelpinKeep deals, contacts and companies beside their conversations, meetings and open work. Beacon, the sales agent, can identify buying intent, suggest the next step and carry out approved follow-ups. Record meetings on Google Meet, Zoom, Teams or Webex, then turn decisions into assigned tasks. Your team can see what was promised and what still needs doing.
Crisp keeps customer profiles, custom data and conversation history. It connects to sales systems such as HubSpot and Pipedrive so teams can use customer data in their support workflow.
The difference: Helpin adds a built-in deal pipeline, recorded meetings and agents that can act on the next sales step.
External agents and connected tools
HelpinConnect Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Hermes and other compatible AI tools through Helpin’s MCP server. They can find context, update tasks and docs, and start Helpin agent runs with the access you allow. Helpin agents can also use external MCP tools. GitHub, GitLab and the web SDKs connect your code and product to the same workflow.
Crisp offers APIs, webhooks and mobile SDKs. Hugo can call tools on external MCP servers. Its own MCP server currently exposes knowledge search for compatible AI clients.
The difference: Helpin’s MCP tools also let external agents update tasks and docs and start agent runs, with the access you allow.
Pricing and value
HelpinHelpin charges per workspace, with unlimited teammates. Starter is $79 and Growth $239 a month billed annually, or $99 and $299 billed monthly. Every Cloud plan includes an AI usage allowance. Extra usage is metered only when you enable it on a paid plan. Self-hosting has no Helpin license fee; you pay for your infrastructure and AI provider.
Crisp charges per workspace: Mini is $45, Essentials $95 and Plus $295 per month. Plans include 4, 10 and 20 seats respectively; Plus lists additional seats at $10 each per month. Paid plans include Hugo credits, with optional pay-as-you-go. Helpin includes unlimited teammates and an AI allowance, plus projects, CRM and meetings. Neither product charges a standard fee for each resolved conversation.
Compare the included teammates, AI allowance and the tools your team needs alongside the inbox. See Helpin plans and allowances.
Cloud or open source
Helpin is the same product either way. Let us run it on Helpin Cloud, or self-host the open-source Community edition on your own servers.
HelpinRun Helpin Cloud or self-host the open-source Community edition with Docker Compose. Support, projects, CRM, docs and AI agents are included under AGPL-3.0. When you self-host, you choose the infrastructure, AI providers and external services your workspace uses.
Crisp is a hosted service. Its SDKs and open-source developer tools connect to Crisp Cloud; the full workspace is not offered as a self-hosted product.
Helpin Cloud
Hosted by Helpin- One price per workspace, unlimited teammates
- AI usage allowance included in every plan
- Your own AI keys on Enterprise
- Managed by Helpin, with support
Community edition
Open source · AGPL-3.0- Free, with no plan limits or seat counts
- Every product, coding agents included
- Runs on your own AI provider and keys
- Docker Compose on your own servers
Switching and onboarding
HelpinTry Helpin Growth for 14 days with no card and $140 of AI usage. Start with one support address or a real project, invite your team, and give the agents a job. We can help you plan the move around the data and tools you already use.
Crisp offers a free plan and a 14-day trial. To move into Helpin, bring over your help content and workflow instructions, then start with a support address or a few website pages. There is no direct Crisp conversation importer today.
Start with one inbox and a real customer issue.
Move a small part of support first, then try the connected agent workflow with your team.
Take from Crisp
- Help articles, saved replies and workflow instructions
- Customer fields and records you need to keep
- A record of channels and integrations your team uses
Set up in Helpin
- Helpin chat widget and support address
- Team inboxes and agent handoff rules
- Help center and internal docs spaces
- Projects, repository access and customer records
- 01
Set up the knowledge and inbox
Available nowBring over the guides and instructions your team uses to answer customers. Add a support address and configure Echo’s tools and permissions.
- 02
Try the work behind the conversation
Available nowTake a real report into a task, ask agents to investigate and prepare a fix, then review the result. Set up follow-ups for the conversations you want agents to handle.
- 03
Move the remaining workflows gradually
Available nowThere is no direct Crisp importer today. Keep older conversations and any required channels in Crisp while you move the work Helpin will handle.
Check the features your team depends on.
These specific requirements are worth checking as you plan your move from Crisp.
Messaging and phone channels.
Crisp connects WhatsApp, social messaging, SMS and phone tools. Helpin’s shared inbox currently supports web chat and email.
Native mobile support.
Crisp provides mobile apps for teammates and native chat SDKs. Helpin currently provides a web workspace and web SDKs.
A customer ticket portal.
Crisp Plus includes a portal where customers can open and follow tickets. Check whether this is part of the support experience you need.
Existing integrations.
Review any Crisp connection your team depends on, such as an ecommerce platform or a phone provider, before moving that workflow.
Keep the inbox connected to the work that follows.
Helpin brings product delivery, sales and current docs into the same workspace as support. Check the channels and customer-facing tools you depend on.
Choose Helpin if…
- You want agents to investigate customer reports and prepare fixes for review.
- You want support, projects, deals and meetings in one fast workspace.
- You want agents to keep help articles and internal docs current as you ship.
- You want unlimited teammates and the option to self-host your agents and data.
Check Crisp if…
- You require Crisp’s social channels, native mobile apps or mobile chat SDKs.
- Your team depends on Crisp’s customer portal or a specific existing integration.
FAQs about Helpin vs Crisp
Is Helpin a Crisp alternative?
Yes. Helpin combines a fast chat and email inbox with agents for support, planning, coding, review, docs and sales. It also includes projects, CRM and meeting notes, so customer conversations stay connected to the work they create.
Doesn’t Crisp already charge per workspace?
Yes. Crisp uses workspace pricing and bundles seats by plan. Helpin’s difference is unlimited teammates on every plan, plus built-in projects, coding and review agents, CRM and meetings. Compare the complete workflow your team needs, as well as the inbox price.
How does Helpin compare with Hugo?
Hugo can answer customers and take actions through connected tools. Helpin’s Echo agent handles support too, alongside agents that plan and code fixes, review changes, maintain docs and act on sales follow-ups. The work shares customer context within Helpin.
Do both include AI usage?
Yes. Crisp’s paid plans include Hugo credits, with optional pay-as-you-go. Helpin’s Cloud plans include an AI allowance, with optional metered extra usage. Neither offer should be treated as unlimited AI.
Can Helpin replace every Crisp channel?
Helpin currently handles web chat and email. If you use WhatsApp, social messaging or phone integrations in Crisp, plan how those channels will be handled before moving.
Can Helpin import my Crisp conversations?
There is no direct Crisp conversation importer today. You can bring over source content and instructions and start Helpin alongside Crisp while you plan the rest of the move.
How is AI billed in Helpin?
Every Cloud plan includes a monthly AI usage allowance, measured in tokens at published rates. On an active paid plan you can turn on metered overage if you need more. Self-hosted installs use your own AI provider and pay it directly.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. The 14-day trial runs on the Growth plan, needs no card, and includes $140 of AI usage.
Can we self-host Helpin?
Yes. The Community edition is free and open source under AGPL-3.0, and runs with Docker Compose. It includes support, projects, CRM, docs and AI agents, including coding and review.
Will you help us switch?
Yes. Book a call and we’ll plan the move with you: what to set up first, how to run both tools side by side, and when to cut over.