Crisp vs Kustomer
Crisp and Kustomer, side by side across AI, pricing, channels, security, and seven more categories. We pull every figure from public sources and don’t pick a winner.
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Crisp
The AI customer support platform for every business. Omnichannel shared inbox plus AI agent.
Best for SMBs and growing teams wanting affordable all-in-one AI support; bootstrapped companies.
2015 · Nantes, France.
Kustomer
AI-native customer service platform and CRM. Unifies AI agents, omnichannel, and CRM in one timeline.
Best for Mid-market to enterprise retail, travel, and finance replacing legacy ticketing (e.g. Turo, Everlane, Sweetgreen).
2015 · New York, NY
Pricing
List prices, seat rules, trials, and pricing transparency.
- Pricing model
- CrispFlat rate per workspace/mo, not per-seat (extra seats $10/mo each).
- KustomerPer-seat, annual; two plans (Enterprise, Ultimate); voice/SMS/WhatsApp pay-as-you-go on top.
- Free plan
- CrispYes. Forever free; 2 seats, 100 profiles, no AI credits.
- KustomerNo
- Free trial / guarantee
- Crisp14-day; all features; no card.
- KustomerNot disclosed
- Price
- Crisp$45/mo (Mini, 4 seats, 5,000 profiles, ~$5 AI credits). · $95/mo (Essentials, 10 seats, 50,000 profiles, ~$25 AI credits). · $295/mo (Plus, 20+ seats, ~$75 AI credits); Enterprise custom.
- KustomerEnterprise ~$89/seat/mo (annual). · Ultimate ~$139/seat/mo (annual).(3rd-party)source
- Seat minimum
- Crisp2 (Free); 4 (Mini); 10 (Essentials); 20+ (Plus); extra seats $10/mo.
- Kustomer8 seats minimum.(3rd-party)source
- Unlimited agents
- CrispNo. Extra agents $10/mo.
- KustomerNo. Seat-based.
- Implementation fee
- CrispNone.
- KustomerPaid add-on; price not disclosed.
- Transparency
- CrispHigh. All tier prices public.
- KustomerLow. Base prices not published; Talk to Sales required.
- Pricing last verified
- Crisp2026-06-02
- Kustomer2026-06-02
Channels
Where each tool can talk to customers.
- CrispNative
- KustomerNative
- Live chat
- CrispNative
- KustomerNative
- In-app messenger
- CrispNative (SDK iOS/Android/React Native/JS)
- KustomerNative (web/mobile SDKs).
- Voice
- CrispVia integration (Aircall, Ringover, KrispCall; no native phone)
- KustomerNative (Kustomer Voice; $0.02/min US/CA inbound).
- SMS
- CrispVia integration (Twilio)
- KustomerNative (pay-as-you-go).
- CrispNative (WhatsApp Business)
- KustomerNative (up to 5 accounts; Meta fee + 20% markup).
- Social
- CrispNative. Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, Line, Viber, Twitter/X.
- KustomerNative (up to 50 FB pages, 50 IG accounts).
Voice & Telephony
Native voice vs telephony integrations.
- Native vs via integration
- CrispVia integration. Aircall/Ringover/KrispCall; no native PSTN.
- KustomerNative. AI-powered voice native; also 8x8, Aircall, Amazon Connect, Cordless integrations.
- Voice AI / transcription
- CrispYes. Voice-to-text for audio messages and recorded calls.
- KustomerAI conversation summaries confirmed; real-time transcription not explicit; PCI redaction across voice.
- Telephony billed separately
- CrispYes. Via third-party provider.
- KustomerYes. Pay-as-you-go from $0.02/min US/CA.
AI & Automation
Autonomous resolution, agentic actions, models, and how AI is priced.
- Autonomous AI agent
- CrispYes. Hugo AI agent resolves tickets 24/7.
- KustomerYes. Concierge customer-facing agent. Multi-step workflows, refunds, subscriptions, GET/POST/PUT/DELETE API calls.
- Copilot / Assist mode
- CrispYes. Reply suggestions, grammar, rephrasing, summarization, transcription, translation.
- KustomerYes. Envoy (ex KIQ Agent Assist): suggested responses, summaries, text enhancement, 2-way translation.
- Claimed automation rate
- CrispResolves up to 60% of repetitive questions automatically.(claimed)source
- Kustomer70% of chat fully automated (Vuori); 98% WhatsApp AI-powered (unnamed); copilot up to 65% efficiency.(claimed)source
- AI channel coverage
- CrispWeb chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, email, SMS, Telegram, Line, Viber, Twitter/X.
- KustomerChat, email, voice, SMS, WhatsApp, forms.
- Agentic actions (API) vs answer-only
- CrispActions via API. HTTP calls in workflows (Shopify refunds, order lookup, password resets).
- KustomerActions via API. Refunds, subscription changes, shipment tracking (GET/POST/PUT/DELETE).
- Knowledge sources
- CrispAnswer snippets, KB articles (auto-reindexed), website crawl, conversation history, file importer (PDF/CSV).
- KustomerKB articles, public web pages, full CRM timeline (purchase history, conversations, loyalty), Guru integration.
- Underlying model
- CrispNot fully disclosed. Can connect Claude, Llama, or ChatGPT; in-house private LLM mentioned.
- KustomerOpenAI (GPT-3.5/GPT-4), Anthropic, AWS Bedrock; Amazon Translate.
- Trains on past tickets
- CrispYes. Conversation history is a knowledge source.
- KustomerCustomer data not used to train global models; OpenAI zero-retention.
- Pre-deploy simulation / sandbox
- CrispWorkflow testing available; no dedicated simulation sandbox.
- KustomerYes. AI Evaluations (hundreds of test conversations); Automation Assistant flags conflicts pre-launch; sandbox.
- Multilingual
- CrispYes. Multilingual snippets, language detection, translation.
- KustomerYes. 2-way translation in 53 languages; agent templates in FR/NL/DE/Amharic.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- CrispNative only.
- KustomerNative only. The Kustomer AI layer needs the Kustomer platform for full functionality.
- AI pricing model
- CrispAI credits bundled per plan tier.
- KustomerCustomer-facing agents per engaged conversation; rep copilot per user/mo.(3rd-party)source
- AI unit price
- Crisp~$0.055/automated conversation implied (Mini $5 credit ~90; Essentials $25 ~450; Plus $75 ~1,350).
- Kustomer$0.60 per engaged conversation (add-on).(3rd-party)source
- Copilot / Assist price
- CrispNot disclosed (bundled).
- Kustomer$40/user/mo (AI for Reps/Envoy); historically $39 KIQ Agent Assist.(3rd-party)source
How Open.cx compares
Open.cx runs on top of Crisp or Kustomeras an AI layer, or works as its own helpdesk. Here's where it lands on the same questions.
- Runs on your existing helpdesk vs native-only
- Both. Add it on top of the helpdesk you already run, or use it as your own inbox. Works with Zendesk, Intercom, Front, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics 365, Twilio Flex, and Creatio.
- Autonomous AI agent
- Yes. Autopilot resolves tickets end to end on its own, across every channel.
- AI pricing model
- Per resolution, so you pay for outcomes. Escalations to a human are free.
- Claimed automation rate
- 77% average automation; up to 80% (Trunkrs)(claimed)source
Security & Compliance
Certifications, data residency, and access controls.
- SOC 2 Type II
- CrispNot certified. No SOC2 audit; self-assessed only.
- KustomerSOC 2 Type II.
- GDPR
- CrispYes. Fully GDPR-compliant; DPA; EU-only storage; DPO.
- KustomerYes. Data processor; DPA; US and EU hosting; CCPA.
- HIPAA / PCI
- CrispNot disclosed.
- KustomerPaid add-on (Enterprise/Ultimate); BAA; requires SSO+MFA.
- SSO / SAML
- CrispOIDC SSO (Enterprise); SAML not confirmed.
- KustomerYes. SAML; Google and MS365 SSO; SCIM.
- Data residency
- CrispEU only. Messaging in Netherlands, plugin data in Germany; relay (no storage) US/UK/SG.
- KustomerAWS US and EU via sub-processors; customer-selectable residency not disclosed.
Integrations
Marketplace breadth, APIs, and developer tooling.
- Marketplace / integrations (approx.)
- Crisp~73 integrations across 7 categories.
- Kustomer~60+ integrations.(3rd-party)source
- Shopify depth
- CrispOrder history in inbox; refunds actionable; live chat widget; built-in ecommerce features.
- KustomerDeep native. One-click; full order history, SKUs, images, LTV; process returns/exchanges; Shopify Plus.
- Open / public API
- CrispYes. REST API; Developer Hub.
- KustomerYes. REST API + webhooks; MCP server.
- Developer SDK / MCP
- CrispYes. Chat SDK (JS, iOS, Android, React Native); open-source on GitHub.
- KustomerYes. Chat SDKs (web, iOS, Android, React Native); Apps Platform.
Automation & Workflows
Builders, triggers, routing, and SLAs.
- Workflow builder
- CrispYes. No-code visual builder; conditional logic, HTTP calls.
- KustomerYes. Visual builder with Workflow Assistant (AI-guided).
- Triggers / automations
- CrispYes. Auto-trigger on conversation start/events/Hugo scenarios.
- KustomerYes. Up to 200 business rules; message-attribute AI activation; Automation Assistant.
- Routing
- CrispYes. Round Robin, origin-based, intent-based, custom rules.
- KustomerYes. Smart routing, business-hours-aware, team filtering, queue routing.
- Macros / canned responses
- CrispYes. Shortcuts (templated, dynamic data).
- KustomerYes. Shortcuts; AI-suggested responses.
- SLA management
- CrispPersonalized SLA at Enterprise only; SLA tracking in analytics.
- KustomerYes. SLA management with visual dashboard; up to 10 queues/teams.
Collaboration
How support teams work a queue together.
- Internal notes
- CrispYes. Agent-only private notes.
- KustomerYes. Visible to team; @mentions.
- Collision detection
- CrispYes. Real-time alerts when another agent is replying.
- KustomerYes. Presence indicators when multiple agents view.(3rd-party)source
- Side conversations
- CrispNot disclosed (@mentions exist).
- KustomerNot disclosed (notes/@mentions confirmed).
- Shared inbox
- CrispYes. Omnichannel shared inbox.
- KustomerYes. Unified omnichannel timeline.(claimed)source
Self-Service & Knowledge
Knowledge base, help center, and deflection.
- Knowledge base
- CrispYes. Customizable, brandable, multilingual.
- KustomerYes. SEO-optimized; internal and public; theme builder, multi-brand/language.
- Help center
- CrispYes. Public-facing, widget plus standalone URL.
- KustomerYes. Customer portal with search; request submission and tracking.
- Community forum
- CrispNot offered.
- KustomerYes. Referenced as help center component.
- AI answers from knowledge base
- CrispYes. Hugo uses KB articles as primary source.
- KustomerYes. Concierge surfaces AI answers from KB; KB Assistant improves accuracy.
Reporting & Analytics
Dashboards, custom reports, and CSAT.
- Dashboards
- CrispYes. Line/bar/treemap/heatmap, operator performance, geo, ratings.
- KustomerYes. Prebuilt dashboards (volume, handle time, CSAT, SLA); real-time.
- Custom reports
- CrispYes. Custom analytics playground; filtering; formulas; export.
- KustomerYes. Chart Editor; Data Explorer (NL analytics).
- Included in lowest tier
- CrispAnalytics across plans; advanced gating not disclosed.
- KustomerReporting in base platform (no tier gating noted).(claimed)source
- CSAT surveys
- CrispYes. Automated post-interaction CSAT via email and chat.
- KustomerYes. Native CSAT; real-time tracking; AI Evaluations scores every AI interaction.
Onboarding & Support
Implementation, CSM tiers, and partners.
- Onboarding
- CrispSelf-service all tiers; dedicated onboarding plus training at Enterprise; Plus gets onboarding assistance.
- KustomerImplementation services paid add-on; vendor-managed onboarding; ~2 months typical.
- Support channels
- CrispKB; chat; email. Per-tier channels not disclosed.
- KustomerHelp Center, community portal; direct channels not public.
- Dedicated CSM
- CrispEnterprise only. Dedicated onboarding/personalized service.
- KustomerEvery customer gets a CSM.
- Implementation partners
- CrispNot disclosed. No partner program found.
- KustomerYes. Referral/Reseller/Developer/Integration partner tiers.
Frequently asked questions
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