TAWK Alternatives: Why Should You Look For One?

Are you one of those who can’t break the habit of using some solutions? It’s not just you. Many people find it challenging to quit using what they’ve been using for a while, even though they know it’s not the best. Unfortunately, this may be your case now.

In this blog post, we’ll explore possible reasons you might want to consider looking for an alternative to TAWK.

We’ll also discuss some of the benefits of switching to a new messaging app. So if you’re ready to say goodbye to TAWK, keep reading!

What is TAWK?

TAWK is a free live chat app that allows businesses to communicate with their customers in real-time. It is a good tool for customer support, sales, and marketing teams.

TAWK’s biggest advantage is that the service is completely free. There are no pricing plans. It means that if more features are needed, there is no possibility of an upgrade.

It could be an advantage for some, but for some, it could also be a drawback. Possibly, after some time, your company will grow and need more to keep up with providing a satisfactory customer experience.

What are the top features of TAWK?

TAWK, as customer support software, offers many practical solutions. Here are the most vital ones:

• monitoring customers in real-time to understand customers’ behavior
• a knowledge base of visitors
• a customizable widget (but you need to pay to remove “Powered by tawk.to”)
• integrations with various platforms
• faster replies with canned answers
• you can assign conversations to a chosen team member

Cons of TAWK

Also, some aspects need improving in TAWK software. Look at some cons that we’ve found:

• lack of analysis and statistics
• only one set of features, no options for doing an upgrade
• not disclosed costs, for example, for removing the TAWK chat widget label

However, TAWK is not the only live chat business software on the market. Many other options are available, each with its own features and pricing plans.

Why should you look for an alternative to TAWK if you’re not happy with it?

There are many reasons why you might be considering looking for an alternative to TAWK. Maybe you’re unhappy with the features included in the subscribed plan, or you are looking for something more affordable?

Before making a decision, it’s best to consider all of your options. While looking for a TAWK alternative, keep the following points in mind.

#1 What features does the app offer?

First, think about what features you need, what you don’t, and what is most important. Once having the list of your must-have features, it would be much easier to choose software for you.

#2 What is your budget?

Budget is the next factor you might be considering in your customer service software. How much are you willing to spend on a new platform? Look around and find out what the prices are.

Maybe you’ll find something that matches your budget better than the option you stick to. However, keep in mind that it is an investment in your business.

#3 Take a look at its online recognition

Check out online reviews of platforms you consider. See what users say about the features and solutions of the app. It can be a great way to get an unbiased opinion about how the platform works from users’ points of view.

#4 Make use it’s easy to use

Another critical aspect to consider is being intuitive for both employees and site visitors. Make sure your live chat is convenient to work with.

Try out all the features you need. Check how to add widgets, assign tickets to other team members, start chatting with visitors easily, chat volumes provided, or change notifications sound - if it’s just what you need.

#5 Check plan upgrades

At some point, you might need more features, so check the capabilities of higher feature plans. Also, make sure that an upgrade is easy and does not require much effort, and that you can afford it.

It’s worth mentioning that sometimes a good solution is a customized plan - some platforms offer enterprise solutions for businesses with specified needs.

#6 Check integrations your software provides

When looking for live chat software, it’s crucial to find one that will integrate with the platforms you already use. For example, if you currently use Asana for free to manage tasks then it’s best if you can keep doing so. This will make it easier to manage your conversations and automate tasks.

Many plugins can help with automation, CRM, marketing, and CMS, so be sure to research which would work best for you.

#7 Ensure the platform provides reports

The easiest way to measure support team progress is having access to the reports. The best live chat software should provide detailed statistics and analyses so you can monitor the progress of your customer service operations.

Reports are essential for improving your customer service strategy and ensuring that your customers get the best possible experience. You should also verify whether it offers two-factor authentication.

What are some popular TAWK alternatives that are worth considering?

If you want to find a worthy alternative to TAWK, here are a few choices. We paid special attention to top features, cons, and pricing.

LiveChat as an alternative to TAWK

Businesses use LiveChat to connect with their customers in real-time. It allows them to chat with their customers on the site and provides customer support.

Top features of LiveChat:

• canned responses for faster replies
• file transferring for sending files with a drag-and-drop interface
• providing feedback with chat rating
• chat archives, to find messages including a particular phrase
• an offline form for visitors when your agents are not online
• assigning tickets to the right person from the team

Cons of LiveChat:

• lack of a free plan
• users report file-sharing rather confusing
• a mobile app is not so convenient as the web version
• widget customization could be more advanced and modern compared to other LiveChat alternatives

LiveChat pricing

There are four subscription plans:

• Starter at $24 per month
• Team at $49 per month
• Business at $69 per month

All plans are billed yearly. Subscribing to the Enterprise plan with a custom set of features is possible, but you must contact sales for the price.

LiveAgent - an alternative to TAWK

LiveAgent is a customer service and support software that helps companies manage customer interactions more effectively. Thanks to LiveAgent, operators assist visitors via live chat to provide help on the spot.

Top features of LiveAgent:

• canned response for fast replying
• file-sharing with a drag-and-drop interface
• many integrations, for example with Google Analytics, Zapier, or WordPress. Thanks to that, you can power up your free customizable landing pages, website, or any other asset
• decent analytics in paid plans

Cons of LiveAgent:

• additional monthly feature fees in some plans, for example, for time tracking, branding free widget, or time reports
• minimal free plan, for example, poor analytics and customization

LiveAgent pricing

There are four subscription plans:

• Free at $0
• Ticket at $15 per month - for the email ticketing system
• Ticket+Chat at $29 per month - for live chat customer service and email ticketing
• All-inclusive at $49 per month - includes all the Ticket+Chat features and some additional ones

All billed yearly. If you are an enterprise company, you can reach out sales team to learn more about the options.

LiveHelpNow - an alternative to TAWK

With LiveHelpNow, businesses can easily connect with their customers thanks to live chat software.

It is an online customer service tool used for various purposes, such as providing support, answering messages, and resolving complaints.

Top features of LiveHelpNow:

• AI-powered agent workspace for managing conversations
• mobile app for quick and convenient communication
• insights into key metrics
• chatbot support for responding to some support tickets
• many integrations and plugins
• chat tagging for collaborating with other team members
• suggestions of agents’ supervisor on the response thanks to Whisper Technology (advice is visible only to the agent to reduce errors)
• canned responses for faster responses

Cons of LiveHelpNow:

• invoices only for annual licenses or monthly licenses of more than $500 per month
• a free subscription plan is not available
• a free customizable live chat widget, however, it could be more modern looking
• categorized subscription plans

LiveHelpNow pricing

There are four subscription plans:

• the Live Chat and Texting plan at $21 per agent
• the Ticket Management plan at $21 per agent
• the Knowledge Base plan at $21 per agent
• the Call management plan at $9 per agent

All billed monthly.

The plans are categorized, so you cannot have live chat and ticket management features in one plan - some might find this solution problematic.

Crisp - an alternative to TAWK

Providing online support, increasing customers’ satisfaction, and selling products - are only some of the results that Crisp live chat software promises.

Check out what else it can do for you.

Crisp top features:

• unified chatbox for Discord, Jira, Twitter, Facebook Messenger
• user-friendly interface
• integrations with major platforms, for example, WordPress, Shopify, Zapier
• CrispyBird game for keeping visitors entertained while waiting for the response
• no limits on the number of messages
• a mobile app

Crisp cons:

• not that many integrations compared to other alternatives (no website monitoring, for example)
• the highest price is relatively expensive
• very limited free plan

Crisp pricing

Crisp has three subscription plans:

• Basic at €0
• Pro at €25 per month
• Unlimited at €95 per month

All billed yearly. There is also an enterprise plan for large-scale companies that need a customized plan.

How about making the switch to Smartsupp?

One of the best TAWK alternatives is Smartsupp. It is a cloud-based software for customer support that assists with real-time support for site visitors and potential buyers. Additionally, it is a code free app.

Top features of Smartsupp

Let’s have a look at what Smartsupp has to offer.

• Chatbot support

Maybe at some point, you will need some support in the form of a chatbot, for example, when your operators are unavailable and cannot respond to visitors’ questions. Also, chatbots are great for answering the most frequently asked questions, so it is both money and time saved!

• The live chat widget customization

Doing so is super easy with Smartsupp. Change colors and adjust its appearance to increase brand awarness, even on chat. In addition, the widget’s design is mobile-friendly, so communicating via phone or tablet is convenient.

• File-sharing

It is a convenient feature, especially if you want to deliver the best customer care possible. Responding to visitors’ enquires is much faster when sending files is possible. With file-sharing, Smartsupp live chat agents can easily communicate with potential customers through this method.

• Mobile app

Using the mobile app is undoubtedly an asset for operators. This way, website users receive help as quickly as possible, and operators can monitor and chat on the go. In addition, any agent can respond to support tickets and connect with buyers at the airport, on the train, or from wherever they are.

• Contact forms

When none of your agents is online, Smartsupp provides a contact form.

• Video recording of sites users

Smartssup’s video recordings feature is excellent for following visitors and their movements on your website. Monitor where they click and how they move around your site.

• Data protection

When it comes to customer data protection, Smartsupp takes its responsibility very seriously. They provide GDPR (the General Data Protection Regulation) compliance and data privacy.

• Canned responses

To streamline work, operators can use canned responses. Then, using one click, they can send these pre-written texts repeatedly - great for greetings or the most frequent questions.

• Reports and statistics

To monitor your live chat agents’ performance, you can use statistics. The graphs will tell you the number of conversations, conversations rating, response time, online time, and statistics of individual agents.

• Redirecting messages

Suppose you sell different products on your website or have a multilingual website. In that case, visitors can be routed to specialists of a particular area or product thanks to the Groups feature. You can group your agents based on their expertise.

• Proactive messages

You can start chatting with proactive messages for a little extra nudge on whatever site you want.

• Customer dashboard

Thanks to the customer dashboard, all the customer’s data is in one place. You can get an overview of the visitors and know where they came from, how many times they have visited your page so far, and other important information.
Once you have any questions, you can contact the support team (they are always happy to respond) or use the help center.

Cons of Smartsupp:

• the free version doesn’t allow setting up office hours

Pricing of Smartsupp

There are three pricing plans:

• Free at $0
• Standard at $22.50 per month
• PRO at $108

All billed yearly. There is also an ultimate plan for businesses that want to have a tailored-made solution.

If you want to try Smartsupp out, sign in for a free 14day trial.

That’s just what the rating looks like. We hope you got a good overview of what other live chat platforms offer and can choose the right one for your business.

Choose your ideal customer service software

Live chat customer support is excellent for increasing sales and developing customer relationships and is the easiest way to collect feedback. So don’t give up on looking for a solution for your business.

If you’re unhappy with TAWK, there’s nothing to worry about! It is possible to find a few great alternatives that offer a variety of features and price points. So take your time to find an awesome software to provide a fantastic customer journey, and you’ll be sure to find a messaging app that you love.

Good luck in finding your live chat service, and thanks for reading!