Company Overview
Crisp was founded in 2015 by Baptiste Jamin, Pierre-Etienne Poirot, and Julien Vanroye in Paris, France. It is an all-in-one customer communication platform designed for SMBs. Crisp brings together live chat, shared inbox, knowledge base, AI chatbot, CRM, email marketing, and video conversations in a unified interface. Popular with startups worldwide for its transparent pricing, modern design, and bootstrapped independence.
Related providers: Crisp
Core Products
- Crisp Chat (Live Chat) — Real-time chat tool for websites and apps with proactive invitations, visitor info, and message history
- Crisp Inbox (Shared Inbox) — Unified inbox managing all customer messages from chat, email, Facebook, Twitter, and more
- Crisp Knowledge Base — Self-service help center builder with rich text articles and SEO optimization
- Crisp CRM — Lightweight customer relationship management tracking visitor behavior, conversation history, and custom attributes
- Crisp AI Chatbot — Knowledge-based AI auto-reply bot that handles common questions and escalates to humans
- Crisp Email (Email Marketing) — Integrated email marketing with template sending and automation sequences
- Crisp Video (Video Conversations) — Built-in video calls with screen sharing and remote assistance
Core Strengths
Omnichannel Inbox: Chat, email, and social media messages managed in a single inbox — no switching between backends
AI Chatbot: Automatically answers common questions using knowledge base content, reducing human support load
Simple Pricing: Full-featured with transparent pricing structure; free tier covers basic needs
Lightweight Design: Fast page load with minimal impact on website performance
Visitor Insights: Real-time display of visitor location, browsing pages, and behavior for proactive support
Video Support: Built-in video calls ideal for remote demos and technical support scenarios
Key Milestones
- 2015：Founded by Baptiste Jamin, Pierre-Etienne Poirot, and Julien Vanroye in Paris as a modern live chat tool
- 2017：Launched shared inbox, expanding from single chat tool to omnichannel messaging platform
- 2019：Released knowledge base and CRM modules, building a complete customer communication platform
- 2020：Introduced AI chatbot for knowledge-based auto-replies to common questions
- 2022：Added video call feature with screen sharing and remote assistance capabilities
- 2024：Launched email marketing functionality, completing pre-sales to post-sales communication loop
- 2026：Continues to grow in the SMB market, serving over 30,000 businesses globally
Market Position
Crisp competes with the following providers in the customer communication platform market:
- Intercom：Messaging-first customer communication platform for SaaS businesses, heavier feature set
- Help Scout：SMB-focused, email-first customer service platform emphasizing simplicity
- Zendesk：Leading global independent customer service platform with comprehensive features
- Freshdesk：Freshworks' customer support platform known for value pricing
- Tawk.to：Free live chat tool for small teams with similar market positioning
