Top 10 Online Website Chats that are Truly Free in 2026
Disclaimer:
September 12, 2026
How we thought and what we call free
We considered the free online chat for the site to be a service with a fixed tariff without mandatory payment after the end of the trial period. A short test access for 7 or 14 days was not included in the rating: this is a test of the tool before purchase.
The second criterion is the operating limit. If the service provides 5 dialogues per month, it can formally be called free forever, although for businesses this limit ends in one day, sometimes in one advertising click. Therefore, we have separately included such cases in the section with traps.
We also looked at the availability from Russia: whether it is possible to register, whether a foreign card is needed for a free tariff, whether there are restrictions on channels, operators, correspondence history, mobile applications and corporate identity. We also highlighted the options for installing on our own infrastructure where it is important for companies with data isolation requirements.
Ten services with a working free tariff
Jivo
Jivo
tawk.to
tawk.to
Chaport
Chaport
Bitrix24
Bitrix24
Cleversite
Cleversite
Talk-Me
Talk-Me
Verbox
Verbox
LiveTex
LiveTex
Webim
Webim
Softrestchat
Softrestchatthe difference between a chatbot, an online consultant, and an AI agentabout an AI agent and a chatbot
Two facts are especially important in comparison with classic chats: a live operator continues to respond with a zero credit balance, because credits are spent on forming responses by the model, and the number of operators is unlimited. In this rating, the limit of one workplace is common, so the lack of a ceiling for operators is a practical difference, but not the main argument: in fact, this is still a product about a responsible agent.
Outside of the competition, it is worth remembering other options: Crisp gives 2 places and unlimited dialogues, but 0 AI credits and payment in foreign currency; HubSpot Live Chat does not limit dialogues, but branding is removed for a fee; Umnico offers a free widget and the first operator; Gravity gives up to 5 operators for free, but only with an annual payment; VK "Community Messages" is completely free, but it is not a full-fledged chat platform with operator tools and analytics.
"Free" that's not free: 8 Traps
This section is more important than the rating itself. ""This is where the difference between "we set up a chat and we're working" and "we set up a widget, received the first requests and ran into a limitation" is most often hidden.
- Chatra
- Smartsupp
- Tidio
- Chat2Desk
- MANGO OFFICE
- RedHelper
- Envybox, Carrot quest, Callibri, Teletype, LiveChat, Zendesk, Intercom
- Chatbase
Let's mention Rocket separately.Chat Community: The product itself is free, but you can't remove the "powered by Rocket.Chat" label or even change the position of the widget — these are functions of the paid edition.
What about international services in Russia
For international services, the problem is often not in the chat itself, but in payment and registration. LiveChat blocks the creation of accounts on Russian and Belarusian domains. Chatra and Intercom do not accept Russian Federation cards. Zendesk does not accept payments from users from Russia, although there is no separate blocking by the RCN.
The general background is clear: Visa and Mastercard suspended operations in Russia in March 2022, and the "Mir" card is not suitable for most foreign SaaS. Therefore, without dancing with payment, first of all services are available where the free tariff is self-sufficient and the card is not needed at all: tawk.to, partly Crisp and HubSpot, as well as Chaport with a ruble website.
Separately: open source code, if you know how to work with the server
Open source solutions look attractive.: download, deploy, and do not pay for operators. When self-hosted, you still need a VPS, domain, SSL, updates, backups, and admin hours every month. If there is no person in the team who is responsible for the infrastructure, savings can quickly turn into technical debt.
Chatwoot
TiledeskFreeScout
Papercups
152-FZ: what to look at if you collect contacts
The checkbox of consent to the processing of personal data in the form of a chat is not a formality. As soon as you collect a customer's name, phone number, email, or other identifier, you become a personal data operator and must understand where and how this data is processed.
The ready-made checkbox is "out of the box" explicitly stated by Callibri and Jivo. Envybox, Talk-Me, and Cleversite can have a checkbox added, but the company prepares the consent text itself. Jivo, LiveTex, Webim, Envybox, Flomni, Salebot and Calltouch have verifiable entries in the Russian software registry.
about the pros, cons, and limitations of AI
What to choose for your situation
| Situation | Choice |
|---|---|
| You need everything and it's free, the badge doesn't bother you | tawk.to |
| We need a Russian service with channels and a mobile application. | Jivo |
| Are you already working at Bitrix24 | Bitrix24 |
| One website, minimum budget | Cleversite |
| Multiple sites, seasonal traffic | Talk-Me |
| 152-FZ and the on-premise perspective are important | WebimLiveTex |
| We need a beautiful widget and rubles. | Chaport |
| You don't need a chat, but an agent responsible for your materials. | Softrestchat |
| Your server and the desire to control the data | Chatwoot |
Russian contour, registry FORAI scenarios on the siteintroducing AI to a websitehow to install an AI agent on a website
What to do next
Free chat is good as the first layer of feedback: it reduces friction, helps to catch a question at the moment of interest and does not require large expenses at the start. But free ends where real operators, channels, history, automation, and data requirements appear.
If it became clear from the selection that you need not just a chat, but an agent who answers customer questions himself, send 10-15 typical questions — we will collect a demo using your own materials for free. A 7-day trial period is available for self-launch in Softrestchat.
Автор
Антон Амосов
