By Sophie Cheung · Co-founder, Daykeeper ·
The best customer support software for small business, priced for a team of one
I compared 11 customer support tools on what a solopreneur really pays at 100 and 1,000 conversations a month. Prices checked Sep 30, 2026.
Quick answer: For a solopreneur, the best customer support software fits your real volume at a price that doesn't grow with every teammate. My picks: Daykeeper for a support chat widget and inbox (free, then $19.99 per workspace), tawk.to for unlimited free chat, Help Scout if most of your support is email, and Chatwoot if you want open source. Intercom, Zendesk and Freshdesk are great, but they're priced for support teams.
I make Daykeeper, so it's on this list. Every price below comes from each vendor's own pricing page, checked on Sep 30, 2026, and every tool gets a "pick it if" for where it beats us.
All 11 tools, side by side
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | 100 conversations/mo | 1,000/mo | Per seat? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daykeeper | Support chat widget + inbox, set up by your AI builder | ✅ 100 conversations/mo | $0 | $19.99 | No, per workspace |
| tawk.to | Free chat forever | ✅ Unlimited | $0 ($29–39 to remove branding) | $0–29 | No |
| Help Scout | Email-first support | ✅ Email only | $0 email · $25–30 with chat | $25–30 (+$0.75 per AI answer) | Yes |
| Chatwoot | Open source, self-host | ✅ 500 chats/mo | $0 chat · $19 with email | $19 | Yes, paid plans |
| Crisp | Help center + chatbot in one tool | ✅ 100 contacts total | $0–45 | $45–95 | No, per workspace |
| Intercom | AI agent today, with a budget | ❌ 14-day trial | From $19–29 (+$0.99 per AI answer) | Same | Yes |
| Zendesk | Support teams (routing, SLAs) | ❌ 14-day trial | $55–69 | $55–69 (+AI, price not public) | Yes |
| Freshdesk | Deep ticketing + knowledge base | ❌ 6-month Free Program | $29–35 | $29–35 (+$0.49 per AI session) | Yes |
| Tidio | Shopify stores | ✅ 50 conversations/mo | $24–29 | $149–179 | No, per conversation |
| LiveChat | Polished widget with native apps | ❌ 14-day trial | $19–25 chat · $38–50 with email | Same (+about $0.99 per AI resolution) | Yes |
| Front | Shared team inbox | ❌ 14-day trial | $65–85 | $65–85 (+$0.89 per AI resolution) | Yes |
1. Daykeeper: best for a support chat widget and inbox your AI builder sets up
- Free: support chat widget and inbox for 100 conversations a month, plus API, Node SDK and local MCP server. No credit card.
- You pay: Pro is $19.99 per workspace for 2,000 conversations and a verified support email. Adding a teammate costs $0.
- Pick it if: you built your app with an AI builder or coding agent and want support live in less than a minute.
- Skip it if: you have an enterprise-level support team that needs polished workflows and SLAs.
Get your support inbox live in less than a minute.
2. tawk.to: best for free chat forever
- Free: unlimited chat, email and ticketing.
- You pay: $29–39 a month to remove the tawk.to branding.
- Pick it if: you want free chat forever and don't need an API.
- Skip it if: you want your coding agent to manage support. There's no MCP server.
3. Help Scout: best for email-first support
- Free: email inbox for 100 contacts a month, with no chat or API.
- You pay: chat is $25 per user a month billed yearly ($30 monthly), and AI answers are $0.75 each.
- Pick it if: most of your support is email.
- Skip it if: you want chat on a budget. Every teammate adds $25–30.
4. Chatwoot: best for open source
- Free: 2 agents and 500 chats a month on Chatwoot Cloud, and self-hosting is free.
- You pay: $19 per agent a month for email.
- Pick it if: you want open source and you're happy to run a server.
- Skip it if: you don't want to maintain a server.
5. Crisp: best for a help center and chatbot in one tool
- Free: 2 seats and 100 contact profiles in total, with no email inbox.
- You pay: Mini is $45 a month per workspace, and the MCP server starts on Essentials at $95.
- Pick it if: you want a help center and chatbot builder in one tool.
- Skip it if: you're past 100 contacts and don't want to jump to $45.
6. Intercom: best for an AI agent today, with a budget
- Free: no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
- You pay: from $19–29 per seat a month billed yearly (Intercom is testing prices right now), plus $0.99 every time Fin resolves a conversation. 500 AI answers a month adds about $495.
- Pick it if: you want an AI agent answering customers today and have the budget, or you need product tours and outbound messages.
- Skip it if: you're a team of one watching every dollar.
7. Zendesk: best for support teams
- Free: no free plan, only a 14-day trial. There's also a startup program for approved startups.
- You pay: live chat starts on Suite Team at $55 per agent a month billed yearly ($69 monthly), and AI resolutions past a small allowance aren't publicly priced.
- Pick it if: you run a support team with routing, SLAs and hundreds of integrations.
- Skip it if: you're one person answering 100 chats a month.
8. Freshdesk: best for deep ticketing
- Free: a 6-month Free Program for 2 agents, with email ticketing and a knowledge base but no live chat or API.
- You pay: live chat starts on Freshdesk Omni at $29 per agent a month billed yearly ($35 monthly), and Freddy AI is $49 per 100 sessions.
- Pick it if: you need SLAs, routing, automations and a knowledge base in one tool.
- Skip it if: you want a free plan that doesn't expire.
9. Tidio: best for Shopify stores
- Free: 50 conversations a month and 10 seats, with Tidio branding.
- You pay: Starter is $29 a month for 100 conversations, and Lyro AI starts at $39 a month for 50 AI conversations.
- Pick it if: you sell on Shopify and want product recommendations in chat.
- Skip it if: you want an API without paying $300 a month.
10. LiveChat: best for a polished widget with native apps
- Free: no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
- You pay: $19 a month for 1 user, Team is $49 per person, and email is a separate product.
- Pick it if: you want native iOS and Android apps for your team.
- Skip it if: you want chat and email in one plan under $38.
11. Front: best for a shared team inbox
- Free: no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
- You pay: chat and email together need Professional at $65 per seat a month billed yearly, and AI resolutions are $0.89 each.
- Pick it if: your team works out of a shared email inbox.
- Skip it if: you're one person who wants chat and email under $65.
How to pick in 30 seconds
- Most of your support is email → Help Scout
- Chat for $0 forever, and branding doesn't bother you → tawk.to
- You want to self-host → Chatwoot
- A support chat widget and inbox at one flat price, set up by your AI builder or coding agent → Daykeeper
- You sell on Shopify → Tidio
- Your team lives in a shared email inbox → Front
- You have a support team → Zendesk, Intercom or Freshdesk
Want every feature side by side? See all comparisons.
FAQ
What's the best free customer support software? tawk.to is free with no conversation limit. Daykeeper's Free plan gives you a support chat widget and inbox for 100 conversations a month. Chatwoot Cloud's free plan covers 500 chat conversations a month for 2 agents.
What customer service software do small businesses use? Most start with a shared inbox or a support chat widget, then add a help desk as the team grows. Common picks are Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, Help Scout, Crisp, tawk.to, Chatwoot, Tidio, LiveChat and Front. The biggest cost difference for a solopreneur is per-seat pricing.
Do I need a help desk as a solopreneur? No. A help desk adds routing, SLAs and reporting for teams. On your own, you need one inbox that catches every customer message and a support chat widget in your app.
How much should customer support software cost a small business? At 100 conversations a month, $0 is realistic: Daykeeper, tawk.to, Chatwoot and Crisp all have free plans. At 1,000 a month, expect $0–95 in total on tools priced per workspace, or $19–85 per person on per-seat tools, before AI charges.
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