Quick Comparison
| Feature | HelpShelf | Crisp |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free plan — no credit card (Pro from $49/mo) | Free tier; paid plans per workspace |
| AI Agent Pricing | Monthly AI-search + AI-chat limits | AI features on higher tiers |
| Citations on Answers | Every confident answer cites sources | Via MagicReply (higher tiers) |
| Human Escalation | Visitor-confirmed via verified Telegram | Live chat seats |
| Legible to AI Agents | llms.txt, llms-full.txt + public MCP endpoint | |
| Born from Your Codebase | npx helpshelf scans your repo | |
| Primary Focus | AI-resolved support with proof | Live chat + CRM |
| Best For | Product teams, SaaS, indie builders | Chat-first startups & SMBs |
Where HelpShelf differs from Crisp
Crisp is chat-first, HelpShelf is agent-first
Crisp leads with live chat and layers AI on top. HelpShelf leads with an AI agent that resolves supported questions with citations and offers a human path when it cannot verify the answer.
Citations on every confident answer
HelpShelf's rule is no uncited confidence. Every confident answer links to the real sources behind it, so customers can verify instead of taking a chatbot's word for it.
AI on every plan, including free
Crisp reserves its AI capabilities for higher-priced tiers. HelpShelf includes AI usage on every plan: Free has 500 AI searches and 100 AI chats each month, with larger published limits on Pro and Scale.
Legible to the AI agents your buyers use
HelpShelf publishes llms.txt, llms-full.txt, and a public MCP endpoint for your site, so ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI assistants can read — and recommend — your product with verifiable claims.
Pricing comparison
Fixed plan limits, not chat seats and tiers
Migration is easy
Switch from Crisp to HelpShelf in three simple steps
Gather your content
Export your knowledge base content from Crisp, or just point HelpShelf at your live help pages.
Add your sources
Run npx helpshelf to scan your codebase, or paste URLs. Everything lands in one knowledge base.
Go live
Add one line of code to your site. Your agent answers with citations from day one.
Frequently asked questions
Different philosophies. Crisp is a live chat and CRM platform with AI added on. HelpShelf is an AI agent first: it resolves supported questions with citations, offers a visitor-confirmed handoff when verified Telegram is reachable, and publishes your product knowledge in machine-readable form (llms.txt, MCP). Choose based on whether you want humans-first chat or an agent that handles most of it.
HelpShelf's agent handles supported questions itself. When it cannot verify an answer, it can offer an editable handoff only if tested Telegram is reachable; after the visitor submits it, Telegram receives the question, bounded context, acknowledgement options, and a dashboard link.
Yes. Some teams keep Crisp for live chat and add HelpShelf for cited AI self-service. HelpShelf resolves the repetitive questions, so your chat time goes to conversations that actually need a person.
Plans track AI searches and AI chats as separate monthly allowances. Free includes 500 searches and 100 chats; the dashboard shows usage so you can choose capacity before upgrading.
Yes — a real free plan with monthly usage included, citations on every confident answer, and visitor-confirmed handoff when verified Telegram is reachable. No credit card required, and it never expires.
Keep reading
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A knowledge base your agent can actually answer from, with citations.
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