Quick Comparison
| Feature | HelpShelf | Crisp |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free — 50 credits/mo (Pro from $49/mo) | Free tier; paid plans per workspace |
| AI Agent Pricing | Credits included in every plan | AI features on higher tiers |
| Citations on Answers | Every confident answer cites sources | Via MagicReply (higher tiers) |
| Human Escalation | One tap via Telegram, Slack, or email — free | 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 |
Why teams choose HelpShelf over 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 questions on its own — with citations — and only pulls you in when it genuinely needs a human.
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 credits in every plan — 1 credit equals 1 AI-resolved conversation, escalations are free, and noise never counts.
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
Pay for resolved conversations, 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 questions with citations, escalates to you in one tap when unsure, 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 the conversation itself and escalates to you — via Telegram, Slack, or email — when a human is needed. You can approve its drafted reply in one tap or take the thread over. Many teams find this replaces staffed live chat entirely.
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.
Escalations to a human, noise (spam and bot traffic), unanswered questions, and items held for your review never consume credits. You only spend a credit when the AI actually resolves a conversation.
Yes — the Free plan includes 50 credits per month, citations on every answer, and one-tap human escalation. No credit card required.