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Overwhelmed by features and confused by pricing while choosing between Freshworks and Tawk.to? You’re not alone. Picking the right tool can speed up support, cut costs, and stop the trial-and-error cycle. This simple guide compares them side by side so you can choose with confidence. We’ll cover:
Founded in Chennai, India in 2010 by Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy, Freshworks delivers cloud-based software that powers customer support, IT service management, and CRM for businesses of all sizes. With a user base of over 67,000 organizations worldwide, Freshworks is trusted by brands like Honda, Bridgestone, and Hugo Boss to streamline customer and employee experiences through intuitive, AI-driven solutions.
Freshworks’ suite includes tools for help desk automation, omnichannel messaging, sales automation, and IT service management, all designed for simplicity and rapid adoption. The company has earned recognition as the first Indian SaaS company to list on Nasdaq and continues to innovate for sales, support, and IT teams globally.
In the following section, we’ll break down Freshworks’ features, pros and cons, pricing, and user reviews, comparing them with Tawk.to and Ringly.io.
Best for customer support and sales teams in small to mid-sized businesses that need unified channels, automation, analytics, self-service, and CRM-linked context.
Pros
Cons
Best for small to midsize teams wanting approachable CX tools and solid automation; consider alternatives like Ringly.io if mobile polish, predictable updates, or deep customization are top priorities.
Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, tawk.to is a free live chat and customer support platform designed to help businesses engage with website visitors in real time. Co-founded by Robert and Shankar, the company offers AI chatbot capabilities and a help desk solution that supports small to medium-sized businesses worldwide.
With millions of users globally, tawk.to provides features like live chat, chat history transcripts, mobile access, and customizable widgets, all at no cost. Its unique business model generates revenue by offering optional paid chat agent services, while keeping the core software free and unlimited. The platform is praised for its ease of use and high customer satisfaction.
The following section will explore tawk.to’s features, pros and cons, pricing, and user reviews, comparing them with Freshworks and Ringly.io to highlight how each platform serves different business needs.
Best for startups, small businesses, and lean support teams needing free live chat, unlimited agents, and basic ticketing without complex automation or deep integrations.
Pros
Cons
Best for budget-conscious teams and startups needing straightforward website chat. Consider alternatives like Ringly.io when brand control, advanced automation, faster notifications at scale, or stronger vendor support are critical requirements.
Note: The pricing information below is accurate at the time of writing and may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date pricing, please visit each company's pricing page.
Ringly.io has simple, usage-based pricing with no hidden fees or long-term commitments. Test drive it risk-free for 14 days, then scale up or down on month-to-month terms, or book a demo for fully tailored enterprise support.
Freshworks vs Tawk.to: Freshworks delivers robust customer support ticketing, automation, and AI—ideal for growing teams needing workflows and integrations; beware pricing and surprise deprecations. Tawk.to is a free, easy live chat—great for startups/SMBs; limited features and some notification delays.
"Much easier to use" — Anonymous, G2 reviewer. Freddy AI and the interface feel improved and easier to understand; more Marketplace integrations help teams work more effectively.
"Features deprecated without notice" — Anonymous, G2 reviewer. Some features were removed with little warning, disrupting workflows and leaving teams little time to adapt.
"Great features at no cost" — Rosalina M., Executive Assistant (Capterra). A strong freemium option for small businesses to manage website chat, saving money while helping teams catch more customer conversations.
"Delayed notifications and confusing dashboard" — Anonymous, Capterra reviewer. Notifications can be delayed by minutes, occasional disconnects occur, and the dashboard can confuse new or non-technical users.
Ringly.io is known for its simplicity, and a focus on e-commerce, with features like abandoned cart recovery and order status lookups. It has a 4.8 star rating from 12 reviews on Product Hunt and other platforms.
"it stands out significantly ahead" - Bertrand, Director. We are at the initial stage of testing and have made only a few calls so far. Consequently, I have rated the product with four stars for now. However, I must express that the product has shown significant promise. When compared to competitors, it stands out significantly ahead.
"This is such a great product" - Jim Miranda, Founder. This is such a great product. I have been with you for less than a week and already closed 3 deals with it."
"It really sounds like a human" - Laix, Founder. Tried Ringly.io today and the quality of the phone calls surprises me! It really sounds like a human, and it reacts really fast. Will need to deploy it in action to see the full capabilities.
"How to automate customer service? -> Ringly.io" - Sidra Husnain, Founder.
Picking the right tool comes down to your size, budget, and the kind of support you want to run. If you want one choice that works well for most teams, Ringly.io is the safest bet thanks to AI phone agents, strong ecommerce flows, and simple, usage-based pricing that scales from startup to enterprise.
Bottom line: Freshworks is great for structured help desks. Tawk.to is perfect when you need free, simple live chat. Ringly.io gives most teams the best mix of AI automation, voice coverage, and scalable pricing so you can grow without friction.
Highly Rated: 4.8/5
Founded in 2024 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, by Maurizio Isendoorn and Ruben Boonzaaijer, Ringly.io is revolutionizing e-commerce customer service with AI phone agents. Designed for online businesses, Ringly handles customer calls on autopilot—solving support issues, recovering abandoned carts, and even boosting sales—at just 20% of the cost of human agents.
With 2,300+ customers, Ringly.io is the go-to solution for e-commerce stores looking to scale without scaling their support team. With award-winning technology (BubbleCon 2024's "Most Innovative App"), Ringly.io transforms your phone system into a revenue-driving powerhouse—without the headaches of traditional call centers.
No-code setup, instant results – Ringly.io is ready to go in minutes. Just add your website, docs, or text—no engineering required—and your AI phone agent instantly understands your business. It even updates automatically as your website changes.
AI-powered sales & support – Ringly.io does both inbound and outbound calls. Recover 35%+ of abandoned carts with automated follow-up calls, provide real-time order tracking from Shopify, and convert more customers with personalized AI-driven conversations—not just reactive support.
Advanced analytics for smarter decisions – Ringly.io gives you real-time call data, customer intent tracking, and performance reports—helping you optimize support and sales strategies.
Scalable pricing without enterprise contracts – Ringly.io offers transparent, scalable pricing—pay for what you use, no locked-in contracts.
All three tools can level up your support, but they shine in different ways. Freshworks brings structure and workflows. Tawk.to gives you free, fast live chat. Ringly.io adds AI phone agents that turn support into revenue—without adding headcount.
Choose based on your channel needs, budget, and how much automation you want today. Then scale at your pace.
Bottom line: Freshworks is great for process-heavy help desks. Tawk.to is perfect for free, simple chat. Ringly.io quietly combines automation depth, natural voice, and flexible pricing—so most modern teams ramp faster and see ROI sooner.
Start your 14-day free trial of Ringly.io →
