25 Best Formilla Alternatives in 2026

If you are shopping for Formilla alternatives, the right pick depends on whether you need a live chat plus AI chatbot for an SMB website (Formilla's home turf), a polished pure live chat, a helpdesk with structured ticketing, a multichannel messaging inbox, an ecommerce-first chat for Shopify, or a CRM-integrated chat. Formilla bundles live chat, AI chatbot, email marketing, and helpdesk into one affordable platform, but it is not the right fit for every team. The free plan caps at 1 agent, the AI chatbot and proactive chat are gated to the Premium tier and higher, and the multichannel inbox is shallower than dedicated alternatives.

This guide ranks the 25 best Formilla alternatives in 2026, organized by use case (live chat plus chatbot, helpdesk, AI chatbot, ecommerce, CRM-integrated, free), with pricing, key features, and the type of team each Formilla alternative fits best. You will also find a quick comparison table, a recap of what Formilla does well, a five-step framework for choosing the right Formilla competitor, and a 14-item FAQ. All pricing reflects published vendor tiers as of May 2026, verify on the vendor's own pricing page before purchase.

Why look for a Formilla alternative?

Formilla works well for solo founders and small teams that want chat plus chatbot at an affordable price. Most teams that switch away cite one of the following six reasons:

• Free plan caps at 1 agent. Formilla Free is a real entry point but limited to 1 agent with no AI chatbot. Free Formilla alternatives like Tawk.to (unlimited free agents) and HubSpot Service Hub Free (unlimited agents with CRM) offer more generous free tiers for teams that need to test before paying.
• AI chatbot depth. Formilla's AI chatbot is competent for FAQ deflection but it is rule-based and lightweight compared to modern LLM-driven chatbots. Teams that need richer AI deflection usually pick Tidio (Lyro AI), Crisp Chat Essentials (AI chatbot unlocked), or Intercom (Fin AI).
• Helpdesk and ticketing depth. Formilla has a light helpdesk module, but it is not designed for large support orgs handling thousands of tickets per week. Helpdesk-first Formilla alternatives like Zendesk, HelpScout, Reamaze, Freshdesk, and LiveAgent are stronger picks for that workload.
• Multichannel inbox depth. Formilla covers email and basic social, but the multichannel inbox is shallower than Crisp Chat (which bundles WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Twitter natively), Userlike, or Respond.io (built around WhatsApp Business).
• Ecommerce-native workflows. Formilla integrates with Shopify and WordPress, but Gorgias and Reamaze ship deeper order-lookup and returns workflows for online stores.
• CRM integration. Formilla integrates with Salesforce and HubSpot, but teams standardized on a CRM often pick HubSpot Service Hub or Zoho SalesIQ for tighter native integration.

Quick comparison: top Formilla alternatives at a glance

The 25 Formilla alternatives below are the most-cited competitors in the chat, AI chatbot, and customer communication space. All pricing reflects published tiers as of May 2026; verify on the vendor's own pricing page before purchase.

Formilla alternative	Best for	Free plan	Paid from (verified, May 2026)
Tawk.to	Free unlimited live chat	Yes, unlimited agents (branded)	$29/month annual to remove branding
Tidio	Live chat plus Lyro AI chatbot	Yes, 50 conversations	From $24.17 per workspace annual
Crisp Chat	Multichannel inbox plus chatbot	Yes, 2 seats	From $45 per workspace (Mini)
LiveChat	Polished pure live chat	14-day trial	$19 per agent at Starter (annual)
Chaport	Affordable live chat for SMBs	Yes, 2 operators	From $29 per operator at Pro
Olark	Simple, customizable live chat	14-day trial	$29 per agent
Smartsupp	Live chat with visitor recording	Yes, 25 conversations/month	$20 per agent at Standard (annual)
JivoChat	Multichannel chat plus phone	Yes, basic features	From $19 per agent at Professional
Userlike (now Lime Connect)	Live chat with WhatsApp + Messenger	Yes, 1 widget	From $100 per month at Team
ProProfs Chat	Affordable live chat with surveys	15-day trial	From $19.99 per operator at Team
LiveAgent	Multichannel helpdesk plus live chat	30-day trial	$15 per agent at Small Business (annual)
HelpScout	Email-led shared inbox	Yes, up to 5 users on Free	$25 per user at Standard
Freshdesk	Helpdesk with Freddy AI	14-day trial	From $19 per agent at Growth (annual)
Front	Shared inbox for support teams	14-day trial	$19 per seat at Starter (annual)
Zendesk	Enterprise helpdesk and ticketing	14-day trial	$55 per agent at Suite Team (annual)
Reamaze	Ecommerce helpdesk and chat	14-day trial	$29 per user at Basic (annual)
ClickDesk	Live chat with voice and video	Yes, 10 chats/day	From $9.99/month
Intercom	SaaS in-app messaging with Fin AI	14-day trial	$29 per seat at Essential (annual)
HubSpot Service Hub	CRM-first chat and support	Yes, unlimited agents	$20 at Starter
Zoho SalesIQ	Zoho-stack live chat	Yes, 3 operators	From $9 per operator at Basic
Respond.io	WhatsApp-first messaging support	7-day trial	From $79 at Starter
Gorgias	Shopify customer support	7-day trial	$10/month at Starter (50 tickets)
Chatfuel	Messenger and Instagram bots	7-day trial	From $39 at Fuely Super
Collect.chat	Lead-capture conversational forms	Yes, 50 responses/month	From $24 per month at Lite
Formilla	(reference)	Yes, 1 agent	From $24.99 at Premium

Pricing accurate as of May 2026. Plan names, tiers, and features change frequently, verify on each vendor's official pricing page before purchase. Some prices shown above reflect annual billing.

Best Formilla alternatives for live chat plus AI chatbot

Live chat plus AI chatbot is Formilla's home turf. The Formilla alternatives below are the strongest options if your primary need is a website chat widget bundled with chatbot, and you want a different feature mix, deeper AI, or different pricing shape.

Tidio, live chat plus Lyro AI chatbot

Tidio is one of the most-cited Formilla alternatives for SMB ecommerce and SaaS teams. The platform combines live chat, AI-powered chatbot (Lyro), email, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp into a single inbox. Free plan covers 50 conversations per month with 10 seats. Paid Starter is $24.17 per workspace per month billed annually. Lyro AI is a separately priced add-on from $32.50 per month. Pick Tidio over Formilla if you want a more modern LLM-driven AI chatbot and per-workspace pricing predictability. Tidio review and comparisons.

Crisp Chat, multichannel inbox plus chatbot

Crisp Chat bundles live chat, an AI chatbot, multichannel messaging (email, SMS, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Telegram), co-browsing, and a help desk into one workspace. Free plan covers 2 seats. Paid tiers: Mini ($45 per workspace), Essentials ($95, AI chatbot unlocked), Plus ($295). Pick Crisp over Formilla if you want a richer multichannel inbox and co-browsing alongside chat. Crisp Chat review and comparisons.

LiveChat, polished pure live chat

LiveChat is the longest-running pure live chat platform in the category. Pricing (annual): Starter $19 per agent, Team $49, Business $79, Enterprise contact sales. ChatBot.com sold separately from $52/month. Pick LiveChat over Formilla for the cleanest pure-chat agent UX and 200+ marketplace integrations. LiveChat review and comparisons.

Chaport, affordable live chat for SMBs

Chaport is one of the closest one-to-one Formilla competitors on the SMB side. Free plan covers 2 operators with unlimited chats and 60-day history. Pro plan from $29 per operator per month annual. Unlimited plan from $99 per month. Chaport review and comparisons.

Olark, simple and customizable live chat

Olark is a focused, customizable live chat platform. Standard plan is $29 per agent per month with 14-day free trial. Pick Olark over Formilla if you want a clean website chat widget and you do not need a bundled chatbot. Olark review and comparisons.

Smartsupp, live chat with visitor recording

Smartsupp combines live chat, chatbots, and visitor session recording so you can replay how visitors behaved before they messaged. Free plan covers unlimited agents but caps at 25 conversations per month. Standard plan is $20 per agent per month annual. Pick Smartsupp over Formilla if you want visitor behavioral data alongside chat. Smartsupp review and comparisons.

JivoChat, multichannel chat plus phone

JivoChat bundles live chat, phone calling, and social media messaging (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram). Free Basic plan available. Professional starts from $19 per agent per month with 30% off annual prepay. Pick JivoChat over Formilla if you need built-in voice as well as chat. JivoChat review and comparisons.

Userlike (now Lime Connect), WhatsApp and Messenger

Userlike rebranded to Lime Connect in 2026. Combines website live chat with native WhatsApp Business, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and SMS. Free tier covers 1 operator and 1 widget. Team tier from approximately $100 per month. Pick Userlike/Lime Connect over Formilla for European teams that want unified messaging inbox with GDPR-aligned hosting. Userlike review and comparisons.

ProProfs Chat, affordable live chat with surveys

ProProfs Chat is the top-ranked Formilla alternative in long-tail SERPs (proprofschat.com/blog/formilla-alternatives consistently ranks for this keyword). The platform bundles live chat with surveys, knowledge base, training, and project management at affordable per-operator pricing from $19.99 per operator at Team. 15-day free trial. Pick ProProfs over Formilla if you want chat plus survey and knowledge base in a single subscription. ProProfs Chat review and comparisons.

Best Formilla alternatives for helpdesk and ticketing

Formilla has a light helpdesk module, not a structured-ticketing platform. The Formilla alternatives below are stronger picks for teams handling high ticket volume.

LiveAgent, multichannel helpdesk plus live chat

LiveAgent bundles live chat, email ticketing, a call center with IVR, knowledge base, and social channels (Facebook, Instagram, X, Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber) in a single helpdesk. Small Business is $15 per agent per month annual ($19 monthly), Medium $29, Large $49, Enterprise $69. AI Chatbot and AI Answer Assistant are included on every plan. 30-day free trial with no credit card. Pick LiveAgent over Formilla if you need ticketing plus voice plus chat in one tool with AI included on the entry tier. LiveAgent review and comparisons.

HelpScout, email-led shared inbox

HelpScout combines email-style ticketing, live chat (Beacon), knowledge base, and customer profiles in one tool. Free tier supports up to 5 users with 1 Inbox. Standard plan $25 per user, Plus $45, Pro $75. Pick HelpScout over Formilla if you want email and chat in one inbox without the bloat of bundled email marketing. HelpScout review and comparisons.

Freshdesk with Freddy AI, helpdesk for growing teams

Freshdesk by Freshworks is a popular email-first helpdesk with omnichannel ticketing, automations, SLA management, and the Freddy AI assistant for ticket routing and customer self-service. Growth from $19 per agent per month annual, Pro $55, Enterprise $89. 14-day free trial. Pick Freshdesk over Formilla if you need a real ticketing layer with SLA reporting and an AI assistant in the same platform. Freshdesk review and comparisons.

Front, shared inbox for support teams

Front turns email, chat, SMS, and social messages into a collaborative inbox where support teams can assign, comment, and reply together. Starter plan $19 per seat per month annual (up to 10 users), Growth $59, Scale $99, Premier $229. Pick Front over Formilla for teams that live in email rather than chat. Front review and comparisons.

Zendesk, enterprise helpdesk and ticketing

Zendesk is the most-installed cloud helpdesk in the world. Support Team tier (ticketing only) is $19 per agent per month. Suite Team plan with live chat is $55 per agent per month annual, Suite Growth $89, Suite Professional from $115, Suite Enterprise from $169. Pick Zendesk over Formilla if you have a large support team, structured ticketing workflows, or compliance requirements that Formilla does not meet. Zendesk review and comparisons.

Reamaze, ecommerce helpdesk and chat

Reamaze is built for ecommerce: live chat, email, social, SMS, and FAQ tools in one inbox with deep Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento integrations. Basic plan $29 per user ($26.10 annual), Pro $49, Plus $69. Pick Reamaze over Formilla for ecommerce stores on Shopify, BigCommerce, or Magento. Reamaze review and comparisons.

ClickDesk, live chat with voice and video

ClickDesk combines live chat, voice calls, and video calls. Free plan covers 10 chats per day. Paid plans from $9.99 per month. Pick ClickDesk over Formilla if you need voice or video alongside chat. ClickDesk review and comparisons.

Best Formilla alternatives for AI chatbot

Formilla's AI chatbot is competent but rule-based. For richer LLM-driven AI chatbot capability, the Formilla alternatives below are the strongest picks.

Intercom, SaaS in-app messaging with Fin AI

Intercom bundles live chat, in-app messaging, AI assistant (Fin), product tours, and knowledge base. Essential is $29 per seat per month annual, Advanced is $85 (includes 20 lite seats), Expert is $132 (includes 50 lite seats). Fin AI is priced separately at $0.99 per resolved conversation. Pick Intercom over Formilla if you ship a SaaS product and your customer interactions happen inside your app. Intercom review and comparisons.

Chatfuel, Facebook Messenger and Instagram bots

Chatfuel is the leading no-code chatbot builder for Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. 7-day free trial only. Paid plans from $39 per month at Fuely Super. Pick Chatfuel over Formilla if your customer base lives on social channels rather than your website. Chatfuel review and comparisons.

Collect.chat, no-code conversational forms

Collect.chat lets you replace static contact forms with conversational chatbots. Free plan covers 50 responses per month; paid plans from $24 per month at Lite (500 responses). Pick Collect.chat over Formilla if your chatbot use case is form-style lead capture. Collect.chat review and comparisons.

Best Formilla alternatives for ecommerce

Gorgias, Shopify-native customer support

Gorgias is the most-installed customer support platform in the Shopify App Store. Starter is $10 per month (monthly only, 50 tickets, 3 agents). Basic $60 monthly ($50 annual, 300 tickets), Pro $360 monthly ($300 annual, 2,000 tickets), Advanced $900 monthly ($750 annual, 5,000 tickets). AI Agent at $0.90 per interaction annual. Pick Gorgias over Formilla for Shopify stores that want chat and ticketing in one tool. Gorgias review and comparisons.

Best CRM-integrated Formilla alternatives

HubSpot Service Hub, CRM-first chat and support

HubSpot Service Hub combines live chat, ticketing, knowledge base, and customer feedback inside HubSpot's CRM. Free Tools tier available. Starter $20 per month with 1 Core Seat. Professional $100 per Service Seat, Enterprise $150. Pick HubSpot over Formilla if your team already runs HubSpot CRM. HubSpot review and comparisons.

Zoho SalesIQ, Zoho-stack live chat

Zoho SalesIQ is Zoho's live chat product with deep integration into Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk, and Zoho Campaigns. Free plan covers 3 operators. Basic plan from approximately $9 per operator per month annual. Pick Zoho SalesIQ over Formilla if your team standardizes on Zoho. Zoho SalesIQ review and comparisons.

Respond.io, WhatsApp-first messaging support

Respond.io is built around WhatsApp Business, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, and SMS. Free 7-day trial. Paid plans start from $79 per month at Starter. Pick Respond.io over Formilla for international teams where WhatsApp is the primary channel. Respond.io review and comparisons.

Best free Formilla alternatives

Formilla Free caps at 1 agent and excludes the AI chatbot. The free Formilla alternatives below offer more generous free tiers.

Tawk.to, free unlimited live chat

Tawk.to is the most-installed free Formilla alternative, fully free, unlimited agents, unlimited chat history. The business model is a paid $29 per month annual plan to remove Tawk.to branding, plus optional $1-per-hour hired chat agents. Tawk.to review and comparisons.

HubSpot Service Hub Free

The free tier of HubSpot Service Hub includes live chat, ticketing, and a free CRM with unlimited agents. It is the strongest free Formilla alternative if you want a CRM and chat in one tool. HubSpot review and comparisons.

Chaport Free

Chaport Free covers 2 operators with unlimited chats and 60-day history. Chaport review and comparisons.

How to pick the right Formilla alternative

Use the framework below to narrow 25 options to one in under 30 minutes.

Step 1: Define the job your tool needs to do

Pure live chat widget? Live chat plus AI chatbot (Formilla's home turf)? Helpdesk with structured ticketing? Ecommerce-store assistant? CRM-integrated chat? An AI chatbot for FAQ deflection? Each job-to-be-done filters the list of Formilla alternatives in half.

Step 2: Pick your pricing model

Per-agent (Formilla, LiveChat, Olark, JivoChat, LiveAgent): scales with team size. Per-workspace (Tidio, Crisp Chat, Chaport): flat-fee predictability. Free (Tawk.to, HubSpot Service Hub Free, Chaport Free, Zoho SalesIQ Free, HelpScout Free): no spend to start. Per-resolution AI (Intercom Fin): pay only for resolved conversations.

Step 3: List the channels you actually need

Just website chat: Olark, Chaport, LiveChat, Formilla itself. Website + email: HelpScout, Front. Website + WhatsApp/Messenger: Userlike, JivoChat, Respond.io, Crisp Chat. Website + Shopify orders: Gorgias, Reamaze. Messenger and Instagram bots: Chatfuel.

Step 4: Match team size to plan

Solo (1-2 agents): Formilla Free, Tawk.to, Tidio Free, Chaport Free, HubSpot Service Hub Free. SMB (3-15): Tidio Starter, Crisp Chat Mini, JivoChat Professional, LiveAgent Small Business, Chaport Pro, Smartsupp Standard. Mid-market (15-50): Zendesk Suite Team, HelpScout Plus, Intercom Advanced, Front Growth. Enterprise (50+): Zendesk Enterprise, Intercom Expert, Front Premier.

Step 5: Pilot two finalists for 14 days

Almost every Formilla alternative offers a free tier or trial. Pilot the top two finalists side by side and pick the one that wins on workflow, integration depth, and price as a function of features.

What Formilla does well, the reference

To compare Formilla alternatives fairly, here is a recap of what Formilla does well. Formilla is an all-in-one customer messaging platform that bundles live chat, AI chatbot, email marketing, and helpdesk into one affordable subscription. It integrates with WordPress, Shopify, Salesforce, HubSpot, and other CRMs.

Formilla strengths

• Live chat plus AI chatbot bundle. Few competitors at this price point bundle live chat and chatbot in the same subscription at Premium tier ($24.99/month).
• Email marketing built in. The integrated email marketing tool is unusual for a chat-first platform and adds real value for SMBs.
• Affordable Premium tier. From $24.99 per month at Premium, comparable to Tidio's entry tier and cheaper than Crisp Mini.
• Proactive chat invitations. Automatically engage hesitant customers based on visitor behavior.
• Mobile chat app. Native iOS and Android apps for on-the-go customer support.
• Solid Shopify and WordPress integrations.

Formilla pricing recap

• Free plan: 1 agent, limited chats per month, basic live chat features.
• Premium plan: from approximately $24.99 per month, real-time visitor monitoring, proactive chat, basic chatbot.
• Professional plan: from approximately $49.99 per month, advanced chatbot, more integrations.
• Growth plan: from approximately $69.99 per month, CRM integration, email marketing, advanced AI chatbot, reporting.

Verify current pricing on formilla.com/pricing.aspx before purchase.

Formilla pros and cons

Pros: live chat plus AI chatbot in one tool, affordable Premium tier, integrated email marketing, proactive chat, mobile apps, solid Shopify and WordPress integrations, real free tier for solo founders.

Cons: free plan caps at 1 agent with no chatbot, AI chatbot is rule-based and lightweight compared to LLM-driven alternatives, multichannel inbox is shallower than Crisp Chat or Respond.io, helpdesk module is light compared with Zendesk or HelpScout, ecommerce workflows are not as deep as Gorgias or Reamaze.

Formilla alternatives FAQ

For the broader chat landscape, see our guides on the best live chat platforms, Crisp Chat alternatives, Tidio alternatives, LiveChat alternatives, and Chaport alternatives. For Formilla on specific platforms, see WordPress live chat plugins and live chat for Shopify.