AcornChat versus Tawk.to

AcornChat is a dedicated Live Chat integration for Slack. It is intended for companies with fewer than 15 employees. AcornChat does not have its own dashboard, all conversations are managed in your Slack workspace. If you are already a Slack power user this might be a perfect fit for you.

The app is straightforward and has one other functionality than routing all messages through Slack; you can enable the email capture function when you are not online to answer any incoming queries. Set up the chat widget and create a dedicated channel or select an existing one in Slack. A new thread is created for each visitor that contacts you, providing a clear overview.

Read more about the pros and cons of Acorn Chat in our analysis of the best live chats with Slack integration of 2023.

Tawk.To is different. It offers the full app for free. Yes, there is no bullsh*t, a free chat widget.

Tawk.to is the centipede among the chatwidget providers. They offer many features and add-ons. Their Agent software runs on mobile phones as well ask native desktop applications.

The level of supoort on Tawk.to’s website is excellent, especially considering the app is free. For most questions the Help Center will cover you and you can find extensive documentation and code snippets for developers who want to leverage Tawk.to’s JavaScript API and Webhooks.

Free comes often at the price of performance, although this is not necessarily noticeable when top-notch developers integrate the widget.

The few paid add-ons are Video + Voice Chat for $29 per month and to remove the “Powered by tawk.to” branding. The white label will set you back $19 per month.

Tawk.to also has Chat Agents for hire to man your chat for $1 per hour. You can try this service for 7 days for free.