Tawk
tawk.to is a suite of free, comprehensive chat tools for websites. Its offering includes live chat software which allows businesses to moni...
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What is Tawk?
Tawk.to is a live chat and customer engagement platform that provides a website chat widget, mobile and desktop apps, and APIs to let businesses talk with site visitors in real time. The service centers on a customizable chat widget that can be embedded on websites or used via a hosted chat page, plus inbox/ticketing, a Knowledge Base, and multichannel agent apps to manage conversations across devices. Tawk.to emphasizes unlimited agents and chats on its core free offering while offering additional paid add-ons and concierge services for businesses that want managed support or agent staffing. The platform includes developer-facing tools — a JavaScript widget API and a REST API (available on request) — so teams can pre-fill visitor details, trigger messages, and integrate conversations with other systems.
Tawk.to’s feature set targets small-to-medium businesses, agencies, and sites that need a cost-effective way to add live chat, lead capture, and self-service content; it’s also used by larger teams that want to externalize 24/7 support via paid concierge agents. The product’s strengths are ease of installation (copy-paste embed or plugin), cross-platform apps (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS), and a single dashboard combining chats, tickets, and a knowledge base. Admin tooling includes roles and permissions, website property management, and reporting, while customization options cover branding, chat routing, and pre-chat forms. For teams that require higher-touch services, tawk.to offers add-ons such as hiring their live agents to answer chats for you or purchasing a white-label experience.
Tawk pricing
Pricing model: Free
Tawk.to offers a free core plan that includes the chat widget, unlimited agents, ticketing (Inbox), Knowledge Base, mobile/desktop apps, and most basic features at no cost. Paid options are sold as add-ons: hiring tawk.to concierge agents (24/7 live agents) billed per agent/hour or monthly package; a remove-branding/white-label option and premium services (for example, priority support or managed services) at additional cost; some enterprise-style API access requires a request process. In short: the base product is free and usable for production; businesses pay only for optional services such as staffed agent coverage, white-labeling, and other premium support packages.
Tawk pros
- Truly free core plan with unlimited agents and chats
- Customizable chat widget that matches site branding
- Hosted customizable chat page option
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android to respond on the go
- Desktop apps for Windows and macOS for agent convenience
- Built-in ticketing (Inbox) to convert chats into tickets
- Knowledge Base feature to publish self-service articles
- JavaScript Widget API for setting visitor name, email, and interacting with widget
- REST API available for automations and fetching conversations
- 24/7 live support from tawk.to staff
- Easy setup — single embed snippet or platform plugins
- Pre-chat and offline forms to capture lead details
- Visitor monitoring and real-time visitor list
- Role-based access and multiple properties per account
- Integrations and webhooks for common workflows
- Push notifications in mobile/desktop apps
- Chat routing and department grouping for agents
- Low-friction pricing model for add-ons (a la carte)
Tawk cons
- REST API access must be requested rather than instantly available
- Some advanced features (concierge agents, white-label) are paid add-ons
- Reporting and analytics are more basic compared with enterprise tools
- Customization of widget UI has limitations versus fully custom chat solutions
- Relying on the free plan means limited official SLA or enterprise guarantees
- Concierge (managed agent) quality and availability vary by region
- No built-in, full-featured CRM — requires external integration for advanced workflows
- Certain developer features require enabling Secure JavaScript API and hashing visitor data
Frequently asked questions about Tawk
Is tawk.to completely free to use for live chat?
Yes — the core tawk.to product (chat widget, unlimited agents, Inbox/ticketing, Knowledge Base, and mobile/desktop apps) is offered as a free tier intended for production use; however, optional services such as concierge (staffed agents), white-labeling, and certain premium support packages are charged separately.
Can I remove tawk.to branding from the chat widget?
Removing tawk.to branding is available only as a paid option (white-label or branding removal add-on), so the free plan includes tawk.to branding on the widget while paid add-ons allow you to present a branded experience.
How do I install the chat widget on my website?
Install involves copying the provided JavaScript embed snippet into your site’s pages or using a CMS/plugin where available; the widget then appears and can be customized in the tawk.to dashboard to change colors, text, and pre-chat/offline forms.
Can I pre-fill visitor name and email in the chat widget?
Yes — using the JavaScript Widget API and Secure JavaScript API you can set Tawk_API.visitor (name, email, and hash) on page load to pre-fill visitor identity and avoid asking returning or authenticated users for contact details.
Is there a mobile app to manage chats?
Yes — tawk.to provides official mobile apps for iOS and Android as well as desktop clients for Windows and macOS so agents can receive push notifications and reply to visitors from mobile devices or computers.
How does the REST API work and how do I get access?
tawk.to offers a REST API for automating properties, chats, tickets, and Knowledge Base content, but access must be requested through their REST API access form; once approved you receive API credentials and documentation to authenticate requests and use endpoints (HTTPS with HTTP Basic auth using the API key).
Does tawk.to offer 24/7 support?
Tawk.to advertises 24/7-365 support and also sells staffed concierge agent services for businesses that want tawk.to employees to answer chats around the clock; standard support for free accounts is provided via their help center and email channels.
Can I convert chats into tickets and manage them?
Yes — the Inbox feature converts chats into tickets for tracking, assignment, and follow-up within the tawk.to dashboard, integrating live conversations with offline ticket management.
Does tawk.to integrate with other tools and CRMs?
tawk.to supports integrations via webhooks, APIs, and third-party connectors; while it doesn’t include a full CRM, you can push conversation data to external CRMs or automation platforms using the REST API or webhook-based integrations.
Are there limits on the number of agents or chats on the free plan?
The free plan allows unlimited agents and unlimited chats for properties created on tawk.to, so there is no per-agent or per-chat cap in the baseline offering; limits apply mainly to optional paid services and add-ons.