A tawk.to alternative that pings your Telegram
tawk.to's pitch is unbeatable on paper: free forever. The cost is the workflow — a separate agent console you have to keep open, with their branding on your widget. chatrelay charges a flat fee and in exchange your support happens where you already are: your own Telegram.
chatrelay vs tawk.to at a glance
| Feature | chatrelay | tawk.to |
|---|---|---|
| Install | One script tag, before </body>. No SDK, no app. | Script snippet — similar one-tag install. |
| Where you reply | Your own Telegram bot (a thread per visitor), or the web dashboard — replies appear in the visitor's widget live. | The tawk.to agent dashboard / mobile app — a console you keep open. |
| Pricing model | Flat $15–50/mo per account — unlimited messages, no per-seat math. Free plan included. | Free forever; paid extras (e.g. branding removal, AI, hired agents) as of 2026. |
| Branding | “Powered by” badge removable on Pro. | Branding on the widget unless you pay the removal add-on. |
| AI assistance | AI drafting/analysis included (50 drafts/mo on Starter, unlimited on Pro). | AI assist sold separately. |
| Bot ownership | You create the Telegram bot yourself at @BotFather and can revoke its token any time — your bot, your audience. | You operate inside tawk.to's platform. |
Comparison reflects publicly listed plans and features as of mid-2026 — shapes, not exact prices. Always check current pricing on both sites.
When tawk.to is the better choice
- Your budget is exactly zero and a console-based workflow is fine.
- You want to hire their agents to answer chats for you — tawk.to sells that as a service.
- You need many agent seats at no per-seat cost.
When chatrelay is the better choice
- You don't want another console — chats should come to your Telegram, like a text.
- You want a clean widget and predictable flat pricing rather than paid add-ons.
- You want AI drafting built in for the messages you answer every day.
Switching from tawk.to
Remove their widget snippet, paste this one before </body>, and connect your Telegram bot in the setup — most people are live in a couple of minutes. Your project id arrives on signup.
<script src="https://www.chatwithdev.com/widget.js" data-chatrelay-project="your-project" data-chatrelay-convex="https://impressive-quail-820.convex.cloud" data-chatrelay-title="Chat with us" defer></script>
FAQ
tawk.to is free — why pay for chatrelay?
You're paying for the workflow: no agent console to babysit. Messages arrive in your own Telegram with a thread per visitor; you answer like a text and the visitor sees it instantly. chatrelay also has a free plan (5 messages/month) to try the difference.
Does tawk.to relay chats to Telegram?
tawk.to is built around its own dashboard and mobile app. chatrelay is Telegram-native by design — the relay runs through a bot you create and own.
How hard is switching from tawk.to?
Remove their widget snippet, paste chatrelay's, done. New chats start arriving in your Telegram immediately; old transcripts stay in tawk.to.
Can a team still share the inbox?
Yes — group mode puts every visitor in their own topic inside one Telegram group your team shares, and the web dashboard works alongside.