Both are live-chat support tools. Tawk.to is the long-established free widget. Embedded Chat is the modern, Intercom-style support inbox — SLA tracking, routing, CSAT, and AI auto-reply built in. Here's the honest side-by-side.
A visitor clicks a corner button, opens a 1:1 thread with your team, an agent replies. Long-established, generous free tier with branding. Built around a basic agent inbox.
Best for: teams that want a free widget and don't need SLA tracking, routing, CSAT, or AI auto-reply.
A shared agent inbox with live reply, assignment and auto-routing, internal notes with @mentions, SLA and first-response tracking, CSAT, saved replies, and AI auto-reply — installed with one script tag.
Best for: support teams that want an Intercom-style helpdesk — contact history, tags, priority, snooze, Help Center, and proactive campaigns — without per-seat pricing.
| Feature | Tawk.to | Embedded Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Shared agent inbox with live reply | ✓ | ✓ |
| Assignment & auto-routing of conversations | Basic | ✓ |
| Internal notes + @mentions to teammates | Partial | ✓ |
| SLA + first-response time tracking | — | ✓ |
| CSAT ratings after a conversation | Partial | ✓ |
| Saved replies / macros | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tags, priority & snooze on conversations | Partial | ✓ |
| Contact profiles + custom attributes + history | Partial | ✓ |
| Help Center / knowledge base | Add-on | ✓ |
| Proactive / outbound campaigns | — | ✓ |
| File attachments + clipboard paste | Partial | ✓ |
| AI auto-reply (deflect FAQs, answer first) | Add-on | ✓ Pro |
| Business hours + away replies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Agent presence + desktop notifications | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sub-admins / teammates | ✓ | ✓ |
| Slack notifications | Partial | ✓ |
| Webhooks (conversation_started, csat_received…) | Partial | ✓ Signed JSON |
| JWT auth (verified signed-in visitors) | — | ✓ |
| One script tag to install | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom CSS / brand themes | Limited | ✓ Full |
| Remove provider branding | Paid only | Basic+ |
Free tier is generous but includes Tawk.to branding. Add-ons (remove branding, AI agents, hired agents) sold separately; pricing is per-add-on and can climb at modest scale.
Starter at $3/mo, Basic at $9/mo (saved replies, assignment, CSAT, remove branding), Pro for AI auto-reply + support analytics + webhooks. Basic gets you theme editor + custom CSS. See pricing.
Pick Tawk.to if: you want a free widget, your support volume is light, and you don't need SLA tracking, routing, CSAT, AI auto-reply, or a built-in Help Center.
Pick Embedded Chat if: you want a modern, Intercom-style support inbox — assignment and auto-routing, SLA and first-response tracking, CSAT, saved replies, AI auto-reply, contact history, and a Help Center — at one flat price instead of per-seat billing.
Either way: both install with a single script tag and let your team reply to visitors live. The difference is how much of the support workflow comes built in.