With an average increase of 43% in customer service chats in 2022, customers are turning to live chat as their preferred mode of communication for questions and concerns due to its convenience and efficiency.
For companies, live chat has become an excellent tool to enhance sales efforts. It connects businesses with potential customers in real-time and ensures efficient resource management, helping save money through automation.
As the demand for live chat continues to grow, there are many options for business owners to choose from. This brief guide will compare 3CX and tawk.to, two of the most popular customer support tools, across features, performance, pricing, and more.
Let’s get started!
Feature Comparison : 3CX and Tawk.to
Tawk.to and 3CX have a wide range of features to help businesses connect with potential customers and their target audience. However, these live chat apps have been developed differently, providing a completely unique experience to users.
3CX is very simple to set up, making it a fantastic option for small businesses and marketing agencies. Call logs and recordings are easily accessible, and the comprehensive dashboard ensures a smooth user experience.
Similar to 3CX, Tawk.to also comes with a detailed setup manual, making it effortless for businesses to communicate with their clients. The unique feature of creating an FAQ section using the live chat app provides great support for customer representatives, enhancing their ability to serve your target audience better.
When it comes to the dashboard of Tawk.to, it’s intuitive, and navigating through the different options is quite simple. While getting used to the various features may take some time, this live chat app is incredibly user-friendly.
Core Features
Although both of these live chat apps aim to bridge the communication gap between businesses and their potential customers, they do it differently.
Below is a feature comparison table to help you understand the differences between 3CX and Tawk.to:
| Feature | Description | 3CX | Tawk.to |
| Shared Inbox | |||
| Cloud-hosted | A platform that works on the browser without the need to install any apps or software | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile apps | The platform’s ability to work on Android and iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Customer’s ratings | Measures customer satisfaction through surveys | Yes | No |
| Routing rules | Manually or automatically route and assign conversations | Yes | Yes |
| Private notes and mentions | Collaborate with teammates in real-time | Yes | Yes |
| Reminders | Setup alerts to follow up on specific cases | Yes | No |
| APIs | Build custom behaviors through dedicated APIs | Yes | No |
| Visitor banning | Ban abusive visitors from contacting you | Yes | No |
| File sharing | Share files through multiple channels | Yes | Yes |
| Canned responses | Access templated messages from a shared library | Yes | Yes |
| Contact form | Add a contact form on your website | Yes | No |
| Customer portal | Centralize tickets into an individual view for each customer | Yes | No |
| Live Chat | |||
| Visitor details | Get visitor’s details when you receive a message | Yes | Yes |
| JavaScript integration | The live chat is loaded using JavaScript | Yes | Yes |
| Chat trigger | Push proactive messages through the chatbox | Yes | Yes |
| Message sneak-peek | See what the user is writing before sending the message | Yes | No |
| Live translate | Automatically translate messages on multiple channels | Yes | No |
| Customization | Personalize how the chatbot is displayed | Yes | Yes |
| Multilingual | Adapt the live chat context to the customer’s language | Yes | No |
| Chatbot | |||
| Input fields | Form and lead capture through chatbots | No | Yes |
| Knowledge Base | |||
| Knowledge base | Create a help center for your customers and leads | Yes | No |
| Multilingual | Translate published articles into different languages | Yes | Yes |
| Personalization | Customize the look and feel of your knowledge base | Yes | No |
| Custom domain name | Attach the knowledge base available to your domain | Yes | No |
| Contact Management | |||
| Tags & Segments | Tag a group of users to gather them under one flag | Yes | No |
| CRM integrations | Connect your inbox with leading CRMs | Yes | Yes |
| Zapier integration | Connect your inbox with Zapier | Yes | No |
Integration and Compatibility
CRM integrations allow you to connect your CRM system with other important tools to streamline data and improve customer management. The team behind 3CX has successfully tested the live chat app with some of the largest players in the industry, including the following:
- Microsoft Dynamics 365
- Freshdesk
- ConnectWise
- Bitrix24
- Zendesk
- Pipedrive
- HubSpot
- ZOHO
- Jetpack CRM
- MongoDB
The company’s website has an extensive list of CRM systems that easily integrate with 3CX. However, if the software you use for your business isn’t listed, you can create your own integration in two to three days.
On the other hand, tawk.to also offers exceptional integration capabilities, allowing small businesses and marketing agencies to integrate the live chat app with their existing CRM systems and other third-party tools, including WordPress, Zapier, and Cloudflare.
Customization and Branding
Not all live chat apps are one-fit solutions, as the needs of businesses may vary. Customization is critical to helping you meet the demands of clients and impact customer satisfaction and retention.
From changing colors to choosing bubble icons, 3CX offers powerful customization, allowing users to create a user-friendly dashboard with the information they want.
In addition to that, business owners can adjust automated greetings to match their style of writing, enable privacy controls, and protect the identity of their agents.
That said, tawk.to also offers fantastic customization options, including changing the design and colors of the widget according to your brand, setting up a scheduler, and modifying the content and behavior to suit your business.
Performance and Reliability: 3CX vs Tawk.to
While both 3CX and tawk.to offer many unique features to improve customer satisfaction and retention, performance and reliability of these live chat apps should be an important consideration before investing in any of these solutions.
Adding 3CX or tawk.to widget to your website doesn’t impact page loading speed. Once a browser launches the site, it’ll send a request to load up the widget, and the time it takes to do that will depend on your device and internet connection.
Both break down files into sizeable chunks, making it incredibly easy to load without any issues. While this was a huge problem back then, technological advancement has allowed for the smoother and more efficient running of these live chat apps.
Pricing and Value for Money
3CX offers three different plans, and these are as follows:
- 3CX SMB – $0 for up to 10 users
- 3CX Pro – $195 billed annually per system (not per user)
- 3CX ENT – $245 billed annually per system (not per user)
According to the company, it bases its Pro and ENT package pricing on the number of simultaneous calls (SC). The abovementioned rates are for four SC, which increases as the business continues to grow.
Tawk.to takes a different approach to pricing. It is entirely free, and there are no limitations on the number of agents or conversations. The live chat app also has a ticketing system, knowledge base, and CRM without additional costs.
If you’re a small business or marketing agency with a tiny budget, you may want to consider tawk.to. It’s free, offers seamless integration with other tools, and provides exceptional customization capabilities.
However, if you have the money to spend, 3CX provides a better customer experience, as you can build integrations yourself with the help of a professional developer. It’s aimed at addressing the concerns of large businesses by efficiently handling simultaneous calls.
Customer Support and Resources
3CX has an online forum with an active member community. Business owners can interact with each other, share their experiences, and receive professional help. The company uses these interactions and feedback to constantly improve its offerings.
On the other hand, tawk.to provides many resources on its website to guide business owners and help improve their experience. There is an online help center for quick assistance and an educational academy to learn the ropes.
User Feedback and Reviews
According to Software Advice, here are the ratings of the two live chat apps:
- 3CX – 4.4 stars out of five across 416 reviews
- Tawk.to – 4.6 stars out of five across 331 reviews
Most reviewers praise 3CX for its ease of use and functionality while downvoting the live chat app for technical problems, including codec issues and difficulty logging back into the account.
Customers believe that Tawk.to offers better value for money. They appreciate the customization options and ease of setup but have expressed concerns about the complicated ticketing system.
Try Chatway: A Powerful and Affordable Alternate to 3CX and Tawk.to
If you’re looking for a reliable live chat app for your business asides 3CX and Tawk.to consider Chatway. It has many features, including social media integrations, canned responses, multilingual support, chat assignments and private notes, and segmentation and more to help increase customer satisfaction, streamline communication, and improve team collaboration.
Chatway offers two different plans, and they are as follows:
- Forever Free – $0
- Pro – $9 per agent per month
Final Thoughts
While both 3CX and tawk.to are great options to consider, it’s important to understand your business requirements to determine which live chat app is the best fit.
Alternatively, you can try Chatway. It’s free, easy to use, and offers excellent support, helping you revolutionize the way you interact with your customers. Don’t forget to check out our guide on using chat plugins for WordPress websites!
