tawk.to is a bootstrapped customer communication platform that provides free live chat, ticketing, knowledge base and CRM capabilities for websites and mobile apps. Launched in 2012 and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, the company set out to remove cost as a barrier to offering real‑time support, especially for small and midsize businesses. The core product is offered entirely free with no limits on agents, websites or chat history, and monetization comes from optional add‑ons such as AI Assist, Remove Branding, Video + Voice + Screensharing, and outsourced Hired Agents.
The platform centers on a customizable chat widget that can be embedded on any site via a small JavaScript snippet or installed through plugins for popular CMS and e‑commerce platforms like WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace and others. Teams can monitor visitor behavior in real time, see which pages people are viewing, trigger proactive messages, and respond from web, desktop (Windows/macOS) or mobile apps (iOS/Android). A built‑in ticketing system captures offline inquiries and email messages, while the hosted knowledge base lets organizations publish searchable help content for both customers and internal agents.
tawk.to has grown to millions of business users globally and is frequently cited as the most widely used live chat application by market‑share trackers. Its freemium model, unlimited agents and robust feature set have made it particularly popular with startups, digital agencies, e‑commerce merchants and SMEs looking to add real‑time support without per‑seat costs. At the same time, larger organizations and high‑volume sites use it as an affordable front‑line support and lead‑capture layer, often integrating it with CRMs and marketing systems via Zapier and native plugins.
The company remains privately held and self‑funded, emphasizing long‑term sustainability over aggressive venture‑backed growth. It operates a globally distributed team, hosts its infrastructure on Google Cloud, and offers 24×7×365 support via its own chat widget. With ongoing investments in AI Assist and outsourced service add‑ons, tawk.to positions itself as a low‑friction path for businesses of all sizes to modernize their customer support while keeping total cost of ownership extremely low.