Add live chat to a static site. DeskCrew support widget
DeskCrew adds live chat and ticketing to any static site with one script tag in the base layout’s head. Hugo and Jekyll paste the tag; Eleventy and Gatsby have official plugins instead.
One paste on Static sites (Hugo, Jekyll, and friends)
One script tag. No build step, no package to maintain, nothing that can break on a platform update. The exact steps are below.
AI drafts, humans approve
The AI drafts replies grounded in the knowledge base you publish, and every draft waits in an approval queue until a human sends it.
Every conversation is a ticket
Widget chats, emails, and board posts land in one dashboard with full history; visitors who leave get their answer by email.
Free plan, no card
The free plan includes the chat widget, a public knowledge base, and ticketing. Start free and upgrade only when you outgrow it.
How to install DeskCrew on Static sites (Hugo, Jekyll, and friends)
Open the template that renders your <head>: Hugo uses your head partial or layouts/_default/baseof.html; Jekyll uses _includes/head.html. Using Eleventy or Gatsby? Install the official plugin instead, it does this for you.
Paste the DeskCrew widget snippet just before the closing </head> tag.
Rebuild and deploy. Every generated page carries the tag; your real key and board slug are on the DeskCrew dashboard’s Install page.
<script src="https://deskcrew.io/desk.js" data-key="pub_YOUR_KEY" data-board="your-board" defer></script>
pub_YOUR_KEY and your-board are placeholders. Your real widget key and board slug are in your DeskCrew dashboard under Install (free signup, no card).
DeskCrew vs the usual suspects
| DeskCrew | Tidio | Crisp | Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes. Free plan, no card | Yes (limited) | Yes (basic) | Free trial only |
| AI included | Yes. AI drafts on every plan, human-approved | Paid add-on | Higher plans | Paid add-on |
| Setup | About 2 minutes. One script tag or plugin | Minutes. Script tag | Minutes. Script tag | Longer. Full workspace setup |
| Price floor | $0 free plan · paid from $29/mo | Free plan; paid tiers above | Free plan; paid tiers above | Per-agent pricing, no free plan |
Competitor cells generalize their public pricing pages. Always check current plans.
DeskCrew has a free plan with no card. Chat widget, public knowledge base, and ticketing included. Every new workspace starts with full Team features free for 14 days, and paid plans start at $29/mo. Full details on the pricing page.
FAQ. add live chat to a static site
How do I add live chat to a static site?
Paste one script tag into the layout or partial that renders your site’s <head> and rebuild. The generator stamps it into every page. No server, no backend, no build plugin.
How can a static site have a helpdesk with no backend?
The widget is the client of DeskCrew’s hosted API, so chat, knowledge-base search, and ticket submission all work from purely static HTML. Your site stays static, DeskCrew carries the state.
Where exactly does the snippet go for my generator?
Hugo: the head partial (or layouts/_default/baseof.html). Override it into your site if it lives in the theme. Jekyll: _includes/head.html. Eleventy and Gatsby need no template edit at all: install eleventy-plugin-deskcrew or gatsby-plugin-deskcrew and the widget is added for you.
Does it work on GitHub Pages, Netlify, and Cloudflare Pages?
Yes. The widget is plain client-side JavaScript, so it runs wherever the HTML is served: GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages, or an S3 bucket.
Will it slow my static site down?
No. It is a single deferred script tag that loads after your page renders, drawing in a Shadow DOM that cannot clash with your site’s CSS. Your build output is unchanged beyond the one line.
Where do chats from my static site go?
Every conversation becomes a ticket in your DeskCrew dashboard. The AI drafts a reply grounded in your knowledge base, a human approves it, and visitors who already left get the answer by email.