Add live chat to Strapi. DeskCrew support widget
DeskCrew turns new Strapi entries into support tickets through the official strapi-plugin-deskcrew package, and adds AI live chat to the site that renders your content. The widget installs in the frontend, never in the Strapi admin.
An official Strapi plugin
Install strapi-plugin-deskcrew and list the collections your forms write to. Contact-form and feedback entries become support tickets, with AI drafts a human approves.
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 Strapi
Install the official plugin in your Strapi project: npm install strapi-plugin-deskcrew.
Add a deskcrew block to config/plugins.js with your widget key, your site URL, and the content types whose new entries should become tickets, plus the field names that hold the name, email and message.
Restart Strapi. Every new entry in those collections is filed as a DeskCrew ticket; entries without an email or a message are skipped, and a failed call never blocks the save. Add the widget itself to the frontend that renders your content, using the guide for that framework.
<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).
Note: The widget belongs in the frontend that renders your content, never in the Strapi admin. Paste the tag below into that site’s layout.
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 Strapi
Last updated: September 2026
Where does a chat widget go on a Strapi site?
In the frontend that renders your content. Strapi only serves the API. Paste the script tag into that app’s base layout (Next.js, Astro, Nuxt, or whatever renders your pages) and every page gets the widget.
Is there a Strapi plugin for DeskCrew?
None is needed. The widget never touches the Strapi admin or API. It is one script tag in the frontend’s base layout; Strapi keeps serving content exactly as before.
My Strapi frontend is Next.js, Astro, or Nuxt, which guide do I follow?
Whichever renders your site: the Next.js guide (one next/script tag in app/layout.tsx), the Astro guide (base-layout head), or the Nuxt guide (app.head.script in nuxt.config). Each install is one line.
Is the DeskCrew widget free?
Yes. DeskCrew’s free plan includes the chat widget, a public knowledge base, and ticketing, no card required.
Where do chats from my Strapi 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.