AI only as a paid add-on
“AI Assist” is billed based on usage — and it answers questions, but doesn’t take action. It won’t handle order status, cancellations or refunds.
askVela vs Tawk.to
Tawk.to is free.askVela resolves the case — not just the chat.
Tawk.to gives you a solid free chat. askVela gives you AI that handles orders, cancellations and fair partial refunds on its own — EU-hosted and GDPR-compliant.
Fair flat rate · EU hosting & DPA · Free migration
Your shop address goes here — your customers ask the questions later.
See askVela with your own store dataLive
Temporary demo, for testing only. No data is stored permanently.
Direct comparison
askVela vs Tawk.to
For pure free live chat, Tawk.to scores points — fair enough. For actionable AI, branding and EU data protection, askVela comes out ahead.
FeatureaskVelaTawk.to
Pricing modelaskVelaFair flat rateTawk.toFree + paid extras
Free entry planaskVelaTawk.to
AI replies includedaskVelaTawk.toPaid add-on (usage-based)
AI replies with source citationsaskVelaTawk.to
AI handles order status & cancellations on its ownaskVelaTawk.to
AI negotiates fair partial refundsaskVelaTawk.to
Product recommendations in chat (upsell)askVelaTawk.to
Knowledge-gap queue → 1-click articlesaskVelaTawk.to
Remove branding / whitelabelaskVelaIncludedTawk.toPaid add-on (~$19/month)
EU hosting / GDPR / DPAaskVelaTawk.to
Native German AIaskVelaTawk.to
Self-hosting availableaskVelaTawk.to
Free migrationaskVelaTawk.to
Where free chat stops
Free to start — expensive when you go deeper
Tawk.to really is free as a live chat. But once you want AI, a clean brand experience and real automation, the bill starts to grow — and a few gaps stay wide open.
Your own branding costs extra
The Tawk.to branding in the widget only disappears for around $19 per month. Until then, the provider advertises inside your shop.
Data protection for DACH is unclear
No native EU hosting as standard, no DPA by default. For GDPR-sensitive DACH shops, that remains a question mark.
Why askVela
More than a free chat
Tawk.to answers messages. askVela handles the work behind them — while protecting your margins and your data.
Answers from your content
With source citations — no hallucinations. Spots knowledge gaps and suggests ready-to-publish articles.
Sells & protects your margin
Recommends the right products in chat and negotiates a fair partial refund before money goes out.
EU-hosted, GDPR, DPA
Native German AI, self-hosting available. Your customer data stays in the EU.
Playground
No video. No mockup. The real dashboard.
One click creates your personal sandbox workspace – with real conversations, real AI and every setting. You click through exactly the product your customers get.
- No sign-up
- 60 minutes, all yours
- Deletes itself
€100 time guarantee
Switch with zero risk
We migrate your entire help center for free and build you a ready-to-use demo. Don’t like it at all? We’ll send you 100 € for your time.
Frequently asked questions
01How do I switch from Tawk.to to askVela?
You give us access to your existing help center and FAQs — we migrate all content for free and build you a ready-to-use demo. You swap the chat widget with a snippet, just like with Tawk.to. In most cases, you’re live the same day without losing conversations.
02Is askVela GDPR-compliant and suitable for DACH shops?
Yes. askVela is hosted in the EU, a DPA is included, and the AI is natively German-speaking. Self-hosting is available on request. Your customer data never leaves the EU — a clear difference from tools where hosting and data processing for the DACH region aren’t clearly covered by default.
03But Tawk.to is free — what actually costs extra there?
The basic live chat really is free, and for simple chat Tawk.to is a low-cost option. It starts costing money as soon as you want more: “AI Assist”/AI replies are billed based on usage, removing the Tawk.to branding costs around $19 per month, and trained human agents can be added at an hourly rate. Those add-ons are exactly the business model.
04What does askVela cost — and what’s included in the flat rate?
askVela runs on a fair flat rate: unlimited agents and a fixed AI allowance of 1,000 to 12,000 replies a month, with no billing per seat, ticket, conversation or resolved AI case. Whitelabel and the essentials are included. You pay one predictable price instead of stacking paid extras — we’ll walk you through the exact terms transparently in a call.
Ready to modernise your support?
Start for free, embed the widget, and let the AI work from the very first minute.
GDPR-compliant · your data stays protected