A draw was no more than the home side deserved having dominated for long periods without taking any of the numerous chances that came their way.
Crewe scored twice on the breakaway to set up what would have been an unlikely win, although Cheltenham showed enough determination to suggest they will not go down without a fight.
In fact, Cheltenham had three great chances to take the lead within the opening 20 minutes.
Paul Connor stabbed wide from a Steven Gillespie cross, David Bird saw a low drive beaten away by goalkeeper Ben Williams, but Damian Spencer really should have scored when he met Jerry Gill's curling cross at the far post.
Spencer met it with power but his downward header from eight yards bounced up and over the crossbar.
Michael Townsend headed over the crossbar from an Andy Lindegaard cross and Crewe offered little as an attacking force until right at the end of the first half when defender Chris McCready saw a header deflected wide and Ben Rix had a low drive parried by Cheltenham goalkeeper Shane Higgs.
The chances kept coming in an equally open second period with Spencer hitting the post with a header and Williams flying to save a Gillespie strike.
Just as it seemed a matter of time before Cheltenham would score, Crewe broke away and Byron Moore fed on-loan striker Simon Church, who beat Higgs with a 74th minute low drive.
Ryan Lowe doubled the advantage five minutes later having scampered up field from a Cheltenham corner to beat Higgs with a heavily deflected shot.
The fightback began five minutes from time when former Aston Villa left-back Alan Wright speared a free-kick beyond Williams from 20 yards and, a minute from the end of normal time, Bird drove one in from just inside the penalty area after Wright's left-wing cross had been headed down by Connor.
Cheltenham could even have won it deep into injury-time when Connor's cross was dragged inches wide by Gillespie.