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Best Live Chat Software in 2026: 11 Tools Compared by Company Size and Requirements

Updated October 26, 2026 · 11 tools · Facts checked against vendor pages · How we review

Solo site owners and small shops can start with tawk.to, Tidio or Crisp, all of which offer free plans, while Zoho SalesIQ suits teams on Zoho CRM. Support teams that want AI-led first-line answers should look at Intercom or Zendesk. The best live chat software depends on seat count, channels and how much AI you need.

This page is for site owners, support leads and sales managers who are comparing live chat software and want to know which product matches their traffic, team size and tools before they contact vendors. Tools are grouped by company size and by requirements such as AI agents, messaging channels and help desk links. Turn the requirement lists below into a request on SaaSBid, and vendors can answer with offers sized to your chat volume.

Top picks by situation

  • A solo site owner who needs free chat

    tawk.to

    Core live chat is free with no per-seat charge, and tickets plus a knowledge base are described as free too; removing the badge costs $29 per month.

    From: Free

  • A small online shop with several helpers

    Tidio

    The free plan includes 50 billable conversations and 10 seats, and Flows can trigger messages such as abandoned-cart reminders.

    From: Free

  • A 10-person team wanting flat workspace pricing

    Crisp

    Plans are priced per workspace, with Essentials including 10 seats, and the vendor states that core infrastructure is processed in Amsterdam.

    From: Free

  • A small business already running Zoho CRM

    Zoho SalesIQ

    Chat data connects natively to Zoho CRM and Desk, and the free plan includes 3 operators and 100 chat sessions per month.

    From: Free

  • A budget team that needs SSO

    LiveAgent

    SSO and two-step verification come on every plan, starting at $15 per agent per month billed annually, with the Team plan capped at 15 agents.

    From: $15 per agent per month billed annually (Starter), $19 monthly

  • A mid-size SaaS company wanting AI first-line support

    Intercom

    The Fin AI agent is billed at $0.99 per outcome, and the platform adds ticketing, a Help Center and in-app messaging.

    From: $19 per seat/month (Essential, shown as 'new customers save 35%' vs…

Live Chat Software comparison table

Live Chat Software compared
ToolBest forStarting priceFree planFree trial
LiveChat Support and sales teams that want a polished per-agent chat with proactive campaigns $19 per agent per month, billed annually Not stated Yes
Tidio Small online shops that want a free plan and AI answers Free Yes Yes
Intercom Support teams that want an AI agent doing first-line resolution with usage-based pricing $19 per seat/month (Essential, shown as 'new customers save 35%' vs… No Yes
Zendesk Support teams that want a broad omnichannel suite with a regional data hosting option $19 per agent/month billed annually (Support Team) No Yes
Freshchat Teams already on Freshworks products Free Yes Yes
HubSpot Service Hub Companies already on HubSpot CRM wanting tickets tied to contact records Free for up to 2 users Yes Not stated
tawk.to Solo owners and small sites that need free live chat Free Yes Not stated
Crisp Small teams that want flat workspace pricing instead of per-agent fees Free Yes Yes
Zoho SalesIQ Teams already on Zoho CRM or Desk that want chat data in the same system Free Yes Yes
Olark Small teams that want plain human live chat at a per-agent price $29 per agent per month (Live Chat) Not stated Yes
LiveAgent Support teams that want ticketing, live chat and social channels in one help desk $15 per agent per month billed annually (Starter), $19 monthly Not stated Yes

What is live chat software?

Live chat software puts a chat widget on a website or app so visitors can speak with sales or support staff in real time. Agents answer from a shared inbox, reuse saved replies, see which pages a visitor viewed and hand conversations to colleagues. Most products now add chatbots or AI agents that handle routine questions and pass difficult ones to humans, and many also collect messages from email, social apps and WhatsApp. Support teams use it to cut response times, and sales teams use it to reach buyers while they are still on the page.

Core capabilities

  • Website chat widget

    Adds a branded chat window to a site or app that visitors can open without leaving the page.

  • AI agent and chatbot

    Answers routine questions from your help content and passes complex chats to a person.

  • Visitor tracking and proactive triggers

    Shows who is on the site and starts a conversation when a visitor shows buying intent, such as an abandoned cart.

  • Multichannel inbox

    Collects chats, email and messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Instagram in one place for agents.

  • Routing and canned replies

    Assigns chats to the right agent and speeds up common answers with saved text.

  • CRM and help desk connections

    Turns chats into leads or tickets in the systems the team already uses.

The 11 best live chat software, reviewed

1

LiveChat

$19 per agent per month, billed annually

LiveChat is a per-agent chat and ticketing product from Text S.A., renamed from LiveChat Software in 2023. It starts at $19 per agent per month on annual billing and offers 200+ integrations. AI resolutions and API calls are capped per plan, and audit logs and custom SSO are Enterprise only.

  • 1-10: poor fit
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: strong fit
  • 500+: workable

Best for

  • Support and sales teams that want a polished per-agent chat with proactive campaigns
  • Ecommerce sites on Shopify or WooCommerce

Look elsewhere if

  • Solo owners who need a free plan
  • Teams that need many seats on a tight budget, since pricing is per agent

Key features

AI agent and chatbot
AI Agent answers from knowledge base and hands off to humans; 1 agent and 10 resolutions per month on Essential, 10 and 200 on Growth
Free plan
No free plan listed; 14-day free trial
Visitor tracking and targeting
Traffic view shows visitor pages and time on site; proactive campaigns and segments
Multichannel inbox
Website chat, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram
CRM and helpdesk integrations
200+ apps (Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Webflow, Klaviyo); integrations page lists 17 native products with no CRM
Reporting and analytics
Reports on chats, agents, AI Agent outcomes and ecommerce; goal and sales attribution
Pricing model
Per user per month; AI resolutions and API calls metered
Target company size
Vendor cites 30,000+ companies; SMB to enterprise
How you buy
Online up to Growth, sales above
Free trial
14 days
Single sign-on
Enterprise

Full LiveChat profileRequest an offer

2

Tidio

Free

Tidio combines live chat with the Lyro AI agent for small businesses and prices by billable conversations rather than seats, with 10 seats on Free, Starter and Growth. Lyro and Flows are metered separately, SSO is Premium only, and custom plans start above 2,000 conversations.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: workable
  • 500+: poor fit

Best for

  • Small online shops that want a free plan and AI answers
  • Teams that want up to 10 seats without per-seat fees

Look elsewhere if

  • Buyers who need SSO below the Premium tier
  • High-volume support teams: usage limits and custom plans start at 2,000 billable conversations

Key features

AI agent and chatbot
Lyro AI agent answers from website and help center, Smart Actions for orders and leads; first 50 conversations free
Free plan
Yes: 50 billable conversations, 10 seats
Visitor tracking and targeting
Live visitor list and Flows triggers such as abandoned-cart messages
Multichannel inbox
Live chat, email, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp in one inbox
CRM and helpdesk integrations
120+ integrations plus OpenAPI and Zapier
Reporting and analytics
Sales analytics attributing sales, leads and satisfaction by channel and operator
Pricing model
Per billable conversation tier, with Lyro AI and Flows metered separately
Target company size
Small business; 300,000+ companies per vendor
How you buy
Online up to Growth, sales above
Free trial
7 days
Single sign-on
Premium

Full Tidio profileRequest an offer

3

Intercom

$19 per seat/month (Essential, shown as 'new customers save 35%' vs…

Intercom is an AI-first customer service platform with a ticketing inbox, Help Center and the Fin AI agent. Seats start at $19 per month, and Fin costs $0.99 per outcome. SSO needs the Expert plan, and contracts auto-renew at list price.

  • 1-10: poor fit
  • 11-50: workable
  • 51-500: strong fit
  • 500+: strong fit

Best for

  • Support teams that want an AI agent doing first-line resolution with usage-based pricing
  • Mid-size SaaS companies that need in-app messaging plus ticketing in one tool

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams that need predictable flat monthly cost, Fin outcomes and add-ons are usage-based

Key features

AI agent and chatbot
Fin AI Agent at $0.99 per outcome, hands off to human agents
Free plan
No free plan; 14-day free trial with all features
Multichannel inbox
Live chat, email and in-app chat in one inbox with phone, WhatsApp, social
CRM and helpdesk integrations
Connectors for Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Freshdesk; 450+ app store apps
Reporting and analytics
SLAs on Expert
Pricing model
Per full seat plus usage (Fin outcomes, messages, add-ons)
Target company size
Small to enterprise
How you buy
Online up to Advanced, sales above
Free trial
14 days
Onboarding fee
Fin on an existing helpdesk: no setup, integration or platform fees. Premier Support/onboarding requires a contract; fee not published
Single sign-on
Expert
SOC 2
Type II
EU data hosting
Available

Full Intercom profileRequest an offer

4

Zendesk

$19 per agent/month billed annually (Support Team)

Zendesk is a broad help desk with omnichannel Suite plans, a bundled knowledge base and AI billed per automated resolution. Plans start at $19 per agent per month on annual billing. Copilot, data center choice and 24/7 support are paid add-ons, and monthly billing costs 25 to 30 percent more.

  • 1-10: poor fit
  • 11-50: workable
  • 51-500: strong fit
  • 500+: strong fit

Best for

  • Support teams that want a broad omnichannel suite with a regional data hosting option
  • Teams comfortable paying per AI resolution

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams wanting flat all-in pricing: Copilot, WEM, QA and 24/7 support are paid add-ons
  • Very small teams that need a free plan (none listed)

Key features

AI agent and chatbot
AI agents in all Suite and Support plans, billed per automated resolution
Free plan
No free plan; 14-day trial of Suite Professional
Visitor tracking and targeting
Proactive messages by region, IP or pages visited on Suite Team and up
Multichannel inbox
Suite covers messaging, live chat, social, WhatsApp and voice; Support Team is email
CRM and helpdesk integrations
1,000+ Marketplace apps and integrations included in all plans
Reporting and analytics
Preconfigured dashboards on all plans; scheduled reports and live dashboards on Suite Professional
Pricing model
Per agent plus per-resolution AI fees and add-ons
Target company size
Tiers from Support Team to Enterprise
How you buy
Online up to Suite Professional, sales above
Free trial
14 days
SOC 2
Type II

Full Zendesk profileRequest an offer

5

Freshchat is the Freshworks messaging product with a free plan for up to 10 agents and paid plans from $19 per agent per month on annual billing. SAML SSO is included on every plan. Audit logs require Enterprise, and Freddy AI sessions and Copilot are paid add-ons.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: workable
  • 500+: workable

Best for

  • Teams already on Freshworks products
  • Growing support teams that want SAML SSO on every plan

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams that need audit logs without paying for Enterprise ($79 per agent)
  • Buyers who want AI included: Freddy AI Agent sessions and Copilot are paid add-ons

Key features

AI agent and chatbot
Freddy AI Agent: 500 free sessions once per account, then $49 per 100 sessions; Copilot $29 per agent per month
Free plan
Yes: Free plan up to 10 agents
Visitor tracking and targeting
Proactive campaigns on web or messaging channels
Multichannel inbox
Live chat, messaging apps, social messengers, text messaging, email and voice
CRM and helpdesk integrations
Salesforce, Shopify, Slack, Jira featured; 1,000+ Freshworks Marketplace apps
Reporting and analytics
Reports on customer behavior, team productivity and bot effectiveness; custom dashboards on Pro
Pricing model
Per agent per month plus metered AI sessions and add-ons
How you buy
Buy online
Free trial
14 days
Single sign-on
All plans (SAML)

Full Freshchat profileRequest an offer

6

HubSpot Service Hub

Free for up to 2 users

HubSpot Service Hub is the help desk tier on top of HubSpot CRM, free for up to 2 users and from $7 per seat per month on Starter. AI agents consume HubSpot Credits. Professional and Enterprise require one-time onboarding of $1,500 and $3,500, and SAML starts on Enterprise.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: workable
  • 51-500: workable
  • 500+: workable

Best for

  • Companies already on HubSpot CRM wanting tickets tied to contact records
  • Teams of 1 to 2 starting on the free tools

Look elsewhere if

  • Buyers avoiding mandatory onboarding fees ($1,500 Professional, $3,500 Enterprise)

Key features

AI agent and chatbot
Chatbot builder; Customer Agent free for 14 days with a Pro or Enterprise seat
Free plan
Yes: free live chat with HubSpot branding and limited bots
Visitor tracking and targeting
Targeted welcome messages for different web pages or audience segments
Multichannel inbox
Email and Facebook Messenger on Free; WhatsApp up to 1,000 messages a month on paid tiers
CRM and helpdesk integrations
Chats logged to HubSpot CRM; 2,000+ apps and services available
Reporting and analytics
Dashboards: 10 on Free, 30 Starter, 75 Professional, 100 Enterprise
Pricing model
Per seat plus credits for AI
Target company size
Free to Enterprise
How you buy
Online up to Professional, sales above
Onboarding fee
Professional: one-time $1,500; Enterprise: one-time $3,500
Single sign-on
Enterprise (SAML)
SOC 2
Type II
EU data hosting
Available

Full HubSpot Service Hub profileRequest an offer

7

tawk.to offers free live chat with unlimited agents, native desktop and mobile apps, plus free ticketing and a knowledge base. Revenue comes from paid extras such as badge removal at $29 per month and hired chat agents from $1 per hour. It lists no SSO or published enterprise certifications.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: poor fit
  • 500+: poor fit

Best for

  • Solo owners and small sites that need free live chat
  • Budget teams that want free ticketing and a knowledge base

Look elsewhere if

  • Buyers who need SSO or published enterprise certifications
  • Teams that need deep CRM and helpdesk integrations

Key features

AI agent and chatbot
AI Assist from $29 per month with a forever-free tier for limited volume
Free plan
Yes: free live chat, ticketing and knowledge base; branding removal costs $29 per month
Visitor tracking and targeting
Real-time visitor view and smart triggers by URL, behavior or referrer
Multichannel inbox
Web chat, WhatsApp, email, SMS, voice; native iOS, Android, macOS and Windows apps
CRM and helpdesk integrations
Single JavaScript snippet; Shopify, Squarespace and WordPress listed
Reporting and analytics
Live dashboard of replies, response time, resolution rate and satisfaction
Pricing model
Free core product; paid add-ons and hourly human agents
Target company size
Solo owners to small businesses
How you buy
Buy online

Full tawk.to profileRequest an offer

8

Crisp

Free

Crisp sells website chat and a shared inbox as flat workspace plans, with a free plan for 2 seats and paid plans from $45 per month. Mini includes 4 seats, Essentials 10 and Plus 20 or more. AI usage is metered through included credits, and sub-inboxes start at Essentials.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: workable
  • 500+: no data

Best for

  • Small teams that want flat workspace pricing instead of per-agent fees
  • Teams that want a free plan with 2 seats and EU data hosting

Look elsewhere if

  • Buyers who need published SSO or audit log details before purchase
  • Teams of 20+ agents on a tight budget: Plus is $295 per month

Key features

AI agent and chatbot
Omnichannel AI chatbot from Essentials; AI usage metered by included credits (Mini $5, Essentials $25, Plus $75)
Free plan
Yes: 2 seats, 100 customer profiles
Visitor tracking and targeting
Live view of active visitors; behavior-based chat triggers from Mini plan
Multichannel inbox
Email inbox from Mini; WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, Line, Viber on Essentials
CRM and helpdesk integrations
100+ integrations on Plus; Shopify and WooCommerce on Free; 2000+ apps via Zapier
Reporting and analytics
Basic analytics on Essentials; custom dashboards on Plus
Pricing model
Flat monthly price per workspace with seats and customer profiles included; extra agents $10 per month
Target company size
Small teams and growing businesses (plans from 2 to 20+ seats)

What users like

  • Customer support 30 mentions
  • Helpful 28 mentions
  • Features 28 mentions

Common complaints

  • Missing features 10 mentions
  • Learning curve 4 mentions
  • Expensive 4 mentions

Pros and cons tags from G2's reviews page, read October 26, 2026.

How you buy
Online up to Plus, sales above
Free trial
14 days
EU data hosting
Available

Full Crisp profileRequest an offer

9

Zoho SalesIQ pairs live chat with visitor tracking, lead scoring and chatbots, and it connects natively to Zoho CRM and Desk. The free plan has 3 operators but 100 chat sessions a month, and paid plans start at $7 per operator. The Zia answer bot is Enterprise only.

  • 1-10: strong fit
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: workable
  • 500+: no data

Best for

  • Teams already on Zoho CRM or Desk that want chat data in the same system
  • Small sites that want a free live chat tier with 3 operators

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams needing the Zia AI answer bot on lower plans (listed on Enterprise only)
  • Buyers who need SAML SSO or audit log details from the SalesIQ plan page (not stated)

Key features

AI agent and chatbot
Zobot no-code bot builder on Basic and up; NLP Answer Bot (Zia) and hybrid bots on Enterprise
Free plan
Yes, 3 operator licenses, 100 chat sessions per month
Visitor tracking and targeting
Real-time visitor tracking, rule-based lead scoring and proactive chat triggers (triggers from Basic)
Multichannel inbox
Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, WeChat, LINE and WhatsApp in one agent dashboard
CRM and helpdesk integrations
Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk (chat to ticket), Zoho Analytics, webhooks and REST API
Reporting and analytics
Real-time reporting from Professional; agent metrics such as response time and concurrent chats; daily and monthly email reports
Pricing model
Per operator per month with visitor, chat and chatbot limits per plan
Target company size
Small to mid-size businesses, especially Zoho users
How you buy
Buy online
Free trial
15 days
SOC 2
Type II
EU data hosting
Available

Full Zoho SalesIQ profileRequest an offer

10

Olark

$29 per agent per month (Live Chat)

Olark is a plain live chat product at $29 per agent per month, with a separate AI website agent tier at a flat $400 per month that includes one human seat. There is no free plan. SSO is listed only on the Custom plan, and advanced integrations also need Custom.

  • 1-10: workable
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: workable
  • 500+: no data

Best for

  • Small teams that want plain human live chat at a per-agent price
  • Teams that want to add an AI agent later without reinstalling

Look elsewhere if

  • Buyers who need SSO below the custom tier
  • Teams that want a free plan

Key features

AI agent and chatbot
Standard AI Website Agent at $400 per month; can be added to Live Chat later
Free plan
No free plan listed
Visitor tracking and targeting
Triggers by page, time on site, scroll depth, repeat visits and ad source
Multichannel inbox
Website chat with email follow-up; WhatsApp and SMS on Olark Classic
CRM and helpdesk integrations
Advanced integrations on Custom
Reporting and analytics
Searchable chat logs, Google Analytics events, AI Analyst (beta)
Pricing model
Per agent per month for human chat; flat monthly price for the AI agent tier
Target company size
Small and mid-size teams
How you buy
Online up to Live Chat, sales above
Free trial
14 days
Single sign-on
Custom plan

Full Olark profileRequest an offer

11

LiveAgent

$15 per agent per month billed annually (Starter), $19 monthly

LiveAgent is a help desk with live chat, ticketing and social channels from Quality Unit, priced from $15 per agent per month on annual billing. SSO is on every plan, and audit logs start at Business. Staffed chat support runs Monday to Friday, and 24/7 help is the AI chatbot and email.

  • 1-10: workable
  • 11-50: strong fit
  • 51-500: workable
  • 500+: workable

Best for

  • Support teams that want ticketing, live chat and social channels in one help desk
  • Buyers who need SSO without moving to an enterprise plan

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams that need audit logs below Business
  • Teams of more than 15 agents on a small budget: Team is capped at 15 agents

Key features

AI agent and chatbot
AI agents on every plan: 1 on Starter, 5 on Team, 50 on Business, unlimited on Enterprise; bring your own AI provider
Free plan
No free plan listed; 30-day trial
Visitor tracking and targeting
Proactive chat invitations from Team
Multichannel inbox
Live chat, chatbot, social channels and call center (social and call center not on Starter)
CRM and helpdesk integrations
216 integrations listed, including Agile CRM and Close
Reporting and analytics
Reporting not on Starter
Pricing model
Per agent per month; Enterprise flat with 80 agents
Target company size
SMB support teams; Enterprise tier for larger teams
How you buy
Buy online
Free trial
30 days
Single sign-on
All plans

Full LiveAgent profileRequest an offer

How to choose live chat software

AI agent and chatbot

This covers bots and AI agents that answer routine questions and hand off to staff. Strong tools learn from your help content, support actions such as order lookups and show clear limits on usage. Weak ones offer a rule-based flow or charge unpredictable fees for each resolution.

Free plan

Free plans matter for small sites that want to test chat before paying. Strong free tiers include real chat features, enough seats and generous history. Weak ones cap sessions at a low number, remove history after 30 days or hide key features behind a paid add-on.

Visitor tracking and targeting

Tracking shows which pages a visitor viewed, and targeting starts a chat when behavior suggests intent. Strong tools offer live visitor lists, segments and triggers such as cart abandonment. Weak ones provide only a passive widget that waits for the visitor to click.

Multichannel inbox

A multichannel inbox brings website chat, email, social apps and messaging into one queue. Strong products include WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger on standard plans and keep one history per customer. Weak ones sell channels as paid extras or keep each in its own inbox.

CRM and helpdesk integrations

Integrations send chats to the CRM, ticketing and ecommerce tools you already use. Strong products offer native connections, a marketplace and an API. Weak ones lack CRM links, so agents copy details by hand.

Reporting and analytics

Reporting shows response time, chat volume, agent workload and conversions. Strong tools provide dashboards, AI outcome metrics and sales attribution. Weak ones give a few fixed charts or keep custom dashboards for higher plans.

Pricing model

This criterion covers how the product is billed, such as per agent, per conversation or per workspace, and which parts are metered. Strong models are easy to forecast as the team grows. Weak ones add AI fees, add-ons and a large premium for monthly billing.

Target company size

This shows the team size a product was designed for. Free and flat-priced tools suit site owners and small shops, while suite products add SLAs, SSO and audit logs for large support teams. A mismatch means paying for features you do not use or hitting seat and volume limits.

Live Chat Software FAQ

What is live chat software?

Live chat software adds a chat window to a website or app so visitors can message sales or support staff in real time. Agents work from a shared inbox, and most products add chatbots, visitor tracking and links to CRM or help desk tools.

What is the best live chat software for a small business?

Tidio, Crisp, Zoho SalesIQ and LiveChat all target small teams. Tidio prices by conversations, Crisp by workspace, and LiveChat and Zoho SalesIQ per agent. Pick based on seat count, your channels and whether you already use Zoho or Shopify.

What is the best free live chat software?

tawk.to offers free chat with unlimited agents, Freshchat's free plan allows up to 10 agents, and Tidio's free plan covers 50 billable conversations with 10 seats. Crisp and Zoho SalesIQ also have free plans with tighter seat or session limits.

What features should live chat software have?

Look for a branded widget, a shared inbox with routing and saved replies, visitor tracking, mobile apps and a CRM or help desk link. AI agents, WhatsApp and Instagram support, and reports are worth checking too, as they differ most between vendors.

Live chat vs help desk: which do I need?

Live chat suits real-time conversations on your site, and a help desk tracks tickets across email and other channels. Products such as Zendesk, LiveAgent, Intercom and HubSpot Service Hub combine both, while tawk.to and Olark center on chat.

What should I include in a request for live chat offers?

State your agent count and hours, monthly chat volume, website platform, CRM or help desk, channels, AI expectations and any SSO or data region needs. Add your go-live date so vendors can propose a plan that fits.

The SaaSBid view: fit, buying and security

Live Chat Software market map

Horizontal: the company size each tool fits best, from our fit ratings. Vertical: the lowest published price per user and month. Hollow dots have a free plan.

  • LiveChat: fits 51-500 people best, from $19 per agent per month, billed annually
  • Tidio: fits 11-50 people best, from Free
  • Intercom: fits 51-500 people best, from $19 per seat/month (Essential, shown as 'new customers save 35%' vs…
  • Zendesk: fits 51-500 people best, from $19 per agent/month billed annually (Support Team)
  • Freshchat: fits 11-50 people best, from Free
  • HubSpot Service Hub: fits 11-50 people best, from Free for up to 2 users
  • tawk.to: fits 1-10 people best, from Free
  • Crisp: fits 11-50 people best, from Free
  • Zoho SalesIQ: fits 11-50 people best, from Free
  • Olark: fits 11-50 people best, from $29 per agent per month (Live Chat)
  • LiveAgent: fits 11-50 people best, from $15 per agent per month billed annually (Starter), $19 monthly

How you buy each live chat tool

Can you start online, or do you need a demo and a quote first? Taken from each vendor's pricing page. A dash means the vendor does not publish it. Quote-only vendors are where a request on SaaSBid saves the most time.

ToolHow you buyFree trialContractOnboarding fee
LiveChatOnline up to Growth, sales above14 daysMonthly or annual; annual paid upfront–
TidioOnline up to Growth, sales above7 daysMonthly or annual–
IntercomOnline up to Advanced, sales above14 daysMonthly or annual self-serve billing; no contract required, except for Enterprise needs, Premier Support/onboarding and custom termsFin on an existing helpdesk: no setup, integration or platform fees. Premier Support/onboarding requires a contract; fee not published
ZendeskOnline up to Suite Professional, sales above14 daysmonthly, annual or multi-year; annual billing 20% off–
FreshchatBuy online14 daysMonthly or annual–
HubSpot Service HubOnline up to Professional, sales above–Starter: monthly or annual; Professional: annual commitmentProfessional: one-time $1,500; Enterprise: one-time $3,500
tawk.toBuy online–––
CrispOnline up to Plus, sales above14 daysMonthly, yearly option available–
Zoho SalesIQBuy online15 daysmonthly or annual billing; upgrade or downgrade at any time–
OlarkOnline up to Live Chat, sales above14 daysLive Chat billed monthly; AI agent tier billed annually–
LiveAgentBuy online30 daysNo contracts, cancel anytime; monthly or annual billing–

Security and data protection compared

What your IT and legal team will ask, from each vendor's trust center, security page and legal documents. A dash means we found nothing public, which is a question for your request.

ToolSOC 2ISO 27001Public DPAEU hostingSSO fromSCIM fromAudit logs from
LiveChatNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedEnterprise–Enterprise
TidioNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedPremium––
IntercomType IIYesPublic DPAUS, EU, AustraliaExpert––
ZendeskType IIYesPublic DPANot published–––
FreshchatNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedAll plans (SAML)–Enterprise
HubSpot Service HubType IINot publishedNot publishedUS (AWS US East), EU (Frankfurt, Germany)Enterprise (SAML)––
tawk.toNot publishedNot publishedPublic DPANot published–––
Zoho SalesIQType IIYesNot publishedEU (Amsterdam), EU (Dublin)–––
OlarkNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedCustom plan––
LiveAgentNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedAll plans–Business and Enterprise

Which live chat tool fits your company size

Fit of each tool by company size
Tool1-10 people11-50 people51-500 people500+ people
LiveChatPoor fitStrong fitStrong fitWorkable
TidioStrong fitStrong fitWorkablePoor fit
IntercomPoor fitWorkableStrong fitStrong fit
ZendeskPoor fitWorkableStrong fitStrong fit
FreshchatStrong fitStrong fitWorkableWorkable
HubSpot Service HubStrong fitWorkableWorkableWorkable
tawk.toStrong fitStrong fitPoor fitPoor fit
CrispStrong fitStrong fitWorkableNo data
Zoho SalesIQStrong fitStrong fitWorkableNo data
OlarkWorkableStrong fitWorkableNo data
LiveAgentWorkableStrong fitWorkableWorkable

Strong fitWorkablePoor fitNo data from the vendor

Ratings follow each vendor's stated audience, free plan limits, seat caps per plan, usage-based AI fees and whether SSO or audit logs exist on higher plans. Cells stay empty when the vendor says nothing about a size.

  • 1-10 people

    Free plans and quick setup matter most. tawk.to, Tidio, Freshchat, Crisp, Zoho SalesIQ and HubSpot Service Hub all offer a free tier, with different limits on seats, conversations or sessions. Check which cap you will reach first.

  • 11-50 people

    Teams need routing, reporting and CRM or help desk links. LiveChat, Tidio, Freshchat, Crisp, Zoho SalesIQ, Olark and LiveAgent fit well here. LiveAgent's Team plan stops at 15 agents, so a larger group moves to Business.

  • 51-500 people

    Ticketing, SLAs and AI deflection start to drive the decision. Intercom, Zendesk and LiveChat are aimed at this range, and Freshchat and HubSpot Service Hub work if you already use their sister products. Compare how each bills AI resolutions.

  • 500+ people

    Large support operations need SSO, audit logs and regional hosting. Zendesk, Intercom and LiveChat list enterprise plans, and Freshchat offers audit logs on Enterprise. Review which controls are paid add-ons before comparing quotes.

Feature coverage at a glance

Documented features by tool
ToolAI agent and chatbotFree planVisitor tracking and targetingMultichannel inboxCRM and helpdesk integrationsReporting and analyticsShare
LiveChatDocumented: AI Agent answers from knowledge base and hands off to humans; 1 agent and 10 resolutions per month on Essential, 10 and 200 on GrowthDocumented: No free plan listed; 14-day free trialDocumented: Traffic view shows visitor pages and time on site; proactive campaigns and segmentsDocumented: Website chat, Messenger, WhatsApp, InstagramDocumented: 200+ apps (Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Webflow, Klaviyo); integrations page lists 17 native products with no CRMDocumented: Reports on chats, agents, AI Agent outcomes and ecommerce; goal and sales attribution100%
TidioDocumented: Lyro AI agent answers from website and help center, Smart Actions for orders and leads; first 50 conversations freeDocumented: Yes: 50 billable conversations, 10 seatsDocumented: Live visitor list and Flows triggers such as abandoned-cart messagesDocumented: Live chat, email, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp in one inboxDocumented: 120+ integrations plus OpenAPI and ZapierDocumented: Sales analytics attributing sales, leads and satisfaction by channel and operator100%
IntercomDocumented: Fin AI Agent at $0.99 per outcome, hands off to human agentsDocumented: No free plan; 14-day free trial with all featuresNot documentedDocumented: Live chat, email and in-app chat in one inbox with phone, WhatsApp, socialDocumented: Connectors for Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Freshdesk; 450+ app store appsDocumented: SLAs on Expert83%
ZendeskDocumented: AI agents in all Suite and Support plans, billed per automated resolutionDocumented: No free plan; 14-day trial of Suite ProfessionalDocumented: Proactive messages by region, IP or pages visited on Suite Team and upDocumented: Suite covers messaging, live chat, social, WhatsApp and voice; Support Team is emailDocumented: 1,000+ Marketplace apps and integrations included in all plansDocumented: Preconfigured dashboards on all plans; scheduled reports and live dashboards on Suite Professional100%
FreshchatDocumented: Freddy AI Agent: 500 free sessions once per account, then $49 per 100 sessions; Copilot $29 per agent per monthDocumented: Yes: Free plan up to 10 agentsDocumented: Proactive campaigns on web or messaging channelsDocumented: Live chat, messaging apps, social messengers, text messaging, email and voiceDocumented: Salesforce, Shopify, Slack, Jira featured; 1,000+ Freshworks Marketplace appsDocumented: Reports on customer behavior, team productivity and bot effectiveness; custom dashboards on Pro100%
HubSpot Service HubDocumented: Chatbot builder; Customer Agent free for 14 days with a Pro or Enterprise seatDocumented: Yes: free live chat with HubSpot branding and limited botsDocumented: Targeted welcome messages for different web pages or audience segmentsDocumented: Email and Facebook Messenger on Free; WhatsApp up to 1,000 messages a month on paid tiersDocumented: Chats logged to HubSpot CRM; 2,000+ apps and services availableDocumented: Dashboards: 10 on Free, 30 Starter, 75 Professional, 100 Enterprise100%
tawk.toDocumented: AI Assist from $29 per month with a forever-free tier for limited volumeDocumented: Yes: free live chat, ticketing and knowledge base; branding removal costs $29 per monthDocumented: Real-time visitor view and smart triggers by URL, behavior or referrerDocumented: Web chat, WhatsApp, email, SMS, voice; native iOS, Android, macOS and Windows appsDocumented: Single JavaScript snippet; Shopify, Squarespace and WordPress listedDocumented: Live dashboard of replies, response time, resolution rate and satisfaction100%
CrispDocumented: Omnichannel AI chatbot from Essentials; AI usage metered by included credits (Mini $5, Essentials $25, Plus $75)Documented: Yes: 2 seats, 100 customer profilesDocumented: Live view of active visitors; behavior-based chat triggers from Mini planDocumented: Email inbox from Mini; WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS, Line, Viber on EssentialsDocumented: 100+ integrations on Plus; Shopify and WooCommerce on Free; 2000+ apps via ZapierDocumented: Basic analytics on Essentials; custom dashboards on Plus100%
Zoho SalesIQDocumented: Zobot no-code bot builder on Basic and up; NLP Answer Bot (Zia) and hybrid bots on EnterpriseDocumented: Yes, 3 operator licenses, 100 chat sessions per monthDocumented: Real-time visitor tracking, rule-based lead scoring and proactive chat triggers (triggers from Basic)Documented: Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, WeChat, LINE and WhatsApp in one agent dashboardDocumented: Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk (chat to ticket), Zoho Analytics, webhooks and REST APIDocumented: Real-time reporting from Professional; agent metrics such as response time and concurrent chats; daily and monthly email reports100%
OlarkDocumented: Standard AI Website Agent at $400 per month; can be added to Live Chat laterDocumented: No free plan listedDocumented: Triggers by page, time on site, scroll depth, repeat visits and ad sourceDocumented: Website chat with email follow-up; WhatsApp and SMS on Olark ClassicDocumented: Advanced integrations on CustomDocumented: Searchable chat logs, Google Analytics events, AI Analyst (beta)100%
LiveAgentDocumented: AI agents on every plan: 1 on Starter, 5 on Team, 50 on Business, unlimited on Enterprise; bring your own AI providerDocumented: No free plan listed; 30-day trialDocumented: Proactive chat invitations from TeamDocumented: Live chat, chatbot, social channels and call center (social and call center not on Starter)Documented: 216 integrations listed, including Agile CRM and CloseDocumented: Reporting not on Starter100%

A check means the vendor documents the capability publicly (hover for the detail). A dash means we found no public documentation, which is a question to put in your request, not proof the feature is missing.

Live Chat Software requirements checklist

Use this list to write down what your team actually needs. Sorting requirements into must-have, should-have and nice-to-have is what lets vendors quote accurately instead of pitching their biggest plan.

Must have

  • Website chat widget that matches our brandingBranding removal and design options are sometimes extra on lower plans.
  • Shared inbox with routing and canned repliesAgents need one queue and a way to assign chats.
  • Chat history kept and searchableSome free plans limit how long history is retained.
  • Integration with our CRM or help deskChats should become leads or tickets without copying.
  • Mobile apps for agentsReplies outside office hours depend on phone access.

Should have

  • AI agent that answers from our help center and hands off to agentsAI pricing is metered differently by each vendor, which changes the total.
  • Proactive messages triggered by page or cart behaviorTargeting is what separates a sales chat from a pure support tool.
  • WhatsApp, Instagram and email in the same inboxCustomers expect to continue the conversation on their channel.
  • Reports on response time, volume and conversionsManagers need numbers to staff the queue.

Nice to have

  • Single sign-on and audit logsLarger companies often need them, and they sit on upper plans.
  • Hosting in a specific regionSome privacy policies require data to stay in the EU or another region.
  • Built-in knowledge base for self-service answersIt reduces chat volume before a human is involved.

Turn this checklist into a request

Questions vendors ask before quoting

Have answers ready for these, and your first conversation with a vendor starts at pricing instead of discovery.

  1. How many agents answer chats, and during which hours?Seat count and coverage hours decide between per-agent and flat plans.
  2. How many chat conversations per month do you expect?Some vendors bill by conversation or cap sessions on free plans.
  3. Which website platform and CRM or help desk do you use?Native integrations decide whether a plugin works out of the box.
  4. Should an AI agent resolve chats, and what share do you hope to automate?AI is billed per resolution, per session or through credits.
  5. Which channels besides web chat must be supported?WhatsApp, social and voice are often add-ons or higher plans.
  6. Do you need SSO, audit logs or a specific data region?These controls often start only on enterprise-level plans.

Example request

What a strong live chat software request looks like
We run an online shop for outdoor gear with 18 employees, four of whom answer customer messages. Traffic is about 60,000 visits per month on Shopify. Today we use a contact form and a shared mailbox, and visitors often leave before we reply. We need a chat widget, a shared inbox with WhatsApp and Instagram, and proactive messages for abandoned carts. An AI agent should answer shipping and returns questions from our help pages and pass the rest to staff. Chats should create tickets in our help desk. Go-live is wanted in four weeks, and we expect a budget in the low four figures per year.

Write your own request

More vendors listed on SaaSBid

  • MessagelyLive chat, shared inbox and targeted messaging in one place

The bottom line

Start with seat count and channels, then decide how much AI you want and how you will be billed for it. Those choices narrow the market quickly. A precise list on SaaSBid tells vendors your chat volume, website platform and help desk, so each offer states the plan, usage limits and add-ons clearly and can be compared without guesswork.

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