10 Best Live Chat Software Solutions Compared in 2026

The best live chat software depends on three things: who answers chats, which channels your customers use, and how much AI you want. In normal business, you speak to your customers face to face or over the phone. Live chat software lets you do the same in writing, in real time, through a chat window you can customise. This guide compares ten tools on price, free plans, channels and features. We checked the pricing, and we say where each tool falls short.

What are the benefits of using live chat software?

Live chat software adds a chat window to your website so visitors can message your team in real time. Modern tools also pull WhatsApp, Instagram and email messages into the same inbox. Many now add an AI agent that answers common questions before a person steps in. Live chat is not the same as a help desk. A help desk manages tickets across email, phone and chat, while live chat focuses on one-to-one conversations, and several tools below blend both.

The benefits of live chat over any voice communication are huge. For your business, this is often a very low-cost solution to providing excellent customer service. You can have integrated brand messaging within the chat experience, so you are continually driving your business’s reputation forward while working directly with your consumer.

From a consumer’s point of view, live chat gives them a feeling of “instant gratification”. Just a button-click. No looking up numbers, dialing, or endless voicemail prompts. No worry about language barriers. Easy-to-obtain transcripts of the conversation provide backup for both sides of the exchange.

Customers also want fast answers. HubSpot’s service data, as summarised by Review42, shows live chat is the most preferred support channel at 41%. Phone follows at 32% and email at 23%. Zendesk’s CX Trends 2026 report found that 63% of customers rank speed of response as the top factor in a support experience, as reported by Ringly. Tidio says 87% of conversations rated through its software received a positive score Tidio.

A chat widget that nobody answers quickly does more harm than no widget. Plan your coverage first, then pick a tool. Also read the pricing model closely, because per-agent fees grow with your team and AI fees grow with your chat volume.

How we compared these live chat tools

We compared the best live chat software on the same five questions:

1. Is there a free plan?
2. How do you pay: per agent, per conversation or per AI reply?
3. What is the cheapest paid plan on annual billing?
4. Which channels and AI features come with it?
5. Who is it best for?

Most of these live chat softwares support multiple websites, agent apps, canned responses, offline messages, visitor details, chat transfers and file sharing, so the detailed sections below call out where each tool differs.

Quick Comparison of Live Chat Softwares

Top 10 Best Live Chat Softwares

1. AltiDesk – Free Live Chat Software with Every Channel in One Inbox

Best for: teams that want one inbox for website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram and email without paying per agent.

AltiDesk pulls website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, email, Telegram, Messenger and Shopify messages into one shared inbox. Each conversation carries the customer’s full history, so agents see past orders and earlier chats. The product comes from the team behind AccuWeb Hosting, and AccuWeb Hosting publishes this guide.

The standout feature is pricing. Every plan, including the free one, has unlimited seats. You pay for AI replies, not for people. The AI agent learns from content you already published: point it at your domain and it indexes your pages, help centre articles, PDFs and past resolved conversations. It cites the page behind each answer. When it is unsure, it hands the chat to a person with a summary.

Features

We list every feature below on the same checklist as the other nine tools.

• Offers a Free Live Chat Plan? – Yes. The Free plan costs $0 and includes unlimited seats, 300 AI replies a month and one channel.
• Hosted chat or standalone installation – Both. AltiDesk is hosted by default. You can also self-host it on your own server, or let AccuWeb Hosting run it on dedicated infrastructure in the region you need.
• Agent module options – Web app, plus iOS and Android apps with push alerts when a chat is assigned to you or an SLA is close to breaching.
• Canned responses – Yes. Saved replies, keyboard shortcuts and bulk actions for repetitive questions.
• Pre-Chat & Post-Chat Survey – Yes, CSAT surveys ask for a rating after resolution.
• Agent rating facility – Yes. CSAT scores are reported by agent, channel and tag, and you can read every comment in one list.
• Visitor details – Yes. Each conversation shows the customer’s history, including past orders, previous tickets and the page they were on when they asked.
• Visitor tracking – The page the customer was viewing is attached to the chat.
• Chat transfers between agents – Yes. Reassign mid-conversation without losing context.
• Chat tagging – Yes. Tag conversations to see what customers struggle with most.
• Intelligent chat distribution – Yes. Round-robin and load balancing.
• Manual chat distribution – Yes. Agents can pick up chats manually, or you can assign to a person or team.
• Ticketing System – Conversations carry a status, assignee, tag and SLA, and you can filter and save views.
• Statistics and Reporting – First response time, resolution rate, deflection rate, CSAT and agent load, by channel, tag or person. CSV export on every report.
• Ecommerce tracking – Shopify orders appear in the conversation thread.
• Engagement features – Automations route, tag and assign by keyword, business hours or customer value.
• Live chat security features –
  • Role-based permissions, audit log and two-factor authentication – Yes. SSO is on the Scale plan.
• Chat customization – Embeddable live chat widget and a branded help centre on your own domain with an auto-provisioned certificate. You can edit the AI’s base prompt, restrict topics and force escalation on billing or legal questions.
• Administrative features – Assignment and teams, private notes with @mentions, SLA rules, automations, and a monthly spend cap on AI replies.
• Chat integration features –
  • Channels – WhatsApp Business API, Instagram DMs and story replies, email on your own domain, Telegram, Messenger, Shopify.
  • API – REST API and webhooks. Everything the dashboard does is available over the API, and you can build a custom channel.
• Chat archives –
  • Chat history – Yes. Full history follows the customer across every channel, and you can search past conversations in plain language.
• Premium features –
  • Auto Chat Translation – Yes, through the AI. It detects the language the customer wrote in and replies in it.
  • Chatbot – Yes. The AI agent answers from your site and help centre, cites its source, suggests replies to agents if you prefer a human in the loop, and hands over with a summary when unsure.

Pricing

• Free – $0, with unlimited seats, 300 AI replies a month and one channel.
• Starter – $19 a month, with unlimited seats, 1,000 AI replies and all channels.
• Pro – $79 a month, with unlimited seats, 6,000 AI replies and a help centre.
• Scale – $249 a month, with unlimited seats, 25,000 AI replies and SLA support.
• Every plan has unlimited seats, so a three-person team and a fifteen-person team pay the same for the same plan.
• If you move from Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom or Chatwoot, AltiDesk imports contacts, conversation history and help centre articles for you.

2. Chatra – Live chat & messenger tool to grow your business

Best for: small teams that like a messenger-style chat window.

Chatra is an easy-to-use, modern and affordable live chat software. It helps you assist the website visitors right away and build long-term relationships.

With Chatra you can effectively fight the cart abandonment and avoid costly delays. Their apps for Android and iOS allow you to help the visitors even when you are out of the office. Chatra integrates with the majority of the CMS platforms.

Chatra stores all the important visitor info and chat history forever both for you and your visitors. Agents’ photos in the chat allow visitors to feel more connected that increases the conversion rate.

Works on several websites with one account. Allows to track the online visitors and send them messages proactively. Moreover, you can see what visitors are typing before they send the message. When you are offline, Chatra goes into the messenger mode that can get you new leads 24/7.

One update matters before you commit. Chatra’s own page says it has joined forces with Brevo, and a May 2026 comparison reports that new chat features now ship in Brevo Conversations. Chatra itself keeps selling its plans, but its roadmap now sits with Brevo.

Features

• Offers a Free Live Chat Plan? – Yes. The free plan allows 1 agent online at a time, with a monthly chat cap, and has the basic features for communication, including typos correction, mobile apps and Google Analytics integration.
• Multiple Website Support – Yes, place the same widget code on as many websites as you want.
• Hosted chat or standalone installation – Chatra is hosted on their servers; so you don’t have to manage anything additionally.
• Agent module options – Chatra agent dashboard is available for Browser, Desktop & Mobile devices.
• Canned responses – Yes. You can save replies to frequently asked questions and use them in future conversations.
• Message Sneak-peek (Typing insights) – You can view what the visitor is typing even before they send the message.
• Pre-Chat form – Yes, you can collect the visitor’s contact information (name, email and/or a phone number) via the pre-chat form.
• Offline messages – Yes, it’s called a messenger mode in Chatra. Visitors can leave messages and contact information, and you can reply to them from Chatra dashboard (and your message will be sent to the visitor’s email address) or by email. Also automatic triggers work in offline mode, so you can proactively engage visitors and get more messages even when you are not available.
• Agent rating facility – Yes.
• Visitor details – Yes. You will see the name, email address and phone number. On the paid plan Chatra displays location, currently viewed pages, referrer URL, browser and OS.
• Visitor tracking – Yes, it is available on the paid plan. You can view the list of visitors who are currently online on your website and start the conversation manually.
• Chat transfers between agents – Yes, you can invite your colleague to the chat and either leave it or stay and chat with the visitor together.
• Chat tagging – No.
• File sharing with website visitors – Yes, available on the paid plan.
• Intelligent chat distribution – No.
• Manual chat distribution – Yes.
• Work scheduler – Yes. You can set up your working schedule. Chatra will notify you when your workday begins and ends and change your status automatically. Available on the paid plans only.
• Ticketing System – No.
• Statistics and Reporting – With a paid plan, you can monitor basic chat statistics. It shows how many conversations with how many visitors you had, the average response time and chat ratings.
• Ecommerce tracking – Yes, you can track events in Google Analytics. It sends the events automatically, no need for additional adjustments.
• Engagement features – The paid plans include triggers and visitors online list that prevent visitors from leaving your website and minimize the chance of the cart abandonment.
• Live chat security features –
  • 256-bit SSL secured connection – Yes, chat connectivity is secured by 256-Bit SSL encryption.
  • Visitor banning – Yes. You can ban and unban disruptive visitors after they send you a message.
  • Credit Card Masking – No.
  • Login with Social Media – No.
  • IP based access restrictions – No.
• Chat customization – Yes, you can customize the chat button in the settings or using API even on the free plan.
  • Targeted Chat – Yes, available on the free trial and the paid plans.
  • Shopping Cart Saver – Yes, via automatic triggers.
  • Shortcuts – No.
  • Chat window css customization – No.
  • Custom logo in chat window – No.
  • Chat buttons and white label – No.
• Administrative features – Ongoing chat supervision, assigning user roles (admin or agent), reports, creating groups for different webpages (sales, billing, etc).
• Chat integration features –
  • Addons/Integrations – Integrated with Slack, HelpScout, Front, Median Screenshare, Zapier, Omnidesk, and a bunch of platforms.
  • API – Offers extended API for power users and developers.
  • WordPress Plugin – Yes.
  • Shopify Plugin – Yes.
• Chat archives –
  • Chat history – Yes, Chatra keeps the chat history forever on both sides.
  • Email transcripts – Yes.
• Premium features –
  • Video live chat – Not Available.
  • Audio live chat – Not Available.
  • Screen Sharing – Yes, via Median Screenshare app.
  • Co-Browsing – Not Available.
  • Visitor Screen Recording – Not Available.
  • Chatbot – Yes. Capterra describes Chatra as a live chat and chatbot solution.

Pricing

• Free Plan – Free forever plan allows 1 agent to be online at a time and includes the basic features for communication, with a monthly chat cap.
• Essential – $25 per agent a month on annual billing, or $31 billed monthly.
• Pro – $33 per agent a month on annual billing, or $41 billed monthly. Agent groups and chat ratings are part of the higher tier.
• Paid plans include unlimited monthly chats and a 10-day free trial.
• These prices come from Chatra’s plans page as reported in a July 2026 comparison. Older listings still show a $15 entry price, so check the live page before you buy.

3. LiveAgent – Help Desk Software with Built-In Live Chat

Best for: teams that need tickets, calls and chat in one platform at a low per-agent price.

LiveAgent is a fully-featured, multilingual help desk software that has a native live chat widget, unified ticket inbox, robust reporting features, fully customizable customer portals, and a built-in call center. It also includes an AI chatbot, social media support and a knowledge base, and integrations including social channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Viber.

Features

• Does LiveAgent offer a free live chat plan? – No permanent free plan is listed on LiveAgent’s pricing page. It offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card. An older version of this guide listed a free plan, and that is no longer on the page.
• Multiple Website Support – Yes, there are no restrictions on the number of websites on the paid plans.
• Hosted chat or standalone installation – LiveAgent is a web-based application hosted on LiveAgent servers, but can also be purchased as a standalone solution. Learn more.
• Agent module options – The Liveagent dashboard is accessible through your browser or through LiveAgent’s iOS and Android apps.
• Canned Responses – Yes. You can create and recall pre-made answers for frequent questions with one click.
• Message Sneak-peek – Yes, agents can view what your website visitors are typing before they even send their message, which enables your agents to help with customer queries even faster.
• Pre-Chat & Post-Chat Survey – Yes.
• Offline messages – Yes. Messages left when you were offline will be automatically sent to your LiveAgent universal inbox in the form of an email ticket.
• Agent rating facility – Yes.
• Visitor details – Yes. Name, email address, location, currently viewed pages.
• Visitor tracking – Track your website visitors, their geolocation, and see which page they are currently viewing. On top of that, you can proactively invite visitors to chat, based on what they are currently looking at. This leads to higher satisfaction and more sales.
• Chat transfers between agents – Yes. You can transfer your chat to another agent or department.
• Chat tagging – Yes.
• File sharing with website visitors – Yes.
• Intelligent chat distribution – Yes.
• Manual chat distribution – Yes.
• Work scheduler – Yes, you can schedule business hours, and when you are offline, all received messages will be sent to your LiveAgent dashboard in the form of an email ticket.
• Ticketing System – Ticketing System is included in all plans.
• Statistics and Reporting –
  • Tag reports, SLA compliance reports, SLA log reports, agent availability reports, agent reports, channel reports, department reports, time reports.
• Ecommerce tracking – No.
• Engagement features – Yes, LiveAgent offers proactive chats.
• Live chat security features –
  • 256-bit SSL secured connection – Yes.
  • Visitor banning – Yes.
  • Credit Card Masking – Yes.
  • Login with Social Media – No.
  • IP based access restrictions – Yes.
• Chat customization – The following chat customization features are available in LiveAgent:
  • Chat window translation – Multi-language button support is available but no translation is offered.
  • A reactive or embedded live chat window
  • Themes selection
  • Chat window CSS customization
  • Custom logo in the chat window
  • Chat buttons and white label
• Administrative features –
  • There are no additional administrative features or costs. LiveAgent has 24/7 support, available to help you out for free.
• Chat integration features –
  • Addons / Integrations – LiveAgent can be easily integrated with many 3rd party addons like CS.Cart, GetResponse, Slack, Nicereply and many more. LiveAgent states that API access and integrations come with every plan at no extra cost.
  • API – Offers REST APIs.
  • WordPress Plugin – Yes.
  • Joomla Plugin – Yes.
  • Drupal Plugin – Yes.
• Chat archives –
  • Chat history – Yes, LiveAgent offers an unlimited chat history search in all paid plans. After your chat communication is concluded, the chat transcript will be automatically sent to your email account.
  • Email transcripts – Yes.
• Premium features –
  • Video live chat – Yes.
  • Audio live chat – Yes.
  • Screen Sharing – No.
  • Co-Browsing – No.
  • Visitor Screen Recording – No.
  • Auto Language Translation – No.
  • Chatbot – Yes. LiveAgent’s pricing page lists an AI chatbot, and currently advertises a free AI agent with each plan for new users until 1 January 2027.

Pricing

• LiveAgent offers 3 published plans on its pricing page, billed per agent per month on annual billing:
  • Small business – $15 per agent a month.
  • Medium business – $29 per agent a month.
  • Large business – $49 per agent a month.
  • Enterprise – listed on the page, with branding-free setup and everything in Large. Check the page for the current price.
• API and integrations are included in every plan at no extra cost.
• You can test LiveAgent with a free 30-day trial, no credit card required.
• Features differ by plan, so compare the tiers on the all features page before you commit.

4. Comm100 – Provider of Video Live Chat Software

Best for: teams that need video or audio chat, routing and many messaging channels.

Comm100 is a full-featured live chat solution without the big price tag of some of its competitors. Unlike some of the others, this is a hosted solution. This assures you greater access to a wealth of functions.

However, to get the full set of great features, you’ll need their higher plans. If you go with the lowest tier, you might not be happy with the interface.

Features

• Multiple Website Support – Yes, Comm100 customer experience software can be installed on multiple websites.
• Hosted chat or standalone installation – Both options are available. You can host Comm100 chat on their hosted server as well as standalone installation is also available.
• Agent module options – Comm100 agent module is available for Browser, Desktop & Mobile devices.
• Canned Responses – Yes. You can create and recall pre-made answers for the popular question. You can also view reports of how many times a canned message is used.
• Message Sneak-peek – An agent can view what visitor is typing even though the visitor does not send it over.
• Pre-Chat & Post-Chat Survey – Yes. A pre-chat survey is part of the entry plan.
• Offline messages – Yes. You can configure an email account to take offline messages when agents are not online.
• Agent rating facility – Yes.
• Visitor details – Yes. Agent can view details like visitor name, email address, location, currently viewed pages.
• Visitor tracking – Yes. You can track visitors with their geolocation, how visitor found you, and much more.
• Chat transfers between agents – Yes. A chat can be transferred to another agent or department.
• Chat tagging – Yes.
• File sharing with website visitors – Yes, file sharing over chat.
• Intelligent chat distribution – Yes. Chat routing is part of the Live Chat Plus plan.
• Manual chat distribution – Yes.
• Work scheduler – Not available on the entry plans, but if no agents are online then you can take an offline message which will be sent to a pre-configured email account. Agent shift management is part of the Ultra plan.
• Ticketing System – Included within the multichannel plan.
• Statistics and Reporting –
  • Includes email reports, response time, chat duration, satisfaction rating, real-time monitor on chat volume, visitor experience, agent performance and department performance.
• Ecommerce tracking – Yes, on the higher plans.
• Engagement features –
  • Includes automated greeting messages, auto-proactive chat and a mobile chat window.
• Comm100 chat security features –
  • 256-bit SSL secured connection – Chat connectivity is secured by SSL connection.
  • Visitor banning – Yes. You can ban visitor by visitor id or IP.
  • Credit Card Masking – Yes, on the higher plans.
  • Login with Social Media – Yes. Visitor can login with Social media account.
  • IP based access restrictions – Yes. IP based access restriction is available on the higher plans.
• Chat customization –
  • Chat window translation
  • Popup or embedded live chat window
  • Themes selection
  • Chat window css customization
  • Custom logo in chat window
  • Chat buttons and white label
  • Hide chat widget when you are not online or take a message
  • Max Queue Length
  • Remove Comm100 branding logo on higher plans
• Administrative features –
  • Live Chat Startup includes multi-language chat, one chat campaign, a pre-chat survey and auto-proactive chat.
  • Live Chat Plus includes everything in Startup plus chat routing and audio-video chat.
  • Live Chat Ultra includes everything in Plus plus agent shift management. See the Enterprise plan page for details.
• Chat integration features –
  • Addons / Integrations – Comm100 can be easily integrated with many 3rd party addons SalesForce, ZenDesk, Avaya and many more.
  • API – Offers extended APIs for developers.
  • WordPress Plugin – Yes.
  • Drupal Plugin – Yes.
  • Magento Plugin – Yes.
• Chat archives –
  • Chat history – Yes. Retention depends on the plan. You can also export chat transcript to your local system.
  • Email transcripts – Yes.
• Premium features –
  • Video live chat – Yes, in the Live Chat Plus plan and above (audio-video chat).
  • Audio live chat – Yes, in the Live Chat Plus plan and above.
  • Screen Sharing – Yes, as an addon with additional cost.
  • Co-Browsing – Yes, as an addon with additional cost.
  • Visitor Screen Recording – Not available.
  • Social Media Integration – Yes. Comm100’s AI Agent listing says it supports twelve channels, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, SMS and X.
  • Auto Chat Translation – Regardless of visitor first language, chat will be translated to agent selected language.
  • Chatbot – Yes, through Comm100’s AI Agent, which is priced on request.

Pricing

• Comm100’s pricing page lists these live chat plans, billed per agent per month:
  • Live Chat Startup – $31 per agent a month on annual billing, or $39 billed monthly.
  • Live Chat Plus – $55 per agent a month on annual billing, or $69 billed monthly.
  • Live Chat Ultra and AI Agent – pricing on request.
• See the plans and pricing page for the current tiers. The main difference between plans centres on premium features.
• All prices mentioned above are per agent.
• There is a free 30-day trial on Live Chat Startup.
• Comm100’s prices were last seen on its pricing page in May 2026, so confirm them before you buy.

5. LiveChat – Best Live Chat Software for Sales-Focused Teams

Best for: sales and support teams that want a polished, chat-first tool and can live with per-agent pricing.

LiveChat (from Text, Inc.) is among the best live chat software that we’ve seen. It includes agent’s monitoring, foreign language support, and excellent customization tools. Make your own surveys to gather statistics from your consumer’s viewpoint.

Features

• Multiple Website Support – Yes, place your live chat on multiple websites.
• Hosted chat or standalone installation – Hosted chat software. LiveChat is fully hosted on their servers; so you do not need to manage anything additional.
• Agent module options – Live chat agent module is available for Browser, Desktop & Mobile devices (web, Windows, Mac, Android and iOS).
• Canned Responses – Yes. You can store & recall a pre-made answer to a popular question.
• Message Sneak-peek – Everything that a visitor is typing in the chat window is visible even if they don’t send it over.
• Pre-Chat & Post-Chat Survey – Yes.
• Offline messages – Yes. Message left when you were offline will be automatically saved as a ticket.
• Agent rating facility – Yes.
• Visitor details – Yes. Name, email address, location, currently viewed pages and more.
• Visitor tracking – Yes. Monitor your visitors on your live chat at any given time.
• Chat transfers between agents – Yes. You can transfer your chat to other agents.
• Chat tagging – Yes, on the paid plans. See LiveChat’s plan comparison for the tier you need.
• File sharing with website visitors – Yes, on the paid plans.
• Intelligent chat distribution – Yes.
• Manual chat distribution – Yes.
• Work scheduler – Yes, on the higher plans.
• Ticketing System – Included with the plans. Features included are ticket management, tickets from chats, tickets from email and an after-hours ticket form.
• Statistics and Reporting –
  • Higher plans include a daily summary, live chat dashboard, access to reporting via API, basic chat statistics, ticket statistics, tag-based reports, interactive reports and group statistics.
  • The Business plan adds advanced reporting, staffing prediction, agent activity and first response time and average response time reports.
• Ecommerce tracking – Yes, you can setup goal and track your ecommerce activity.
• Engagement features –
  • Includes automated greeting messages, proactive chats, mobile chat window and eye-catcher for visitors.
• Live chat security features –
  • 256-bit SSL secured connection – Chat connectivity is secured by SSL connection.
  • Visitor banning – Yes. You can ban and unban disruptive visitors.
  • Credit Card Masking – Yes.
  • Login with Social Media – Yes.
  • IP based access restrictions – Included on the higher plans.
• Chat customization – Available on the paid plans.
  • Chat window translation
  • Popup or embedded live chat window
  • Themes selection
  • Chat window css customization
  • Custom logo in chat window
  • Chat buttons and white label
• Administrative features –
  • Ongoing chat supervision, assigning user roles (administrative or agent).
  • Higher plans add group organization (sales, billing, etc…) and inactivity timeout configuration.
• Chat integration features –
  • Addons / Integrations – LiveChat can be easily integrated with 100+ 3rd party addons like Hubspot, Mailchimp, Teamviewer and much more. Its integrations list includes Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, WhatsApp and Messenger.
  • API – Offers extended APIs.
  • WordPress Plugin – Yes.
  • Magento Plugin – Yes.
• Chat archives –
  • Chat history – Yes. Starter keeps 60 days of chat history, according to recent guides, and higher plans keep full history.
  • Email transcripts – Yes.
• Premium features –
  • Video live chat – Not available.
  • Audio live chat – Not available.
  • Screen Sharing – Remotely access your visitor’s screen. Available through Addons.
  • Co-Browsing – Available through Addons. Additional charge may apply.
  • Visitor Screen Recording – Available through Addons. Additional charge may apply.
  • Chatbot – LiveChat’s help center lists ChatBot.com and a KnowledgeBase integration, and LiveChat promotes an AI customer service agent. Check LiveChat’s AI pricing separately.
  • Integrate using Zapier – You can connect LiveChat to a number of different services using Zapier.

Pricing

• LiveChat’s plans, pricing & features, per agent per month on annual billing:
  • Starter – $19 per agent/month – For up and coming companies and startups. LiveChat aims this plan at businesses with one agent.
  • Team – $49 per agent/month – Aimed at small and medium businesses, it includes team-based features.
  • Business – $79 per agent/month – Designed with enterprise class businesses in mind, with advanced reporting and expanded management options.
  • Enterprise – custom pricing – For big enterprise businesses that need the help of a dedicated Key Account Manager.
• You can get a 15 percent discount off your purchase by subscribing for 12 months, according to LiveChat’s help center.
• All prices mentioned above are per agent. A 10-agent team on Team pays $490 a month on annual billing.
• There is no free plan. You can sign up for a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

6. Zendesk – Customer Service Suite with Live Chat for Larger Teams

Best for: larger support teams with dedicated staff, complex routing and reporting needs.

Owned by Zendesk, Zendesk’s live chat now sits inside its Suite plans. It is a deeper platform than a simple chat bubble, so it suits teams that want ticketing, messaging and AI in one place. It obviously integrates with Zendesk, as well as Salesforce, Magento, and WordPress.
Extremely quick to start and powerful once configured. The operator experience is pretty good, though smaller teams may find the full suite more than they need.

Zendesk Live Chat Features

• Offers a Free Live Chat Plan? – No. An older version of this guide described a free Lite plan, and Zendesk’s pricing page no longer lists one. Zendesk offers a trial.
• Hosted chat or standalone installation – Hosted chat software. Zendesk is fully hosted on their servers; so you do not have to manage anything additional.
• Chat tagging – Yes.
• Intelligent chat distribution – Yes, omnichannel routing is part of the Suite plans.
• Work scheduler – Yes, on the higher plans (operating hours).
• Ticketing System – Yes. Support Team is the ticketing plan, and the Suite plans add messaging and live chat.
• Statistics and Reporting –
  • Chat and agent reports by organization, weekly and monthly email reports, response time, chat duration, satisfaction rating and business goals.
  • Suite Professional adds real-time analytics and advanced reporting to identify potential problems and quickly remedy the situation.
• Ecommerce tracking – Yes, you can setup goal and track your ecommerce activity.
• Zendesk chat security features –
  • Credit Card Masking – Yes.
  • Login with Social Media – Yes.
  • IP based access restrictions – Included on the higher plans.
• Chat customization –
  • Chat window translation
  • Popup or embedded live chat window
  • Themes selection
  • Chat window css customization
  • Custom logo in chat window
  • Chat buttons and white label
  • Hide chat widget when you are not online or take a message
  • Remove the Zendesk branding with their Enterprise plan.
• Administrative features –
  • User roles (administrative or agent), departments and supervision of chats with an internal chat window.
  • Higher plans add unlimited departments and groups, operating hours, auto chat routing, skills-based routing and agent roles.
• Chat integration features –
  • Addons / Integrations – Zendesk can be easily integrated with many 3rd party addons Zoho, Salesforce, Weebly and much more.
  • API – Offers extended APIs.
  • WordPress Plugin – Yes.
  • Magento Plugin – Yes.
• Premium features –
  • Video live chat – Not available.
  • Audio live chat – Not available.
  • Screen Sharing – Not available.
  • Co-Browsing – Available through Addons. Additional charge may apply.
  • Visitor Screen Recording – Not available.
  • Auto Chat Translation – Yes, chat window translation is listed.
  • Chatbot – Yes. Zendesk’s Suite plans include AI agents. Copilot, its agent assistant, is a $50 per agent a month add-on, and recent third-party guides report per-resolution fees for AI agents, so ask Zendesk for current AI pricing.

Pricing

• Zendesk lists 3 tiers of plans on its pricing page. Prices are per agent per month on annual billing, with monthly billing in brackets:
  • Support Team – $19 ($25 monthly) – the ticketing-focused plan.
  • Suite Team – $55 ($69 monthly) – the plan built to unify support channels and automate resolutions with AI agents.
  • Suite Professional – $115 ($149 monthly) – advanced automation and AI-driven insights.
  • Suite Enterprise – by quote.
• All prices mentioned above are per agent. You can not create unlimited agents as it depends on the number of licenses purchased. A 10-agent team on Suite Team pays $550 a month on annual billing before add-ons.
• The differences are centered around the amount of automation, management and reports. See the popular features each plan includes.
• Free Live Chat Plan? – No. Zendesk offers a trial.

7. Smartsupp – Free Live Chat Software for Websites

Best for: shops that want visitor recordings alongside chat, and a free plan to start.

Based out of the Czech Republic, Smartsupp is a good choice for businesses in Europe. Record and track mouse movements and clicks. Automated, conditional messaging allows you to tailor-make scripts.

Clean, uncluttered and intuitive, this chat window is very easy to navigate. Works with WordPress, Shopify, Magento, and others.

SmartSupp Free Live Chat Software Features

• Offers a Free Live Chat Plan? – Yes, the Free plan is free forever. It covers 25 conversations a month with unlimited agents (GetApp listing, August 2026, and a May 2026 comparison).
• Multiple Website Support – Yes, place your Smartsupp Live chat on multiple websites.
• Hosted chat or standalone installation – Hosted chat software. Smartsupp is fully hosted on their servers; so you do not have to manage anything additional.
• Agent module options – Smartsupp agent module is available for Browser, Desktop & Mobile devices.
• Canned Responses – Yes. You can store & recall a pre-made answer to a popular question.
• Message Sneak-peek – Everything that a visitor is typing in the chat window is visible even if they don’t send it over.
• Pre-Chat & Post-Chat Survey – Yes.
• Offline messages – Yes. Message left when you were offline will be automatically sent to configured email id.
• Agent rating facility – Yes.
• Visitor details – Yes. Name, email address, location, currently viewed pages, browser type and operating system.
• Visitor tracking – Monitor visitors on your Smartsupp chat at any given time.
• Chat transfers between agents – Yes. You can transfer your chat to other agents.
• Chat tagging – Available on paid plans.
• File sharing with website visitors – Unknown.
• Intelligent chat distribution – No.
• Manual chat distribution – Yes.
• Work scheduler – Available on paid plans, see the plans page.
• Ticketing System – Not Available.
• Statistics and Reporting –
  • Google analytics report, chat history and agent rating on paid plans.
  • Higher plans add detailed statistics of chat activity and performance of every agent (1st response time, number of missed chats, average rating and much more).
• Ecommerce tracking – No.
• Engagement features –
  • Includes automated greeting messages, proactive chats, mobile chat window, email notification, sound and visual notification.
• Smartsupp chat security features –
  • 256-bit SSL secured connection – Chat connectivity is secured by SSL connection.
  • Visitor banning – Yes. You can ban and unban disruptive visitors.
  • Credit Card Masking – N/A.
  • Login with Social Media – N/A.
  • IP based access restrictions – N/A.
• Chat customization – Available on paid plans.
  • Chat window translation
  • Popup or embedded live chat window
  • Themes selection
  • Chat window css customization
  • Custom logo in chat window
  • Chat buttons and white label
  • Hide chat widget when you are not online or take a message
• Administrative features –
  • Assigning user roles (administrative or agent), create departments and groups, operating hours, automatic message as per page view.
  • Higher plans add chat activity and performance of every agent (1st response time, number of missed chats, average rating) and high load distribution.
• Chat integration features –
  • Addons / Integrations – Smartsupp can be easily integrated with many 3rd party addons Binargon, Rocketoo, Soteshop and much more.
  • API – Offers extended APIs.
  • Shopify Plugin – Yes.
  • Shoper Plugin – Yes.
  • Open2B Plugin – Yes.
• Chat archives –
  • Chat history – Yes, with unlimited chat archival on paid plans.
  • Email transcripts – Yes.
• Premium features –
  • Visitor Screen Recording – Yes. Smartsupp markets live chat, chatbots and video recordings together.
  • Video live chat – Not available.
  • Audio live chat – Not available.
  • Screen Sharing – Not available.
  • Co-Browsing – Not available.
  • Chatbot – Yes. Mira AI is a separately priced add-on, according to a May 2026 comparison.

Pricing

• They have a multi-tier plan and the basic plan is free.
• Free plan is free forever with unlimited agents and 25 conversations a month.
• Paid plans add features like unlimited chat history, visitor recording, automatic messages and Google analytics, and some tiers meter AI reply assists. Discounts are available with annual signups.
• Paid prices differ between recent sources, and plan names have changed. One comparison lists Standard at $20 and Pro at $30 a month on annual billing, with Ultimate from $239. Another lists Standard at $14 and Pro at $24. Open Smartsupp’s pricing page for the current numbers before you buy.

8. PureChat – Simple Live Chat Software for Small Business Sites

Best for: small sites that want a simple tool with a flat monthly price.

PureChat is a live chat software for small and mid-size businesses. An earlier version of this guide called it free with unlimited agents and chats. That is out of date: PureChat’s pricing page now lists a 30-day trial of the PRO plan and no permanent free tier, although some directories still show an older free plan. The PureChat app is available for iOS (Apple) and Android. Custom colors and agent photo bring the personal feel to the experience. It also captures and stores all of your visitor information. Integrates with social media and other e-com services.

With a simple, intuitive interface, you and your customer will find PureChat a breeze to use. The box is unobtrusive and scalable.

Features

• Offers a Free Live Chat Plan? – No permanent free plan today. PureChat offers a 30-day free trial of the PRO plan, and after the trial you must subscribe to continue.
• Multiple Website Support – Yes. The PRO plan supports unlimited websites with 10 users and 1,000 SMS messages, according to a recent pricing guide.
• Hosted chat or standalone installation – PureChat is a Hosted chat software, so you do not have to worry about installation.
• Agent module options – PureChat agent module is available for Browser, & Mobile devices.
• Canned Responses – Yes. You can create canned response shortcuts for pre-made answer to common question.
• Message Sneak-peek – Everything that a visitor is typing in the chat window is visible even if they don’t send it over.
• Pre-Chat & Post-Chat Survey – Yes.
• Offline messages – Yes. Message left when agents are offline will be automatically sent to a pre-configured email.
• Agent rating facility – Yes.
• Visitor details – Yes. Name, email address, location, currently viewed pages and more.
• Visitor tracking – Real-time analytics and visitor tracking are part of the PRO plan.
• Chat transfers between agents – Yes. You can transfer your chat to other agents.
• Chat tagging – Yes.
• File sharing with website visitors – Yes, agents and visitors can share files with each other which helps to resolve the issue.
• Intelligent chat distribution – No.
• Manual chat distribution – Yes.
• Work scheduler – Yes.
• Ticketing System – No.
• Statistics and Reporting –
  • You can check chat volume, average chat duration, first response time, user satisfaction, missed chat and offline messages. When agents are not available, it will take the information and forward to a preconfigured email account.
• Ecommerce tracking – No.
• Engagement features –
  • PureChat software includes automated greeting messages, proactive chats, mobile chat window and trigger based actions for visitors.
• Live chat security features –
  • 256-bit SSL secured connection – Chat connectivity is secured by SSL connection.
  • Visitor banning – Yes. You can ban and unban disruptive visitors by their IP.
  • Credit Card Masking – No.
  • Login with Social Media – No.
  • IP based access restrictions – No.
• Chat customization –
  • Chat window translation
  • Popup or embedded live chat window
  • Themes selection
  • Chat window css customization
  • Custom logo in chat window
  • Chat buttons and white label is available.
  • Upgrade to the PRO plan to remove branding.
• Administrative features –
  • Assigning user roles (administrative, power users or agent), creating departments, showing online and offline status, creating and managing triggers.
• Chat integration features –
  • Addons / Integrations – PureChat can be easily integrated with many 3rd party addons like Zapier, Infusionsoft, axosoft etc.
  • API – Offers extended APIs.
  • Java Script – Yes, Java Script Api available.
  • WordPress Plugin – Yes.
  • Magento Plugin – No.
  • Opencart Plugin – No.
• Chat archives –
  • Chat history – Yes, with transcripts stored for review.
  • Email transcripts – Yes.
• Premium features –
  • Video live chat – No.
  • Audio live chat – No.
  • Screen Sharing – No.
  • Auto Chat Translation – No.
  • Co-Browsing – No.
  • Visitor Screen Recording – No.
  • SMS notifications – Yes, on the PRO plan.

Pricing

• They have two tiers of plans and are differentiated by features.
• Growth – $39 a month on annual billing, or $49 billed monthly.
• PRO plan – $79 a month on annual billing, or $99 billed monthly. It removes branding, adds SMS notifications and visitor tracking, and supports unlimited websites with 10 users.
• The 30-day free trial covers the PRO plan.
• PureChat’s prices were last seen on its pricing page in May 2026, so confirm them before you buy.

9. Userlike – Live Chat and Customer Messaging for Your Business

Best for: European teams where WhatsApp and other messaging apps are central to support.

Userlike is software for live chat and messaging support for businesses looking to enhance their customer support. With Userlike, you can chat with your customers right from your website and via popular messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram and SMS. It is priced in euros, and a 2026 comparison now calls it Lime Connect, formerly Userlike, so expect the name to change.

Hosted in Germany, Userlike makes data privacy a top priority and is GDPR compliant, according to the earlier version of this guide.

Their software is user-friendly, easy to navigate and implementing the widget takes only a couple of minutes.

Features

• Does Userlike offer a free live chat plan? – Yes. The Free plan includes one operator, one chat widget and unlimited chats. A free trial gives you Corporate-plan features before the account drops back to Free.
• Multiple Website Support – Yes, you can integrate the Chat Widget on multiple websites, within the widget limit of your plan.
• Hosted chat or standalone installation – Userlike is a SaaS provider and can’t be used on premises. All personal data is saved and used exclusively in Userlike’s data center provider’s servers in Germany.
• Agent module options – Userlike is available for browsers on desktop as well as mobile.
• Canned Responses – Yes, you can use Userlike’s already created canned responses or create your own unique to your company.
• Message Sneak-peek – Yes, agents can see what visitors are typing before they send the message.
• Pre-Chat & Post-Chat Survey – Yes.
• Offline messages – Yes. Visitors can message you when you’re offline on your website as well as via Facebook Messenger, SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. You can find your offline messages in the Message Center and Dashboard.
• Agent rating facility – Yes.
• Visitor details – Yes. Agents can view details like visitor’s name, email address, location and more.
• Visitor tracking – Yes, if enabled, it can be used within the widget.
• Chat transfers between agents – Yes.
• Chat tagging – Yes.
• File sharing with website visitors – Yes, agents can send files to visitors and visitors can also send them to agents.
• Intelligent chat distribution – Yes, visitors will be routed to a chat agent they’ve previously chatted with.
• Manual chat distribution – Yes, currently only with conversations that come outside of service hours.
• Work scheduler – Service times only determine your widget’s offline behavior, but operators who are online will take precedence.
• Ticketing System – No, but you can integrate Userlike with business tools that allow you to create tickets based on your incoming chat inquiries.
• Statistics and Reporting – Yes, via Userlike Analytics. Check which plan includes the reports you need.
• Ecommerce tracking – Yes, you can create goals to measure web page hits during a chat or track events in Google Analytics.
• Engagement features – Users can set proactive chat that triggers after a defined amount of time that a visitor spends on a page.
• Live chat security features –
  • Secured connection – Yes, encrypted via TLS 1.2.
  • Visitor banning – Yes.
  • Credit card masking – Yes.
  • Login with Social Media – No.
  • IP based access restrictions – No.
• Chat customization –
  • Targeted Chat – Yes, features like proactive mode, hide widget, widget integration only on specific pages, and widget router are available.
  • Shopping Cart Saver – Not available.
  • Shortcuts – Yes.
  • Chat window css customization – Not available. However, appearance can be customized in the backend.
  • Custom logo in chat window – Yes.
  • Chat buttons and white label – Yes.
• Administrative features – Assigning users roles (admin or agent), feedback survey reports.
• Chat integration features –
  • Addons / Integrations – You can easily integrate Userlike with various business tools including Helpscout, Pipedrive, Slack, Zendesk and more.
  • API – Yes, API access is available on the higher plans.
  • WordPress Plugin – Yes, a free WordPress plugin is available.
  • Drupal Plugin – Not available.
  • Magento Plugin – Yes.
• Chat archives –
  • Chat history – Yes. The free plan limits access to recent chats, and paid plans give wider access to your chat history.
  • Email transcripts – Yes.
• Premium features –
  • Video live chat – Yes. The website messenger offers voice messages and video calls, according to TrustRadius’ 2026 product summary.
  • Audio live chat – Voice messages are supported.
  • Screen Sharing – Yes, video calls include screen sharing, according to the same summary. An earlier version of this guide listed it as not available.
  • Co-Browsing – Not available.
  • Visitor Screen Recording – Not available.
  • Social Media Integration – Yes. WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram and SMS are listed, and WhatsApp starts on the Team plan.
  • Auto Language Translation – Yes, translations are created automatically with DeepL, according to the earlier version of this guide.
  • Chatbot – Yes. An AI agent and an AI Copilot are paid add-ons from the Team plan.

Pricing

• Userlike lists plans on its pricing page, billed in euros per month:
  • Free – €0. One operator, one chat widget and unlimited chats.
  • Team – from €90 a month on annual billing. WhatsApp starts here with 1,000 support conversations, and the plan includes four seats.
  • Corporate – from €290 a month on annual billing, with ten seats, including skill-based routing and the AI automation features.
  • Flex – custom plans for larger teams. Contact Userlike for details.
• Add-ons cost extra. WhatsApp Campaigns Unlimited, for example, is €39 a month.
• Plans can run for one, twelve or twenty-four months.
• Seats are bundled into each tier, so a growing team steps up a plan.

10. Tawk.to – Free Live Chat Application for Websites

Best for: the tightest budgets, when your own people will answer the chats.

Tawk.to is a free system that lets you chat and monitor the sessions. Fast, reliable, and easy to use with unlimited agents. It is one of the best free live chat software options available in the market.

Features

• Offers a Free Live Chat Plan? – Yes, Tawk.to chat software is completely free with unlimited agents and unlimited chats, plus a knowledge base, tickets and a contacts CRM.
• Hosted chat or standalone installation – Tawk is a Hosted chat software, so you do not have to worry about installation.
• Chat tagging – Yes.
• Intelligent chat distribution – No.
• Work scheduler – Yes.
• Ticketing System – Yes, visitors can create a ticket.
• Statistics and Reporting –
  • You can check chat volume, average chat duration, first response time, user satisfaction, missed chat and offline messages, tickets and their response time. You can also forward the copy of a ticket to a preconfigured email account.
• Ecommerce tracking – No.
• Live chat security features –
  • Credit Card Masking – No.
  • Login with Social Media – No.
  • IP based access restrictions – No.
• Chat customization –
  • Chat window translation
  • Popup or embedded live chat window
  • Themes selection
  • Chat window css customization
  • Custom logo in chat window
  • Chat buttons and white label is a paid add-on. The price differs between recent guides, so check tawk.to’s page.
• Administrative features –
  • Assigning user roles (administrative or agent), creating departments, showing online and offline status, creating and managing triggers.
• Chat integration features –
  • Addons / Integrations – Tawk can be easily integrated with 25+ 3rd party addons like Cayzu Help Desk, CloudFlare App, ShopTill-e and much more.
  • API – Offers extended APIs.
  • Java Script – Yes, Java Script Api available.
  • WordPress Plugin – Yes.
  • Magento Plugin – Yes.
  • Opencart Plugin – Yes.
• Premium features –
  • Video live chat – Yes. Recent guides disagree on whether video and voice are free or a $29 a month add-on, so check tawk.to’s page.
  • Audio live chat – Yes, with the same caveat.
  • Screen Sharing – Yes, with the same caveat.
  • Auto Chat Translation – Not confirmed.
  • Co-Browsing – No.
  • Visitor Screen Recording – No.
  • Chatbot – Yes. AI Assist is a paid add-on, with a small free usage tier according to Tidio’s review of the tool.

Pricing

• The core product is free, with unlimited agents, chats and history.
• AI Assist – starts at $29 a month.
• Remove branding and white label – a paid add-on. Recent guides list different prices, so confirm on tawk.to.
• Hired agents – you can pay tawk.to to supply chat agents. Recent guides put them at around $1 an hour for some options.

Two more live chat tools worth a look: Tidio and Intercom

Two newer names keep appearing in 2026 guides to the best live chat software, so we checked them too. Neither is in the ranked list above, but they may fit your needs.

Tidio suits small online stores. Its free plan has 50 billable conversations a month and up to 10 seats, and WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and email integrations come on every plan. Starter costs $24.17 a month on annual billing.

Its Lyro AI agent gets 50 free conversations once, then starts at $32.50 a month. Online stores also need fast hosting, so look at our cloud WordPress hosting plans.

Intercom centres on Fin, its AI agent. Seat plans run Essential at $29, Advanced at $85 and Expert at $132 per seat a month on annual billing. Fin costs $0.99 per outcome on top, and Intercom does not list a free plan. Model your expected monthly AI outcomes before you commit.

Features to look for in live chat software

Most tools share a core feature set. The best live chat software does these seven things well:

• Shared inbox. Every channel and every teammate works from one queue.
• Routing. Round-robin or rule-based assignment sends each chat to the right person.
• Saved replies and private notes. Agents answer repeat questions fast and share context.
• Proactive chat. Triggers invite visitors to talk based on the page they view.
• AI with human handoff. The AI answers routine questions and passes the rest on with context.
• Reports. First response time, resolution rate and CSAT show whether chat is working.
• Apps and security. Mobile apps, roles and two-factor sign-in keep the team responsive and the data safe.

Not every tool offers all seven on every plan, so check the plan you plan to buy. Free plans often drop reports, proactive triggers or extra channels. Put the shared inbox and AI handoff at the top of your list. Those two features decide how much work your team does by hand each day.

How to choose the best live chat software for your site

Match the tool to your situation, not to the longest feature list.

1. You answer on several channels. Choose AltiDesk, Userlike or Comm100. All three list WhatsApp or other messaging channels.
2. You have a growing team. Avoid per-agent pricing if you can. AltiDesk and tawk.to don’t charge per person.
3. You want AI to deflect repeat questions. Compare AI billing first. AltiDesk meters replies, and several others bill AI as an add-on.
4. You need tickets, calls and chat together. Look at LiveAgent or Zendesk.
5. You run a store with tight margins. Start with a free plan from AltiDesk, Chatra, Smartsupp or tawk.to, and upgrade when volume proves the need.

Here is a quick example. A three-person store team with WhatsApp and Instagram leads pays $19 a month on AltiDesk Starter. The same team on LiveChat Team pays $147 a month, and on Zendesk Suite Team $165.

What to check before you buy live chat software

Price tables hide the real bill. A five-agent team pays very different amounts for the same chat bubble. The figures below use published annual-billing prices, before AI usage and tax. Smartsupp and PureChat are left out because their seat pricing is unclear.

Then check four more things:

• Usage limits. Chatra caps free chats. Tidio caps conversations and AI. AltiDesk caps AI replies. Know which limit you will hit first.
• Channel access. AltiDesk’s free plan covers one channel. Userlike’s WhatsApp starts on Team. Confirm that the channels you need come with the plan you want.
• Page speed. A chat widget adds code to every page. Test your site with our free site speed checker before and after you install one.

A faster host also helps your pages load before the widget appears. See our web hosting and WordPress hosting plans. For the email channel, a business email hosting plan keeps replies on your own domain.

Things to remember while choosing live chat software

Make sure you can track and report all chat experiences. Analytics that tell you who’s using your system: why, when and where. Who are your repeat customers? How long does each session last? Use the data to maximize the benefits to your bottom line.

Pick and choose who can chat, when they can chat, and what happens when you’re not available. Proactively invite customers to chat, make them feel wanted.

Understand what features you’re paying for, how much you’re paying, and ensure your system is right-sized for today and scalable for tomorrow. Many plans offer free trials – don’t be afraid to experiment.

Infographics: Top 12 Must-Have LiveChat Features [Quick Visual Guide]

Best Live Chat Software with Screen Sharing Feature

Screen sharing is an advanced feature which allows you to see and access the entire screen (not limited to the browser) of the other party. You can easily control, make changes and use the other screen as their wisdom. Read our blog post about the most popular live chat with screen sharing software. In this guide, Comm100, Chatra (through the Median Screenshare app), LiveChat (through add-ons), Userlike and tawk.to list screen sharing in some form, so check the plan and add-on details above.

Our Methodology

Administrator tools allow your developers to customize the experience to your business. Put your business’s reputation and mission statement right up front where it can be seen with every chat experience. Integrate with other software, perhaps some of you already use. This enables a seamless experience for your operators.

Help and support are always available – to make sure your questions are answered, and that you achieve the full uptime your business deserves. Best of all, treat your customers to a one-on-one experience that will leave them wanting more.

For this update we scored all ten tools on the same checklist: free plan, how you pay, cheapest paid plan, channels, AI and the feature list shown for each tool above. See “How we compared these live chat tools” near the top for how we checked prices.

Frequently asked questions

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

It depends on your channels and team size. AltiDesk, Chatra, Smartsupp, Userlike and tawk.to all have free plans, so you can test with real chats first. Pick AltiDesk if you want one inbox for WhatsApp, Instagram and email without per-agent fees.

Is there free live chat software worth using?

Yes, several. AltiDesk’s free plan has unlimited seats, 300 AI replies and one channel. tawk.to’s core product is free with unlimited agents and chats. Chatra, Smartsupp and Userlike also have free plans with caps on agents, conversations or operators.

Do live chat tools charge per agent?

Many do. LiveChat, LiveAgent, Comm100, Zendesk and Chatra price per agent. AltiDesk includes unlimited seats on every plan. tawk.to doesn’t charge for agents on its free core product.

Which live chat software handles WhatsApp and Instagram?

The best live chat software for those channels depends on your plan. AltiDesk lists WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, email and Shopify. Userlike offers WhatsApp from its Team plan, and Comm100’s AI Agent lists many messaging channels. Check which channels your plan includes before you pay.

How much does AI cost in live chat tools?

It varies by model. AltiDesk includes AI replies in each plan, from 300 on Free to 25,000 on Scale. Tidio sells Lyro from $32.50 a month, and Intercom charges $0.99 per Fin outcome. Estimate your monthly volume first.

Will a live chat widget slow my website?

It can add some load, so test it. Run your pages through the free Google page experience checker before and after installing the widget.

Conclusion

Live Chat brings a richness to your business that other forms of communication lack. Your customers will feel that they are important to you, as you provide instant service. Take advantage of customizations to show off your brand at the same time. And with a full menu of options, you can buy just the amount of service you need. So you can stick to your budget while providing excellent customer service. And that’s a win for everyone!

The best live chat software is the one your team can afford to keep answering. For a free, multi-channel inbox with no per-agent fees, AltiDesk is our pick. This list of the best live chat software covers every budget, from free plans to enterprise suites. LiveChat and Zendesk suit teams that want proven per-agent tools, LiveAgent suits help desk needs, Comm100 and Userlike suit messaging-heavy teams, and tawk.to suits the tightest budgets.

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