How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- Nobody loves a chat widget, but the numbers do not care: the shortlist is Crisp (free for 2 seats), Tidio (free, then $24.17/month) and Freshchat (free for 10 agents) for budget teams, and LiveChat ($19/agent/month) for the proven standalone.
- Intercom ($29/seat/month) and Zendesk ($55/agent/month) are the enterprise-grade options; both now bundle AI agents that bill per conversation on top of seats.
- Drift is being sunset and should not be bought; existing customers are migrating to the named successor.
- Price per seat, not the headline plan: a 10-agent team costs $190/month on LiveChat Starter, $290 on Intercom Essential, and $0 on Crisp or Freshchat free tiers.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Intercom | Companies that want AI-first customer support | $29/seat/month (Essential, billed annually; $39 monthly) | Free trial (14 days); no free plan |
 Zendesk | Teams already running their support on Zendesk | $55/agent/month (Suite Team, billed annually; $69 monthly) | Free trial (14 days); no free plan |
 Drift | Existing customers planning migration (not for new buyers) | See website (product is being sunset) | No (no new sales) |
 Crisp | Startups and SMBs that want the most value per dollar | $0 (Free, 2 seats); Mini $45/workspace/month (4 seats) | Yes (permanent free plan, 2 seats) |
 Tidio | Small businesses that want live chat plus an AI agent in one bill | $0 (Free, 50 conversations/month); Starter $24.17/month (billed annually) | Yes (Free plan); 7-day trial on paid plans |
 LiveChat | Businesses that want the proven standalone chat platform | $19/agent/month (Starter, billed annually; $25 monthly) | Free trial (14 days, no credit card); no free plan |
 Freshchat | Teams that want a generous free tier with room to grow | $0 (Free, up to 10 agents); Growth $19/agent/month (billed annually) | Yes (Free plan, up to 10 agents) |
 Olark | Businesses wanting simple live chat, or an AI website agent | $29/agent/month (Live Chat Only plan) | Free trial (no credit card); no free plan |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best live chat software
Nobody loves a chat widget. Visitors tolerate it, agents live in it, and owners pay for it while suspecting half the conversations could have been a FAQ page. Yet removing live chat measurably hurts conversion on pricing and checkout pages, which is why every serious SMB ends up buying one. The eight tools below cover the real market: free widgets, per-seat platforms, AI agents, and one product you should not buy anymore.
Starting price$29/seat/month (Essential, billed annually; $39 monthly)
Free planFree trial (14 days); no free plan
Intercom rebuilt itself around AI. The Fin agent resolves customer conversations on its own at $0.99 per resolved conversation, sitting on top of per-seat pricing that starts at $29 a seat on Essential. For companies with high chat volume and repetitive questions, the automation genuinely deflects tickets that used to need humans. Advanced and Expert tiers add the workflow depth larger teams need.
The billing is the thing to model. Seats plus per-resolution fees plus the Copilot add-on ($29 a seat) means the invoice has three moving parts, and finance teams consistently underestimate it. There is no free plan. If AI deflection is your strategy and you have the volume to justify it, Intercom leads. If you need five humans answering chats, the per-seat platforms below cost less.
What we like- Fin AI agent resolves conversations autonomously at $0.99 per resolution
- Strong automation and help center in one platform
- Scales from startup to enterprise
Watch out for- Per-seat pricing plus per-resolution AI fees stack up fast
- No free plan and the real cost is hard to predict
Starting price$55/agent/month (Suite Team, billed annually; $69 monthly)
Free planFree trial (14 days); no free plan
Zendesk Chat does not exist as a standalone product anymore; chat and messaging come bundled in the Zendesk Suite starting at $55 an agent on the Team plan. For teams already on Zendesk, that bundling is convenient: chat, email, voice and knowledge base share one agent workspace and one reporting layer. Suite Growth and Professional add the automation and analytics larger operations need.
For everyone else, it is an expensive way to buy a chat widget. Fifty-five dollars a seat for chat alone is double the standalone specialists, and you inherit the Suite's complexity. The buying logic is simple: if Zendesk is already your support platform, use its chat. If it is not, do not buy a suite to get a widget.
What we like- Chat and messaging bundled into the full Suite with ticketing, knowledge base and voice
- Strong enterprise administration and reporting
- Huge app marketplace
Watch out for- Standalone Zendesk Chat is no longer sold, so chat means buying the Suite
- $55 a seat is expensive if you only need chat
#3
Drift
Best for: Existing customers planning migration (not for new buyers)
Visit drift.com
Starting priceSee website (product is being sunset)
Free planNo (no new sales)
Drift is on this list as a warning. The owner announced the sunset in March 2026 and named 1mind as the successor product; existing customers are being migrated and no new sales are happening. If you are evaluating live chat today, skip this entry and choose from the other seven.
If you are an existing Drift customer, start migration planning now. Inventory your playbooks, targeting rules and integrations, because conversational marketing logic does not transfer automatically between platforms. The named successor is the path of least resistance, but the sunset is also a natural moment to re-evaluate whether Intercom's AI or a simpler tool fits better. Do not renew a long contract without a migration plan attached.
What we like- Pioneered conversational marketing for B2B
- Existing customers get a named migration path
- Playbooks and targeting were category-defining
Watch out for- Sunset announced March 2026 by owner Clari/Salesloft
- No new customers accepted
- Historical pricing (~$2,500/month) is irrelevant now
#4
Crisp
Best for: Startups and SMBs that want the most value per dollar
Visit crisp.chat
Starting price$0 (Free, 2 seats); Mini $45/workspace/month (4 seats)
Free planYes (permanent free plan, 2 seats)
Crisp is the value champion, and the pricing model is why. Plans charge per workspace, not per seat: Mini at $45 a month covers 4 seats, Essentials at $95 covers 10, and extra seats are $10 each. A 10-person support team pays $95 on Crisp versus $290 on Intercom Essential or $550 on Zendesk Team. The free plan for 2 seats is genuinely usable, not a demo.
The trade is automation depth. AI credits are included per plan but cost extra at scale, and the workflow builder is simpler than the enterprise tools. For most SMBs that is fine; they need a shared inbox, a decent widget and sane pricing, all of which Crisp delivers. If your support operation runs on complex routing and bots, look upmarket. Otherwise start here.
What we like- Genuine free plan for small teams
- Per-workspace pricing (not per seat) keeps costs predictable
- Shared inbox covers chat, email and social
Watch out for- AI features consume credits that cost extra at scale
- Advanced automation lags Intercom and Zendesk
#5
Tidio
Best for: Small businesses that want live chat plus an AI agent in one bill
Visit tidio.com
Starting price$0 (Free, 50 conversations/month); Starter $24.17/month (billed annually)
Free planYes (Free plan); 7-day trial on paid plans
Tidio bundles the two things small businesses actually buy: human chat and an AI agent. The free plan covers 50 billable conversations a month, Starter at $24.17 adds capacity, and the Lyro AI add-on (from $32.50 a month) answers routine questions from your own content. Setup is aimed at owners, not developers, and most stores are live the same day.
Watch the billing unit. Conversation-based pricing means a traffic spike raises the bill, unlike per-seat tools where the price is fixed. High-traffic sites should price the Growth tier, not Starter. For a small business that wants both human chat and AI answers without enterprise complexity, Tidio is the simplest package on the list.
What we like- Free plan covers 50 billable conversations a month
- Lyro AI agent answers from your content starting at $32.50 a month
- Quick setup aimed at non-technical owners
Watch out for- Conversation-based billing punishes high-traffic sites
- Advanced features sit on Growth and Plus tiers
#6
LiveChat
Best for: Businesses that want the proven standalone chat platform
Visit livechat.com
Starting price$19/agent/month (Starter, billed annually; $25 monthly)
Free planFree trial (14 days, no credit card); no free plan
LiveChat is the specialist that never tried to become a suite. The agent workspace is polished from years of iteration, the tier ladder ($19 Starter, $49 Team, $79 Business) is transparent, and the 14-day trial needs no credit card. Ticketing and knowledge base integrations cover the basics, and the ecosystem of add-ons is mature.
Two costs hide in the fine print. There is no free plan, and the ChatBot add-on bills separately from $52 a month, so AI automation is a second subscription. Per-seat pricing still scales linearly with team size. For a business that wants reliable human chat with professional tooling and no suite baggage, LiveChat remains the reference choice. It does one thing well and charges honestly for it.
What we like- Longest track record in the category with polished agent tools
- Sensible tier ladder from $19 to $79 a seat
- Strong ticketing, knowledge base and chatbot add-ons
Watch out for- No free plan
- The ChatBot add-on is a separate subscription
- Per-seat costs add up for large teams
Starting price$0 (Free, up to 10 agents); Growth $19/agent/month (billed annually)
Free planYes (Free plan, up to 10 agents)
Freshchat's free plan is the headline: 10 agents at $0, which covers most SMB support teams entirely. When you outgrow it, Growth at $19 a seat matches LiveChat's entry price, with Pro and Enterprise above. Being part of Freshworks means the path to a full support suite (Freshdesk, Freshsales) is open if you need it later.
The free tier is deliberately limited in features, and Freddy AI sessions at $49 per 100 add a usage meter to automation. But as a free starting point with a sane upgrade path, nothing else matches it: 10 free agents is enough to run production support while you evaluate. If budget is the constraint, start here and upgrade when a specific feature blocks you.
What we like- Free plan covers 10 agents, the most generous in the category
- Sensible growth path through Growth, Pro and Enterprise tiers
- Freddy AI available for automation
Watch out for- Free tier limits features that paid plans unlock
- Freddy AI sessions bill at $49 per 100 sessions on top
#8
Olark
Best for: Businesses wanting simple live chat, or an AI website agent
Visit olark.com
Starting price$29/agent/month (Live Chat Only plan)
Free planFree trial (no credit card); no free plan
Olark keeps it simple: a clean chat widget, quick setup, $29 an agent, done. For businesses that tried the platforms and found them bloated, that simplicity is the feature. The newer Standard AI Website Agent tier at $400 a month flips the model: unlimited AI conversations with one human seat included, aimed at sites where the AI handles the volume.
The middle is thin. Between basic chat and the $400 AI tier there is not much product, and the feature set is basic next to Crisp or Tidio at similar prices. But simplicity has a market: if you want a chat box on your site this afternoon without learning a platform, Olark delivers exactly that.
What we like- Dead-simple chat widget with fast setup
- AI Website Agent tier ($400/month) offers unlimited AI conversations
- Lightweight and easy to customize
Watch out for- Feature set is basic next to platform competitors
- The AI tier at $400 a month is priced for serious volume
Frequently asked questions
How much does live chat software cost?
From $0 to $550-plus a month for a 10-agent team. Crisp free, Tidio free and Freshchat free all cover small teams at $0. LiveChat Starter runs $190, Intercom Essential $290, Zendesk Suite Team $550. AI agents add per-conversation fees on top: Intercom's Fin at $0.99 per resolution, Tidio's Lyro from $32.50 a month.
Do I need an AI chatbot or is human chat enough?
It depends on volume and repetition. Under a few hundred chats a month with varied questions, humans are cheaper and better. Above that, or when the same ten questions repeat daily, an AI agent deflecting routine chats pays for itself. Start with human chat, measure which questions repeat, then add AI for exactly those.
What is the difference between per-seat and per-workspace pricing?
Per-seat (Intercom, Zendesk, LiveChat) charges for every agent login, so the bill grows with team size. Per-workspace (Crisp) charges a flat rate covering a set of seats, so adding agents within the band is free. Conversation-based (Tidio) charges by chat volume regardless of seats. For large teams with steady volume, per-workspace is usually cheapest; for small teams, per-seat is fine.
Can live chat integrate with my CRM?
Yes, on all the paid platforms here. Intercom, Zendesk, Crisp, LiveChat and Freshchat all offer native CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce) plus Zapier for everything else. The depth varies: Zendesk and Intercom sync the richest data, while the simpler tools sync contacts and transcripts. Check the specific integration before buying, not just the logo on the integrations page.
Should I worry about Drift shutting down?
Only if you are a Drift customer. New buyers should simply not evaluate it. Existing customers should plan migration now: inventory playbooks and integrations, evaluate the named successor or alternatives like Intercom, and avoid long renewals without a migration plan.
Per-seat math: the only comparison that matters
Chat pricing pages advertise the entry tier, but your bill is seats times rate plus AI fees. Run the actual numbers for your team size: 5 agents cost $95 on LiveChat Starter, $145 on Intercom Essential, $275 on Zendesk Team, $45 on Crisp Mini, and $0 on Freshchat or Crisp free. At 20 agents the ranking changes completely, and per-workspace pricing starts winning by a wide margin.
Then add the AI layer. Intercom's Fin at $0.99 per resolved conversation can exceed the seat bill for high-volume sites; 1,000 resolutions a month is $990 on top of seats. Tidio's Lyro is a flat add-on, which is more predictable. Model your monthly conversation volume through each vendor's AI pricing before you commit, because the AI line item is where chat budgets actually break.
How we chose
We started with the categories buyers actually search: live chat software, live chat tools, and website chat widgets. For each candidate we checked the vendor's own pricing page, verified plan names and prices against recent pricing roundups and public reviews on G2 and Capterra, and compared feature lists, free tier limits and team-size fit. Where a price could not be verified on the vendor's page we wrote "See website" rather than guessing. The shortlist mixes free widgets with enterprise platforms, because a freelancer and a 200-person support team are not buying the same thing.
The AI agent question
Every vendor on this list now sells an AI agent alongside human chat, and the pricing models differ more than the technology. Intercom charges per resolved conversation, Tidio charges a flat monthly add-on, Freshchat charges per session bundle, and Olark offers unlimited AI conversations at a flat $400. The right model depends entirely on your volume: low volume favors per-conversation billing, high volume favors flat rates.
The honest advice is to buy human chat first and add AI second. AI agents are only as good as your help content, and deploying one on a thin knowledge base produces confident wrong answers. Get the chat running, build the FAQ from real conversations, then point the AI at it. Teams that do it in that order report deflection rates worth paying for; teams that buy the AI first usually turn it off.
Sources we checked (10)
- https://www.intercom.com/pricing/
- https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/
- https://www.drift.com/pricing/
- https://crisp.chat/en/pricing/
- https://www.tidio.com/pricing/
- https://www.livechat.com/pricing/
- https://www.freshworks.com/freshchat/pricing/
- https://www.olark.com/pricing/
- https://www.g2.com/categories/live-chat
- https://www.capterra.com/live-chat-software/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.