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
- Most small businesses should start with Tidio ($29/month) or Crisp ($45/month per workspace): both have free plans and published prices.
- Already running HubSpot CRM? Its free live chat puts every conversation on the contact timeline at no cost.
- B2B SaaS teams with real volume belong on Intercom ($29/seat/month) or Zendesk ($55/agent/month), where the AI agent features justify the price.
- Drift publishes no prices and sells to enterprise sales teams; skip it unless one chat conversation can close a five-figure deal.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Tidio | Small ecommerce stores and service sites | $29/month (Starter, 100 billable conversations) | Yes (50 conversations per month, 10 seats) |
 Crisp | Startups and small teams wanting one shared inbox | $45/month per workspace (Mini, 4 seats) | Yes (2 seats, live chat, no AI) |
 Intercom | B2B SaaS teams doing product-led support and sales | $29/seat/month billed annually (Essential) + $0.99 per Fin AI resolution | No (14-day free trial) |
 LiveChat | Support desks and sales teams wanting a proven tool | $19/agent/month billed annually ($25 monthly, Starter) | No (14-day free trial, no card required) |
 Zendesk | Support teams growing into tickets, knowledge base and omnichannel | $55/agent/month billed annually (Suite Team) | No (14-day free trial) |
 HubSpot | Small businesses already running or adopting HubSpot CRM | Free CRM with live chat; Service Hub Starter from $20/month | Yes (live chat included with the free CRM) |
 Olark | Small service businesses wanting a simple, brandable chat box | $29/agent/month (Live Chat Only) | No (14-day free trial) |
 Drift | B2B teams where one chat conversation can close a five-figure deal | See website (custom quote) | No (demo only) |
Is your product missing or out of date?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 for small business
Most small businesses buy too much chat software. A local service company does not need AI resolutions billed at ninety-nine cents each, and a Shopify store does not need an enterprise sales playbook engine. What a small team needs is a chat box that loads fast, routes to the right person, and costs a predictable amount. These eight tools cover the real options, from free widgets to full helpdesks, with the pricing math worked out.
Starting price$29/month (Starter, 100 billable conversations)
Free planYes (50 conversations per month, 10 seats)
Tidio is the default pick for small online stores, and the reason is the Shopify integration. Order actions like refunds and edits happen inside the chat, and setup is a one-line script or a Shopify app install done in minutes. The free plan is genuinely usable: 50 conversations a month across 10 seats, enough for a store doing steady but not massive volume.
The catch is the metering. Human conversations, Lyro AI conversations, and Flows automation visitors are counted separately, so the real monthly cost is the plan plus add-ons. Model all three before you commit, especially if you plan to lean on the AI agent. For a service business website with modest chat volume, the free or Starter plan is one of the cheapest serious options on this list.
What we like- Free plan covers 50 conversations a month with 10 seats
- Per-conversation pricing keeps small teams cheap
- Native Shopify actions like refunds and order edits built in
Watch out for- Lyro AI agent and Flows automations are billed separately
- Removing "Powered by Tidio" branding costs extra
- Conversation quotas mean costs climb with volume
#2
Crisp
Best for: Startups and small teams wanting one shared inbox
Visit crisp.chat
Starting price$45/month per workspace (Mini, 4 seats)
Free planYes (2 seats, live chat, no AI)
If your team talks to customers on five channels and hates per-seat math, Crisp is the answer. One flat $45 per workspace per month covers the website, email, WhatsApp, Instagram and SMS in a single inbox, with a CRM included. Co-browsing, which lets an agent see and guide a visitor's screen, comes standard rather than as a premium add-on.
Watch the profile caps, not the seat count. The tiers limit total customer profiles (100 on the free plan, scaling up to 200,000), and a lead-capture pipeline can hit that ceiling before you add a fifth seat. The chatbot builder sits on Essentials at $95. For a startup that wants every conversation in one place without surprises, the flat workspace price is the draw.
What we like- Flat per-workspace pricing stays predictable as teams grow
- One inbox covers website chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram and SMS
- Co-browsing is built in at a price rivals charge extra for
Watch out for- Chatbot builder and advanced automations need the $95 Essentials plan
- Customer-profile caps can bite lead capture before seats do
- AI beyond included credits is metered
#3
Intercom
Best for: B2B SaaS teams doing product-led support and sales
Visit intercom.com
Starting price$29/seat/month billed annually (Essential) + $0.99 per Fin AI resolution
Free planNo (14-day free trial)
Intercom earns its price inside the product. For a SaaS company, the Messenger SDK puts support, onboarding and sales conversations where users already are, and the Fin AI agent resolves a large share of routine questions without a human. The helpdesk, help center and automation around it make this a platform, not a widget.
The billing is where small teams get burned. The $0.99 per Fin resolution is usage-based, so a month of heavy AI traffic can cost more than the seats. Model resolutions per month before buying, and set alerts. Setup takes days to do well: SDK install, help content import, workflow design. If your product has hundreds of users asking the same questions, the math works. If you have a brochure site, it does not.
What we like- Best-in-class in-app messaging for SaaS products
- Fin AI agent automates a large share of routine conversations
- Deep helpdesk, help center and automation ecosystem
Watch out for- The $0.99 per-resolution AI fee can exceed the seat cost at volume
- Monthly bills often surprise small teams
- Entry pricing sits above most SMB chat tools
#4
LiveChat
Best for: Support desks and sales teams wanting a proven tool
Visit livechat.com
Starting price$19/agent/month billed annually ($25 monthly, Starter)
Free planNo (14-day free trial, no card required)
Twenty years of iteration shows in the agent workspace. LiveChat (now part of Text) is the tool you pick when you want chat to simply work: fast widget, solid routing, ticketing and automation that do not need a consultant to configure. The 200-plus integrations cover Shopify, HubSpot, Salesforce and Zendesk.
Two things to price honestly. First, per-agent billing means a three-shift support desk pays three times the headline number. Second, the AI features live in separate Text products with their own pricing, so the $19 headline does not include the AI upsell. Setup is a widget install plus routing rules, doable in an afternoon. For a team that wants a dependable, published-price chat tool without platform lock-in, this is the safe pick.
What we like- Mature, polished chat workflows refined over two decades
- Strong reliability and uptime reputation
- Broad native integrations including Shopify and major CRMs
Watch out for- AI chat features are sold as separate products, not bundled
- Per-agent pricing adds up with shift coverage
- No free plan for long-term testing
#5
Zendesk
Best for: Support teams growing into tickets, knowledge base and omnichannel
Visit zendesk.com
Starting price$55/agent/month billed annually (Suite Team)
Free planNo (14-day free trial)
Zendesk makes sense when chat is the first step, not the whole plan. The Suite puts chat, email, voice, a knowledge base and AI agents in one agent workspace, so a team that starts with chat today can add tickets and self-service tomorrow without migrating. The AI agent pricing is published ($1.50 per resolution committed), which is more transparent than most.
Do not buy the Suite for chat alone. At $55 per agent per month, a chat-only team overpays versus Tidio or Crisp, and the learning curve is real. Implementation ranges from days for the chat widget to weeks for a full suite with triggers and automations. Annual contracts are typical. Buy Zendesk when you can see the roadmap to a real support operation; otherwise start smaller.
What we like- Chat sits inside a full helpdesk with ticketing, knowledge base and voice
- AI agents with published per-resolution pricing ($1.50 committed)
- Scales from startup to enterprise on one platform
Watch out for- $55 per agent is steep for chat-only use
- The suite's breadth means a steeper learning curve
- Advanced AI and routing need higher tiers
#6
HubSpot
Best for: Small businesses already running or adopting HubSpot CRM
Visit hubspot.com
Starting priceFree CRM with live chat; Service Hub Starter from $20/month
Free planYes (live chat included with the free CRM)
The pitch is simple: your chats enrich your CRM automatically. A visitor chats, and the conversation attaches to their contact record alongside every email, form fill and page view, all inside HubSpot's free CRM. For a small business already on HubSpot, or willing to be, this is the obvious starting point at zero marginal cost.
The free story ends where automation begins. Real chatbot flows, advanced routing and multiple pipelines need Service Hub, starting at $20 per month for Starter and $90 per seat for Pro. Costs also compound as you add Marketing, Sales and Service hubs. Setup is minutes with the tracking code plus a CRM import. If you are not a HubSpot shop and do not want to become one, the free chat alone is not a reason to switch.
What we like- Every chat lands on a shared contact timeline in the free CRM
- Genuinely free entry with no per-agent chat fee
- Strong inbound marketing tie-in
Watch out for- Advanced routing, bots and automation need paid Service Hub tiers
- Costs rise as you stack HubSpot hubs
- Free tier has usage limits
#7
Olark
Best for: Small service businesses wanting a simple, brandable chat box
Visit olark.com
Starting price$29/agent/month (Live Chat Only)
Free planNo (14-day free trial)
Olark does one thing and has done it for years: a chat box you can brand to match your site, with an agent interface that needs no training. For a law firm, clinic or home-services company that wants visitors to reach a human fast, the simplicity is the feature. PowerUp add-ons let you bolt on extras without migrating.
The value question is real. At $29 per agent per month for a single-purpose widget, Olark costs more than Crisp's whole multichannel workspace, and the AI Website Agent add-on at $400 per month is priced for someone else entirely. Fewer native channels means you will juggle separate tools for WhatsApp or Instagram. Pick Olark if you want the simplest possible chat box from a vendor with a long SMB history; price it against Crisp before you commit.
What we like- Simple, highly customizable chat widget with a long SMB track record
- PowerUp add-ons extend it without switching tools
- Straightforward agent UI anyone can learn
Watch out for- $29 per agent is expensive for a single-purpose widget
- The AI Website Agent add-on runs $400/month annually
- Fewer native channels than omnichannel rivals
#8
Drift
Best for: B2B teams where one chat conversation can close a five-figure deal
Visit drift.com
Starting priceSee website (custom quote)
Free planNo (demo only)
Drift is a sales tool that happens to use chat. Playbooks identify target accounts, route them to the right rep in real time, and tie conversations to pipeline attribution. For a B2B company where one qualified conversation can become a $50,000 contract, the ROI conversation is easy.
Everything else about it says enterprise: no published pricing, a sales-led buying process, annual contracts, and implementation that involves playbook design with vendor help. A small business buying Drift for basic support chat is buying a race car for grocery runs. If your deals are large and your site traffic is qualified, talk to sales. Otherwise, every other tool on this list fits better.
What we like- Built for B2B conversational sales, not just support
- Playbooks route high-value visitors to reps fast
- Strong ABM and pipeline attribution features
Watch out for- No published pricing, so budgeting needs a sales call
- Priced for companies closing large deals, not for support chat
- Overkill for basic website chat
Frequently asked questions
Is free live chat software good enough for a small business?
Often, yes. Tidio's free plan covers 50 conversations a month, Crisp's covers 2 seats, and HubSpot's free chat is unlimited inside its CRM. The paid tiers buy automation, AI agents, more volume and advanced routing. Start free, and upgrade when chat volume or staffing makes the limits hurt.
How much should a small business pay for live chat?
For a basic setup, $0 to $50 a month covers most small teams: Tidio Starter at $29, Crisp Mini at $45 per workspace, or HubSpot free. Per-agent tools like LiveChat ($19) and Olark ($29) stay cheap with one or two agents. Intercom and Zendesk start making sense around $30 to $55 per seat when you need AI agents or a full helpdesk.
Do I need an AI chatbot or just live chat?
Start with live chat. AI chatbots earn their keep when your team answers the same questions dozens of times a day; below that volume, the per-resolution fees (Intercom $0.99, Zendesk $1.50) add cost without much payoff. Add AI when repetitive questions are eating agent hours, not before.
Which live chat tool is best for a Shopify store?
Tidio, because of its native Shopify actions: refunds, order edits and discount codes happen inside the chat. Crisp and LiveChat also integrate with Shopify, but Tidio's commerce-specific features are built for stores. If you already run HubSpot, its free chat plus the Shopify integration is a strong zero-cost alternative.
Can live chat replace my contact form?
It can handle most of it. Chat converts better than forms for visitors who are ready to talk, but keep a form or email option for after hours and for visitors who prefer writing at length. Most tools here offer offline messaging that turns into an email ticket automatically.
How we chose
We started with the categories buyers search: live chat software for small business, live chat software for business, and website chat widget. For each candidate we opened the vendor's own pricing page, checked plan names and prices against public reviews on G2 and Capterra and practitioner discussion on Reddit, and compared feature lists, channel coverage and company-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-entry widgets with helpdesk suites, because a solo store and a 50-person support team are not buying the same thing.
What actually drives the price
Three meters decide your bill more than the headline price. First, the billing unit: Tidio charges per conversation, Crisp per workspace, LiveChat and Olark per agent, Intercom per seat plus per AI resolution. Pick the unit that matches how you work; a team with ten part-time agents pays far less on Crisp than on a per-agent tool. Second, the AI add-ons: Lyro, Fin and Zendesk AI agents are metered separately, so a "cheap" plan with heavy AI use can double. Third, the channel spread: if you also need WhatsApp, Instagram and email in the same inbox, an omnichannel tool like Crisp replaces two or three subscriptions. Model your agents, your monthly conversations and your channels, then compare totals.
Sources we checked (10)
- https://www.tidio.com/pricing
- https://crisp.chat/en/pricing/
- https://www.intercom.com/pricing
- https://www.livechat.com/pricing/
- https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/
- https://www.hubspot.com/pricing/service
- https://www.olark.com/pricing
- https://www.drift.com/
- 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.