Quick verdict
The best LiveChat alternative depends on what you want to keep. tawk.to (free) and Crisp (workspace pricing) are the cheapest for live chat. Heeya and Chatbase fit if you want an AI that answers alone, with no team behind it. LiveChat stays excellent for a support team that chats live all day.
LiveChat (livechat.com, by Text) is a very good live chat tool. Its pricing is easy to read: a price per user per month, with the AI agent on top. As the team grows, the bill follows every new seat, and AI adds a second meter. That is where many businesses start looking for LiveChat alternatives.
There are two families: tools that stay cheaper live chat (tawk.to, Crisp, Tidio, Smartsupp), and tools that give you an AI agent that answers alone (Heeya, Chatbase). This comparison ranks 7 tools by real need, with their limits.
Heeya is our product; we assessed it with the same criteria as the others. Prices checked in November 2026.
Table of Contents
Why Look for a LiveChat Alternative
According to LiveChat's pricing page (checked November 2026), Essential costs $25 per user per month ($19 billed annually), Growth costs $99 ($79 annually), and Enterprise is custom. A user is anyone who logs in to answer chats or tickets.
A worked example: 5 agents on Growth with annual billing cost 5 × $79 = $395 a month. On monthly billing, $495. With 10 agents on annual billing, $790.
AI adds a second line. The pricing page includes 10 AI resolutions a month on Essential and 200 on Growth, then sells packs of 50 extra resolutions for $49.50, about $1 each. A resolution is counted when the AI directly solves the customer's question.
Three situations push teams to look elsewhere:
- The team grows and every extra seat is billed.
- Nobody answers at night or on weekends: live chat with no human on the other end does nothing.
- Repetitive questions push up the number of paid AI resolutions.
None of this is a flaw. LiveChat is built for support teams that chat live. If that is you, stay. For the human-versus-AI question, read our AI chatbot vs live chat comparison.
LiveChat Alternatives: Comparison Table
| Tool | Type | Indicative price | Billing | AI on your documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heeya | Autonomous AI agent | €19 and €99/month | Flat price, no seats | Yes, on your content |
| tawk.to | Live chat | $0; AI from $29/month | Agents not billed | AI Assist option |
| Crisp | Live chat | $0 to $295/month | Per workspace | AI credits included |
| Tidio | Live chat + AI | $0 to ~$300/month, Lyro extra | Per workspace | Yes (Lyro) |
| Smartsupp | Live chat | $0 to $83/month | By operator count | Mira agent separate ($16/month) |
| Chatbase | Autonomous AI agent | $32 to $400/month | Message credits | Yes |
| Zendesk / Intercom | Helpdesk | From $29-55 per seat | Per seat + AI per resolution | Yes (Fin, AI Agent) |
Prices from each vendor's official pricing page in November 2026 (Tidio: October 2026), excluding tax, subject to change. Zendesk and Intercom: orders of magnitude from our guides, to be confirmed.
1. Heeya: an AI agent that answers without a team
Heeya is our product; we assessed it with the same criteria as the others. It is an AI chatbot (RAG) trained on your own content: PDF, DOCX, PPTX and TXT files, pages from your website, and question-and-answer lists imported as xlsx or csv. The widget goes on any site with one line of script (WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Webflow, PrestaShop, Squarespace, custom sites).
It is made for the hours when nobody is there: nights, weekends, and the repeated questions nobody wants to type again.
- Flat price, no seats: Standard is €19/month (500 messages, 1 agent), Premium is €99/month (2,500 messages, 3 agents), Enterprise on quote. Team size does not change the bill.
- Agent tools: contact form for lead capture (Standard and Premium), support tickets, appointment booking, webhook, HubSpot and Pipedrive connectors (Premium).
- Answer reliability score to spot what the agent handles poorly.
- Data: Heeya stores conversations and knowledge bases in the EU (OVH, France); message content is sent to AI providers (Google, OpenAI) that may process it outside the EU under standard contractual clauses or the Data Privacy Framework, with no training on your data. Signed processing addendum on request.
Good to know: Heeya is built so the AI agent answers alone from your content; if your team wants to reply live inside the widget, LiveChat or Crisp are a better fit. Heeya works in French and English, and the widget follows the page language.
Pricing: 7-day free trial with no card, then €19/month or €99/month. See the pricing page.
Best for: small businesses without a dedicated support team that want instant answers to repetitive questions on a known budget.
2. tawk.to: free live chat
tawk.to is the obvious pick at zero budget. According to its pricing page (checked November 2026), live chat is free with no time limit, and agents are not billed per seat.
- Unlimited live chat, mobile app, knowledge base.
- Paid options: branding removal at $29/month, AI Assist chatbot from $29/month with a free tier for low volume.
- Hired human agents at $1/hour to answer on your behalf.
Good to know: the interface is less polished than LiveChat and automation is lighter. For more options, read our tawk.to alternatives guide.
Pricing: $0 for live chat.
Best for: small teams that want live chat without paying per seat.
3. Crisp: French live chat priced per workspace
Crisp (Nantes, France) bills per workspace, not per agent. According to its pricing page (November 2026): Free at $0 (2 seats), Mini $45/month (4 seats), Essentials $95/month (10 seats), Plus $295/month (20 seats). An extra seat costs $10/month.
- Shared inbox, knowledge base, automations.
- AI credits included in each plan ($5 on Mini, $25 on Essentials, $75 on Plus).
- EU company, which reassures many DPOs.
Good to know: this is the closest direct alternative to LiveChat for a team of 4 to 10 people who chat live. Our Crisp alternatives guide goes deeper.
Pricing: $0 to $295/month per workspace.
Best for: multi-agent teams that prefer workspace pricing to per-seat pricing.
4. Tidio: live chat plus Lyro AI for online stores
Tidio combines live chat, automation and the Lyro AI agent, with Shopify and WooCommerce integrations. According to its pricing page (checked October 2026), plans run from Free to Starter ($29/month), Growth (from $59/month) and Plus (about $300/month). Lyro is a separate add-on from $32.50/month on annual billing for 50 conversations.
- Strong fit for online stores.
- Free plan for testing.
- Workspace pricing rather than per-seat on lower tiers.
Good to know: two quotas (plan conversations and Lyro conversations) can run out independently. See our Tidio alternatives guide.
Pricing: $0 to about $300/month, Lyro extra.
Best for: Shopify or WooCommerce stores that want live chat and AI in one tool.
5. Smartsupp: budget live chat, with a separate AI agent
According to Smartsupp's pricing page (November 2026), Free gives 1 operator and 25 conversations a month, Solo is $17/month, Plus is $25/month for 3 operators, Expert is $83/month for 5 or more. The Mira AI agent is sold separately at $16/month.
- Very low entry price, unlimited conversations from Solo.
- WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram built in.
- Euro pricing available.
Good to know: the AI assist on live chat plans helps operators draft replies; the autonomous agent is a separate product. See our Smartsupp alternatives guide.
Pricing: $0 to $83/month depending on operators.
Best for: small teams that want multichannel live chat under $30/month.
6. Chatbase: US AI agent billed in credits
Chatbase is an AI agent trained on your content, like Heeya. According to its pricing page (November 2026): Hobby $32/month on annual billing (700 message credits), Basic $120/month (4,000 credits), Business $400/month (15,000 credits).
- Broad integration catalog (Slack, WhatsApp, Shopify).
- Mature product, large community.
- Extra credits at $40 per 1,000.
Good to know: the bill follows credit consumption, and the interface and support are in English. See Heeya vs Chatbase for a direct comparison.
Pricing: $32 to $400/month before add-ons.
Best for: English-speaking teams that want many channels.
7. Zendesk and Intercom: for larger support teams
Once a team passes about ten agents and runs support through tickets, routing rules and reports, Zendesk and Intercom go further than LiveChat. They also cost more. According to our guides, Intercom starts around $29 per seat per month plus about $0.99 per resolution by its Fin agent; Zendesk Suite Team starts around $55 per agent per month. Check current prices before deciding.
- Full helpdesk, ticketing, reporting, hundreds of integrations.
- Built-in AI agent (Fin at Intercom).
- Built for high volume.
Good to know: this is a step up in scale, not a saving. See our Intercom alternatives for SMBs.
Pricing: from $29 to $55 per seat per month, AI extra.
Best for: structured support departments of ten or more.
How to Choose
- 5 or more agents chatting live all day: keep LiveChat, or compare Crisp if per-seat pricing hurts.
- Nobody available to reply: an AI agent like Heeya answers alone at any hour.
- Zero budget: tawk.to.
- Online store: Tidio.
- Large customer service department: Zendesk or Intercom.
Many sites run both: AI handles repetitive questions, the team takes the rest. A simple test: reread 30 recent conversations and count how many have an answer already on your pages or in your PDFs. If it is most of them, an AI agent will save you time.
FAQ
What is the best LiveChat alternative?
It depends on what you want to keep. For cheaper live chat, tawk.to (free) and Crisp (workspace pricing) are the strongest. For AI that answers alone without a team behind it, Heeya and Chatbase fit best. LiveChat stays very good if your team chats live all day.
How much does LiveChat cost in 2026?
According to LiveChat's pricing page (November 2026), Essential is $25 per user per month ($19 billed annually) and Growth is $99 ($79 annually). Enterprise is custom. A user is anyone who logs in to answer chats or tickets.
Why does LiveChat get expensive for a team?
Pricing is per user. Five agents on Growth with annual billing cost 5 × $79 = $395 a month, or $495 monthly. Included AI resolutions are small (10 on Essential, 200 on Growth per the pricing page), and a pack of 50 extra resolutions is $49.50.
Is there a free LiveChat alternative?
tawk.to offers free live chat with no time limit. Crisp (2 seats) and Smartsupp (1 operator, 25 conversations a month) have limited free plans. Heeya has a 7-day trial with no card, then starts at €19/month.
Can an AI chatbot replace LiveChat?
Not always. An AI agent like Heeya answers repetitive questions alone from your content, at any hour. If customers expect a human live, you still need live chat. Many sites run both: see our AI chatbot vs live chat comparison.
Which LiveChat competitor suits a small team?
For 1 to 3 people, tawk.to or Smartsupp cost the least. For 4 to 10 agents, Crisp workspace pricing often beats per-seat pricing.
Is Heeya a LiveChat competitor?
Not head to head. LiveChat is a platform where humans reply live. Heeya is an AI agent that answers alone from your documents, mostly for sites without a team to chat.
Final Verdict
LiveChat is excellent for a team that replies live. It gets expensive as seats and AI resolutions add up. To pay less and keep human chat, look at tawk.to, Crisp, Tidio or Smartsupp. To have answers go out without a team, look at Heeya or Chatbase.
Count your real team size and question volume first, then choose. Prices were checked in November 2026 and they change: confirm them on the official pages.
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