Home › Best tools › Best Live Chat Software
Last updated: October 29, 2026
TechCurato is reader-supported. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Best Live Chat Software (2027): 6 Tools Compared by Price and Fit
For most small businesses, the best live chat software is Crisp: it's free for 2 seats and costs $45 a month for 4 seats on Mini, priced per workspace rather than per agent. Intercom is the best for AI-first, in-app chat (Essential $19 per seat on annual billing plus $0.99 per AI outcome), Help Scout is best for teams that mix email and chat (free for 5 users), and Zendesk Suite is best for large omnichannel teams.
- Best overall for small teams: Crisp (free for 2 seats; Mini $45/month for 4)
- Best AI-first and in-app chat: Intercom (Essential $19/seat annual + $0.99 per AI outcome)
- Best for email plus chat: Help Scout (free for 5 users; Standard $25/user)
- Best omnichannel suite: Zendesk Suite Team ($55/agent, annual)
- Best for structured ticketing: Freshdesk (Growth $19/agent, annual)
- Best free chat widget to try: Tidio (free plan)
Live chat tools compared
| Tool | Free plan | Entry paid price | Pricing model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crisp | 2 seats, 100 profiles | Mini $45/month for 4 seats | Per workspace | Small teams |
| Intercom | No | Essential $19/seat (annual) + $0.99 per AI outcome | Per seat + outcome | SaaS, in-app chat |
| Help Scout | 5 users, 1 inbox | Standard $25/user | Per user | Email and chat together |
| Zendesk | No | Suite Team $55/agent (annual) | Per agent | Large omnichannel teams |
| Freshdesk | Not listed | Growth $19/agent (annual) | Per agent | Ticketing-first teams |
| Tidio | Yes | See pricing page | Per plan | Trying chat on a small site |
What live chat should do for you
A chat widget earns its place when it does three things:
- Answers questions while visitors are deciding, which can save sales.
- Deflects repetitive questions with saved replies, a help center or AI.
- Keeps every conversation in one inbox with the rest of your support.
Choose a tool by how it handles these jobs for your traffic, not by the number of features.
1. Crisp: best overall for small teams
Crisp is free for 2 seats and 100 customer profiles, then priced per workspace: Mini $45 a month for 4 seats, Essentials $95 for 10 seats and Plus $295 for 20 or more. That flat pricing makes it the cheapest way to let several people answer chats. It includes a shared inbox, customer profiles and a help center.
Watch for: the 100-profile limit on Free and the jump from 4 to 10 seats. See Crisp pricing.
2. Intercom: best AI-first and in-app chat
Intercom's Messenger works on websites and inside apps, with proactive messages and product tours, and its Fin AI agent resolves questions for $0.99 per outcome. Essential costs $19 per seat on annual billing ($29 monthly), Advanced $85 and Expert $132.
Watch for: AI costs grow with volume. See Intercom pricing and Help Scout vs Intercom.
3. Help Scout: best for email plus chat
Help Scout is free for up to 5 users with 1 inbox and 1 docs site; paid plans cost $25, $45 and $75 per user. Its Beacon widget combines help articles with chat and contact forms, and its AI costs $0.75 per resolution.
Watch for: chat is part of an email-first tool rather than its centre. See Help Scout pricing.
4. Zendesk Suite: best omnichannel suite
Zendesk Suite Team costs $55 per agent on annual billing ($69 monthly) and bundles chat, messaging, email and a help center; Suite Professional costs $115. It suits larger support teams that want every channel in one place.
Watch for: per-agent pricing adds up for part-time helpers. See Zendesk pricing.
5. Freshdesk: best for ticketing-first teams
Freshdesk Growth costs $19 per agent on annual billing, Pro $55 and Enterprise $89, with a 14-day trial. Teams that think in tickets and SLAs can add chat alongside email.
Watch for: check which chat features each plan includes. See Freshdesk pricing.
6. Tidio: best free widget to try
Tidio offers a free plan that lets small sites try live chat and chatbots. Check its pricing page for current paid limits before upgrading.
What a team pays per month
| Team | Crisp | Intercom Essential (annual) | Help Scout | Zendesk Suite Team (annual) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 people | Free | $38 | Free | $110 |
| 4 people | $45 (Mini) | $76 | Free | $220 |
| 10 people | $95 (Essentials) | $190 | $250 (Standard) | $550 |
| 20 people | $295 (Plus) | $380 | $500 (Standard) | $1,100 |
Intercom figures exclude Fin outcomes at $0.99 each.
Three real-world scenarios
A small ecommerce site with two people
Crisp's free plan or Tidio's free plan lets you test chat with no cost. Measure how many chats turn into orders in the first month.
A SaaS startup with in-app questions
Intercom Essential with Fin answers common questions inside the product. 300 AI outcomes a month add $297; compare with the agent time saved.
An agency where 8 people answer occasionally
Crisp Essentials at $95 a month covers up to 10 seats; per-agent tools would cost more for part-time helpers.
Start Crisp free → Free for 2 seats · Affiliate link
Live chat best practices
- Set office hours and an away message so visitors know when to expect a reply.
- Reply within minutes during office hours; slow chat is worse than no chat.
- Use saved replies for common questions.
- Link help articles in answers to reduce repeat questions.
- Trigger chat on high-intent pages such as pricing and checkout, not everywhere.
Mistakes to avoid
- Turning on chat without anyone available to answer.
- Using an aggressive pop-up on every page.
- Ignoring chat transcripts; they're a goldmine for FAQs and product feedback.
- Paying per agent for many part-time helpers.
How to choose in 5 steps
- Decide where chat lives: website, inside your app, or both.
- Count people who will answer, including part-time helpers.
- Estimate AI resolutions if you plan to use AI.
- Trial two tools on your real site for two weeks.
- Measure chats, sales and time saved, then decide.
Terms explained
- Widget: the chat box on your website.
- Seat: one person who can answer conversations.
- Workspace pricing: a flat fee for a group of seats (Crisp).
- AI outcome or resolution: a conversation resolved by AI.
- Proactive message: a message sent before a visitor asks.
Chat, AI and the help center
The fastest way to reduce chat volume is a good help center. Every tool on this list either includes one (Crisp, Help Scout, Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom) or links to one. Publish answers to your top 20 questions first, then point AI at them: Intercom's Fin and Help Scout's AI both answer from your help content, so better articles mean more conversations resolved without an agent.
Our verdict
Crisp is the best live chat for most small teams, thanks to its free plan and flat workspace pricing. Intercom is the best for SaaS products that want in-app chat and AI, and Help Scout is best for teams that answer email and chat together and want a free start. Larger support operations should compare Zendesk Suite and Freshdesk.
How we compiled this ranking
We compared official pricing pages on October 29, 2026, and ranked tools on cost for common team sizes, free plans, pricing models and fit for website or in-app chat. See also best help desk software.
FAQ
What is the best free live chat software?
Crisp (free for 2 seats), Help Scout (free for 5 users, email-first) and Tidio's free plan.
How much does live chat software cost?
From free to about $45–$95 a month for small teams on Crisp, or $19 to $55 per agent on per-agent tools.
Is Intercom worth it for live chat?
For SaaS companies with in-app support and AI needs, often yes. For simple website chat, cheaper tools usually suffice.
Does live chat increase sales?
It can, especially on pricing and checkout pages, when someone answers quickly. Measure it on your own site.
Can AI answer live chats?
Yes. Intercom's Fin ($0.99 per outcome) and Help Scout's AI ($0.75 per resolution) resolve common questions.
Should I use a chatbot or a human?
Use both: a chatbot or AI for common questions and routing, and a human for sales conversations and complex issues.
Sources
crisp.chat/en/pricing, intercom.com/pricing, helpscout.com/pricing, zendesk.com/pricing, freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing and tidio.com/pricing, checked October 29, 2026.