The best pick for most support teams that want a clear per-user chat price is LiveChat Essential at $19 per user per month billed annually (LiveChat pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). Teams that prefer a free workspace plus paid plans billed per workspace, not per seat, should look at Crisp. Intercom is the pick when chat has to sit with a priced AI agent.
By The Computer Manual Editorial Team · Published 14 Nov 2026 · Last verified 14 Nov 2026
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Key takeaways
LiveChat Essential is $19 per user per month billed annually, or $25 per user per month billed monthly (LiveChat pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Tidio Starter was listed at $24.17 per month for 100 billable conversations, with a free plan still on the same page (Tidio pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Crisp bills $45, $95 or $295 per workspace per month, with extra agents at $10 per month (Crisp pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Intercom Fin is $0.99 per outcome, and seat plans were listed at $29, $85 and $132 per seat per month (Intercom pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Zendesk and Freshdesk are stronger when you also need a full ticket suite, not only a chat widget.
Tool
Best for
Standout feature
Starting price (checked 14 Nov 2026)
Free plan or trial
1 LiveChat
Teams that want a simple per-user chat price
Clear Essential and Growth seat plans
$19 per user per month, billed annually, checked 14 Nov 2026
Free trial on paid plans
2 Tidio
Small sites that want a free plan and conversation packs
Free plan plus Starter and Growth conversation tiers
Free, then $24.17 per month for Starter, checked 14 Nov 2026
Free plan and a 7-day trial on paid plans
3 Crisp
Teams that want workspace pricing instead of a seat tax
Per-workspace plans with extra agents at a flat $10
$45 per workspace per month, plus $10 per extra agent, checked 14 Nov 2026
Free trial; a $0 plan is listed
4 Intercom
Teams that will pay for Fin outcomes as well as seats
Fin AI Agent at $0.99 per outcome
$29 per seat per month, plus Fin at $0.99 per outcome, checked 14 Nov 2026
Free trial on listed seat plans
5 Zendesk
Support teams that need tickets and chat in one suite
Suite plans with a published per-agent rate
Suite Team $55 per agent per month, billed annually, checked 14 Nov 2026
Free trial
6 Freshdesk
Teams that want a lower published help desk seat than Suite Professional
Growth, Pro and Enterprise agent plans
$19 per agent per month, billed annually, checked 14 Nov 2026
Free trial
How we picked
We considered 11 live chat and inbox products and shortlisted 6. We read official pricing pages on 14 Nov 2026 and applied the weights in how we score tools: buyer fit 30, plan clarity 25, add-on risk 20, setup 15, and exports 10.
We favoured a public per-user or per-workspace price, a usable trial or free plan, and chat features that work without forcing an enterprise quote. This guide sits in our customer support software category, beside our AI help desk comparison.
01
LiveChat
Best for: Teams that want a simple per-user chat price
LiveChat publishes two self-serve tiers: Essential and Growth. Essential is $19 per user per month billed annually and $25 per user per month billed monthly (LiveChat pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Growth is $79 per user per month billed annually on the same page. A worked example on that page prices five Growth users at $395 per month before extra AI resolution packs.
Pros
The published seat prices are easy to model before a sales call.
Annual billing is listed next to monthly billing, so the surcharge is visible.
The product is aimed at chat first, not a full suite you may not need.
Cons
Growth at $79 per user per month billed annually is a sharp jump from Essential (LiveChat pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Extra packs of 50 AI resolutions were listed at $49.50, which can raise the bill if chat volume spikes.
Enterprise pricing is not listed as a self-serve figure.
Price: Essential is $19 per user per month billed annually, or $25 billed monthly (LiveChat pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Skip it if you already standardised on a full support suite and only need a widget inside that suite.
Verdict. LiveChat is the cleanest starting point when you can pay per user and want the number on a public page.
02
Tidio
Best for: Small sites that want a free plan and conversation packs
Tidio still lists a $0 Free plan. Starter was $24.17 per month for 100 billable conversations. Growth started at $49.17 per month from 250 conversations (Tidio pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Plus started at $300 per month plus usage. Lyro AI was also listed as a stand-alone product from $32.50 per month from 50 AI conversations.
Pros
You can start on a free plan before you buy a pack.
Conversation packs are visible, so a small shop can estimate cost from traffic.
Lyro is priced as its own line if you only want the AI layer.
Cons
The Free plan limits unique visitors unless you buy extra quota (Tidio pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Starter's 100 billable conversations will run out on a busy storefront.
Plus plus usage is a different billing model from the lower packs, which makes later forecasts harder.
Price: Starter is $24.17 per month for 100 billable conversations (Tidio pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Skip it if you need a single per-agent ticket price and do not want conversation packs.
Verdict. Tidio fits small sites that want a free start and can live with conversation allowances.
03
Crisp
Best for: Teams that want workspace pricing instead of a seat tax
Crisp lists $0, $45, $95 and $295 per month per workspace (Crisp pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). Extra agents are $10 per month.
Higher plans include more AI credits. The page describes those credits as covering roughly 90, 450 or 1,350 automated conversations, depending on the plan.
Pros
Workspace pricing can be cheaper than per-seat suites once several agents share one inbox.
Extra agents have a published $10 monthly rate.
A $0 plan is still listed for teams that want to try the inbox first.
Cons
AI credits are bundled, not unlimited, so heavy automation may need a higher plan (Crisp pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
The $295 plan is a large step up from $95.
Some features sit only on higher workspaces, so a cheap workspace can still feel incomplete.
Price: Paid workspaces start at $45 per month, with extra agents at $10 per month (Crisp pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Skip it if you want a single vendor for phone, ticketing and chat under one Suite contract.
Verdict. Crisp is the pick when several agents share one workspace and you want that maths to stay simple.
04
Intercom
Best for: Teams that will pay for Fin outcomes as well as seats
Intercom listed seat plans at $29, $85 and $132 per seat per month, and Fin at $0.99 per outcome (Intercom pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). The lowest seat column also mentioned $19 for new customers.
Copilot was $29 per agent per month billed annually, or $35 billed monthly. A Pro add-on was listed at $100 per month with a credit bundle.
Pros
Fin has a public per-outcome price, which is rarer than a hidden AI quote.
Seat tiers and add-ons are itemised on one pricing page.
The product covers chat, inbox and an AI agent together.
Cons
Fin outcomes are billed on top of seats, so the headline seat price is not the full bill (Intercom pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
The page notes a minimum monthly commitment for Fin.
Copilot and Pro add-ons add more line items to forecast.
Price: Seat plans start at $29 per seat per month, and Fin is $0.99 per outcome (Intercom pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Skip it if you only need a lightweight widget and will not use a metered AI agent.
Verdict. Intercom is the pick when chat and a metered AI agent have to live in one product family.
05
Zendesk
Best for: Support teams that need tickets and chat in one suite
Zendesk lists Support Team at $19 per agent per month paid yearly, or $25 paid monthly (Zendesk pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). Suite Team is $55 yearly or $69 monthly. Suite Professional is $115 yearly or $149 monthly.
The same page lists add-ons such as workforce engagement at $50 per agent per month and contact center at $83 per agent per month, paid yearly.
Pros
Annual and monthly per-agent rates are both published.
Chat can sit inside a wider ticket suite when you outgrow a widget.
Add-on rates for workforce and contact center are listed, not hidden in a PDF.
Cons
Suite Team at $55 per agent per month yearly is well above Support Team at $19 (Zendesk pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
AI resolutions and MAU packs are extra line items.
You may pay for suite features you do not need if you only wanted a chat bubble.
Price: Suite Team is $55 per agent per month paid yearly, or $69 paid monthly (Zendesk pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Skip it if you only need chat and do not want to buy a full support suite.
Verdict. Zendesk is the pick for teams that already know they need tickets, chat and a shared agent workspace.
06
Freshdesk
Best for: Teams that want a lower published help desk seat than Suite Professional
Freshdesk lists Growth at $19, Pro at $55 and Enterprise at $89 per agent per month, billed annually (Freshdesk pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Freddy AI Copilot is an add-on at $29 per agent per month. Extra AI Agent sessions were listed at $49 per 100 sessions.
Pros
Growth at $19 per agent per month yearly matches a starter support budget.
Copilot is priced as a named add-on, not an unnamed bundle.
Three annual tiers make it clear what you get if you step up.
Cons
Enterprise at $89 per agent per month yearly is a large jump from Growth (Freshdesk pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
AI sessions and day passes are sold in packs, which can surprise a busy month.
Monthly prices are not as clearly listed as the annual ones on the text we read.
Price: Growth is $19 per agent per month billed annually (Freshdesk pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
Skip it if your main need is a marketing chatbot rather than a ticket help desk.
Verdict. Freshdesk is a strong second path when you want help desk seating at a published annual rate.
How a five-person team should do the maths
Take five agents who only need web chat. LiveChat Essential is 5 times $19, which is $95 per month billed annually (LiveChat pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). Crisp's $45 workspace plus four extra agents at $10 is $85 per month (Crisp pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). Zendesk Suite Team is 5 times $55, which is $275 per month yearly (Zendesk pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026).
The suite only wins that comparison if you also need tickets, phone or the add-ons that sit on those plans. If you do not, the workspace or Essential seat is the cheaper public option.
Which live chat tool is cheapest for a small team?
Crisp can be cheaper once several agents share a $45 workspace, because extra agents are $10 per month (Crisp pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). Tidio is cheaper still if you can stay on the free plan or on Starter at $24.17 per month (Tidio pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). LiveChat Essential is the cheapest clear per-user rate we recorded, at $19 per user per month yearly.
Should you pay per seat or per conversation?
Pay per seat when your agent count is stable and chat volume swings. Pay per conversation or per outcome when a few agents handle bursts of traffic and you can forecast those bursts. Tidio and Intercom Fin use the second model. LiveChat, Zendesk and Freshdesk use seats.
Do you need a full help desk to run live chat?
No. LiveChat, Tidio and Crisp can run as chat-first tools. You need a help desk when email, phone and a ticket lifecycle matter as much as the widget. That is when Zendesk or Freshdesk earn their suite price.
How should you treat AI chat add-ons in the budget?
Treat them as a second line, not a bonus. Intercom Fin is $0.99 per outcome and can carry a minimum commitment (Intercom pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). LiveChat and Freshdesk sell resolution or session packs. Ask the vendor what counts as a billable resolution before you turn the add-on on.
What to check before you buy
Write down whether you want to pay per agent, per workspace, per conversation or per AI outcome.
Count agents who need a login, not just the people who sometimes peek at transcripts.
Check the trial or free plan against a real week of traffic, not a quiet hour.
Read what happens when you exceed AI credits, conversation packs or included resolutions.
Confirm that transcripts can be exported if you leave.
Compare annual and monthly rates on the same vendor page, because the gap can be large.
If a suite is in the shortlist, list the extra products you will actually switch on in month one.
FAQ
What is the best live chat software for most support teams in 2026?
LiveChat Essential is the best pick for most teams that want a public per-user price, at $19 per user per month billed annually (LiveChat pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). Pick Crisp if workspace pricing fits better, or Intercom if you will pay for Fin outcomes.
Is there a good free live chat plan?
Tidio and Crisp still list a $0 plan (Tidio pricing and Crisp pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). Free plans cap visitors, agents or automation. Use them to test the widget, then compare paid limits before you put the widget on a busy site.
How much does live chat software cost per month?
Published starting prices in this guide run from Tidio Starter at $24.17 per month, to LiveChat Essential at $19 per user per month yearly, to Crisp at $45 per workspace (vendor pages, checked 14 Nov 2026). Suites cost more per agent. Your total depends on seats, packs and AI add-ons.
Is Intercom only for large companies?
No. Intercom lists self-serve seat plans from $29 per seat per month, with a $19 new-customer note on the lowest column (Intercom pricing, checked 14 Nov 2026). It becomes a large-company bill when Fin outcomes, Copilot and Pro add-ons all switch on at once.
Should a Shopify store use a help desk suite for chat?
Only if you already need tickets and email in the same place. A store that mainly needs a widget and a light automation layer can start on Tidio or Crisp and keep the lower published prices. Move to Zendesk or Freshdesk when the inbox is a queue, not a pop-up.
