How you are billed
Per seat, per conversation, per workspace, or free with add-ons. It changes what a growing team pays more than any feature.
Round-up
Best live chat software for support teams in 2026
Eight tools a small support team actually shortlists, compared on what each is best at, the trade-off that comes with it, and the vendor's own prices with the date they were read. Sellio is on the list with its trade-offs stated like everyone else's.
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The eight, in detail
Each entry names what the tool is best at and the trade-off that comes with it. Sellio is listed first because this is Sellio’s site; its trade-offs are listed like everyone else’s.
- 01
Sellio
Best for: Small teams that answer website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email and want one price for the workspace.
Every channel lands in one shared inbox with assignment, notes, tickets and analytics. An AI agent trained on your own content answers website chat first and hands off with the history. Plans are per workspace, from a free plan for two seats to $295 a month for fifty, with an AI credit included and caps you set. Native desktop apps for Windows and macOS.
Trade-off: Young product. The AI agent answers on website chat only today, there is no Messenger or SMS channel, no Shopify app or WordPress plugin, and no phone support.
PricingPer workspace per month, seats and channels as plan limits, AI credit included. Yearly billing takes 20% off.
- Free · 2 seats, 1 channel$0
- Mini · 5 seats, 3 channels$45/mo
- Essentials · 10 seats, 5 channels$95/mo
- Plus · 50 seats, 25 channels$295/mo
From Sellio’s pricing page.
- 02
LiveChat
Best for: Teams that want the most mature chat console and are happy to buy the chatbot and help desk as separate products.
Over a decade of refinement on the agent console and the widget, Apple Messages for Business, a large marketplace, and Text Intelligence assists included on every plan.
Trade-off: Per-agent pricing from $19 to $79 on yearly billing, a 60-day history cap on the entry plan, and the AI chatbot, help desk and knowledge base sold as separate subscriptions.
PricingPer agent per month; yearly and monthly rates. No free plan.
- Starter · 60-day chat history$19/agent/mo yearly ($25 monthly)
- Team$49/agent/mo yearly ($59 monthly)
- Business$79/agent/mo yearly ($89 monthly)
- Enterprisecustom
Read from the vendor’s pricing page on 2026-09-06.
- 03
Tidio
Best for: Shopify and WordPress stores that want a native app and an AI tuned for ecommerce FAQs.
Native Shopify and WordPress apps, Lyro AI aimed at store questions, a free plan with 50 conversations, and live chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger on paid plans.
Trade-off: Billed by conversation volume, so a busy month moves you up a tier, and Lyro is sold in conversation packs from $32.50 a month on top.
PricingPer month by billable conversations, 10 seats included. Yearly billing gives two months free.
- Free · 50 conversations a month$0
- Starter · 100 conversations$24.17/mo
- Growth · 250+ conversationsfrom $49.17/mo
- Plusfrom $300/mo + usage
Read from the vendor’s pricing page on 2026-09-06.
- 04
Crisp
Best for: Teams that need the widest channel list at a workspace price.
Messenger, SMS, X, Viber, Line, phone, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox, mobile apps, co-browsing and campaigns, priced per workspace at $0, $45, $95 and $295 with AI credits included.
Trade-off: Tickets are conversations with a status rather than a ticket object, and analytics and the autonomous AI agent sit on the higher plans.
PricingPer workspace per month, seats included per plan, extra seats $10 on Mini and Essentials.
- Free · 2 seats, 100 profiles$0
- Mini · 4 seats$45/mo
- Essentials · 10 seats$95/mo
- Plus · 20 seats$295/mo
Read from the vendor’s pricing page on 2026-09-06.
- 05
Intercom
Best for: Product-led SaaS teams that want support, product tours and outbound messaging in one tool and can carry the bill.
The most polished Messenger, Fin as a leading AI agent, in-app tours, banners and campaigns, and a large ecosystem.
Trade-off: Per-seat pricing from $29 to $132 on yearly billing, Fin at $0.99 or more per outcome, Copilot at $29 per agent, and WhatsApp and SMS billed by use.
PricingPer seat per month, billed yearly, one full seat minimum. No free plan.
- Essential$29/seat/mo
- Advanced$85/seat/mo
- Expert$132/seat/mo
Read from the vendor’s pricing page on 2026-09-06.
- 06
Zendesk
Best for: Larger support organizations that need a full suite with voice, SLAs and enterprise compliance.
Ticketing, messaging, live chat and voice in one suite, a marketplace of over a thousand apps, and the deepest enterprise controls in this list.
Trade-off: Per-agent pricing from $19 to $115 on yearly billing, chat only from Suite Team at $55, AI agents priced per automated resolution and Copilot at $50 per agent.
PricingPer agent per month, billed yearly. Monthly billing costs more. No free plan.
- Support Team · email and ticketing$19/agent/mo
- Suite Team · adds messaging, live chat, voice$55/agent/mo
- Suite Professional$115/agent/mo
- Suite Enterprisecustom
Read from the vendor’s pricing page on 2026-09-06.
- 07
Help Scout
Best for: Email-first teams that want a calm, well-designed shared inbox with a strong knowledge base product.
A very refined inbox, Docs for knowledge, Beacon for chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and SMS on paid plans, and a free plan for five users.
Trade-off: Per-user pricing from $25, extra inboxes at $10 a month each, no Telegram, no separate ticket object, and AI Answers at $0.75 per resolution.
PricingPer user per month. Extra inboxes $10 a month each.
- Free · 5 users, 1 inbox, 100 contacts a month$0
- Standard · 2 inboxes$25/user/mo
- Plus · 5 inboxes$45/user/mo
- Pro · 10-user minimum$75/user/mo
Read from the vendor’s pricing page on 2026-09-06.
- 08
tawk.to
Best for: Sites that need live chat for unlimited agents at no cost and can live without messaging channels.
Free live chat with unlimited agents and 24/7 support, hired human agents by the hour, and mobile apps.
Trade-off: Messaging channels are still in beta, branding removal is $29 a month, AI Assist starts at $29 a month, and reporting and automation are basic.
PricingFree live chat; paid add-ons per feature.
- Live chat$0
- Remove branding$29/mo
- AI Assistfrom $29/mo
- Hired agents$1/hour
Read from the vendor’s pricing page on 2026-09-06.
What was compared
Channels in the base price
Whether WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email are included, add-ons, or absent.
AI and how it is priced
Whether an AI agent exists, what it is trained on, and whether it bills per outcome, per pack, or from an included credit.
Inbox and tickets
Assignment, notes, and whether follow-up work becomes a ticket with a state and an owner.
Time to live
A script tag and a settings page, or a project.
The trade-off
Every tool has one. An entry without a trade-off is advertising.
How to choose
- Step 1
List your channels
Website chat only, or WhatsApp, Instagram and email too. Half the list drops out here.
- Step 2
Price five seats for a year
Include the AI you would actually use. Per-seat plus per-resolution adds up faster than it looks.
- Step 3
Trial two
Every tool here has a free plan or trial. Connect a real channel and answer real customers for a week.
FAQ
Live chat software questions
It depends on the channels you answer; there is no single winner for every team.
- For messaging channels at one workspace price, website chat plus WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email, Sellio or Crisp.
- For the most mature console, LiveChat.
- For a Shopify store with a native app, Tidio; for unlimited free agents, tawk.to.
- For product tours and in-app messaging, Intercom.
Compare the trade-offs on each vendor's alternative page, such as Intercom alternative.
Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.
Every channel. One inbox. One price.
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