FreshchatLiveChatFreshchat vs LiveChat

Freshchat vs LiveChat: messaging or live chat for a small team

A messaging platform against a live chat software: Freshchat is $150 a month cheaper for five people. What decides between Freshchat and LiveChat, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick Freshchat if you want a free chat inbox for up to ten agents and can add channels later. Pick LiveChat if website chat is the channel and you want the most refined console and widget available. For five people, Freshchat is $150 a month cheaper than LiveChat ($95 a month on Freshchat against $245 on LiveChat), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, $50 under Freshchat. Freshchat and LiveChat both include website chat in the price; only Freshchat has email, WhatsApp and Instagram. Neither Freshchat nor LiveChat includes Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between Freshchat and LiveChat for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceFreshchatFreshchatLiveChatLiveChat
Built aroundChat and messaging · tickets live in FreshdeskThe chat console · help desk and chatbot sold separately
Entry plan$19/agent/mo · Growth, yearly$19/agent/mo · Starter: 60-day history
Chat in the price$0 · Free: up to 10 agents, widget and email$49/agent/mo · Team
AI agent$49 per 100 sessions · after 500 includedChatBot from $52/mo · a separate product
Copilot for agents$29/agent/mo · Pro and upIncluded · Text Intelligence
Free planYes · up to 10 agentsNone · 14-day trial

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    FreshchatFreshchat

    As a conversation in the team inbox, from the widget or a messaging app; a ticket means Freshdesk. LiveChat has no ticket queue either.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    As a chat in the agent console, with the visitor's page and typing shown live; tickets go to the separate HelpDesk product. Freshchat has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    FreshchatFreshchat

    The free plan covers ten agents on the widget and email; $19 on Growth adds WhatsApp, Instagram and SMS. $95 for five people, against $245 on LiveChat.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    $19 buys the console with 60 days of history. Team at $49 keeps the history and adds reports. $245 for five people, against $95 on Freshchat.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    FreshchatFreshchat

    Freddy AI Agent sessions: 500 included on paid plans, then $49 per 100. Copilot is $29 per agent on Pro. LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats as well.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    Text Intelligence assists are included; an AI answering customers means the separate ChatBot product from $52 a month. Freshchat meters AI ($49 per 100 sessions) above the seats as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    FreshchatFreshchat

    Web and mobile widget and email on Free; WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, SMS and Line from Growth. email, WhatsApp and Instagram are here and not on LiveChat.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    Website chat, Messenger, Apple Messages, WhatsApp and email in the console; SMS via integration. Freshchat adds email, WhatsApp and Instagram, which LiveChat lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    FreshchatFreshchat

    Campaigns and bots for the widget; the rest of Freshworks for tickets, IT and sales. LiveChat is a live chat software instead.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    A large marketplace, and sibling products for chatbot, help desk and knowledge base at their own prices. Freshchat is a messaging platform instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    FreshchatFreshchat

    An hour for the widget; a day to connect the messaging channels. LiveChat is an hour.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    An hour: paste the snippet, invite agents, answer. Freshchat is an hour for the widget.

Sources: Freshchat pricing · LiveChat pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The Freshchat team inbox: the conversation list, the chat and the customer context
FreshchatFreshchat. The Freshchat team inbox: the conversation list, the chat and the customer context
The LiveChat agent console: the chat list, the conversation and the visitor details
LiveChatLiveChat. The LiveChat agent console: the chat list, the conversation and the visitor details

What your team would pay

Move the sliders. Yearly-billing rates from each vendor’s pricing page, next to Sellio’s plan for the same number of seats.

5 people who answer customers

50

300 bot sessions on Freshchat, AI conversations on LiveChat

3000+
FreshchatFreshchat

$95/mo

Messaging channels, 500 AI sessions.

5 × $19 seats
$95
0 bot sessions × $0.49
$0
Copilot, 5 × $29
$0

Yearly billing; monthly costs more. $49 per 100 Freddy AI Agent sessions after the first 500, as printed. Rates recorded on 2026-09-13.

LiveChatLiveChat

$245/mo

Full history, reports, agent groups.

5 × $49 seats
$245
300 AI conversations × $0
$0

Yearly billing; monthly costs more. LiveChat sells its chatbot as a separate ChatBot subscription from $52 a month, not per conversation; add that flat fee. Rates recorded on 2026-09-06.

Sellio · Mini

$55/mo

One price for the workspace: 3 channels, 2 AI agents, $5 AI credit a month.

Workspace, 5 of 5 seats
$45
AI past 100 included conversations
$10
Copilot for agents
Included

About $0.05 per AI conversation past the credit, with a daily and monthly cap you set. Yearly billing takes 20% off. See every plan.

Pricing references: Freshchat pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); LiveChat pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06). Calculator uses yearly-billing rates. Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

5 people, website chat plus 2 more channels, 2 AI agents: $45 a month. Start free, no card.

Start freeSee every plan

Freshchat, LiveChat and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureFreshchatFreshchatLiveChatLiveChatSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; AI sessions in packs
Per agent; ChatBot is a separate product.
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
Up to 10 agents
14-day trial.
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
All plans
The core product.
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
In the inbox
Via marketplace integration.
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Growth and up
Via marketplace integration.
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Growth and up
Via marketplace integration.
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Line, not Telegram
Not listed.
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack and Teams integrations
Slack integration.
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Freddy AI Agent
ChatBot, a separate subscription.
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
500 sessions, then $49 per 100
From $52/mo for ChatBot; copilot included.
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Bot hands to an agent
ChatBot transfers to agents.
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Through Freshdesk
HelpDesk is a separate product.
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Bots and routing
Routing rules; flows live in ChatBot.
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and CSAT
Reports and ratings.
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser and mobile
Mac and Windows apps.
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick Freshchat if

  • You want a free chat inbox for up to ten agents and can add channels later.
  • You already use Freshdesk and want chat from the same vendor.
  • Five people cost $150 a month less than on LiveChat ($95 against $245), before AI.
  • You need email, WhatsApp and Instagram in the price, which LiveChat does not include outright.

Pick LiveChat if

  • Website chat is the channel and you want the most refined console and widget available.
  • You need Apple Messages for Business.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Freshchat does not ship.
  • Time to the first reply is an hour here and an hour for the widget on Freshchat.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with $95 a month on Freshchat against $245 on LiveChat for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: Freshchat meters AI ($49 per 100 sessions) above the seats and LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats, where Sellio's credit is included and capped by you.
  • You need Telegram and tickets raised from a chat, which neither Freshchat nor LiveChat includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Freshchat on Growth: $38, $95 and $190 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. LiveChat on Team: $98, $245 and $490 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $50 less than Freshchat and $200 less than LiveChat for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $95 under Freshchat and $395 under LiveChat.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Freshchat is a messaging platform built around chat and messaging; LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console. Only Freshchat has a free plan (up to 10 agents); LiveChat offers 14 days, no card. Freshchat and LiveChat both include website chat in the price; only Freshchat has email, WhatsApp and Instagram. Neither Freshchat nor LiveChat includes Telegram outright. Freshchat ($49 per 100 sessions) and LiveChat (ChatBot from $52/mo) both meter AI above the seats. Neither Freshchat nor LiveChat has a ticket queue, and only LiveChat ships desktop apps. Freshchat is an hour for the widget; LiveChat is an hour.

What each price leaves out

Freshchat: Freddy AI Agent: 500 sessions included on paid plans, then $49 per 100; Freddy Copilot $29 per agent on Pro and up. LiveChat: Text Intelligence (copilot, suggestions, summaries) included. The ChatBot product is separate, from $52 a month yearly. Beside Freshchat's $49 per 100 sessions and LiveChat's ChatBot from $52/mo, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    FreshchatFreshchat$0.49$0
    LiveChatLiveChatAssumed $0$0
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    FreshchatFreshchat · 14-day trial of Enterprise
    LiveChatLiveChat · 14 days, no card
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

Freshchat vs LiveChat: the questions people ask

Freshchat is a messaging platform built around chat and messaging; LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console. Neither Freshchat nor LiveChat has a ticket queue, and only LiveChat ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: Freshchat $19/agent/mo (Growth, yearly); LiveChat $19/agent/mo (Starter: 60-day history).
  • Chat in the price: Freshchat $0 (Free: up to 10 agents, widget and email); LiveChat $49/agent/mo (Team).
  • Sellio puts every channel in one inbox: Telegram, which neither Freshchat nor LiveChat has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the Freshchat and LiveChat rows is on the shared inbox page.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

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