LiveChat3CXLiveChat vs 3CX

LiveChat vs 3CX: $245 or $0 for five people

A live chat software against a business phone system with live chat: 3CX is $245 a month cheaper for five people. What decides between LiveChat and 3CX, 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 LiveChat if website chat is the channel and you want the most refined console and widget available. Pick 3CX if phone is your main channel and you want chat and WhatsApp to ring the same agents. For five people, 3CX is $245 a month cheaper than LiveChat ($245 a month on LiveChat against $0 on 3CX), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only 3CX's figure comes under. LiveChat and 3CX both include website chat in the price; only 3CX has WhatsApp. Neither LiveChat nor 3CX includes email, Instagram and Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between LiveChat and 3CX for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceLiveChatLiveChat3CX3CX
Built aroundThe chat console · help desk and chatbot sold separatelyPhone calls · a PBX with a chat widget
Entry plan$19/agent/mo · Starter: 60-day history$0 · SMB Free: up to 10 users
Chat in the price$49/agent/mo · Team$0 · live chat on the free tier
AI agentChatBot from $52/mo · a separate productNone for chat · call transcription launching
Copilot for agentsIncluded · Text IntelligenceNone
Free planNone · 14-day trialYes · up to 10 users, 3CX-hosted

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    LiveChatLiveChat

    As a chat in the agent console, with the visitor's page and typing shown live; tickets go to the separate HelpDesk product. 3CX has no ticket queue either.

    3CX3CX

    As a call, or as a chat that rings the same agent queue; there is no ticket behind it. LiveChat has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    LiveChatLiveChat

    $19 buys the console with 60 days of history. Team at $49 keeps the history and adds reports. $245 for five people, against $0 on 3CX.

    3CX3CX

    The licence is per system per year, sized by simultaneous calls, not per agent; the free tier covers ten users. $0 for five people, against $245 on LiveChat.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    LiveChatLiveChat

    Text Intelligence assists are included; an AI answering customers means the separate ChatBot product from $52 a month. 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat) instead.

    3CX3CX

    No AI agent for chat. Call transcription and analytics are listed as launching soon. LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    LiveChatLiveChat

    Website chat, Messenger, Apple Messages, WhatsApp and email in the console; SMS via integration. 3CX adds WhatsApp, which LiveChat lacks.

    3CX3CX

    Voice, live chat, WhatsApp, Messenger and SMS through the phone system; no email queue. WhatsApp is here and not on LiveChat.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    LiveChatLiveChat

    A large marketplace, and sibling products for chatbot, help desk and knowledge base at their own prices. 3CX is a business phone system with live chat instead.

    3CX3CX

    The phone system itself: extensions, call queues, IVR, recordings and video meetings. LiveChat is a live chat software instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    LiveChatLiveChat

    An hour: paste the snippet, invite agents, answer. 3CX is a day for the phone system.

    3CX3CX

    A day for the phone system; minutes for the chat widget once the PBX is up. LiveChat is an hour.

Sources: LiveChat pricing · 3CX 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 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
The 3CX web client: the call queue with a live chat conversation in the same panel
3CX3CX. The 3CX web client: the call queue with a live chat conversation in the same panel

Pricing references: LiveChat pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06); 3CX pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

LiveChat, 3CX 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.

FeatureLiveChatLiveChat3CX3CXSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; ChatBot is a separate product.
Per system per year, by simultaneous calls
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
14-day trial.
Up to 10 users, hosted by 3CX
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
The core product.
Widget rings the agent queue
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Via marketplace integration.
No email queue
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Via marketplace integration.
Through the phone system
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Via marketplace integration.
Messenger only
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not listed.
Not offered
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack integration.
Internal 3CX chat only
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
ChatBot, a separate subscription.
None for chat
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
From $52/mo for ChatBot; copilot included.
No AI agent to bill
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
ChatBot transfers to agents.
No AI to hand off from
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
HelpDesk is a separate product.
Calls and chats, no ticket queue
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Routing rules; flows live in ChatBot.
Call flows, not support automations
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and ratings.
Call reports
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

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

Which one, for whom

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 an AI agent at all; 3CX has none for chat.
  • Time to the first reply is an hour here and a day for the phone system on 3CX.

Pick 3CX if

  • Phone is your main channel and you want chat and WhatsApp to ring the same agents.
  • You want a free tier for a small team that already needs a PBX.
  • Five people cost $245 a month less than on LiveChat ($0 against $245), before AI.
  • You need WhatsApp in the price, which LiveChat does not include outright.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with $245 a month on LiveChat against $0 on 3CX for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats and 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat), where Sellio's credit is included and capped by you.
  • You need Telegram and tickets raised from a chat, which neither LiveChat nor 3CX includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

LiveChat on Team: $98, $245 and $490 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. 3CX: $0 a month for five (five users on the free tier); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $200 less than LiveChat and more than 3CX's $0 for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $395 under LiveChat.

Where the two agree, and where they split

LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console; 3CX is a business phone system with live chat built around phone calls. Only 3CX has a free plan (up to 10 users, 3CX-hosted); LiveChat offers 14 days, no card. LiveChat and 3CX both include website chat in the price; only 3CX has WhatsApp. Neither LiveChat nor 3CX includes email, Instagram and Telegram outright. LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats; 3CX has no AI to bill (none for chat). Neither LiveChat nor 3CX has a ticket queue, and both ship desktop apps. LiveChat is an hour; 3CX is a day for the phone system.

What each price leaves out

LiveChat: Text Intelligence (copilot, suggestions, summaries) included. The ChatBot product is separate, from $52 a month yearly. 3CX: No AI agent for chat; call transcription and analytics are listed as launching soon. Beside LiveChat's ChatBot from $52/mo and 3CX's none for chat, 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
    LiveChatLiveChatAssumed $0$0
    3CX3CXSee vendorNot quoted
    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.

    LiveChatLiveChat · 14 days, no card
    3CX3CX · Free tier, no trial clock
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

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

Continue your research

FAQ

LiveChat vs 3CX: the questions people ask

LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console; 3CX is a business phone system with live chat built around phone calls. Neither LiveChat nor 3CX has a ticket queue, and both ship desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: LiveChat $19/agent/mo (Starter: 60-day history); 3CX $0 (SMB Free: up to 10 users).
  • Chat in the price: LiveChat $49/agent/mo (Team); 3CX $0 (live chat on the free tier).
  • Sellio puts every channel in one inbox: email, Instagram and Telegram, which neither LiveChat nor 3CX has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

Sellio's side of the LiveChat and 3CX 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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