LiveChatFacebook ChatLiveChat vs Facebook Chat

LiveChat vs Facebook Chat: $245 apart for five people

A live chat software against a Meta Business Suite inbox: Facebook Chat is $245 a month cheaper for five people. Where LiveChat and Facebook Chat split, 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

No credit card. Live in minutes.

The short answer

Pick LiveChat if website chat is the channel and you want the most refined console and widget available. Pick Facebook Chat if customers only write on Messenger and Instagram and you have no budget. For five people, Facebook Chat is $245 a month cheaper than LiveChat ($245 a month on LiveChat against $0 on Facebook Chat), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only Facebook Chat's figure comes under. LiveChat and Facebook Chat share no channel in the base price; only LiveChat has website chat; only Facebook Chat has Instagram. Neither LiveChat nor Facebook Chat includes email, WhatsApp and Telegram outright. For a team of two to ten weighing LiveChat against Facebook Chat, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceLiveChatLiveChatFacebook ChatFacebook Chat
Built aroundThe chat console · help desk and chatbot sold separatelyMessenger and Instagram DMs · free with a Page
Entry plan$19/agent/mo · Starter: 60-day history$0 · with a Facebook Page
Chat in the price$49/agent/mo · TeamNone · the website Chat Plugin was retired in 2024
AI agentChatBot from $52/mo · a separate productNone to buy · instant replies and FAQs
Copilot for agentsIncluded · Text IntelligenceMeta AI drafts · for some businesses
Free planNone · 14-day trialYes · the whole inbox is free

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. Facebook Chat has no ticket queue either.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    As a Messenger or Instagram message in the Business Suite inbox, with the customer's profile beside 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 Facebook Chat.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    There are no seats and no price; anyone with a Page role can answer. $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. Facebook Chat has no AI to bill (none to buy) instead.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    No AI agent to buy. Instant replies, away messages and FAQs are rules; Meta AI drafts replies for some businesses. 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. website chat is here and not on Facebook Chat.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    Messenger, Instagram DMs and comments; WhatsApp lives in its own app, and the website plugin is gone. Instagram 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. Facebook Chat is a Meta Business Suite inbox instead.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    Posting, scheduling and ads for the Page; nothing beyond Meta's own channels. LiveChat is a live chat software instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    LiveChatLiveChat

    An hour: paste the snippet, invite agents, answer. Facebook Chat is none.

    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat

    None: it is already there when you have a Page. LiveChat is an hour.

Sources: LiveChat pricing · Facebook Chat 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 Meta Business Suite inbox: Messenger and Instagram threads in one list
Facebook ChatFacebook Chat. The Meta Business Suite inbox: Messenger and Instagram threads in one list

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

LiveChat, Facebook Chat 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.

FeatureLiveChatLiveChatFacebook ChatFacebook ChatSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; ChatBot is a separate product.
Free
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
14-day trial.
The whole product
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
The core product.
Website Chat Plugin retired in 2024
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Via marketplace integration.
Not offered
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Via marketplace integration.
Separate WhatsApp Business app
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Via marketplace integration.
DMs and comments
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.
Not offered
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
ChatBot, a separate subscription.
Rules, not an AI agent
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
From $52/mo for ChatBot; copilot included.
No AI 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.
Labels and done state only
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Routing rules; flows live in ChatBot.
Instant replies, away messages, FAQs
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and ratings.
Page insights
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Mac and Windows apps.
Browser and mobile
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 need website chat in the price, which Facebook Chat does not include outright.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Facebook Chat does not ship.

Pick Facebook Chat if

  • Customers only write on Messenger and Instagram and you have no budget.
  • One or two people answer and you do not need assignment or tickets.
  • Five people cost $245 a month less than on LiveChat ($0 against $245), before AI.
  • You need Instagram in the price, which LiveChat does not include outright.

The third option: Sellio

  • Your team is two to ten people on chat, messaging and email. Weigh workspace pricing against $245 a month on LiveChat against $0 on Facebook Chat for five people; the billing units and included features differ.
  • You want a ceiling on AI spend: LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats, Facebook Chat has no AI to bill (none to buy), and Sellio stops at the cap you set.
  • You need Telegram and tickets raised from a chat, which neither LiveChat nor Facebook Chat 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. Facebook Chat: $0 a month for five (free for anyone with a Page role); 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 Facebook Chat'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; Facebook Chat is a Meta Business Suite inbox built around Messenger and Instagram DMs. Only Facebook Chat has a free plan (the whole inbox is free); LiveChat offers 14 days, no card. LiveChat and Facebook Chat share no channel in the base price; only LiveChat has website chat; only Facebook Chat has Instagram. Neither LiveChat nor Facebook Chat includes email, WhatsApp and Telegram outright. LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats; Facebook Chat has no AI to bill (none to buy). Neither LiveChat nor Facebook Chat has a ticket queue, and only LiveChat ships desktop apps. LiveChat is an hour; Facebook Chat is none.

What each price leaves out

LiveChat: Text Intelligence (copilot, suggestions, summaries) included. The ChatBot product is separate, from $52 a month yearly. Facebook Chat: No AI agent; instant replies and FAQs are rule-based. Beside LiveChat's ChatBot from $52/mo and Facebook Chat's none to buy, 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
    Facebook ChatFacebook ChatSee 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
    Facebook ChatFacebook Chat · Not applicable; free
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

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

Continue your research

FAQ

LiveChat vs Facebook Chat: the questions people ask

LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console; Facebook Chat is a Meta Business Suite inbox built around Messenger and Instagram DMs. Neither LiveChat nor Facebook Chat has a ticket queue, and only LiveChat ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: LiveChat $19/agent/mo (Starter: 60-day history); Facebook Chat $0 (with a Facebook Page).
  • Chat in the price: LiveChat $49/agent/mo (Team); Facebook Chat None (the website Chat Plugin was retired in 2024).
  • Sellio: one inbox for every channel: email, WhatsApp and Telegram, which neither LiveChat nor Facebook Chat has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside LiveChat and Facebook Chat on the same rows.

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

No credit card required