LiveChatHelpshiftLiveChat vs Helpshift

LiveChat vs Helpshift: live chat or in-app support

A live chat software against an in-app support for games and apps: one prints a price and one quotes. What decides between LiveChat and Helpshift, 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 Helpshift if you ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached. For five people it is $245 a month on LiveChat, and a quote on Helpshift, before AI; Sellio Mini is $45 for the workspace. LiveChat and Helpshift both include website chat in the price; only Helpshift has email and WhatsApp. Neither LiveChat nor Helpshift includes Instagram and Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between LiveChat and Helpshift for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceLiveChatLiveChatHelpshiftHelpshift
Built aroundThe chat console · help desk and chatbot sold separatelyIn-app support for games · SDK first
Entry plan$19/agent/mo · Starter: 60-day historyQuote · priced by interaction volume
Chat in the price$49/agent/mo · TeamQuote · in-app and web
AI agentChatBot from $52/mo · a separate productIn the quote · AI agents by volume
Copilot for agentsIncluded · Text IntelligenceIn the quote
Free planNone · 14-day trialNone · request pricing

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. Helpshift raises a ticket where LiveChat keeps a conversation.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    As an issue raised inside the game or app through the SDK, with device and player data attached. LiveChat has no ticket queue behind its conversations.

  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; Helpshift prints no figure to set beside it.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    There is no seat price; the quote is built from interaction volume, solutions and regions. No figure for five people here; LiveChat prints $245.

  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. Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats as well.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    AI agents are part of the modular quote, priced by the volume they handle. LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    LiveChatLiveChat

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

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    In-app, web, email, WhatsApp and Discord; no Instagram or Telegram. email and WhatsApp are 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. Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps instead.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    Player engagement, trust and safety, community, and outsourced human support. LiveChat is a live chat software instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    LiveChatLiveChat

    An hour: paste the snippet, invite agents, answer. Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

    HelpshiftHelpshift

    A sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers. LiveChat is an hour.

Sources: LiveChat pricing · Helpshift 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 Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data
HelpshiftHelpshift. The Helpshift agent dashboard: an in-app issue with the player's device and session data

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

LiveChat, Helpshift 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.

FeatureLiveChatLiveChatHelpshiftHelpshiftSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; ChatBot is a separate product.
Quote by interaction volume
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
14-day trial.
None
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

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

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
ChatBot, a separate subscription.
AI agents in the quote
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
From $52/mo for ChatBot; copilot included.
By volume, quoted
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
ChatBot transfers to agents.
Hands to an agent
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

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

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Mac and Windows apps.
Browser only
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 native desktop apps, which Helpshift does not ship.
  • It prints its price ($245 a month for five) where Helpshift quotes.

Pick Helpshift if

  • You ship a mobile game or app and want support inside it with device data attached.
  • Discord and WhatsApp are where players write.
  • You need email and WhatsApp in the price, which LiveChat does not include outright.
  • You need a ticket queue, which LiveChat does not have.

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, and a quote on Helpshift 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 Helpshift meters AI (in the quote) above the seats, where Sellio's credit is included and capped by you.
  • You need Telegram and a free plan with no trial clock, which neither LiveChat nor Helpshift 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. Helpshift quotes per team, so two, five and ten people are three conversations with sales. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $200 less than LiveChat and against a quote on Helpshift 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; Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games. Neither has a free plan: LiveChat offers 14 days, no card, Helpshift no trial. LiveChat and Helpshift both include website chat in the price; only Helpshift has email and WhatsApp. Neither LiveChat nor Helpshift includes Instagram and Telegram outright. LiveChat (ChatBot from $52/mo) and Helpshift (in the quote) both meter AI above the seats. Helpshift has tickets and LiveChat does not, and only LiveChat ships desktop apps. LiveChat is an hour; Helpshift is a sales cycle, then an SDK integration by your developers.

What each price leaves out

LiveChat: Text Intelligence (copilot, suggestions, summaries) included. The ChatBot product is separate, from $52 a month yearly. Helpshift: AI agents are part of the modular quote. Beside LiveChat's ChatBot from $52/mo and Helpshift's in the quote, 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
    HelpshiftHelpshiftSee 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
    HelpshiftHelpshift · None; request pricing
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

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

Continue your research

FAQ

LiveChat vs Helpshift: the questions people ask

LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console; Helpshift is an in-app support for games and apps built around in-app support for games. Helpshift has tickets and LiveChat does not, and only LiveChat ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: LiveChat $19/agent/mo (Starter: 60-day history); Helpshift Quote (priced by interaction volume).
  • Chat in the price: LiveChat $49/agent/mo (Team); Helpshift Quote (in-app and web).
  • Sellio's inbox: Instagram and Telegram, which neither LiveChat nor Helpshift has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside LiveChat and Helpshift 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

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