LiveChatLiveAgentLiveChat vs LiveAgent

LiveChat vs LiveAgent: entry plans at $19 and $15

A live chat software against a help desk with live chat and calls: LiveAgent is $100 a month cheaper for five people. Where LiveChat and LiveAgent 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

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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 LiveAgent if you want email, chat and a call center in one ticket queue at a low seat price. For five people, LiveAgent is $100 a month cheaper than LiveChat ($245 a month on LiveChat against $145 on LiveAgent), before AI. Sellio Mini, at $45, comes in $100 below LiveAgent. LiveChat and LiveAgent both include website chat in the price; only LiveAgent has email. Neither LiveChat nor LiveAgent includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. For a team of two to ten weighing LiveChat against LiveAgent, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceLiveChatLiveChatLiveAgentLiveAgent
Built aroundThe chat console · help desk and chatbot sold separatelyA universal inbox · email, chat and calls
Entry plan$19/agent/mo · Starter: 60-day history$15/agent/mo · Small Business, yearly
Chat in the price$49/agent/mo · Team$15/agent/mo · chat on every plan
AI agentChatBot from $52/mo · a separate productIncluded · chatbot and answer assistant
Copilot for agentsIncluded · Text IntelligenceIncluded
Free planNone · 14-day trialNone · 30-day trial

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. LiveAgent raises a ticket where LiveChat keeps a conversation.

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    As a ticket in the universal inbox, whether it came by email, chat or a call. 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, against $145 on LiveAgent.

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    $15 buys email and two chat buttons on Small Business; the call center starts on Medium at $29. $145 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. LiveAgent folds AI (included) into the plan instead.

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    The chatbot, answer assistant and triage are included in the paid plans; no per-conversation meter. 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. LiveAgent adds email, which LiveChat lacks.

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    Email and chat on every plan; calls from Medium; WhatsApp, Viber, Instagram and Facebook on Large and up. email 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. LiveAgent is a help desk with live chat and calls instead.

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    A call center with IVR, a knowledge base and a customer portal. LiveChat is a live chat software instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    LiveChatLiveChat

    An hour: paste the snippet, invite agents, answer. LiveAgent is a day.

    LiveAgentLiveAgent

    A day: connect the mailbox, add the chat button, set the departments. LiveChat is an hour.

Sources: LiveChat pricing · LiveAgent 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 LiveAgent universal inbox: the ticket list with email, chat and call tickets together
LiveAgentLiveAgent. The LiveAgent universal inbox: the ticket list with email, chat and call tickets together

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 AI conversations on LiveChat, AI conversations on LiveAgent

3000+
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.

LiveAgentLiveAgent

$145/mo

Adds the call center.

5 × $29 seats
$145
300 AI conversations × $0
$0

Yearly billing; monthly costs more. LiveAgent includes its chatbot and answer assistant in the seat; no per-conversation rate is printed. Rates recorded on 2026-09-13.

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: LiveChat pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06); LiveAgent pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). 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

LiveChat, LiveAgent 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.

FeatureLiveChatLiveChatLiveAgentLiveAgentSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; ChatBot is a separate product.
Per agent; AI included
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
14-day trial.
None; 30-day trial
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

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

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
ChatBot, a separate subscription.
Chatbot included
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
From $52/mo for ChatBot; copilot included.
In the seat
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.
Universal inbox
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Routing rules; flows live in ChatBot.
Rules and time rules
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and ratings.
Reports and CSAT
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.
  • Time to the first reply is an hour here and a day on LiveAgent.
  • Its pricing model suits you better than LiveAgent's: per agent per month; yearly and monthly rates. No free plan.

Pick LiveAgent if

  • You want email, chat and a call center in one ticket queue at a low seat price.
  • AI included in the seat matters more than a tunable AI meter.
  • Five people cost $100 a month less than on LiveChat ($145 against $245), before AI.
  • You need email 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 $145 on LiveAgent 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, LiveAgent folds AI (included) into the plan, and Sellio stops at the cap you set.
  • You need Telegram and a free plan with no trial clock, which neither LiveChat nor LiveAgent 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. LiveAgent on Medium Business: $58, $145 and $290 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $200 less than LiveChat and $100 less than LiveAgent for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $395 under LiveChat and $195 under LiveAgent.

Where the two agree, and where they split

LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console; LiveAgent is a help desk with live chat and calls built around a universal inbox. Neither has a free plan: LiveChat offers 14 days, no card, LiveAgent a 30-day trial, no card. LiveChat and LiveAgent both include website chat in the price; only LiveAgent has email. Neither LiveChat nor LiveAgent includes WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats; LiveAgent folds AI (included) into the plan. LiveAgent has tickets and LiveChat does not, and both ship desktop apps. LiveChat is an hour; LiveAgent is a day.

What each price leaves out

LiveChat: Text Intelligence (copilot, suggestions, summaries) included. The ChatBot product is separate, from $52 a month yearly. LiveAgent: Chatbot, answer assistant, autoresponder and triage included in the paid plans. Beside LiveChat's ChatBot from $52/mo and LiveAgent's included, 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
    LiveAgentLiveAgentAssumed $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.

    LiveChatLiveChat · 14 days, no card
    LiveAgentLiveAgent · 30-day trial, no card
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

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

Continue your research

FAQ

LiveChat vs LiveAgent: the questions people ask

LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console; LiveAgent is a help desk with live chat and calls built around a universal inbox. LiveAgent has tickets and LiveChat does not, and both ship desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: LiveChat $19/agent/mo (Starter: 60-day history); LiveAgent $15/agent/mo (Small Business, yearly).
  • Chat in the price: LiveChat $49/agent/mo (Team); LiveAgent $15/agent/mo (chat on every plan).
  • Sellio's inbox: WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, which neither LiveChat nor LiveAgent has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside LiveChat and LiveAgent 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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