The Best Live Chat Software of 2024
Written by: BestApp.com App Testing Team - Updated: Jun 25, 2021
Live chat software apps are a must for companies that want to engage with customers online. LiveChat is our top pick for its wide range of features and affordable pricing options. But every business has different needs, so we’ve also included nine other live chat software apps that offer other tools and pricing plans.
Top 10 Live Chat Apps to Try
- LiveChat — Top Pick
- tawk.to — Best Free Software
- LivePerson — Best Free Trial
- Intercom — Best for Small Teams
- HubSpot Live Chat — Best for Enterprise Users
- LiveAgent — Best for Customer Support
- ZenDesk Chat — Best for Remote Teams
- Freshchat — Best for AI Chatbots
- Drift Live Chat — Best for B2B
- Pure Chat — Best for Analytics
How We Chose the Best Live Chat Apps
We’ve focused on apps that offer auto agent routing, targeted messaging, lead tracking, and other capabilities your team may need. Before you decide which live chat software to use, think about which features are most important to you.
Choose the live chat software app that’s right for you
Most of the apps on our list have the same core capabilities, but have different pricing structures for teams of different sizes. The number of agents on your team may play a role in which live chat software is right for you. You might also want to consider what type of customer support is available via email, phone, or help center.
Make the most of free trial offers
Before committing to a lengthy subscription, take advantage of free trials. The live chat software options on our list offer trials ranging from two weeks to 45 days, so it may be worth trying out more than one app before making a decision.
Our Live Chat Software App Reviews
LiveChat — Top Pick
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
LiveChat is our top pick for the wide range of features and integrations available. It supports omnichannel messaging, which means agents can communicate with customers via email, Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, and more, all from a single platform. LiveChat also integrates easily with MailChimp, Zendesk, Hubspot, and other enterprise-level software, and can be installed on WordPress with a free plugin. Other features include an AI chatbot that can route messages to the right agent, such as your sales or support team. Pricing starts at $16/agent, depending on which features you need.
Notable features:
- 14-Day Free Trial
- Subscription Plans: Starter: $16/agent/month, Team: $33/agent/month, Business: $50/agent/month, Enterprise: Custom quote
- Support available: Help Center, Live Support, Email, Phone
| LiveChat Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Omnichannel messaging | Month-to-month pricing is higher |
| CRM integrations | Single Sign-On costs extra |
| WordPress plugin | |
tawk.to — Best Free Software
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
tawk.to is our pick for the best free live chat software, since it’s free to use indefinitely with no limit on how many agents can be on your team. tawk.to provides many of the same features as other live chat apps, including the ability to respond to messages from any mobile device and use pre-written shortcuts to stay on brand and save time. tawk.to also supports translations into more than 45 languages, includes a knowledge base, and offers live agent support for $1 per hour. This is a good option if you don’t have enough agents on your team to cover multiple time zones. There are no ads. However, you can remove the “Chat by tawk.to” logo, rebrand your email with a custom address and footer, and whitelabel your knowledge base with your own domain for $19/month.
Notable features:
- All features included for free with tawk.to branding
- White label version: $19/month
- Support available: Live Chat, Phone, Email, Help Center, Tickets
| Tawk.to Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| No limit on team size | No automated chatbot at this time |
| Option to hire live agents | |
LivePerson — Best Free Trial
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
LivePerson gets the top prize for Best Free Trial, with its 45-day free trial for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs), longer than any other live chat software on our list. You can expect to pay $40 per user per month for the standard package, or $90 per user for premium features, which include AI-powered conversational tools and cross-platform capabilities. LivePerson can tailor its services to specific industries, such as retail, banking, travel, and insurance. For example, airlines can use the chatbot to help their customers book or upgrade flights, while insurance companies can automate the claims process.
Notable features:
- 45-Day Free Trial
- Subscription Plans: Standard: $40/user/month, Premier: $90/user/month
- Support available: Live Support, Knowledge Base, Tickets
| LivePerson Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Lengthy free trial | No option to export chats |
| Industry-specific capabilities | |
Intercom — Best for Small Teams
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Intercom is the best live chat software on our list for small teams, because it offers pricing plans specifically for “very small businesses.” The Start plan costs $59/month and includes one seat, while the Grow plan costs $119/month and includes five seats. Intercom also offers advanced features for eligible early stage startups for only $65/month, while mid-sized companies can upgrade to their Accelerate and Scale plans. In addition to live chat features, businesses can develop product tours and offer other customer experiences. Intercom supports hundreds of integrations with tools like Slack, HubSpot, and GitHub using a custom API.
Notable features:
- 14-Day Free Trial
- Subscription Plans: Start: $59/month, Grow: $119/month, Accelerate: $499/month, Scale: $999/month
- Support available: Live Support, Email, Help Center, Forum
| Intercom Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Custom API integrations | Steep pricing structure for SMBs |
| Helpful community forum | |
HubSpot Live Chat — Best for Enterprise Users
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
HubSpot Live Chat is best for enterprise users because it provides a full suite of features and integrations including sales, service, and marketing tools. The Starter subscription plan costs $50 per month and includes up to 1,000 marketing contacts, while the Enterprise plan starts at $3,200 per month for up to 10,000 contacts. This means you’ll only pay for the customers you actually market to, not your non-marketing contacts, and you can store up to 15 million contacts in all. Hubspot’s pricing model can be complex, but several bundled options are available, and there’s even a Startups Program that offers 90% off for eligible companies. Paid plans come with a 14-day free trial, while basic CRM and chatbot features are always free.
Notable features:
- 14-Day Free Trial
- Subscription Plans: Starter: $50/month, Professional: $890/month, Enterprise: $3,200/month
- Support available: Help Center, Chat, Phone, Email, Community
| HubSpot Live Chat Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Discounts for eligible startups | Complex pricing structure |
| Integrates with CRM software | |
| Non-marketing contacts are free | |
LiveAgent — Best for Customer Support
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
LiveAgent lets you offer multiple customer support solutions, including a knowledge base and community forum, making it the best live chat software for customer support. It also has built-in “gamification” options to incentivize your agents. There are three pricing options to choose from, as well as a free forever plan that can only be used on a single URL and store up to seven days of chat history. To get multi-channel live chat, you’ll need to sign up for the Ticket+Chat plan, which starts at $29/agent/month, or the all-inclusive plan for $39/agent/month. Key features include unlimited chat buttons, proactive chat invitations, and chat satisfaction surveys.
Notable features:
- 14-Day Free Trial
- Subscription Plans: Ticket: $15/agent/month, Ticket+Chat: $29/agent/month, All-inclusive: $39/agent/month
- Support available: Live Support, Help Desk, Email, Phone, Tickets
| LiveAgent Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| 24/7 customer support | Free plan has limitations |
| Gamification features | |
ZenDesk Chat — Best for Remote Teams
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
ZenDesk Chat is great for remote teams because it allows your agents to express a consistent company culture through automated responses, GIFs, and emojis. Agents can also see a customer’s profile and conversation history to provide more personalized responses. ZenDesk Chat isn’t a standalone product, but is included as part of Zendesk for Service and ZenDesk for Sales. A limited free version is available, while paid plans start at $14 per agent per month. You can also use ZenDesk as an internal helpdesk to improve your team’s productivity.
Notable features:
- 30-Day Free Trial
- Subscription Plans: Lite: $0, Team: $14/agent/month, Professional: $29/agent/month, Enterprise: $59/agent/month
- Support available: Help Center, Live Chat, Email, Phone
| ZenDesk Chat Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| GIFs, emojis, and typing indicators | Complex pricing structure |
| Customer profiles and conversation history | Limited free version |
Freshchat — Best for AI Chatbots
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
While most of the live chat tools on our list offer some AI functionality, this is where Freshchat really stands out. It allows you to build chatbots yourself using its “no-code” builder, so you can set up conversation flows that guide customers through a troubleshooting process. Freshchat also has an API library that companies can use to integrate chats with third-party applications and CRM platforms, as well support for custom widgets and multiple languages. Pricing plans are based on the number of agents and include at least 1,000 bot sessions per month.
Notable features:
- 21-Day Free Trial
- Subscription Plans: Sprout: Free, Blossom: $15/agent/month, Garden: $29/agent/month, Estate: $45/agent/month, Forest: $69/agent/month
- Support available: Live Support, Email, Phone, FAQs, Knowledge Base, Community Forum
| Freshchat Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| “No-code” chatbot builder | Additional bot sessions cost more |
| Supports multiple languages | 24/5 customer support |
Drift Live Chat — Best for B2B
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Drift calls itself a “revenue acceleration platform” with a focus on lead generation, making it the best choice for B2B teams. Special features include message routing so your customers can always reach the right agent or book a meeting with your sales team. Agents can also send video messages and GIFs to provide a more personalized experience. Drift doesn’t display its pricing openly so you’ll have to request a quote, although custom packages are available for early stage startups with less than 50 team members. There is also a free version, but this option only supports one conversation at a time.
Notable features:
- 15-Day Free Trial
- Custom quote
- Support available: Help Center, Live Support, Email, Tickets
| Drift Live Chat Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Chat routing | Limited free plan |
| Built-in scheduling | Hidden pricing structure |
| Video chat feature | |
Pure Chat — Best for Analytics
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Pure Chat offers two simple pricing plans and a 30-day free trial, making it suitable for small and mid-sized teams looking for cross-platform chat software. Its detailed visitor dashboard makes it the best option on our list for real-time analytics, with the option to view a visitor’s conversation history and see which pages they’ve visited before engaging them in a chat. The Growth plan costs $49 per month for up to four agents, and $13/month for each additional agent. All plans include customized widgets, chat history, and canned responses, but you’ll have to upgrade to the Pro plan in order to remove the Pure Chat branding.
Notable features:
- 30-Day Free Trial
- Subscription Plans: Growth: $49/month, Pro: $99/month
- Support available: Live Support, Help Articles
| Pure Chat Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| 30-day free trial | Pure Chat branding |
| Simple pricing plans | |
Live Chat Software Apps: Features Summary Table
| Live Chat Software Apps Comparison Table | ||
|---|---|---|
| App | Subscription Fees or In-App Purchases | |
| LiveChat — Top Pick | Starter: $16/agent/month Team: $33/agent/month Business: $50/agent/month Enterprise: Custom quote |
|
| tawk.to — Best Free Software | White label version: $19/month | |
| LivePerson — Best Free Trial | Standard: $40/user/month Premier: $90/user/month Enterprise: By quote |
|
| Intercom — Best for Small Teams | Start: $59/month Grow: $119/month Accelerate: $499/month Scale: $999/month |
|
| HubSpot Live Chat — SUPERLATIVE | Starter: $50/month Professional: $890/month Enterprise: $3,200/month |
|
| LiveAgent — Best for Customer Support | Ticket: $15/agent/month Ticket+Chat: $29/agent/month All-inclusive: $39/agent/month |
|
| ZenDesk Chat — Best for Remote Teams | Lite: $0 Team: $14/agent/month Professional: $29/agent/month Enterprise: $59/agent/month |
|
| Freshchat — Best for AI Chatbots | Sprout: Free Blossom: $15/agent/month Garden: $29/agent/month Estate: $45/agent/month Forest: $69/agent/month |
|
| Drift Live Chat — Best for B2B | Custom quote | |
| Pure Chat — Best for Analytics | Growth: $49/month Pro: $99/month |
|