People look for a LiveChat alternative for one of three reasons: the price per agent adds up, they want one inbox for the website and social media, or they want something lighter than a full helpdesk. This page puts four options side by side. Prices are from each company’s official pricing page, read in 2026, in US dollars, and they change, so confirm them before you pay. We make VivaDialog, the last option, so weigh that entry with that in mind. If you are looking for alternatives to Intercom live chat, the same table applies.
The options at a glance
| What it is | What we read on its pricing page in 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| LiveChat | Live chat with an agent app, plus AI | Essential $19 per user a month billed yearly ($25 monthly); Growth $79 ($99 monthly); Enterprise on request |
| Intercom | Customer service platform with the Fin AI agent | Advanced $85 per seat a month, Expert $132; Fin $0.99 per outcome |
| Tidio | Live chat and a chatbot for small shops | Free plan with 50 billable conversations; Starter $24.17 a month |
| VivaDialog | Website chat inside a social inbox | Starter $9 a month ($7.20 billed yearly), flat per workspace |
Three notes on the table. LiveChat prices are per user, which is per agent, so a team of five multiplies them. Intercom’s page showed two figures for its Essential plan and did not say which applies to a new customer, so we left Essential out. Tidio’s Growth plan showed two different conversation figures, so we left it out too.
LiveChat
LiveChat’s pricing page listed Essential at $19 per user a month billed yearly and $25 billed monthly, Growth at $79 and $99, and an Enterprise plan on request. Both paid plans had a 14-day trial without a card. Essential kept 60 days of conversation history and Growth kept it without a limit. Essential included 1 AI agent and 10 AI resolutions a month, Growth 10 agents and 200 resolutions, and a pack of 50 more resolutions cost $49.50.
It suits teams that live in the chat window all day and need agent tools such as proactive campaigns and visitor tracking. The limits worth checking against your traffic are the history window on Essential and the AI resolutions.
Intercom
Intercom’s pricing page listed Advanced at $85 per seat a month and Expert at $132, with 20 and 50 free Lite seats respectively. Its Fin AI agent was $0.99 per outcome with no seat fee, and the FAQ mentioned a monthly minimum. Seats and usage were billed separately. Both Essential and Advanced were self-serve, with a 14-day trial without a card according to the FAQ.
It suits support teams that want a full customer service platform with an AI agent that resolves tickets. The cost to estimate is outcomes: every conversation Fin resolves is billed.
Tidio
Tidio’s pricing page listed a Free plan at $0 with 50 billable conversations and Starter at $24.17 a month for 100. Live chat was in every plan, and the page named Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and email among the integrations. Its Lyro AI agent was sold as an add-on from $32.50 a month, and the Free plan included 50 Lyro conversations for life.
It suits a small shop that wants live chat and a chatbot with a free start. The number to watch is billable conversations, since the plans are sized by them.
VivaDialog Website chat
VivaDialog puts a chat bubble on your website, and what visitors write lands in the same inbox as your Instagram, Facebook, and Threads comments and DMs, plus Telegram and email. Website chat comes with every paid plan, from Starter at $9 a month ($7.20 billed yearly). Starter includes 1 operator and Growth includes 10, so adding a teammate is not a per-agent charge. The plans limit conversations instead: 500 on Starter and 2,000 on Growth, counted when an automation or the AI answers. Replies you type yourself are not counted.
The setup is short. Owners and admins open Settings, go to Channels, find the Website chat card, and click Create a chat widget. They enter the Websites allowed to show it, click Save changes, then click Copy code under Add it to your website and paste the code before </body>. The help page has the details, including WordPress and Shopify notes: add a chat widget to your website.
What you get on top of the live chat:
- Automations and flows that apply to all channels also answer website visitors. Flows need Growth or higher.
- The AI Agent, if you turn it on for Website chat, answers visitors from the facts you write under Knowledge. The AI Agent and your Knowledge entries explains how.
- Cards under the greeting: up to 4 shortcut cards, each a question or a link.
- One inbox with filters, tags, assignment, and team notes, shared with the social channels.
Each widget handles up to 2,000 messages and 1,000 new chat sessions a day (UTC).
Which one fits
| If you need | Look at |
|---|---|
| Agent tools, visitor tracking, and campaigns for a sales team | LiveChat |
| A full support platform with an AI agent billed per resolution | Intercom |
| A free start and a chatbot for a small shop | Tidio |
| Website chat and social DMs in one inbox at a flat price | VivaDialog |
If your customers mostly write to you on Instagram or Facebook and the website chat is a side channel, a unified inbox saves a tab. If the website is your main channel and you need campaigns and visitor tracking, one of the first three is the better fit. The unified social inbox explained shows what the VivaDialog inbox does across channels.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good LiveChat alternative?
It depends on the job. For a sales team with campaigns, look at LiveChat or Intercom. For a small shop with a free start, Tidio. For a website chat that shares an inbox with social DMs, VivaDialog.
What are alternatives to Intercom live chat?
LiveChat and Tidio are the closest in the live chat part of the job. Intercom’s strength is the full support platform and the Fin agent, which the others price differently.
Is there a free LiveChat alternative?
Tidio listed a Free plan in 2026. VivaDialog has no free plan.
Does VivaDialog’s website chat need a developer?
No. You paste one line of code before </body>, as shown above. A site with a Content Security Policy needs the widget script allowed.
Does the AI work in the website chat?
Yes, through automations and the AI Agent. Automatic AI replies in Website chat always use VivaDialog’s AI and count toward the plan’s AI quota, even when you have added your own key. Use your own AI key explains where the key applies.
VivaDialog is in early access right now, and participants get the Growth plan free for 30 days. The pricing page has the details.