Best live chat tools

Best live chat tools

Tools whose primary category is live chat. These are the canonical ranked options. 2 listed.

1. 01
   Crisp

   Per-workspace live chat and shared inbox with omnichannel messaging.

   • Free plan
   • 4 plans
   From

   Free

   Plans

   4
   Crisp profile Crisp alternatives
2. 02
   Intercom

   Per-seat customer messaging with Fin AI Agent for tier-1 deflection.

   • 14-day trial
   • 4 plans
   From

   $29/mo

   Plans

   4
   Intercom profile Intercom alternatives

Also relevant

Tools whose primary category is something else, but which list live chat as a secondary fit. They overlap on use case and are worth considering, especially if you have adjacent needs.

• Help Scout primarily help desk

  Conversation-centric help desk and shared inbox for support teams.

  Free

Migrations within live chat 3 guides

Long-form migration guides for switching tools within the live chat category. Each is curated, not auto-generated: cost math, what you lose, what you gain, and the pair-specific gotchas that bite during cutover.

• Intercom → Help Scout

  • Cost reduction
  • Email-first archetype
  • HIPAA on Pro
  Read guide
• Intercom → Crisp

  • Per-seat to flat
  • Cost reduction
  Read guide
• Help Scout → Crisp

  • Cost reduction
  • Per-seat to flat
  • Chat-first
  Read guide

Common questions

What's the cheapest live chat tool?

Crisp starts at Free, the lowest entry price among 3 live chat tools we track. Pricing scales differently above the entry tier; check the full plan grid before buying.

How many live chat tools have a free plan?

2 of 3: Crisp, Help Scout. Free-tier limits vary, so the right pick depends on your contact count and send volume.

Which live chat tools offer free trials?

1 of 3: Intercom (14-day trial). Trials let you test paid features without upfront payment.

Which live chat tools ship a custom Enterprise tier?

None of the 3 live chat tools we track publishes a separate Enterprise / contact-sales tier. Pricing is fully self-serve across the spine for this category.

How is this list ranked?

Tools whose primary category is live chat appear first, then adjacent tools that also serve this use case. Within each group, free-plan tools come first, then ascending entry price, then alphabetical. No editorial 'best' claims; rankings are derived from verified plan data.