10 best live chat software tools in 2025 (features, pricing, use cases)

What is live chat software?

Simply put, live chat software lets you have real-time, text-based conversations with people visiting your website or using your app. It’s moved way beyond the basic pop-up windows from years ago and is now a standard part of any good customer service setup.

The best live chat software today usually does a lot more than just manage chats. Many platforms offer omnichannel support, which pulls conversations from email, social media, and apps like WhatsApp into a single inbox. You’ll also find chatbots and AI assistants that can answer simple questions on their own, route trickier issues to the right person, and even help your agents write clearer replies, faster.

What to look for in the best live chat software

To narrow down the options, we looked at a few important factors. This should help you compare the tools fairly and find one that actually fits what you need.

Ease of Use for Your Live Chat Software

How long will it take for your team to get comfortable with it? A good tool should feel intuitive, not like you need a degree to figure it out.

Live Chat Software Integration Capabilities

Does it connect with the other tools you rely on? The best software should link up with your help desk, CRM, and knowledge sources without forcing you to change your entire workflow.

AI & Automation in Live Chat Software

What kind of smart features does it have? Some tools offer basic chatbots, while others can automate entire workflows, draft replies for agents, and solve issues without any human help. This is where you can really save a lot of time.

Scalability & Security of Live Chat Software

Can the software grow with you? You want something that works now but won’t become a bottleneck next year. It also needs to have solid security to keep your customer data safe.

Total Cost of Ownership for Live Chat Software

What’s the real cost beyond the monthly subscription? Think about the time it takes to set up, any headaches from migrating data, and ongoing maintenance. Sometimes a cheaper tool can cost you more in the long run.

Comparison of the top 10 live chat software tools in 2025

Tool	Best For	Starting Price (Annual)	Key AI Feature	Standalone or All-in-One?
eesel AI	Adding powerful AI to any existing help desk	$239/mo	Autonomous resolution & agent assistance	AI Layer (Integrates with others)
Zendesk	All-in-one CX platform with native chat	$19/agent/mo	Pre-trained CX chatbots	All-in-One
LiveChat	Sales and e-commerce teams	$20/agent/mo	AI-powered text enhancement	Standalone Chat (Integrates)
Intercom	Proactive, AI-first customer engagement	Contact Sales	Fully autonomous AI agent (Fin)	All-in-One
Tidio	Small businesses and e-commerce	$24.17/mo	Conversational AI (Lyro)	All-in-One
Freshdesk	Omnichannel support within the Freshworks ecosystem	Free plan available, paid from $15/agent/mo	Freddy AI for self-service & agent assist	All-in-One
Drift	Enterprise B2B conversational marketing	$2,500/mo	AI-powered lead qualification	All-in-One
Tawk.to	Businesses needing a free, basic solution	Free	Basic AI assist (add-on)	Standalone Chat
LiveAgent	Teams needing strong ticketing and reporting	Free plan available, paid from $15/agent/mo	Limited AI features (requires own OpenAI key)	All-in-One
HubSpot Service Hub	Companies invested in the HubSpot CRM	Free plan available, paid from $20/mo	Basic chatbots linked to CRM data	All-in-One

The 10 best live chat software solutions in 2025

Let’s get into the specifics of each tool. Just remember, the "best" option depends on your goals, your current tools, and where you see your business going.

1. eesel AI: The best AI layer for your existing live chat software

eesel AI is a little different. Instead of replacing your current setup, it’s a smart AI layer that connects to the help desk and chat tools you already use, like Zendesk, Intercom, or Freshdesk. It learns from all your company knowledge help articles, past conversations, and internal docs in places like Confluence or Google Docs to automate frontline support, help agents draft perfect replies, and sort incoming tickets automatically.

This is the right choice for teams that like their current live chat tool but want to add powerful AI without going through a difficult migration. The best part? You can run a simulation on your past ticket data before you commit, so you can see exactly how much time and money you’ll save, risk-free.

• Use Cases: Automating frontline support, giving agents an AI Copilot to draft accurate replies instantly, and offering an AI-powered internal chat for employee questions.
• Pricing: The Team plan starts at $239/month (billed annually) and includes up to 1,000 monthly AI interactions.
• Pros: Works with your existing tools (no need to rip and replace), trains on your real ticket history for better accuracy, and lets you simulate your ROI before launch.
• Cons: It’s not a standalone chat widget, so it needs an existing help desk or chat tool to work.

2. Zendesk: The Best All-in-One Live Chat Software Platform

Zendesk is a huge name in customer service, and its live chat is a key part of its platform. The Agent Workspace puts chat, email, voice, and social media messages into one place, giving agents the full picture. Their AI is pre-trained on billions of real customer service tickets, so their chatbots and smart routing work well right from the start.

Zendesk is on the list because it’s a market leader and a solid all-in-one option for companies that prefer a single platform for everything. The main thing to consider is that you have to be all-in on the Zendesk ecosystem to get the most out of its AI. For teams that don’t want to move their entire help desk, a flexible AI layer like eesel AI can provide similar intelligence on top of any tool, including Zendesk.

• Pricing: The Suite Team plan starts at $55/agent/month (billed annually).

3. LiveChat: The Best Live Chat Software for Sales and E-commerce Teams

LiveChat is a very popular and user-friendly live chat tool built with sales and e-commerce teams in mind. It’s full of handy features like product cards you can share in-chat, smart chat routing, and canned responses for fast answers. Its AI features mostly focus on improving text and suggesting replies, which helps agents work faster and more consistently.

We included it because its straightforward design and focus on sales make it a great pick for online stores. While its AI assistant is helpful for agents, it doesn’t automatically resolve issues or automate complex workflows like some more advanced AI platforms can.

• Pricing: Starts at $24/agent/month (billed annually).

4. Intercom: The Best Live Chat Software for Proactive, AI-First Engagement

Intercom is a powerhouse for proactive customer engagement. It uses targeted messages and pop-ups to connect with customers at the right time. Its AI agent, Fin, is one of the most advanced out there and can handle full, natural conversations by learning from your help docs and past tickets.

It’s on this list because Intercom is a true leader in AI-driven support and shows what fully automated customer service can look like. The catch? Intercom is an expensive, all-in-one platform. Its power comes from being the single hub for all customer communication, which means you have to fully switch over to it. Teams can get similar AI capabilities by adding a tool like eesel AI to Intercom or another help desk, often with more flexible pricing.

• Pricing: Custom pricing, generally aimed at mid-market and enterprise companies.

5. Tidio: The Best Live Chat Software for Small Businesses and E-commerce

Tidio is a nice all-in-one option for smaller businesses, bundling live chat, chatbots, and email marketing into one affordable package. Its conversational AI, Lyro, can answer customer questions using the information you add to your knowledge base. It’s known for being easy to use and quick to set up, which is a big advantage for teams using platforms like Shopify.

Tidio made the list because it’s a solid, budget-friendly choice for small businesses that need more than a simple chat box. The main drawback is that its AI is limited to the knowledge you manually feed it. It doesn’t learn from past conversations, which can affect its accuracy on more complex customer questions.

• Pricing: A free plan is available. Paid plans start at $24.17/month.

6. Freshdesk: The Best Live Chat Software for Omnichannel Support

Freshdesk, part of the Freshworks suite, offers an omnichannel platform that includes a capable live chat tool called Freshchat. Its AI, Freddy, handles self-service, assists agents, and powers basic chatbots. It’s a good choice for businesses that want a single solution that works well with other Freshworks products.

It’s on the list as a strong alternative for businesses that want one platform with a good set of features for every channel. But much like Zendesk, its biggest strength is also its main limitation. To really take advantage of Freddy AI, you need to be invested in the Freshworks ecosystem. An AI layer like eesel AI can be added to Freshdesk to provide more advanced, customized automation without being locked into one vendor.

• Pricing: A free plan is available. Paid plans start at $15/agent/month.

7. Drift: The Best Live Chat Software for Enterprise B2B Conversational Marketing

Drift is the tool that really defined "conversational marketing." This live chat software is built specifically for B2B sales and marketing teams. Its main job is to engage potential customers, qualify leads, and book meetings for your sales team automatically. The AI is tuned for lead generation and routing chats to the right sales reps instantly.

It’s the clear winner for B2B companies that use live chat as a sales engine. However, Drift is a premium tool that focuses almost entirely on the pre-sale experience. It’s not built for customer support after the sale, so you’ll likely need a separate tool and knowledge base to handle those questions.

• Pricing: Starts at a steep $2,500/month.

8. Tawk.to: The Best Live Chat Software for a Free, Basic Solution

Tawk.to made a name for itself by offering a completely free live chat tool with a decent feature set. You get unlimited agents, a basic ticketing system, and a knowledge base without paying anything. You can even hire live agents from them for $1/hour.

It’s on this list because it’s hands-down the best free option available. But "free" usually has its limits. It doesn’t have the advanced automation, high-level security, or sophisticated AI that growing teams need. Its AI features are a paid add-on and aren’t deeply integrated. It’s a fine place to start, but you might outgrow it quickly.

• Pricing: Free. Paid add-ons for removing branding ($19/mo) and AI Assist ($29/mo).

9. LiveAgent: The Best Live Chat Software for Strong Ticketing and Reporting

LiveAgent is a dependable help desk platform with a big focus on traditional ticketing and handling multiple channels. Its live chat is built right into its universal inbox, so agents can manage chats, emails, and social media messages from one screen. It also has some neat features like detailed reporting and gamification to keep agents motivated.

This tool offers a good mix of features for its price, especially for teams that are used to a traditional ticketing workflow. The main drawback is its very limited AI. You have to bring your own OpenAI API key, which means you’re responsible for the setup and unpredictable costs. It’s not an out-of-the-box AI solution.

• Pricing: A free plan is available. Paid plans start at $15/agent/month.

10. HubSpot Service Hub: The Best Live Chat Software for Companies in the HubSpot CRM

HubSpot’s live chat is part of its Service Hub, and its real strength is how deeply it connects with the HubSpot CRM. This allows for very personal conversations because your agents can see a customer’s entire history with your company, from their first marketing email to their most recent sales call.

If your business already uses HubSpot for marketing or sales, adding its service chat is a logical next step. The main constraint is that the chat and AI features are tied directly to the HubSpot CRM. The automation works well for CRM-related tasks but can feel limited when dealing with support issues that need information from other systems. If your knowledge is stored somewhere else (like Confluence or Notion), its AI won’t be as effective.

• Pricing: Free tools are available. The Service Hub Starter plan begins at $20/month.

How to choose the right live chat software for your business

So, how do you decide which one to go with? It really comes down to what you need your tools to do. Pro Tip: All-in-one platform vs. AI layer. This is the biggest choice you’ll make. An all-in-one platform like Zendesk or Intercom can be very effective, but it usually means moving your entire support setup, which is a huge undertaking. An AI layer like eesel AI improves the tools you already have, giving you a faster and less risky way to add advanced automation.

Here are a few things to think about:

• What’s your main goal? Are you trying to boost sales, make support more efficient, or capture marketing leads? Pick a tool that’s built for that purpose (like LiveChat for sales or eesel AI for support automation).
• What tools do you already use? Choose something that connects easily with your current help desk, CRM, and knowledge sources. Don’t make more work for your team.
• What will you need in the future? Try not to just solve today’s problems. Pick a platform that can grow with your team as your business and customer expectations change.

Frequently asked questions about live chat software

1. What is the main benefit of live chat software?

The biggest benefit is speed. It lets you help customers right away, which makes them happier and saves everyone time. This can lead directly to more sales and more loyal customers.

2. Can I add AI to my current live chat software?

Yes, you can. You don’t have to replace your current system to get smart AI features. Tools like eesel AI are designed to plug into your existing live chat software (like Zendesk or Freshdesk) to add automation and agent assistance without a painful migration process.

3. What’s the difference between live chat and chatbots?

Live chat connects a customer with a human agent for a conversation. A chatbot is an automated program that can talk with customers, usually following a script or simple rules. Many modern tools blend the two, using an AI chatbot to handle the first contact and then passing the conversation to a human if it gets too complex.

4. How much does live chat software cost?

Prices are all over the place. You can find free tools like Tawk.to, while most paid plans for small businesses are in the $15-$50 per agent, per month range. High-end, AI-first platforms like Drift or Intercom can cost thousands per month. AI layers like eesel AI are often priced by how much you use them, which can be a good model as you grow.

5. Is live chat software secure?

Good live chat providers use strong security measures like data encryption and follow regulations like GDPR. When you’re looking at different options, check that the company is open about its security practices, especially if they use AI. For example, eesel AI never uses your data to train general models and offers EU data residency to meet strict compliance rules.

Transform your support with the right live chat software

A modern live chat tool is great to have, but you’ll get the most out of it when you add a layer of intelligence. The point isn’t just to have a chat function, but to make that chat smart. Whether you switch to a new all-in-one platform or upgrade your current tools with an AI layer, the goal is the same: give your customers faster, more accurate, and more helpful support.

Ready to see how AI can improve your existing customer support? Try eesel AI for free and see how it learns from your data to automate support in minutes.