LiveChat vs Intercom. Pricing, AI and which to pick.
Both are live chat and help desk tools priced per seat, with no free plan and a 14-day trial. LiveChat includes a set number of AI resolutions and sells packs for more; Intercom charges for every outcome its Fin AI Agent resolves.
Every price and feature here comes from LiveChat's and Intercom's own websites, with links. ChatBento, our product, appears as a third column so you can see where a simpler website chatbot fits.
Live chat and help desks
LiveChat
LiveChat is live chat software from Text, Inc. New trials are now sold as Text plans that combine live chat, a shared inbox, ticketing and an AI Agent, priced per user.
- Starts at
- $19per user / mo billed yearly ($25 monthly), Essential
- Billing
- Per user, AI resolutions included then $49.50 per 50
- Free option
- No (14-day trial)
Live chat and help desks
Intercom
Intercom is an AI-first customer service help desk with a shared inbox, ticketing, a help center and Messenger live chat, priced per seat, with its Fin AI Agent charged per outcome.
- Starts at
- $19per seat / mo billed yearly, new-customer price; plus $0.99 per Fin outcome
- Billing
- Per seat, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome
- Free option
- No (14-day trial)
LiveChat vs Intercom, side by side
"Not confirmed" means we couldn't verify it on that company's site, not that it's missing.
| Feature | LiveChat | Intercom | ChatBentoOur product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No (14-day trial) | No (14-day trial) | Yes, 50 AI messages/mo |
| Lowest paid plan | $19/user/mo billed yearly | $19/seat/mo billed yearly, plus Fin | $14/mo (2,000 AI messages) |
| How the AI is billed | Per user, AI resolutions included then $49.50 per 50 | Per seat, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome | Flat monthly price, no seats |
| AI answers trained on your website | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Install with one script tag | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hand-off to a human | Yes, to a human agent | Yes, to agents in the inbox | Yes, by email |
| Live chat inbox for your team | Yes | Yes | No |
| WhatsApp, Messenger and other channels | Messenger, SMS and more | Yes | Not yet |
| Native integrations (CRM, Slack and others) | Yes | Hundreds, incl. Slack, Jira, Salesforce | Not yet |
| Help desk ticketing | Yes | Yes | No |
LiveChat details checked October 23, 2026; Intercom details checked October 23, 2026. Prices change, so check each company's pricing page before you decide.
Where each one is stronger
LiveChat's strengths
From LiveChat's own site. Check Intercom's column in the table above for the same rows.
Inbox and ticketing on every plan
Every Text plan includes an omnichannel inbox and ticketing system, with apps for web, Windows, Mac, Android and iOS.
livechat.com/pricingEcommerce integrations
Shopify (live catalog and cart recovery), WooCommerce, WordPress, Webflow and Squarespace integrations are listed.
livechat.com/pricingMultilingual on Growth
Growth and Enterprise include multilingual support in 48 languages, plus team performance reports.
livechat.com/pricingAI Agent with auto-updating sources
You pick website pages, help articles and files for each AI Agent, and website sources update automatically.
livechat.com/ai-agent-for-customer-service
Intercom's strengths
From Intercom's own site. Check LiveChat's column in the table above for the same rows.
A full help desk
Shared inbox, ticketing system, public help center, reports and automation, with workflow builders and SLAs on higher plans.
intercom.com/pricingFin works everywhere
Fin answers across channels including email, live chat, phone, WhatsApp and SMS, transfers to agents in the inbox, and can run on top of Zendesk, Salesforce, HubSpot or Freshdesk.
fin.aiHundreds of integrations
Intercom says Fin connects to hundreds of integrations out of the box, including Slack, Jira, Linear, Salesforce and HubSpot, with Shopify and Stripe data in the inbox.
intercom.com/pricingMobile apps for your team
Intercom Conversations for iOS and Android lets teammates reply, add notes, and tag and assign conversations.
intercom.com/help/en/articles/447-respond-to-users-and-visitors-on-the-go-with-the-intercom-conversations-app
LiveChat and Intercom pricing
Each plan as the company lists it, with the fees that come on top.
LiveChat pricing
- Essentialper user / mo billed yearly ($25 monthly). 10 AI resolutions a month$19
- Growthper user / mo billed yearly ($99 monthly). 200 AI resolutions a month$79
- Enterpriserequest a callCustom
No free plan; a 14-day free trial, no card required. Checked October 23, 2026 on livechat.com/pricing.
- LiveChat's AI Agent is metered by resolution: one resolution is a chat where the AI directly solved the customer's question. Extra resolutions come in packs of 50 for $49.50. Source
- LiveChat says existing customers keep their legacy plans, which are listed separately on its legacy pricing page. Source
Intercom pricing
- Essentialper seat / mo billed yearly, new-customer price (list $29)$19
- Advancedper seat / mo billed yearly$85
- Expertper seat / mo billed yearly$132
- Fin AI Agentper outcome, on any plan$0.99
No free plan; a 14-day free trial, no card required. Checked October 23, 2026 on intercom.com/pricing.
- Intercom counts a Fin outcome when a customer confirms their issue is resolved or doesn't ask for more help after Fin responds. Fin can also run on another help desk at $0.99 per outcome with a minimum monthly commitment. Source
Which to choose
It comes down to who answers your chats and how you'd rather be billed.
Choose LiveChat if
- Agents answer chats live all day and need an inbox, ticketing and desktop and mobile apps.
- You sell on Shopify or WooCommerce and want product and cart features in chat.
- Per-user pricing fits because only a few people answer chats, and 10 to 200 AI resolutions a month is enough.
Choose Intercom if
- You run a support team that needs a shared inbox, ticketing and a help center in one place.
- You want one AI agent across chat, email, phone and WhatsApp.
- Paying per seat plus $0.99 per resolved outcome fits your volume.
- You need SSO, HIPAA support or SLAs (Expert plan).
Choose ChatBento if
Our product
- You want an AI chatbot on your website that answers from your own pages, Q&As and text, not a full support suite.
- You'd rather pay a flat $14, $30 or $100 a month than per seat or per resolution, or start on the free plan with 50 AI messages a month.
- An email hand-off is enough when a visitor needs a person.
Only need AI answers on your website?
ChatBento reads your site in about a minute and answers visitors from it. Free plan forever, paid plans from $14 a month.
LiveChat vs Intercom. Questions, answered.
Which is cheaper, LiveChat or Intercom?
It depends on how you'd use them, because they bill differently. LiveChat starts at $19 (per user / mo billed yearly ($25 monthly), Essential), billed as: per user, AI resolutions included then $49.50 per 50. Intercom starts at $19 (per seat / mo billed yearly, new-customer price; plus $0.99 per Fin outcome), billed as: per seat, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome. Price your own monthly volume on both before you decide.
Do LiveChat and Intercom have free plans?
LiveChat: No free plan; a 14-day free trial, no card required. Intercom: No free plan; a 14-day free trial, no card required.
What is the main difference between LiveChat and Intercom?
Both are live chat and help desk tools priced per seat, with no free plan and a 14-day trial. LiveChat includes a set number of AI resolutions and sells packs for more; Intercom charges for every outcome its Fin AI Agent resolves.
Which should I choose, LiveChat or Intercom?
Choose LiveChat if agents answer chats live all day and need an inbox, ticketing and desktop and mobile apps. Choose Intercom if you run a support team that needs a shared inbox, ticketing and a help center in one place.
Do I need a live chat inbox at all?
Only if someone on your team will answer chats in real time. LiveChat and Intercom both include one. If you mostly want visitors' questions answered from your website, an AI chatbot with an email hand-off does that without a seat for each person.
Is there a simpler, flat-priced alternative to LiveChat and Intercom?
ChatBento is an AI chatbot for your website that learns from your pages and Q&As, captures leads and hands off to you by email. It has a free plan with 50 AI messages a month, then $14, $30 or $100 a month, with AI answers included and no seats. It has no live chat inbox, ticketing or messaging channels, so it fits when the website chatbot is the job.
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LiveChat and Intercom are trademarks of their owners; ChatBento is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.
Sources: livechat.com/pricing, livechat.com/pricing-legacy, livechat.com/ai-agent-for-customer-service, intercom.com/pricing, fin.ai, intercom.com/help/en/articles/447-respond-to-users-and-visitors-on-the-go-with-the-intercom-conversations-app
Put AI answers on your site. Free to start, then $14 a month.
Free plan forever. No card required.