ChatBot vs Text by LiveChat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Text by LiveChat grades higher than ChatBot: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Text by LiveChat grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ChatBot
AI customer service agent and chatbot builder from Text
Text by LiveChat
Website chat, ticketing and an AI agent from the LiveChat team
Which one is for you
Pick ChatBot if
- Fits if you want an AI agent on a site you already chat on
- Works for a small team on Shopify or WordPress
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you rely on the AI, since Essential includes 10 resolutions and Growth 200, and a pack of 50 costs $49.50
- Pricey if you add agents, as it is priced per user plus resolution packs
- Skip it if you want summaries, as they need Growth at $79
- Watch out: SSO, audit logs and a white-label widget need a sales conversation
Pick Text by LiveChat if
- Fits if you sell online and want chat that shows what a shopper has in their cart
- Works for teams who answer from desktops as well as phones
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need unlimited chat history or multilingual chat, as both wait on Growth at $79 a user
- Not for you if you want a help center or phone support in the same tool
- Tight if your AI agent gets busy, since Essential has 10 resolutions a month and 50 more cost $49.50
- Watch out: Essential gives 5 AI reply suggestions per user a month, tracks 50 live visitors and allows 3 campaigns
- Skip it if you're on an older LiveChat plan and want Text features, as they aren't part of those plans
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAChatBotFair | 2.4GPAText by LiveChatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$19 a user a month billed yearly, but the AI is capped at 10 resolutions, and Growth at $79 is above the dearer quarter of $45. | CEssential is $19 a user a month billed yearly ($25 monthly), between the cheaper quarter and the middle of help desks. It already has chat, tickets and an AI agent, but only 10 AI resolutions a month, and the next plan, Growth, is $79 a user. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day trial with no card. No free plan. | CA 14-day free trial of Essential or Growth with no card needed. There's no free plan, and once it ends every person who answers chats or tickets needs a paid seat. |
| Features | CAn AI agent, skills, a copilot, inbox and ticketing and channels. Resolutions are capped at 10 on Essential and 200 on Growth. | CWebsite chat that shows who's browsing and what's in their cart, one inbox for chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS and email, tickets, an AI agent and reply help. The gaps: no help center or phone channel on the listing, and Essential keeps 60 days of history. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. The AI agent needs training and channels need connecting. | CNo store rating on record. You add the chat box to your site, connect each channel and point the AI agent at your knowledge sources before it does much on its own. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, Shopify, WordPress and Slack. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android apps for agents, with Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Webflow, WhatsApp, Instagram and Klaviyo, and an API. Every device type is covered. |
| Best for | an AI chatbot and customer service agent | website chat with an AI agent included |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: ChatBot and Text by LiveChat. How we grade
Price against what you get
ChatBot starts at $19 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Text by LiveChat starts at $19 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Text by LiveChat scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 8 score higher than ChatBot for less, and 1 scores higher than Text by LiveChat for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- ChatBot also covers workflow automation, whatsApp messaging and chatbots.
At a glance
| ChatBot | Text by LiveChat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $19 per user / month, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly) | $19 per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free 14-day trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of Essential or Growth, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Text, Inc. | Text, Inc. |
| Price read from | chatbot.com | livechat.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ChatBot
- Resolutions are capped (10 on Essential, 200 on Growth); an extra pack of 50 costs $49.50.
- Essential limits workflow rules, proactive campaigns to 3 and tracks 50 live visitors; chat summaries need Growth.
- Prices are per user, so the cost rises with each agent added on top of resolution packs.
- Enterprise features such as SSO, audit logs and a white-label widget need a sales conversation.
Text by LiveChat
- New sign-ups now get Text plans; the older LiveChat plans stay only for existing customers, and Text features are not part of them.
- AI resolutions beyond the monthly allowance (10 on Essential, 200 on Growth) cost $49.50 per pack of 50.
- There is no free plan, and every person who answers chats or tickets needs a paid seat.
- Essential keeps chat and file history for 60 days and tracks 50 live visitors; unlimited history and multilingual chat need Growth.
Key features
ChatBot
- AI Agent
- An agent that answers from your help articles, documents, URLs and PDFs, replies in 48 languages and hands over to a person on request.
- Custom skills
- Rules that tell the agent what to do in a situation, such as offering a discount or escalating, up to 10 skills per agent.
- AI Copilot
- Drafts replies, polishes text and suggests similar tickets for human agents; monthly per-user allowances are capped by plan.
- Inbox and ticketing
- Chats and tickets in one inbox with workflow automation and takeover; Growth adds supervision, canned responses and reports.
- Selling through chat
- A sales skill, live Shopify catalog sync, cart recovery campaigns and sales reports tied to chats.
- Channels
- Website chat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and SMS through Twilio, with Shopify, WordPress and WooCommerce integrations.
Text by LiveChat
- Website chat with visitor tracking
- A chat widget for websites and stores that shows who is browsing, which pages they view and, for Shopify stores, what is in their cart.
- One inbox for several channels
- Website chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS through Twilio and email arrive in one inbox, with a ticketing system for follow-ups, on every plan.
- AI Agent
- Answers customers from your knowledge sources and hands over to a person. Essential includes 1 agent and 10 resolutions a month, Growth 10 agents and 200.
- AI Copilot for agents
- Suggests replies and edits text for the team: 5 suggestions per user a month on Essential and 50 on Growth, which also adds chat and ticket summaries.
- Proactive campaigns
- Chat invitations and cart recovery messages shown to visitors, with sales reports tied to chats. Essential allows 3 campaigns and Growth 30.
- Apps for desktop and phone
- Agents can work in a browser or in apps for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
Plans
ChatBot
Essential$19
per user / month, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly)
1 AI Agent with 10 AI resolutions, inbox and ticketing, workflow automation, website chat, Messenger, WhatsApp and SMS.
Growth$79
per user / month, billed yearly ($99 billed monthly)
10 AI Agents with 200 AI resolutions, chat topics insights, team reports, 10 workflow rules and 30 proactive campaigns.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom AI agents and workflows, SOC 2 Type 2, SSO and audit logs, white-label widget and a dedicated team; sold through sales.
Text by LiveChat
Essential$19
per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)
Chat, inbox and ticketing, 1 AI Agent with 10 AI resolutions a month, 50 live visitors tracked, 3 proactive campaigns and 60 days of chat history.
Growth$79
per user / month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
Adds 10 AI Agents and 200 AI resolutions a month, chat supervision, shared canned replies, unlimited history, 400 live visitors and team reports.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom AI agents built for you, flexible usage limits, a white-label widget, SSO and audit logs, SLAs and a dedicated account team. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
ChatBot
- Annual discount
Save up to 24% with yearly billing
The pricing page shows yearly billing at $19 and $79 per user a month against $25 and $99 when billed monthly.
Text by LiveChat
- Annual discount
About 20% to 24% off with annual billing
The pricing page puts the annual saving at about 24% on Essential ($19 against $25 per user a month) and about 20% on Growth ($79 against $99).
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ChatBot or Text by LiveChat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, they start at the same price. ChatBot starts at $19 per user / month, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly), and Text by LiveChat starts at $19 per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, ChatBot or Text by LiveChat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither ChatBot nor Text by LiveChat has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do ChatBot and Text by LiveChat run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Text by LiveChat lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.