HelpCrunch vs Text by LiveChat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, HelpCrunch and Text by LiveChat share a 2.4 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about value for money, where HelpCrunch grades higher, or platforms, where Text by LiveChat does.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on 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.
HelpCrunch
Live chat, shared inbox, chatbot and email in one platform
Text by LiveChat
Website chat, ticketing and an AI agent from the LiveChat team
Which one is for you
Pick HelpCrunch if
- Fits if one or two people answer site visitors and also send email campaigns
- Works for a small team that wants chat and a shared inbox at $12 a seat
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need WhatsApp, chatbots or AI Agents, which start on PRO at $20
- Pricey if you outgrow PRO, since Unlimited is $495 a month billed annually
- Tight if you lean on AI: extra AI conversations are $29 a month for 100 on monthly billing
- Watch out: the shown price is for 1 team member and the lowest email volume, and sliders raise it
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there is only a trial
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
| 2.4GPAHelpCrunchFair | 2.4GPAText by LiveChatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$12 per team member a month on annual billing is inside the cheapest quarter of this category ($19). PRO is $20, then Unlimited jumps to $495 a month. | 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 free trial with no credit card, and no free plan after it. | 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 | CLive chat, shared inbox, chatbot flows, AI agents, a knowledge base, popups and email campaigns. The listing's gap: Basic has no WhatsApp, chatbot or AI Agents, and no ticketing with SLAs is shown. | 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, and widgets, channels, chatbot flows and popups all need setting up. | 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 plus iPhone and Android apps, and the pages list a REST API and mobile SDKs. Only 3 integrations are named. | 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 | live chat and email for a small site | 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: HelpCrunch and Text by LiveChat. How we grade
Price against what you get
HelpCrunch starts at $12 a month 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, and starts $7 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 4 score higher than HelpCrunch 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
- HelpCrunch also covers shared inbox, email campaigns, help center, chatbots and popups.
- Text by LiveChat also covers help desk.
At a glance
| HelpCrunch | Text by LiveChat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $12 per month for 1 team member, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) | $19 per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of Essential or Growth, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | HelpCrunch Corporation | Text, Inc. |
| Price read from | helpcrunch.com | livechat.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HelpCrunch
- Basic has no WhatsApp channel, chatbot, AI Agents or branding removal; those start on PRO.
- AI conversations are an extension: on monthly billing 100 more cost $29 a month and 1,000 cost $200.
- The displayed price is for 1 team member and the lowest email volume; the page's sliders raise it with more members and emails.
- Unlimited is $495 a month billed annually ($620 billed monthly), a large step above PRO.
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
HelpCrunch
- Live chat and shared inbox
- Chat widgets for websites and apps feed a shared inbox, with Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, Viber and WhatsApp channels counted as messenger channels.
- AI Agents
- AI Agents trained on your content answer common questions across channels and languages. Plans include a limit of AI conversations and data sources, extendable for a fee.
- Chatbot flows
- Chatbot flows handle common questions and engagement; PRO allows 15 active flows and Unlimited has no cap.
- Email and popups
- Email blasts, automated campaigns and popups are part of the product, with a monthly email allowance that the pricing slider sets.
- Knowledge base
- A help center for customer self-service; Basic is limited to one language and PRO and Unlimited are multilingual.
- Mobile apps and SDKs
- Mobile apps let agents reply on the go, and iOS, Android and React Native SDKs add the chat widget to your own app.
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
HelpCrunch
Basic$12
per month for 1 team member, billed annually ($15 monthly)
1 widget, 15 messenger channels, 3 auto messages and popups, 20 AI Editor requests. No WhatsApp, chatbot or AI agents. Price rises with team size and email volume.
PRO$20
per month for 1 team member, billed annually ($25 monthly)
5 widgets, 25 messenger channels, WhatsApp, 15 chatbot flows, 5 AI Agents and 50 AI conversations. Price rises with team size and email volume.
Unlimited$495
per month for unlimited team members, billed annually ($620 monthly)
50,000 emails, unlimited widgets, chatbot flows and AI Agents, 100 messenger channels, 100 AI conversations and the highest priority support.
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
HelpCrunch
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
The pricing page says billing annually saves 20%, and shows Basic at $12 against $15, PRO at $20 against $25 and Unlimited at $495 against $620.
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, HelpCrunch or Text by LiveChat?
As of Nov 12, 2026, HelpCrunch starts at $12 per month for 1 team member, billed annually ($15 billed monthly), and Text by LiveChat starts at $19 per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, HelpCrunch or Text by LiveChat?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither HelpCrunch nor Text by LiveChat has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do HelpCrunch and Text by LiveChat run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Text by LiveChat lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. 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.