LiveAgent vs Text by LiveChat
We give LiveAgent a 2.6 GPA and Text by LiveChat a 2.4, out of 4.0. LiveAgent grades higher on value for money and features. Text by LiveChat grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
LiveAgent
Help desk with email tickets, live chat, call center and AI agents
Text by LiveChat
Website chat, ticketing and an AI agent from the LiveChat team
How we grade them
| 2.6GPALiveAgentGood | 2.4GPAText by LiveChatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BSmall business is $15 an agent a month billed yearly ($19 monthly), inside the cheaper quarter of help desks, and it already has email tickets, live chat, a knowledge base, a customer portal and AI agents. The call center is on Medium at $29. | 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 30-day free trial with no card needed, which is one of the longer ones here. There's no free plan, so after the month you pay or leave. | 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 | BEmail tickets, live chat, a call center with IVR, AI agents, a knowledge base, customer portal and forum, and Facebook, Instagram, X, Viber, Telegram and WhatsApp in the same queue. That covers the whole job. | 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. There's a lot in one product, email accounts, chat buttons, phone queues and automation rules, so expect a learning curve before it all runs. | 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, iPhone and Android, with Slack, Zapier, WordPress, Stripe, BigCommerce and Asana, plus WhatsApp and Telegram as channels and an API. There's no desktop app, so it stops at a B. | 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 | email, chat and phone support on a budget | 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: LiveAgent and Text by LiveChat. How we grade
Price against what you get
LiveAgent starts at $15 a month for each person and scores 2.7 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.
They score the same, and LiveAgent starts $4 a month lower. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than LiveAgent 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
- LiveAgent starts at $15 per agent / month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly). Text by LiveChat starts at $19 per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
- Only Text by LiveChat lists macOS and Windows apps.
- LiveAgent also covers reports and help center.
At a glance
| LiveAgent | Text by LiveChat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $15 per agent / month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) | $19 per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day 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 | Quality Unit, LLC | Text, Inc. |
| Price read from | liveagent.com | livechat.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
LiveAgent
- Teams that answer email, chat and phone from one help desk
- Small support teams wanting a low per-agent price
- Businesses that want a long trial before paying
Text by LiveChat
- Online stores, especially on Shopify, that sell through chat
- Small teams that want chat and tickets under one per-user price
- Teams that want an AI agent included rather than billed separately
Worth knowing
LiveAgent
- On Small and Medium, Facebook, X, Viber and WhatsApp cost $39 a month each, and Instagram adds $19 on top of Facebook; they are included from Large.
- The call center, reports and SLAs need Medium or above.
- Small is limited to 3 email accounts, 2 chat buttons and 20 canned messages.
- Time tracking is a $19 a month add-on below Large, and each extra knowledge base costs $19 a month.
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
LiveAgent
- Email ticketing
- Support emails become tickets with collision detection, merging, splitting, tags, custom fields and canned replies.
- Live chat
- A chat button for websites with a real-time visitor monitor and satisfaction surveys. Proactive chat invitations start on Medium.
- Call center
- From Medium up: call queues, IVR, call routing and transfers, and call recording inside the help desk.
- AI agents
- An AI chatbot that hands chats to a person, an answer assistant for agents, and AI that replies to, sorts and summarizes tickets.
- Self-service
- A knowledge base, customer portals and a customer forum on every plan. Extra knowledge bases cost $19 a month each.
- Social and messaging channels
- Facebook, Instagram, X, Viber, Telegram and WhatsApp messages land in the ticket queue. WhatsApp works through Twilio or 360dialog.
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
LiveAgent
Small business$15
per agent / month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)
Email ticketing, live chat, a knowledge base, customer portal, contact forms, automation rules and AI agents. 3 email accounts and 2 chat buttons.
Medium business$29
per agent / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
Adds a call center with IVR, AI agent setup, reports, proactive chat invitations, SLAs, SSO and custom roles. 10 email accounts.
Large business$49
per agent / month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly)
Adds time tracking and an audit log, and includes Facebook, Instagram, X, Viber, Telegram and WhatsApp without add-on fees.
Enterprise$69
per agent / month, billed annually ($85 billed monthly)
Near-unlimited limits, a dedicated account manager, priority support, no LiveAgent branding and custom billing. Sold after a demo call.
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
LiveAgent
- Annual discount
About 21% off with annual billing
LiveAgent lists Small at $15 per agent a month billed annually against $19 billed monthly, with lower annual rates on every plan.
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).
