Best Intercom alternatives for live chat and AI support
Intercom bills per seat (Essential $29, Advanced $85, Expert $132 per seat/mo billed annually) plus $0.99 per Fin AI outcome. These live chat and AI chatbot tools publish lower or flatter prices.
How this list works: Free plans first, then ordered by lowest listed monthly price. Pricing verified against vendor pages (latest check ). No placement here is paid. Methodology.
| Tool | What it is | Price (vendor-published) | Free plan | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartsupp | Live chat, WhatsApp and Messenger inbox with an optional Mira AI agent. | Free (1 operator, 25 conversations/mo); billed annually: Solo $17/mo, Plus $25/mo, Expert $83/mo; Enterprise from $280/mo; Mira AI agent sold separately; prices exclude VAT; 14-day free trial, no card | Yes | chat |
| Freshchat | Live chat and messaging for websites and apps from Freshworks, with an AI agent. | Free for up to 10 agents; per agent/mo billed annually: Growth $19, Pro $49, Enterprise $79; Freddy AI Agent $49 per 100 sessions; Freddy AI Copilot $29/agent/mo; 14-day free trial | Yes | chat, sms |
| Tidio | Live chat and help desk with the Lyro AI agent for answering and qualifying website visitors. | Free plan (50 billable conversations); billed annually (2 months free): Starter $24.17/mo (100 conversations), Growth from $49.17/mo (from 250 conversations); Plus from $300/mo plus usage; Lyro AI Agent priced by conversations; 7-day free trial | Yes | chat |
| JivoChat | Live chat with social messengers and telephony in one inbox. | Free plan; per agent/mo billed annually: Basic $28, Professional $42, Enterprise $56; add-ons such as WhatsApp $27/mo and AI assistant $13/mo; 14-day trial | Yes | chat |
| tawk.to | Free live chat widget, ticketing and knowledge base with paid branding removal and AI add-ons. | Live chat free for life with unlimited agents; remove the 'Powered by tawk.to' branding for $29/mo; AI Assist chatbot is a paid add-on; hired live chat agents $1/hour | Yes | chat |
| Crisp | Shared inbox with website chat, AI chatbot and omnichannel messaging, priced per workspace. | Free plan; per workspace/mo: Mini $45 (4 seats), Essentials $95 (10 seats), Plus $295 (20+ seats, AI suite); 14-day free trial | Yes | chat, email |
| Botpress | Platform for building AI chat agents for websites and messaging channels, used for lead qualification and support. | Free (100 conversations); Plus $150/mo billed annually (250 conversations, then $65 per 100); Team $750/mo billed annually (1,500 conversations, then $50 per 100); Enterprise custom; annual saves 20% | Yes | chat |
| LiveAgent | Help desk with live chat, email, call center and AI on every plan. | Per agent/mo billed monthly (offer prices): Small $15 (regular $19; up to 5 agents), Medium $26 (regular $35; up to 15), Large $44 (regular $59); billed annually $11, $22, $38; Enterprise custom; AI included; 30-day free trial, no card | — | chat, email, phone |
| LiveChat (now Text) | Website live chat with AI agents (now sold as Text) for converting and supporting visitors. | LiveChat pricing now shows Text plans with AI agents included. Billed annually per user/mo: Essential $19, Growth $79 (AI resolutions included: 10 on Essential, 200 on Growth); Enterprise custom; extra 50 AI resolutions $49.50; yearly billing saves up to 24%; free trial | — | chat |
| Olark | Website live chat with an AI website agent that answers visitors and captures leads. | Live Chat (no AI) $29/agent/mo; Standard AI Website Agent $400/mo billed annually ($4,800/yr; unlimited conversations, 1 human seat included, extra agents $29/mo); 14-day free trial, no card | — | chat |
| Chatbase | Build AI chat agents trained on your content for website support and lead capture. | Billed yearly: Hobby $32/mo (700 message credits), Basic $120/mo (4,000), Business $400/mo (15,000); extra credits $40 per 1,000; branding removal $1,188/yr; Enterprise custom; 7-day trial | No | chat |
FAQ
What is the cheapest Intercom alternative?
tawk.to is free with unlimited agents. Smartsupp, Tidio, JivoChat and Crisp have free plans; paid plans start at Smartsupp Solo $17/mo and Tidio Starter $24.17/mo billed annually, and LiveAgent from $15/agent/mo monthly ($11 annually).
Which alternative prices per workspace instead of per seat?
Crisp: Mini $45/mo (4 seats), Essentials $95 (10 seats), Plus $295 (20+ seats). Olark's AI Website Agent is $400/mo billed annually with unlimited conversations.
Which Intercom alternatives include an AI agent?
Tidio's Lyro AI is priced by conversations, Smartsupp offers its Mira AI agent, LiveAgent includes AI on every plan, and Chatbase and Botpress build AI chatbots (Chatbase from $32/mo billed yearly, Botpress Plus $150/mo billed annually).
Compare tools from this list
- Chatbase vs Botpress
- tawk.to vs LiveChat (now Text)
- Tidio vs LiveChat (now Text)
- Crisp vs Tidio
- Olark vs LiveChat (now Text)
- LiveAgent vs LiveChat (now Text)
- JivoChat vs tawk.to
- Smartsupp vs Tidio
- Smartsupp vs tawk.to
- Freshchat vs Tidio
Related roundups
- Best live chat software for sales websites
- Best inbound AI SDR & lead conversion tools
- Best AI agent builders for sales workflows
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