LiveChat Alternative for Every Use

Implementing live chat is one of the best business moves a SaaS owner could make, as it can boost conversions by up to 45%. Now this is music to many business owners’ ears, but finding the right live chat tool to fit your requirements and brand can be tricky.

If you’ve started using LiveChat and found it doesn’t quite live up to your expectations, or you’re considering LiveChat and want to know other tools worth considering, Customerly has you covered!

We’ve dived into the almost endless sea of live chat apps and retrieved 9 of the best LiveChat alternatives, worth your consideration.

LiveChat is an online app for real-time direct communication with customers and web visitors. It pops up on websites to allow people to ask businesses customer service questions. It has a clean, minimal UI design for easy communication.

Businesses love live chat because it helps improve customer satisfaction with faster response and resolution times. Customers love it because the conversation is centered around accommodating their needs at a convenient time.

Comprehensive Customer Service Tool

Not only do they provide a comprehensive AI-chat solution, but they also integrate with a number of apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and more, so customers can contact you on whatever platforms they feel comfortable with.

Cost-Effective

They provide plans for every business, whether large or small. Prices start from $20, allowing even start-ups to improve their customer satisfaction processes, all within a 5-minute installation period. Additionally, once you’re ready to scale, you won’t be paying too much more on top of your starting fee.

Data Collection and Insights

LiveChat integrates with a number of analytics solutions, including Google Analytics and Mixpanel. This allows you to track the impact of your customer service and live chats, and see what impacts they have on sales. This allows you to tweak your strategies, especially if you’ve noticed a dip in recent sales.

Here are some issues we and various user reviews from Capterra and G2 have found with LiveChat.

• Communication delays: Many users have suffered from stability issues with LiveChat. Whether it’s glitches, notifications not working, or delays in receiving messages, LiveChat can leave both your agents and customers frustrated. This is something you definitely want to avoid, as customers who have a bad experience when seeking help for an issue will often just leave a platform entirely.
• Limited functionality: Aside from the ability to chat with your customers, LiveChat can be limited in terms of its functionality. Customization options can be extremely limited, and customer behavior tracking and data collection are lacking. Additionally, you can only chat with users who visit your website from a desktop, meaning you can miss out on engaging with customers who access your site through mobile.
• Not user-friendly: LiveChat’s mobile app, while relatively functional, can be difficult for agents to navigate. This can cause bottlenecks when agents try to guide customers to a solution for an issue, or share particular files with users.  
• Difficulty integrating with certain apps: As we covered, LiveChat integrates with plenty of tools, but there are still some areas that have left customers wanting. For instance, many users would like integration with Zendesk for a more comprehensive customer service solution. Additionally, while LiveChat does integrate with Salesforce, many users have expressed how difficult it is to get it up and running. This might cause friction for businesses looking to unify their customer engagement and relationship management processes.

As busy SaaS owners ourselves, we thought we’d present the skimmable version of our list first:

1. Customerly – best AI-powered live chat tool.
2. Intercom – best for AI customer service.
3. Drift – best for account-based marketing.
4. Zendesk Chat – best for customized chat.
5. Tidio – best for AI and human support combo.
6. Chatra – best for startups and e-commerce.
7. Crisp – best for an integrated knowledge base.
8. Hubspot – best for seamless integration with HubSpot CRM.
9. HelpScout – best for helpdesk software.

1. Customerly – Best AI-Powered Live Chat Tool

Customerly is a leading customer service software, delivering the best live chat service in the industry. We are the number one choice for a LiveChat alternative. We offer more than your bog-standard live chat. And you’ll find that we tick all the boxes when it comes to a first-class, customer-facing, live chat app you can trust to foster excellent relationships with your customers.

Key Features

• AI-Enhanced Conversation Inbox:  Connect your support channels to our inboxes to see new live chat conversations, have the option to forward support emails to a dedicated Customerly address, and connect FB Messenger to receive messages in Customerly.

• Live Chat Features: From the live chat window, your agents and customers can drag and drop images, link to resources, reply using canned responses, and share attachments. You can also add some spice and character to conversations using fun Emojis and GIFs.
• Customization: Customize your live chat window to fit your branding and provide professional CX.
• In-App Surveys: Distribute in-app surveys for higher response rates to learn what your customers think about you and your live chat processes.

• 24/7 response: Ensure your customers get support whenever needed with access to Help Center Articles.
• Video Live Chat: Use video to increase revenue through personal face-to-face conversations. Share your screen without installing anything else to get issues resolved faster through real-time high-def support for desktop and mobile.

Pricing

We offer five plans using a fair pricing approach of charging by estimated monthly interactions instead of per user. Our interactions definition is any “ business-driving activity” to retain or covert customers; an example includes responding to a conversation.

All our plans come with a free 14-day trial and are customizable based on your requirements.

2. Intercom – Best for AI Customer Service

Intercom helps keep costs low by combining AI Bot, AI Help Desk, and Proactive Support features for happy support teams and customers. Intercom intends to free up agent’s time to focus on high-value customer conversations, while most other customer conversations are resolved using AI.

Key Features

• AI Help Desk: Enhance your team’s productivity by connecting your inbox, tickets, and help center into a centralized, AI-powered workspace.
• AI Bot: Intercom’s OpenAI-powered bot uses advanced AI language models to AI bot “FIN.” FIN solves complex problems more accurately than any other AI bot currently on the market.
• Proactive Support: They deliver proactive support through good onboarding, education, and in-context automated messages, to help keep support volumes low.

Pricing

Intercom offers three price plans with free trials. They also provide “Early stage discounts” where eligible startups can access advanced Intercom features and access their “Early Stage Academy” with a 95% discount.

Pros

• Accommodate super easy conversations with customers.
• Easy to set up.
• Integrates well with CRMs.

Cons

• Expensive.
• Intercom pricing is extremely confusing 

3. Drift – Best for Account-Based Marketing

Drift is ideal for account-based marketing. It uses previous interactions and site traffic to recognize target accounts, and then leverages live chat for timely and personalized one-on-one engagement.

Key Features

• Conversational Marketing: Use this feature as your friendly website always-on greeter. This solution uses real-time, relevant conversations to engage your website visitors and move them quicker through the conversion journey.
• Conversational Sales: Use real-time notifications, AI-powered insights, and more to know who you should target, when, and with what messages at all times.
• Conversational Service: Use this feature to help your support teams by automatically deflecting straightforward questions, allowing them more time to focus on high-priority customers. Drift connects your knowledge base and tech stack for immediate responses 24/7.

Pricing

Drift has three price plans. Their premium plan, recommended for small businesses, is billed annually. Although their pricing is somewhat expensive, all plans include services useful for SaaS businesses, like a dedicated customer success manager, strategy sessions, technical support, and live chat access.

Pros

• Plenty of native integrations.
• Fantastic account manager.
• Ever-ready website chat functions ensure you never miss a visitor.

Cons

• Expensive.

4. Zendesk Chat – Best for Customized Chat

Zendesk is a messaging and live chat tool to communicate with customers wherever they are. It offers advanced customization tools allowing agents to choose usernames, add pictures, and more for personable customer interaction and to suit your branding.

Key Features

• Redefined Responses: Use macros to speed up support and save visitor and agent time. Additionally, support agents in managing multiple live chat conversations efficiently.
• No-Code Chatbot Builder: Create your own AI chatbots without using a single line of code.
• Data-Powered Personalized Conversations: Increase engagement, loyalty, and conversions by using your customer’s data to create personalized messages that match their needs, preferences, and behavior.

Pricing

Pricing information is not available on their website. Consider reaching out to them for a demo.

Pros

• The chat widget is available in more than 54 languages.
• Zendesk initiates chats with targeted visitors.
• Available in Android and iOS.

Cons

• There is no pricing information and minimal feature information on the website.

5. Tidio – Best for AI and Human Support Combo

Tidio is an AI-powered customer service platform that delivers excellent customer service through conversational AI and hands-on live chat and helpdesk support. Tidio uses self-learning and human-sounding Lyro AI — the first conversational AI chatbot for small businesses to respond to 70% of customer questions using natural conversation.

Key Features

• Live Chat: Powerful live chat app tailored for e-commerce and small businesses helps teams master customer support, inspire customer loyalty and increase sales. Use the live chat feature to manage all your channels, and access emails, Facebook messages, and Instagram emails for quicker responses.
• Helpdesk: Deliver exceptional support through automated chatbot responses, creating tickets from customer questions, and automatically routing messages to the agents with the most relevant experience.
• Analytics: Understand customer behavior and monitor your team’s performance. Use Tidio analytics to improve conversations and enhance processes using actionable analytical feedback.

Pricing

Tidio offers six flexible plans, and you’ll have the option to subscribe to more than one. Subscriptions can be downgraded at any time. You can send unlimited live messages; however, the number of people you can contact is plan dependent.

All plans offer a free trial, no credit card is required.

Pros

• Use customizable widgets to communicate with visitors in real-time.
• Integrations with leading apps.
• Large range of customizable chatbots.

Cons

• Premium consulting and integration services.

6. Chatra – Best for Startups and eCommerce

Chatra by Brevo is a budget-friendly all-in-one marketing and CRM solution that supports business owners in developing long-term customer relationships. Chatra uses live agents to welcome potential customers to your website and makes it easier for them to contact you by inviting them to get in touch via automated message.

Key Features

• Targeted Messages and Triggers: This is an excellent tool to boost your sales and leads, and reduce your bounce rate. With this feature, you can proactively contact your customer as soon as there’s an issue.
• Form and Lead Capture Bot: The contact form bot welcomes visitors, collects the necessary details, and essentially sets the tone of the conversation.
• Intelligent Chat Bot: Decreases the load on your support team by automatically answering FAQs. It learns more about what your customers need before transferring to a live agent.

Pricing

Chatra offers three simple plans at budget-friendly pricing. You can access features on their paid plans with a 10-day free trial.

Pros

• Professional, clean, attractive, and easy-to-use UI design.
• Generous free forever plan.
• Great chat window customization features.

Cons

• Chat may lag occasionally.

7. Crisp – Best for Integrated Knowledge Base

Crisp is a centralized messaging platform, that combines teams, conversations, data, and knowledge for a customer experience with a human touch. Consider Crisp for customizable live chat, translation, and video calling. Integrate your knowledge base for quick access to help articles for real-time resolution.

Key Features

• Knowledge: Build a self-service culture in your business to reduce first-time response times, improve customer happiness, and help train new agents. Combine live chat and chatbots with your knowledge base for a solid customer experience.
• Campaigns: Use this feature to take your customer engagement to another level. Boost engagement through personalized email, in-app messages, and interactions to build lasting relationships.
• Chatbot: Develop chatbots for automated conversations and workflows using the code-free editor.

Pricing

Crisp has a simple pricing structure offering four plans. The fourth option is to customize your package. Suitable for enterprises requiring dedicated features.

Pros

• Painless installation.
• Reactive customer support.
• Competitive pricing.

Cons

• Integrations are tricky, some require code, and help is limited.

8. HubSpot – Best for Seamless Integration with HubSpot CRM

The HubSpot live chat software connects to your website visitors, to assist in converting new leads closing more deals, and delivering support to your customers. HubSpot’s live chat software is available through their CRM suite from the Marketing Hub.

Key Features

• Chat Conversations On the Go: Integrate with Slack to receive live chat notifications and respond directly from Slack or continue conversations using the HubSpot mobile app. Let customers know when you can chat by setting chat office hours.
• Automate Repetitive Tasks: Support your team with unlimited personalized conversations at scale. Create bots to handle activities like qualifying leads, arranging meetings, and answering common questions.
• Conversations Inbox: All chat conversations are stored in HubSpot’s CRM to provide teams with full context and a view of all prospects and customer interactions. Access the conversations inbox to respond to chats, make calls, create support tickets, etc.

Pricing

You’ll get access to HubSpot’s live chat feature when subscribing to their CRM “Starter” package, and receive 10% off by paying for a year upfront.

Pros

• 100% free through CRM solution.
• Can be easily integrated with other tools.
• Automatic conversation routing to route chats to team members most qualified to help.

Cons

• You’ll need to get the HubSpot CRM package to access their live chat tool.

9. Help Scout – Best for Help Desk Software

Help Scout is help desk software that focuses on “a better way to talk with your customers.” They equip the help desk to deliver VIP treatment to every customer throughout every interaction.

Key Features

• Live Chat: Help Scout’s live chat feature supports teams in delivering better communication to customers with access to collaboration tools used to manage email. Within the live chat window, automatically offer customers instant answers by recommending articles, and if that doesn’t work, they’ll have the option to start a live chat with someone.
• Reporting: Their selection of reports is intended to help your helpdesk get better. For example, chat reports look at key metrics such as wait and response time and chat duration. Happiness reports track your customer’s satisfaction ratings to back many well-done team moments.
• Customer Management: Deliver more personalized support with customers’ previous conversations and other useful data with every support request.

Pricing

Help Scout provides a 15-day free trial across their three plans with up to 20% off when you pay annually. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Pros

• Streamlines customer support process for great CX.
• Offers CRM integration.
• Simple, clean, and easy-to-navigate UI.

Cons

• Lacks native chat support tools.

Customerly delivers the best live chat tool in the industry, and thousands of brands trust us to help their business excel using live chat. We offer the features and functionality most forward-thinking SaaS business owners want to drive growth for a fair investment.

Start your free trial today or reach out for a chat to learn how else Customerly helps take your customer service to the next level.