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LiveChat Review: Key Insights on Features, Pricing, and Performance

Written by

Lucas Via

Expert Verified

Last update: November 17, 2025

LiveChat remains one of the most popular customer communication tools for teams focused on real-time engagement. It offers a professional, easy-to-use interface that helps businesses connect instantly with visitors and close more sales.

Its strengths lie in simplicity and speed. Agents can handle chats efficiently, track visitors in real-time, and utilize built-in reporting to measure outcomes.

However, suppose you’re looking for all-in-one support capabilities (email, chat, voice, and WhatsApp). In that case, LiveChat might feel limited, as several advanced tools, such as automation and AI, require separate subscriptions.

In this article, we review LiveChat’s features, pricing, pros, and cons, so you can determine whether it aligns with your customer service goals.

TL; DR

What is LiveChat? Real-time customer communication platform that helps businesses connect instantly with website visitors, resolve queries quickly, and boost conversions.
Best for: Small to mid-sized ecommerce and SaaS businesses that rely on live chat to convert leads and provide quick support.
Pricing: Starter: $25/agent/month, Team: $59/agent/month, Business: $89/agent/month, Enterprise: Custom pricing. Add-ons, such as ChatBot for automation, are sold separately. (All are annual pricing)
Key strengths: Fast and reliable chat experience, easy widget customization, excellent visitor tracking and reporting, and responsive vendor support.
Drawbacks: Automation and AI are sold separately, per-agent pricing makes scaling costly, occasional technical glitches occur, and limited help desk capabilities are available (no native email ticketing).
Ratings: G2 4.5/5 (750+ reviews), Capterra 4.6/5 (1,700+ reviews).

What Is LiveChat?

LiveChat is a customer communication platform that enables businesses to communicate with website visitors in real-time through an elegant chat interface. Teams use it to answer pre-sales questions, assist during checkout, or resolve customer issues instantly.

Livechat prioritizes fast communication over complex ticketing workflows. Its clean interface makes it popular with e-commerce and SaaS teams that value personal engagement.

Key Features: A Closer Look

So what does LiveChat actually do well? Let’s break down its core features and see how they help teams deliver quick, personalized support.

1. Chat Widget and Customization

LiveChat’s widget is flexible and user-friendly. You can modify its color, style, and placement to match your brand and preview changes instantly. It performs smoothly across both mobile and desktop devices.

“Being able to see who is browsing the website, what led them to the site, and what page they are looking at.” — G2 reviewer

2. Engagement Tools and Campaigns

You can trigger proactive messages or display targeted greetings to start conversations before visitors reach out. Campaigns can also promote discounts or updates based on user behavior, improving conversion chances.

3. Routing and Team Management

Chats are automatically routed to the right agents based on their skills or departments. Managers can monitor agent activity, review chat transcripts, and ensure coverage during peak hours.

4. Reporting and Analytics

The reporting dashboard tracks response time, chat volume, and CSAT. You can schedule recurring reports or export them. E-commerce users also receive conversion insights, illustrating how chats impact purchases.

5. AI and Automation

LiveChat’s Copilot assistant helps agents save time by suggesting replies, summarizing chats, and auto-tagging messages. However, automation is available only through the separate ChatBot add-on.

“The platform is fast, stable, and easy to use. The chat widget is responsive and looks professional. Features like canned responses, chat routing, and visitor tracking make agent workflows efficient.” — G2 reviewer

6. Integrations and APIs

LiveChat integrates with hundreds of tools, including CRMs, e-commerce apps, and analytics platforms. The API and webhooks allow custom setups for advanced users.

“We integrate Livechat with twelve different software tools in my department. This has enabled us to bring real-time, chat engagement, which Livechat provides, into our different sales channels.” — G2 reviewer

7. Security and Offline Support

Security features include encryption, GDPR compliance, and secure data storage. When agents are offline, visitors can still leave messages or interact with chatbots, ensuring every lead gets captured.

LiveChat Customer Reviews

👍 Pros

Fast, Straightforward Agent Workspace

Users describe LiveChat as “fast, stable, and easy to use.” The chat widget feels professional and responsive, and setup takes very little time.

Features such as canned responses, tags, transcripts, and chat history make follow-ups effortless and “make support job easy and fast.”

Integrations That Fit Existing Stacks

Reviewers appreciate that LiveChat integrates smoothly with CRMs, Shopify, and other everyday tools. Many teams also run it alongside HelpDesk and ChatBot for end-to-end support.

One enterprise reviewer mentioned, “We integrate with twelve different software tools.”

Real-Time Sales & Availability Benefits

LiveChat helps answer questions instantly and “improves sales,” keeps customers engaged 24/7 (leave messages after hours), and provides omnichannel options (e.g., two languages).

Helpful Vendor Support & Resources

Many users highlight LiveChat’s responsive customer support and educational aids. One G2 user wrote, “The support itself… is the most effective part.” Others note that typing-speed indicators and detailed documentation help agents work more confidently.

👎 Cons

Pricing and Packaging Limits

Several users on G2 note “relatively high” pricing, per-user creep for bigger teams, and needing a separate (paid) ChatBot for some automations.

Reliability & Performance Issues

A few users’ reports include notification sounds stopping (leading to lost chats), “frequent service disruptions,” glitches/lag, and mobile login problems under IP restrictions.

LiveChat Pricing Breakdown

Plan	Annual (per agent/month)	Monthly (per agent/month)	Key Features
Starter	$19	25$	Basic chat, 60-day history, widget customization
Team	$49	$59	Unlimited history, tagging, metrics, file sharing
Business	$79	$89	SMS, detailed analytics, and enterprise options
Enterprise	Custom	Custom	Tailored solutions and dedicated support

Watch out for:

You’re billed per agent, even if they’re inactive.
AI and ChatBot automations are separate purchases.
Monthly billing is significantly costlier than annual.

Additional / Hidden Cost Considerations

If you maintain inactive agent accounts, you still pay for them unless suspended.
ChatBot (for automation/bots) is a separate product; although you don’t pay for a ChatBot seat under the new model, integrating full automation might add complexity or cost.
Upgrades to enterprise-level support, custom SLAs, or advanced security features may be extra or negotiated.
The difference between annual and month-to-month billing can be significant; opting for annual often gives a discount.
Potential costs for more agents, scaling, and features grow steeply as your usage increases.

Cost-Effectiveness of LiveChat

For small teams, LiveChat’s Starter or Team plans are well-suited. But scaling costs rise quickly since every new agent adds to the bill.

You’ll also need to purchase separate automation and AI tools to access complete functionality.

In short: LiveChat can deliver strong ROI for lean teams, but scaling cost need careful planning and budget scrutiny.

Hiver’s Pricing Advantage

Unlike LiveChat, Hiver offers a unified workspace that consolidates multiple channels, including email, live chat, WhatsApp, and voice, under a single plan. No add-ons or separate tools needed.

Plan	Price (per user/month)	Highlights
Free	$0	Email ticketing, live chat, WhatsApp, voice, basic collaboration
Growth	$35	SLAs, automation, approvals, customer portal, analytics
Pro	$55	CSAT surveys, chatbots, advanced analytics, data exports
Elite	$95	Skill-based routing, custom roles, HIPAA compliance
AI Add-on	+$20	AI Copilot, AI Summarizer, tagging, sentiment analysis, Ask AI

Why Hiver Wins on Value:

Live chat included, no extra cost.
Transparent per-user pricing (not per agent).
Multi-channel support bundled.
Built-in automations and AI workflows.

Hiver vs LiveChat: Price Comparison

Here’s a side-by-side comparison to see where each tool is more economical:

Feature / Component	LiveChat (Team / Business Tier)	Hiver (Pro / Elite Tier)
Base per-agent cost	$49 → $79/month (annual)	$45 → $675 / month
Chat / live support	Core part of the plan	Included within the plan
Multi-channel (WhatsApp, email)	Extra tools/integrations	Bundled
Automation/bots	Often via a separate product or upgrade	Included in Pro / Elite
Hidden seat charges	Agents count even if idle	Simpler user-based model
Scaling cost	Adds up quickly as agents grow	More predictable with bundled channels

Free Trial & Onboarding

LiveChat offers a 14-day free trial, which requires no credit card information.
Hiver also offers a free trial (often 7 days) and even a “Free plan” or limited free access for new users.

You can use both trials to test the interface, performance, and support, and see which gives better value for your team size and use case.

Why Hiver Offers a More Integrated Approach

LiveChat is built for live engagement. But it focuses only on chat. Hiver provides a seamless real-time experience, combining email, chat, WhatsApp, and voice in one connected platform.

With built-in automation, AI Copilot, and workflow management, Hiver eliminates tool switching. Teams reply faster, stay consistent, and handle more conversations without extra software.

Making the Right Choice for Your Customer Service Strategy

If your team’s priority is fast, one-to-one chat with website visitors, LiveChat is a good fit. However, if you’re looking for a comprehensive customer service platform with multichannel capabilities, automation, and transparent pricing, Hiver is a smarter long-term choice.Connect with Hiver’s specialists to learn how your team can grow efficiently with a connected, AI-supported customer service platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can LiveChat handle multiple channels?

It focuses mainly on live chat. For email, voice, or WhatsApp, you need separate integrations. Hiver, on the other hand, natively supports all these channels.