Cheapest Live Chat Software in 2026
Ranked by a free-forever widget where that widget is usable, then by the cheapest standing paid chat or helpdesk plan.
Truly free chat is tawk.to (software free forever), Chatwoot Hacker at $0, and Freshdesk Free Program for 2 users. The cheapest paid dedicated chat or helpdesk rungs are Gorgias helpdesk-only Starter at $10 a month for 50 tickets, and LiveAgent Small Business at $15 per agent per month annual ($10 annual promo for new users until 1 January 2027). Then a cluster at $19: Chatwoot Startups, Freshdesk Growth, Zendesk Support Team, and LiveChat Starter, all per agent or person per month billed annually. Help Scout Standard is about $22 per user per month, Groove Standard is $24, and Tidio paid plans start around $29 a month.
Live chat pricing splits into a free-forever widget and a per-agent helpdesk that starts near $19 a month. A $10 Gorgias Starter plan is cheap until ticket 51. A $0 tawk.to widget is cheap until you pay $29 a month to remove the badge. Toolradar data: Toolradar lists 10,429 published tools as of September 1, 2026, including 47 published live-chat tools, 43% of them free or freemium (1 free-only, 19 freemium, 27 paid).
This guide ranks 10 chat and chat-adjacent helpdesk products by the cheapest genuinely usable paid plan, or by a free widget that can run production chat. We checked tawk.to/pricing, chatwoot.com/pricing, freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing, gorgias.com/pricing, liveagent.com/pricing, zendesk.com/pricing, and livechat.com/pricing as of September 2026. Freshdesk Growth at $19 per agent per month billed annually replaces our stale $15 catalog row. We dropped Zendesk Messaging as a duplicate of Zendesk, Acquire (about $500), Qualified (custom), ReleaseDock, ChatBeacon, Crisp MCP, and Dixa (no public price).
The cheap production path is tawk.to or Chatwoot Hacker or Freshdesk free, then Gorgias at $10 (ticket-capped) or LiveAgent at $15 list / $10 promo, then the $19-per-agent pile.
Top Picks
Based on features, user feedback, and value for money.
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| tawk.to | Free | 4.3(257) | Sites that want production chat at $0 and can live with the badge, or will pay $29 only... |
| Chatwoot | From $19/mo | 4.5(16) | Teams that fit Hacker caps, will self-host, or will pay $19 per agent annually for unli... |
| Freshdesk | From $19/mo | 4.4(7,240) | Small support teams that can stay on Free Program for 2 users, or will pay Growth at $1... |
| Gorgias | From $40/mo | 4.6(715) | Shopify stores with low ticket volume that want a $10 helpdesk floor and will watch the... |
| LiveAgent | From $15/mo | 4.6(2,860) | Teams that want a dedicated helpdesk-plus-chat seat under the $19 Freshdesk / Zendesk /... |
| Zendesk | From $19/mo | 4.3(11,139) | Teams that want Zendesk's support product at the $19 Support Team floor, not Suite at $55 |
| LiveChat | From $20/mo | 4.5(2,362) | Solo operators who want a dedicated LiveChat product and will accept one user and 60-da... |
| Help Scout | From $22/mo | 4.5(657) | Teams that want Help Scout's shared inbox and docs workflow and will pay a bit more tha... |
| Groove | From $24/mo | 4.7(4,848) | Small teams that want Groove's shared inbox and will pay $24 rather than the $19 Freshd... |
| Tidio | From $29/mo | 4.6(2,552) | Sites that can stay on Tidio free, or that want a chatbot-heavy widget and will pay fro... |
Sites that want production chat at $0 and can live with the badge, or will pay $29 only to remove it
tawk.to's pricing is incredibly generous, offering a fully-featured live chat solution for free.
Watch out
Hired Agents at $1/hour can add up
Teams that fit Hacker caps, will self-host, or will pay $19 per agent annually for unlimited cloud conversations
Chatwoot's pricing is quite generous, especially with the free Hacker tier offering 500 conversations/month.
Small support teams that can stay on Free Program for 2 users, or will pay Growth at $19 annual rather than Zendesk Suite at $55
Freshdesk offers the best free tier in customer support (2 agents, email ticketing) and competitive per-agent pricing for basic ticketing.
Watch out
Freddy AI Copilot costs $29/agent/month as an add-on, not included in any standard plan
Shopify stores with low ticket volume that want a $10 helpdesk floor and will watch the $0.40 overage
Gorgias' pricing starts very affordably at $10/month for 50 tickets, making it accessible for small e-commerce businesses.
Watch out
Overage fees: $0.36-$0.40 per extra ticket.
Teams that want a dedicated helpdesk-plus-chat seat under the $19 Freshdesk / Zendesk / LiveChat cluster
LiveAgent's pricing is fair, especially with the annual discounts.
Teams that want Zendesk's support product at the $19 Support Team floor, not Suite at $55
Zendesk publishes yearly agent prices on zendesk.com/pricing.
Watch out
AI agents are included on Support and Suite, then priced on successful resolutions (official FAQ). That is a second meter next to the seat.
Solo operators who want a dedicated LiveChat product and will accept one user and 60-day history on Starter
LiveChat's pricing is on the higher side compared to some market alternatives, especially the Starter tier at $20/agent/month for just one user and limited history.
Watch out
Starter tier is limited to 1 user
Teams that want Help Scout's shared inbox and docs workflow and will pay a bit more than Freshdesk Growth or Zendesk Support Team
Help Scout's pricing is fair, especially for the Standard and Plus tiers at $22 and $44 per user/month respectively, offering a good balance of features for growing teams.
Small teams that want Groove's shared inbox and will pay $24 rather than the $19 Freshdesk or Zendesk seat
Groove's pricing is competitive, especially for small businesses needing core help desk functionalities.
Sites that can stay on Tidio free, or that want a chatbot-heavy widget and will pay from about $29 a month
Tidio's pricing offers a good entry point with its Free and Starter ($29/month) plans, which are quite generous for small businesses needing basic chat functionality.
Watch out
Conversation limits can lead to overage if not monitored.
Other Live Chat worth considering
Beyond the editorial top picks, these are also strong choices we evaluated.
What 'Cheapest Live Chat Software' Actually Means
Cheap chat is either a $0 widget (tawk.to, Chatwoot Hacker, Tidio free, Freshdesk Free Program) or a first paid seat. Paid seats do not share one unit. LiveAgent, Freshdesk, Zendesk, LiveChat, Help Scout, and Groove bill per agent, person, or user. Gorgias bills a workspace plus tickets ($10 for 50 tickets, then $0.40 a ticket), not per agent. tawk.to charges $29 a month to remove "Powered by tawk.to" and from $29 a month for AI Assist, while hired agents are $1 an hour.
This guide states the unit next to the dollar figure so a $10 ticket bucket is never treated as a $10 unlimited agent seat.
Why $10, $15, and $19 Are Different Bills
Gorgias helpdesk-only Starter at $10 a month includes 50 tickets, then $0.40 per extra ticket. Bundled Starter with AI Agent is $40 a month. That is a Shopify-centric helpdesk price, not a $10 unlimited chat seat. LiveAgent Small Business lists $15 per agent per month annual ($19 monthly), with a new-user promo at $10 annual until 1 January 2027. Freshdesk, Zendesk Support Team, LiveChat Starter, and Chatwoot Startups cluster at $19 per agent or person per month billed annually.
tawk.to can stay $0 if you accept the badge. Paying $29 only to remove branding can cost more than LiveAgent's $15 list seat. Chatwoot Hacker is $0 for 2 agents, 500 conversations a month, 30-day retention, and website chat only. Branding removal on Chatwoot is Enterprise. Self-host Chatwoot is free open-source if you will run the servers.
Key Features to Look For
tawk.to software is free forever. Chatwoot Hacker is $0 with caps. Freshdesk still references a Free Program for 2 users. LiveChat has no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Freshdesk, Zendesk, LiveAgent, LiveChat, Help Scout, and Groove bill per agent or user. Gorgias Starter is $10 for 50 tickets, then $0.40 a ticket, not per agent.
LiveAgent lists $15 per agent per month annual. The $10 annual rate is a new-user promo until 1 January 2027. Freshdesk Growth is $19, not the $15 still in our catalog.
Chatwoot Hacker: 2 agents, 500 conversations a month, 30-day retention, website chat only. tawk.to: badge stays unless you pay $29. Freshdesk Free Program: 2 users.
tawk.to charges $29 a month to remove 'Powered by tawk.to'. Chatwoot branding removal is Enterprise. That $29 can exceed LiveAgent's $15 list seat.
Self-host Chatwoot is free open-source. Cloud Startups is $19 per agent per month billed annually with unlimited conversations. Do not mix the two price cards.
Mistakes to Avoid
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Treating Gorgias $10 as an unlimited chat seat. Helpdesk-only Starter is $10 a month for 50 tickets, then $0.40 a ticket. Bundled Starter with AI Agent is $40 a month.
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Budgeting Freshdesk at $15. The first listed paid plan on freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing as of September 2026 is Growth at $19 per agent per month billed annually. Our $15 catalog row is stale.
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Paying tawk.to $29 a month only to remove the badge, then calling that cheaper than LiveAgent at $15 list or Chatwoot Startups at $19 per agent annual. The $0 tawk.to widget is the cheap story; the $29 SKU is branding or AI Assist.
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Comparing LiveAgent's $10 new-user promo to everyone else's standing rate. The promo runs until 1 January 2027. Standing Small Business is $15 per agent per month annual, $19 monthly.
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Putting Acquire, Qualified, or Dixa in a cheap-chat bake-off. Acquire is about $500, Qualified is custom, and Dixa has no public price. Zendesk Messaging was also dropped as a duplicate of Zendesk.
Expert Tips
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If a badge is acceptable, ship tawk.to at $0 or Chatwoot Hacker at $0 (2 agents, 500 conversations a month, 30-day retention, website chat only) before you buy a $19 seat.
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If you are on Shopify and ticket volume is low, price Gorgias helpdesk-only Starter at $10 for 50 tickets against LiveAgent at $15 list. Watch the $0.40 overage; it is the real bill after ticket 50.
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If you need per-agent chat plus tickets, compare LiveAgent $15 annual, Freshdesk Growth $19 annual, Zendesk Support Team $19 yearly, and LiveChat Starter $19 annual. Do not mix those with Gorgias ticket math.
- →
If you will run servers, self-host Chatwoot (free open-source) instead of paying Startups at $19 per agent. Branding removal on cloud Chatwoot is Enterprise, not a $29 add-on.
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Quote LiveChat Starter as 1 user and 60-day history. A second person or older transcripts is a different plan. LiveChat has no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
The Bottom Line
Truly free live chat in 2026 is tawk.to, Chatwoot Hacker at $0, and Freshdesk Free Program for 2 users. The cheapest paid dedicated rungs are Gorgias helpdesk-only Starter at $10 a month for 50 tickets, and LiveAgent Small Business at $15 per agent per month annual ($10 new-user promo until 1 January 2027). Then Chatwoot Startups, Freshdesk Growth, Zendesk Support Team, and LiveChat Starter cluster at $19 per agent or person per month billed annually. Help Scout Standard is about $22 per user per month, Groove Standard is $24, and Tidio paid plans start around $29 a month. Freshdesk Growth at $19 replaces our stale $15 catalog row.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest live chat software in 2026?
tawk.to is free forever for the software itself. Chatwoot Hacker is $0 for 2 agents, 500 conversations a month, 30-day retention, and website chat only. Freshdesk still references a Free Program for 2 users. The cheapest paid dedicated rungs are Gorgias helpdesk-only Starter at $10 a month for 50 tickets, and LiveAgent Small Business at $15 per agent per month annual, or $10 annual for new users until 1 January 2027.
Is Freshdesk still $15 per agent?
No. The first listed paid plan on freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing as of September 2026 is Growth at $19 per agent per month billed annually. Pro is $55 and Enterprise is $89. A $15 figure in our catalog is stale.
Is Gorgias $10 a good deal compared with a $19 Zendesk seat?
It depends on tickets, not agents. Gorgias helpdesk-only Starter is $10 a month for 50 tickets, then $0.40 a ticket, and it is not priced per agent. Zendesk Support Team is $19 per agent per month paid yearly. A quiet Shopify inbox can stay cheaper on Gorgias. A busy inbox will pass a $19 seat after overage. Bundled Starter with AI Agent is $40 a month.
How much does it cost to remove tawk.to branding?
tawk.to charges $29 a month to remove 'Powered by tawk.to'. AI Assist also starts at $29 a month. Hired agents are $1 an hour. The chat software itself stays free. Paying $29 only for the badge can cost more than LiveAgent's $15 list seat.
Does LiveChat have a free plan?
No. LiveChat has a 14-day trial and no permanent free plan. Starter is $19 per person per month billed annually, or $25 monthly, and Starter is 1 user with 60-day history. If you need a lasting $0 widget, use tawk.to, Chatwoot Hacker, Freshdesk Free Program, or Tidio's free plan.
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