Live chat software allows customers to ask questions without making a telephone call or waiting for an email response. It can also help businesses capture sales enquiries, qualify leads, provide technical support and assist customers outside normal working hours.
The best platform will depend on whether your priority is sales, customer service, ecommerce or artificial intelligence. We have selected five of the best live chat software options for US businesses, ranging from free tools for small companies to complete omnichannel support platforms.
Top offers in August 2026
Turn every website visit into an opportunity with Zoho SalesIQ, combining intelligent live chat, visitor tracking, automated chatbots and powerful insights to help your business engage, support and convert customers. 
Live chat software compared
Pricing was checked in August 2026. Prices, exchange rates, usage allowances and promotional offers can change, so businesses should obtain a current quotation before subscribing.
1. Zoho SalesIQ
Turn every website visit into an opportunity with Zoho SalesIQ, combining intelligent live chat, visitor tracking, automated chatbots and powerful insights to help your business engage, support and convert customers.
Zoho SalesIQ is our leading overall choice because it combines live chat, visitor tracking, lead scoring, chatbots and sales intelligence in one platform. It is particularly suitable for small and medium-sized businesses that want to use website chat for both sales and customer support.
Operators can see which pages a visitor has viewed, where the visitor came from and how long they have spent on the website. Businesses can then send proactive messages to promising visitors or automatically route conversations to an appropriate department.
SalesIQ also integrates closely with Zoho CRM and other Zoho applications. A sales representative can add a visitor to the CRM, review previous interactions and receive an alert when an existing lead returns to an important page.
The free Zoho SalesIQ plan includes three operator licences, insights for up to 10,000 website visitors a month and 100 operator chat sessions. Paid plans add higher allowances, advanced visitor information, lead scoring, routing and chatbot tools.
Best for: Businesses wanting an affordable combination of live chat, visitor analytics and CRM integration.
Potential drawback: Companies that do not use other Zoho products may need time to learn the wider interface and decide which integrations they require.
2. HubSpot Live Chat
HubSpot Live Chat is an attractive option for businesses that want live chat connected directly to a customer relationship management system.
Conversations are stored within HubSpot’s CRM, allowing sales and support teams to see a contact’s previous chats and other recorded activity. Staff can respond through the conversations inbox, create follow-up tasks, send emails or open support tickets.
The free tools include a customisable website chat widget, conversation routing, office hours, email capture and a chatbot builder. Businesses can create automated chat journeys that qualify leads, answer common questions or help visitors book meetings without writing code.
HubSpot becomes especially valuable when a company already uses its marketing, sales or customer service products. However, costs can increase considerably when advanced automation, reporting and multiple professional-level seats are required. HubSpot currently lists Service Hub Starter from $10 per seat per month under a limited new-customer promotion, while higher tiers cost substantially more.
Best for: Businesses that already use HubSpot or want free live chat connected to a capable CRM.
Potential drawback: The wider HubSpot platform can become expensive as a business adds users and advanced features.
3. Tidio
Tidio is designed around a combination of live agents, ticketing, automated workflows and AI-generated answers. Its integrations with platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce make it particularly appealing to online retailers.
The live chat system includes operating hours, visitor monitoring, canned responses and a shared workspace. Its visual Flows tool can automate activities such as collecting customer details, recommending products and responding to missed conversations.
Tidio’s Lyro AI Agent learns from the information supplied by a business and uses it to answer customer questions. More complicated cases can be handed to a human operator. This makes Tidio useful for ecommerce businesses receiving repetitive questions about deliveries, returns, stock or product specifications.
Tidio has a limited free plan and a seven-day premium trial. Its Starter plan was listed at $24.17 per month when paid annually, including 100 billable conversations. Businesses should examine the allowances carefully because charges can depend on human conversations, AI conversations and the number of visitors reached through automated Flows.
Best for: Online shops wanting live chat, ticketing and AI automation in one system.
Potential drawback: Usage-based pricing can make the eventual monthly cost harder to predict.
4. LiveChat
LiveChat is a focused, mature platform for businesses that expect human operators to handle a significant number of website conversations.
Its features include chat routing, message previews, chat history, customer details, performance reports and sales tracking. More than 200 integrations are available, including ecommerce, CRM and marketing applications. Businesses can also use it across several websites from one account.
The LiveChat Starter plan costs $19 per person per month when billed annually. It includes one user, basic widget customisation, 60 days of chat history and round-the-clock product support. Team and Business subscriptions add longer histories, reporting and workforce management features.
Automated conversations require the separate ChatBot product, which starts at $52 per month annually. LiveChat can therefore become more expensive than platforms that include basic chatbot functionality within the main subscription.
Best for: Businesses that want reliable, dedicated live chat operated primarily by people.
Potential drawback: Per-user charges and the separate chatbot subscription can increase costs.
5. Zendesk
Zendesk is best suited to established customer service teams that need to manage more than website chat. Its Suite combines ticketing, messaging, live chat, email, a help centre, telephone support and AI tools.
Customer enquiries can be routed across different teams while retaining their conversation history. Managers also receive reporting and analytics tools for measuring response times, workloads and agent performance.
The important pricing distinction is that Zendesk’s £15 Support Team plan does not include live chat. According to Zendesk’s US pricing, messaging and live chat begin with Suite Team at $45 per agent per month when paid annually. Suite Professional costs $89 per agent per month and adds more advanced automation, reporting and routing.
Best for: Larger businesses that need a complete, multichannel customer support system.
Potential drawback: It may be unnecessarily complex and expensive for a small company that only wants a simple website chat box.
How to choose live chat software
Before buying a subscription, calculate the likely cost using your expected number of operators, monthly conversations and automated resolutions. A cheap introductory plan may become expensive if important features or adequate usage allowances require an upgrade.
Businesses should also compare:
- CRM, ecommerce and helpdesk integrations;
- chatbot allowances and AI usage charges;
- mobile applications and out-of-hours tools;
- conversation routing and human handover;
- reporting, transcripts and data export;
- contract length and cancellation terms; and
- security, data storage and data privacy provisions.
A chat widget can collect names, contact details, conversation content and website activity. Update your privacy information accordingly and review the provider’s data-processing terms. If the widget uses non-essential cookies or similar tracking technologies, the Information Commissioner’s Office says consent must normally be obtained before they are placed on a visitor’s device.
For many small and medium-sized US businesses, Zoho SalesIQ offers the best balance of price, sales features and customer support tools. HubSpot is a strong alternative for CRM-led businesses, while Tidio suits ecommerce automation. LiveChat is a dependable specialist product, and Zendesk provides the most comprehensive option for larger support operations.