Independent · sourced · Updated June 2026
Best Live Chat Software (2026)
The cheapest live chat software is Crisp at $0/mo. 5 offer a free tier (Crisp, Freshchat, Gist). This page compares 7 options on entry price, free tier, HIPAA/SOC 2 and best-for — every figure linked to its source, updated June 2026.
7 options compared on price, free tier, compliance and fit — ranked cheapest-first. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it; quote-only tiers show “—”, never a guess.
Key takeaways
- Cheapest: Crisp at $0/mo (Free).
- Typical paid price: from $19/mo, median $29/mo, up to $45/mo — across 7 with published pricing.
- Free tier: Crisp, Freshchat, Gist, Tidio, Olark.
- HIPAA-ready: LiveChat, Intercom.
- Tracked: 7 vendors, data current through 2026-06-15.
Comparison
| # | Live Chat Software | Entry price | Free | HIPAA | SOC 2 | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crisp | $0/mo Free | Yes | No | — | Startups and SMBs wanting flat predictable pricing without per-seat charges | crisp.chat |
| 2 | Freshchat | $0/mo Free | Yes | — | Yes | Teams already using Freshworks suite (Freshdesk, Freshsales) wanting unified data | freshworks.com |
| 3 | Gist | $0/mo Support Free | Yes | No | — | Startups wanting to consolidate live chat, email marketing, and CRM in one affordable tool | getgist.com |
| 4 | Tidio | $0/mo Free | Yes | — | Yes | Shopify and e-commerce stores wanting AI-driven support | tidio.com |
| 5 | LiveChat | $19/mo Starter | No | Yes | — | HIPAA-regulated healthcare teams needing a BAA (Enterprise tier) | livechat.com |
| 6 | Intercom | $29/mo Essential | No | Yes | Yes | HIPAA-regulated teams needing Expert plan BAA | intercom.com |
| 7 | Olark | $29/mo Standard | Yes | — | — | Small businesses wanting a simple, low-cost live chat with CRM integrations | olark.com |
Prices are the lowest published self-serve monthly rate as captured on the linked source. Annual-billing and usage details are on each vendor's record in our open dataset.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest live chat software?
Crisp has the lowest published entry price at $0/mo (Free), as of 2026-06-15.
How much does live chat software cost per month?
Across the 7 live chat software with published paid pricing, the median starting price is $29/mo, ranging from $19/mo to $45/mo, as of 2026-06-15. 5 also offer a free tier.
Which live chat software have a free plan?
Crisp, Freshchat, Gist, Tidio, Olark offer a free tier.
Which live chat software support HIPAA?
LiveChat, Intercom state HIPAA support (a BAA). Always confirm current scope with the vendor.
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How we compiled this
Prices fetched directly from each vendor's official pricing page using WebFetch on 2026-06-14. monthlyUsd reflects the effective monthly cost at the smallest billable unit (one seat / one workspace) under the default published billing cycle. Where both annual and monthly billing are published, monthlyUsd uses the annual-billing monthly rate (lower/displayed-first rate) and the month-to-month rate is noted in plan notes; annualDiscountPct is calculated from those two rates. Plans marked 'Contact sales' or with no self-serve checkout carry monthlyUsd=null. Zendesk's pricing page consistently geo-redirected to a German EUR page (zendesk.de) and no USD figures could be confirmed from the official source; Zendesk is therefore excluded rather than publishing unverified converted amounts. GetApp listing pages were used as corroboration sources where available. minutesIncluded, callsIncluded, overagePerMin, and overagePerCall are null on every plan because this is a non-telephony vertical.
Last verified 2026-06-15. We re-check published prices and compliance on a recurring cadence and update this page when they change.
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