Live chat alternatives, compared
There's no single "best" live chat tool — there's the one that fits how you work. This roundup matches each of the common options to the job it's built for, including the cases where you should pick a competitor over ours.
The Night Reception is our product, so read our row with that in mind. Pricing and features were checked against each vendor's own site on 2026-09-26.
The roundup
Start with the category that sounds like your situation. Every competitor name links to a full comparison with that vendor.
Free, human-led chat
Core chat free forever — unlimited agents, chats, and sites. AI Assist from free to $399/mo per property. Branding removal ≈ $29–39/mo.
If you have someone who can sit in the chat, Tawk.to is strong value: free live chat plus ticketing, a hosted knowledge base, canned responses, and a basic CRM. The trade is that the core is human-led — the free price doesn't cover the desk, you do.
Read the Tawk.to comparison →Ecommerce stores
Free plan; Starter ≈ $24–29/mo; Growth ≈ $49–59/mo. Lyro AI from $32.50/mo annual for 50 conversations.
Tidio's strength is the store: Shopify and WooCommerce integrations, cart-abandonment tools, and a Flows builder for follow-ups. Its Lyro AI is a metered add-on — go over the quota and it pauses until you upgrade or the month resets.
Read the Tidio comparison →Product-led teams
From $29/seat/mo, no free tier. Fin AI $0.99 per resolution on top of seats; Copilot $29/seat/mo.
For onboarding users inside a product, Intercom pairs a messenger with in-app tours, workflows, and omnichannel support. It's also priced per seat, and Fin bills per resolution on top of that. Salesforce completed its acquisition of Fin on 2026-09-10, so non-Salesforce shops face roadmap uncertainty.
Read the Intercom comparison →Support teams
From $19–20/mo per agent (1 user), Team $41–49, Business $59–79. ChatBot from $52/mo, sold separately.
LiveChat is the tool a human support team actually enjoys using: a polished workspace, 200+ integrations, and analytics. It's priced per agent, and the AI chatbot is a separate subscription.
Read the LiveChat comparison →Shared inbox, flat rate
Per workspace, not per seat. Free $0 (2 seats, no AI); Mini $45/mo, Essentials $95/mo, Plus $295/mo, AI by credits.
Crisp's per-workspace price is the appeal for a small support team: you're not billed per seat. Each tier caps seats — 2, 4, 10, or 20+ — so you move up a plan as the team grows. The free tier is real but has no AI, and AI runs on credits on every paid plan.
Read the Crisp comparison →No staff, after hours
Free forever for the first 25 signups — chat widget and morning briefings. No per-seat, per-agent, or per-resolution pricing.
This is the row where we're the vendor, so judge it accordingly. We win exactly one category: you have no staff and enquiries arrive after hours. The front desk answers from facts you approve, shares your booking link, and emails a morning briefing. It does not do in-app product tours, a shared team inbox, ecommerce automation, or a knowledge base — if you need those, pick one of the tools above.
See it with your website →How to choose
Answer these honestly before you compare screenshots or feature lists.
That's the one category The Night Reception is built for: answers from your approved facts, a booking link, and a morning briefing — no desk to staff. See it with your website first — no signup, nothing installed.
See it with your website