Help Scout vs LiveChat
Two popular tools, one honest comparison — so you can pick in five minutes instead of five hours.
Quick verdict
Choose Help Scout if: email-first support teams matters most to you and $25/user/mo billed yearly fits your budget.
Choose LiveChat if: you need support teams instead — rock-solid reliability, around since 2002.
Side-by-side comparison
| HSHelp Scout | LCLiveChat | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $25/user/mo billed yearly | $19/agent/mo billed yearly |
| Free plan | Yes (5 users, 100 contacts/mo) | No (14-day trial) |
| Best for | Email-first support teams | Support teams |
| Biggest strength | Genuinely usable free plan — up to 5 users with a shared inbox and Docs knowledge base | Rock-solid reliability, around since 2002 |
| Biggest drawback | No live chat on the free plan (email only) | No free plan |
| Key features | Shared inbox, Live chat, Docs knowledge base | Live chat, Text Intelligence AI, Ticketing |
| Our rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
Ready to try? Both have solid options:
Try Help ScoutTry LiveChatWhich one wins overall?
By our scoring, LiveChat edges ahead (4.5 vs 4.4) — mainly because rock-solid reliability, around since 2002. But "best" depends on your situation: Help Scout and LiveChattarget slightly different users, so read the quick verdict above before deciding.
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