Chatbase vs Text by LiveChat
Pricing
Chatbase: Free tier (50 message credits/mo), paid from $40/mo
Text by LiveChat: From $19/user/mo (billed annually)
Description
Chatbase: Builds an AI agent from your own docs and data that answers customers on your website, in messaging apps and in help desks
Text by LiveChat: Dedicated live chat tool (formerly LiveChat) with a fast widget, 200+ integrations, and an AI Agent included
Pros
- Choose between OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and DeepSeek models on paid plans
- Connects to Slack, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Shopify and help desks such as Zendesk and Freshdesk
- Paid plans start with a 7-day trial, and yearly billing is 20% off
- Chat widget loads fast and looks clean, one of the best-designed widgets on the market
- Works with 200+ eCommerce and CMS platforms, including Shopify and WordPress, plus WhatsApp and Messenger
- AI Agent included: Essential has 1 agent and 10 AI resolutions a month, Growth has 10 agents and 200
Cons
- The free plan has 50 message credits a month, and free agents are deleted after 14 days without activity
- Removing the 'Powered by Chatbase' branding costs $99 a month extra
- Helpdesk, voice and API access start on the $150/mo Standard plan
- No free plan: Essential is $19/user/mo (annual) or $25/month-to-month
- Essential plan only keeps 60 days of chat history, then it is gone
- AI resolutions beyond the monthly allowance cost $49.50 per pack of 50
Details
Chatbase turns your help docs, website and other data sources into an AI agent that answers customer questions around the clock. You connect the sources, describe the agent’s role, set guardrails and embed it, with no code. The same agent can also handle sales questions and product guidance.
It suits founders who get the same questions again and again and want them answered on the site before they become tickets. Paid plans add model choice, integrations and analytics.
Usage is counted in message credits: Hobby ($40/month) includes 700 a month and Standard ($150/month) 4,000. When you run low, auto-recharge adds credits at $40 per 1,000, and those added credits don’t expire.
Text by LiveChat is the current name of LiveChat, made by Text, Inc., the team behind LiveChat.com, HelpDesk.com and ChatBot.com. It is a focused live chat tool, not a full helpdesk: it puts a fast, good-looking chat widget on your site and lets you talk to visitors in real time. The Essential plan is $19 per user per month billed annually ($25 monthly), and the Growth plan is $79 per user per month billed annually ($99 monthly). Both have a 14-day free trial, and existing LiveChat customers keep their current plans.
The widget itself is genuinely one of the best: fast to load, easy to customize, and does not slow your site down. An AI Agent comes with every plan and answers customer questions when you are busy or offline, though Essential covers only 10 AI resolutions a month. The downside is cost: there is no free tier, Essential limits chat history to 60 days, and extra AI resolutions are sold in packs. For a solo founder who wants live chat specifically and can justify the spend, it is polished. If you need a free option, look at tawk.to or Tidio instead.
Verified
