Text by LiveChat vs tawk.to
Pricing
Text by LiveChat: From $19/user/mo (billed annually)
tawk.to: 100% free, optional add-ons from $29/mo
Description
Text by LiveChat: Dedicated live chat tool (formerly LiveChat) with a fast widget, 200+ integrations, and an AI Agent included
tawk.to: Completely free live chat with unlimited agents and chats (paid add-ons only for branding removal and AI)
Pros
- 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
- Core product is genuinely free forever: no agent limits, no chat limits, no site limits
- Includes ticketing system and knowledge base at no cost
- Real-time visitor monitoring shows who is on your site and what pages they are viewing
Cons
- 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
- Widget shows 'Powered by tawk.to' branding unless you pay $29/mo to remove it
- Mobile app notifications are unreliable: users report delayed or missed alerts regularly
- Fewer integrations than competitors, and no native chatbot without the $29/mo AI add-on
Details
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.
tawk.to is the only live chat tool that is actually free with no catch on the core features. You get live chat, a ticketing system, a knowledge base, and real-time visitor monitoring for unlimited agents on unlimited sites. They make money from optional add-ons: removing the “Powered by tawk.to” badge ($29/mo), AI Assist for automated replies ($29/mo), and video/voice/screensharing ($29/mo). They also sell hired agents starting at $1/hour if you want someone else handling your chats.
For a bootstrapped founder who just needs a chat widget on their site, tawk.to is the obvious starting point. Zero cost, no trial that expires, and enough features to handle real customer conversations. The trade-offs are real though: the mobile app is the weakest part (missed notifications are a common complaint), the widget branding is visible to your customers, and the integration options are limited compared to Crisp or LiveChat. If you are fine with the branding and mostly respond from your desktop, tawk.to lets you ship live chat support today without spending a dollar.
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