Our take
Pick Intercom if support teams who will start on Essential at $19/seat/month (strikethrough $29, new-customer 35% off) while they open a first Inbox table, then Advanced at $85/seat/month when they need workflows and multiple team Inboxes — not Expert $132 unless they need SSO / HIPAA. Pick LiveChat if support teams who will start on Essential at $19/user/month billed annually ($25 monthly) while they open a first
hosted Inbox table
Best for
Intercom A conversation table you start at a public $
LiveChat An agent inbox you start at a public $
Free plan
Intercom No free plan
LiveChat No free plan
Lowest paid
Intercom Fin AI Agent (standalone) $0.99
LiveChat Essential $19/user/mo yearly
Next step up
Intercom Essential from $19/user/mo
LiveChat Extra AI resolutions (50) $49.50
Coding agent
Intercom
LiveChat Chats / My chats
Runs where
Intercom Hosted
LiveChat Hosted
Watch out
Intercom Essential is a paid seat
LiveChat There is no printed $0 agent seat
Last checked
Intercom 2026-10-23 · intercom.com/pricing
LiveChat 2026-10-23 · livechat.com/pricing
support teams who will start on Essential at $19/seat/month (strikethrough $29, new-customer 35% off) while they open a first Inbox table, then Advanced at $85/seat/month when they need workflows and multiple team Inboxes — not Expert $132 unless they need SSO / HIPAA.
Read the Intercom pagesupport teams who will start on Essential at $19/user/month billed annually ($25 monthly) while they open a first Chats desk, then Growth at $79/user/month annually ($99 monthly) when they need the next printed seat — not the $49.50 AI package unless they need 50 extra resolutions.
Read the LiveChat page