The best live chat software for 2027 is LiveChat for dedicated sales and support chat, Tidio for small businesses and ecommerce with AI, Intercom for AI-first support, and Crisp for affordable multichannel messaging. tawk.to, HubSpot, Zendesk, Olark and Chatwoot cover free, CRM-connected, omnichannel, simple and open-source needs.
Live chat lets website visitors ask questions in real time, which lifts conversions and reduces support load. Most tools now combine human chat with AI chatbots that answer common questions instantly.
Here are the best options for different business sizes and budgets.
How We Chose
We compared chat widget quality, AI chatbot capabilities, agent tools, integrations with ecommerce and CRM platforms, reporting, mobile apps and pricing.
Live Chat Software At A Glance
Tool
Best For
Standout Strength
LiveChat
Teams focused on chat
Polished agent tools and integrations
Tidio
Small businesses and online stores
Lyro AI agent and Shopify integration
Intercom
SaaS companies
Fin AI agent and proactive messages
Crisp
Startups and small teams
Chat, email, social and AI in one inbox
tawk.to
Very small budgets
Free unlimited agents and chats
HubSpot Live Chat
HubSpot users
Chats saved to contact records
Zendesk
Larger support teams
Unified queue with tickets and AI agents
Olark
Teams that want simplicity
Easy setup and clear transcripts
Chatwoot
Teams that want to self-host
Self-hostable omnichannel inbox
Best Live Chat Software For 2027
1. LiveChat — Dedicated Chat For Sales And Support Teams
LiveChat offers a polished chat widget, canned responses, chat routing, sales tracking and many integrations. Its sister product ChatBot adds AI automation.
It suits businesses where chat is a main sales and support channel.
Tidio combines live chat, chatbots and its Lyro AI agent in an easy package. It integrates with Shopify, WordPress and other platforms.
It is one of the most popular choices for small online stores.
3. Intercom — AI-First Messenger For Digital Businesses
Intercom’s Messenger combines the Fin AI agent with human support, product tours and outbound messages. It is built for companies that want to automate at scale.
Its pricing suits growing and established businesses more than very small sites.
Chatwoot is an open-source alternative to Intercom and Zendesk that teams can self-host or use in the cloud. It supports web chat, email and social channels.
It suits teams that want control over their data.
How To Choose Live Chat Software
Do You Need AI Or Humans Or Both?
Most tools now offer AI agents. If you want automation, test them on your real questions. If you want personal service, focus on agent tools.
What Platform Is Your Site On?
Check integrations with Shopify, WordPress or your CRM so chat data flows where you need it.
How Many Agents Will Chat?
Pricing is often per agent or per conversation. Free options like tawk.to and HubSpot help small teams start.
Will You Offer 24/7 Coverage?
If not, use AI and offline forms to capture questions outside business hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best live chat software?
LiveChat is the best dedicated chat tool, Tidio is best for small businesses and Intercom is best for AI-first support.
What is the best free live chat software?
tawk.to is fully free, and HubSpot and Tidio offer useful free plans.
Does live chat increase sales?
Live chat often helps conversions by answering questions at the moment of purchase, especially on product and pricing pages.
Should I use a chatbot or live agents?
Most businesses benefit from both: AI for instant answers to common questions and humans for complex or high-value conversations.
Conclusion
LiveChat leads for dedicated chat teams, Tidio for small online stores, Intercom for AI-first support and tawk.to for zero budgets.
Place chat where buyers hesitate, such as pricing and checkout pages, to get the most value.
