LiveChat vs Zendesk
Both tools show a $19 price, so the comparison looks like a tie. It is not. Zendesk's $19 plan has no live chat at all. Chat starts at $55 per agent per month billed annually on Suite Team. LiveChat Essential is $19 per user per month billed annually, and that price does include live chat.
Pick LiveChat if you only need live chat. Pick Zendesk if you are already committed to its suite and the $55 per agent starting point still works for you.
Disclosure: LiveChat links on this page are affiliate links. A purchase through one earns this site a commission at no extra cost to you. Zendesk links are plain homepage links.
All prices below are the prices shown on the vendors' pricing pages on October 27, 2026. Annual means billed annually, monthly means billed monthly.
| LiveChat | Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan, billed annually | Essential, $19 per user per month | Support Team, $19 per agent per month, with no live chat |
| Live chat entry, billed annually | Essential, $19 per user per month | Suite Team, $55 per agent per month |
| Next tier, billed annually | Growth, $79 per user per month | Suite Professional, $115 per agent per month |
| Monthly billing | Essential $25, Growth $99 per user per month billed monthly | Monthly prices not published |
| Free plan | None. 14-day trial, no card required. | None. 14-day trial, defaults to Suite Professional. |
| What you are buying | Live chat on its own | Chat as part of Suite, its support bundle |
At 5 agents billed annually, LiveChat Essential costs $95 per month and Zendesk Suite Team costs $275 per month. Budget from $55 per agent for Zendesk chat, not the $19 headline.
Zendesk Support Team at $19 per agent per month buys support without live chat. LiveChat Essential at $19 per user per month billed annually buys live chat. Anyone comparing $19 to $19 is comparing chat to no chat.
LiveChat publishes monthly billing: Essential $25 and Growth $99 per user per month billed monthly. Zendesk monthly prices were not published on the pricing page checked, so Zendesk is shown on annual billing only here.
LiveChat sells chat. Zendesk sells Suite, and chat is one part of it. If you only need chat, Suite Team at $55 buys a bundle you may not use. If you are already in the Zendesk world, that bundle is the point.
Zendesk's 14-day trial defaults to Suite Professional, not the Suite Team entry tier, so the trial shows the $115 tier. LiveChat's trial asks for no card.
You only need live chat. Essential at $19 per user per month billed annually, no per-outcome AI charge in the pricing shown here, and a 14-day trial with no card.
You are already committed to its suite and the $55 per agent starting point still works for you. Suite Team at $55 per agent per month billed annually, 14-day trial.
For most teams buying live chat, LiveChat is the pick: $19 against $55 for chat, and a bill that is published monthly as well as annually. Zendesk is the pick when the suite is the point and $55 per agent is already budgeted.
No. Support Team at $19 per agent per month has no live chat at all. Live chat starts at Suite Team, $55 per agent per month billed annually.
LiveChat. Essential is $19 per user per month billed annually against Suite Team at $55 per agent per month billed annually. At 5 agents, that is $95 against $275 per month.
No monthly prices were shown on Zendesk's pricing page when checked October 27, 2026. Zendesk is shown on annual billing only here.
Neither. Both offer a 14-day trial. Zendesk's trial defaults to Suite Professional, and LiveChat's trial asks for no card.
LiveChat, for most small teams: $19 against $55 for chat, and monthly billing is published. Zendesk fits when the team is already in the Zendesk world.
LiveChat sells monthly billing: Essential $25 and Growth $99 per user per month billed monthly. Zendesk monthly prices were not published on the pricing page checked.
Method. Prices on this page were read from the vendors' pricing pages on October 27, 2026. Every price states whether it is billed annually or monthly. No price was calculated from another price. LiveChat links on this page are affiliate links. Zendesk links are plain homepage links.