The LiveChatAI alternative that answers on six channels
The main LiveChatAI alternatives are Chatbase for an AI agent trained on your docs, Tidio and Crisp for live chat that starts free, and HiQBot for an AI agent that answers, qualifies and books on website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and LINE. The table below has what each one charges, read on 12 November 2026.
HiQBot is a conversational platform for customer service, with AI agents and live chat on six channels in one inbox. LiveChatAI is an AI chatbot you train on your website and documents, mainly for website chat, with WhatsApp and Slack. It is a different product from LiveChat; for that one, see our LiveChat alternatives.
We read LiveChatAI’s plans on livechatai.com/pricing and its integrations page on 12 November 2026, along with the Chatbase, Tidio and Crisp pricing pages. HiQBot publishes this page, so check the links and weigh it accordingly.
LiveChatAI alternatives at a glance
Four alternatives, including ours. Each link goes to the vendor’s own pricing page, read on 12 November 2026, and ours are on the HiQBot pricing page.
LiveChatAI (for reference)
- Best for
- An AI chatbot on your website, trained on your content
- Channels
- Website, WhatsApp, Slack
- People take over
- Live chat listed; 1 to 6 human agents by plan
HiQBot
- Best for
- Small and growing teams whose customers write on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger as well as the website
- How it charges
- Flat monthly plans with message credits
- Channels
- Website, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, LINE
- People take over
- In the same thread, on plans with live chat seats
Chatbase
- Best for
- An AI agent trained on your docs, with voice and model choice
- How it charges
- From $32 a month billed yearly, 700 credits; 7-day trial
- Channels
- Website, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger; see our Chatbase comparison
- People take over
- Helpdesk inbox from the Basic plan
Tidio
- Best for
- Small online stores that want to start free
- Channels
- Website; WhatsApp listed on its pricing page
- People take over
- Yes, live chat is the core product
Crisp
- Best for
- One flat price for the whole workspace
- Channels
- Website; WhatsApp, Instagram and LINE from Essentials
- People take over
- Yes, shared inbox
Which one you should pick.
LiveChatAI is a good fit for a website-first business, and the right-hand column says when.
- Your customers write on Instagram, Messenger, Telegram or LINE as well as your website and WhatsApp, and you want all of it in one inbox.
- You want the AI to qualify leads and take bookings for your trade, not only answer questions.
- You send WhatsApp template broadcasts to customers who opted in.
- Customers call your WhatsApp number and you want it to ring your team in the same inbox.
- You only need an AI chatbot on your website and want to start free.
- You want the bot in Slack or inside Zendesk.
- You want Zapier, Make or an API to connect it to your own tools.
- You want unlimited messages on your own AI account (Advanced plan and up).
What LiveChatAI charges
LiveChatAI sells message credits. The free plan has 250 credits and one chatbot. Basic is $39 a month for 4,000 credits, Pro $89 for 10,000 and two chatbots, Advanced $189 for 15,000, five chatbots and three seats, and Expert $389 for 20,000, ten chatbots and six seats. Paying yearly gives two months free, so Basic works out at $32 a month.
HiQBot also sells monthly plans with a credit allowance. Each plan on our pricing page includes the AI agent, a set number of seats and the credits, and when they are gone the AI pauses until the plan renews or you add a pack. A credit on one product is not a credit on the other, so compare them on a week of your own conversations.
Channels
| Channel | LiveChatAI | HiQBot |
|---|---|---|
| Website chat | Yes: bubble, inline or full page | Yes |
| Yes | Yes, connected inside the dashboard, with coexistence | |
| Not on the pages we read | DMs, plus comment rules that reply to post comments | |
| Facebook Messenger | Not on the pages we read | Yes |
| Telegram | Not on the pages we read | Yes |
| LINE | Not on the pages we read | Yes |
| Slack | Yes | Not offered |
On HiQBot every channel lands in one inbox, and each can run its own agent. The agent starts from one of twelve industry packs, asks that trade’s qualifying questions, and takes the booking into your dashboard or sends a checkout link from a connected WooCommerce store. Your team takes over in the same thread, or you run a channel as live chat only.
With WhatsApp calling, customers call your WhatsApp Business number and it rings your team in the inbox, beside the chat (which plans). The AI agent itself works in writing.
Questions people ask before switching.
Is LiveChatAI the same as LiveChat?
No. LiveChatAI (livechatai.com) is an AI chatbot you train on your own website and documents. LiveChat (livechat.com) is a live chat product for human teams, now sold as Text plans. If you meant LiveChat, our LiveChat alternatives page compares that one.
Is LiveChatAI free?
It has a free plan with 250 message credits and one chatbot. Paid plans start at $39 a month, or $32 a month billed annually, for 4,000 message credits. Read on livechatai.com/pricing on 12 November 2026.
Which LiveChatAI alternative suits a small business?
If you mostly need answers on your website, Tidio and Crisp both start free. If your customers write on WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger and you want the AI to qualify and book as well as answer, HiQBot covers six channels in one inbox.
Does LiveChatAI work on Instagram or Messenger?
Not according to its own pages. Its pricing and integrations pages, read on 12 November 2026, name website chat, WhatsApp and Slack, plus Zendesk and WordPress, and do not name Instagram, Messenger, Telegram or LINE. HiQBot answers on all six: website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and LINE.
Can a person take over from the AI?
On both. LiveChatAI lists live chat and routes questions outside the AI’s knowledge to a person, with 1 to 6 human agents depending on the plan. On HiQBot, anyone on shift takes the conversation in the same thread, on plans with live chat seats.
What does LiveChatAI have that HiQBot does not?
A free plan, a Slack bot, a Zendesk app, Zapier and Make, an API and unlimited messages on your own AI account on its higher plans, and a money-back guarantee. HiQBot has a 7-day trial that asks for a card.
Try it on your own conversations.
Seven days, your own documents, your own WhatsApp number. Add HiQBot to one page and one channel, and compare a week of answers with what LiveChatAI gives you.