Chat, email, and social - one product instead of three
LiveChat sells chat, helpdesk, and chatbots as three separate products (LiveChat, HelpDesk, ChatBot). Want all three? That's three separate bills. Chatwoot puts live chat, email support, AI, and 12+ messaging channels in a single product with one price per agent.
- Live chat + email + social channels = one product, one price
- No separate HelpDesk or ChatBot product to buy
- WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, TikTok included on every paid plan
- Captain AI included, not a separate paid product
- Open source with self-hosting - LiveChat is cloud-only
At a glance
Email & social included
- Chatwoot
- Yes
- LiveChat
- Separate products
AI copilot
- Chatwoot
- Yes
- LiveChat
- Yes
Free plan
- Chatwoot
- Yes
- LiveChat
- No
Self-hosted option
- Chatwoot
- Yes
- LiveChat
- No
Open source
- Chatwoot
- Yes
- LiveChat
- No
Feature comparison
See how Chatwoot and LiveChat compare across key features.
| Feature | Chatwoot | LiveChat |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging Channels | ||
| Website live chat | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Separate product | |
| Yes | Add-on | |
| Instagram DMs | Yes | No |
| Facebook Messenger | Yes | Yes |
| Telegram | Yes | No |
| LINE | Yes | No |
| SMS | Yes | Add-on |
| TikTok DMs | Yes | No |
| API channel | Yes | Yes |
| AI & Automation | ||
| AI copilot for agents | Yes | Partial |
| AI-powered replies | Yes | No |
| Chatbots / bot builder | Yes | Separate product |
| Automation rules | Yes | Yes |
| Canned responses | Yes | Yes |
| SLA management | Yes | No |
| Team Collaboration | ||
| Shared inbox | Yes | Yes |
| Private notes | Yes | Yes |
| Team assignments | Yes | Yes |
| Agent collision detection | Yes | No |
| Labels and tags | Yes | Yes |
| Contact segments | Yes | No |
| Reporting & Analytics | ||
| Conversation reports | Yes | Yes |
| Agent performance reports | Yes | Yes |
| CSAT reports | Yes | Yes |
| Live dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Team reports | Yes | No |
| Custom report filters | Yes | No |
| Deployment & Security | ||
| Cloud hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted option | Yes | No |
| Open-source code | Yes | No |
| SSO / SAML | Yes | Yes |
| Audit logs | Yes | No |
| Custom data retention | Yes | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
Why teams switch from LiveChat
Common pain points that lead teams to explore alternatives.
Three products for what should be one
LiveChat, HelpDesk, and ChatBot are separate products with separate pricing. Agents may need to switch between tools. Chatwoot is one unified product for chat, email, social, and AI.
No free plan
LiveChat has no free tier - only a 14-day trial. Chatwoot offers a permanent free plan for 2 agents on live chat, with all channels on paid plans.
Limited messaging channels
LiveChat focuses primarily on website chat. Instagram, Telegram, LINE, and TikTok aren't natively supported. Chatwoot includes 12+ channels on every paid plan.
Closed source, no self-hosting
LiveChat is proprietary and cloud-only. No code access, no data sovereignty option. Chatwoot is open source with full self-hosting support.
How Chatwoot is different
What makes Chatwoot the right choice over LiveChat.
One product, complete coverage
Chat, email, WhatsApp, social messaging, AI copilot, and reporting in one workspace. No jumping between LiveChat, HelpDesk, and ChatBot.
Captain AI built in
AI reply drafting, summaries, and label suggestions included on paid plans. No separate ChatBot product purchase.
Free plan available
Start with 2 agents and all channels at no cost. LiveChat requires a paid subscription from day one.
12+ messaging channels
WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, TikTok, LINE, SMS, and more - all native, all included. LiveChat supports a fraction of these.
Self-host for data control
Run Chatwoot on your infrastructure for compliance, latency, or data sovereignty. LiveChat is cloud-only.
Open source ecosystem
Audit the code, build custom integrations, or contribute features. 37k+ GitHub stars and an active contributor community.
Common questions
Answers to frequently asked questions about switching from LiveChat to Chatwoot.
Does Chatwoot replace both LiveChat and HelpDesk?
Yes. Chatwoot combines live chat, email support, and social messaging in one product. You don't need separate tools - or separate bills - for chat and email.
Can I use Chatwoot for e-commerce support?
Yes. Chatwoot works well for e-commerce with pre-chat forms, canned responses, WhatsApp Business integration, and API connections to Shopify and other platforms.
Does Chatwoot have chat analytics?
Yes. Conversation reports, agent performance metrics, CSAT tracking, team reports, and a live dashboard. All in the same product - no analytics add-on.
Is there a LiveChat-to-Chatwoot migration path?
Yes. Export your data from LiveChat and import it using Chatwoot's REST API. Most teams complete the migration within a day.
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Switching from LiveChat?
Try Chatwoot free and see the difference. Our team can help you migrate your data and get set up.