LivePerson pioneered conversational AI over two decades ago.
But here's the thing: being first doesn't always mean being the best fit for every business.
If you're reading this, you probably already know LivePerson's pain points. The pricing that requires a sales call just to get a quote.
The steep learning curve that leaves your team frustrated for months. The enterprise features you're paying for but never use.
I spent weeks testing the top alternatives to see which ones actually deliver on their promises.
These 7 platforms offer transparent pricing, faster deployment, and AI capabilities that rival (or beat) LivePerson, without the enterprise bloat.
Before we dive in: if phone support is your main priority, Ringly.io offers a specialized AI phone agent that resolves about 70% of calls without human intervention.
It's worth considering alongside these chat-focused platforms.
Editor’s note: Want to hear some sample AI support calls made for your Shopify store?
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How I evaluated these liveperson alternatives
I tested each platform using the same criteria you'd actually care about in production:
- Pricing transparency - Can you see actual prices without talking to sales?
- AI capabilities - What's the resolution rate, and how predictable are the costs?
- Ease of setup - How long from signup to first customer conversation?
- Omnichannel support - Does it handle email, chat, social, and phone in one place?
- Integration ecosystem - Will it play nice with your existing CRM and tools?
The platforms that made this list all have proven track records with real customers, published pricing, and free trials you can actually use without a credit card.
The 7 best LivePerson alternatives compared
Here's a quick overview before we get into the details:
1. Zendesk
Zendesk is the established market leader for a reason. If you need enterprise-grade customer service software that can handle massive scale, this is where you look first.
The platform offers true omnichannel support. Email, chat, phone, social media, it all flows into a unified workspace.
Their AI-powered Answer Bot handles basic inquiries and escalates intelligently when needed.
Here's the pricing breakdown:
Add-ons to watch: Advanced AI agents (contact sales), Copilot ($50/agent/mo), Quality Assurance ($35/agent/mo), Workforce Management ($25/agent/mo).
Pros: Thousands of integrations via their marketplace, robust automation that actually works at scale, proven with Fortune 500 companies.
Cons: The real cost is often 2-3x the base price once you add necessary features. There's also a steep learning curve that requires dedicated IT resources.
Best for: Large enterprises with substantial budgets and teams that can invest time in proper implementation.
2. Intercom
Intercom positions itself as "the AI customer service company," and they're not exaggerating.
Fin AI Agent is the centerpiece of their platform, and it's genuinely impressive.
The modern messenger widget supports in-app messaging with behavioral targeting that feels almost psychic.
Fin claims a 60% average resolution rate, which is solid. But here's the catch: you pay $0.99 per resolution on top of your seat fees.
For high-volume teams, this adds up fast.
Pricing structure:
Add-ons: Copilot AI assistant ($29/agent/mo), Proactive Support Plus ($99/mo).
Real customer results: Synthesia resolved 6,000+ conversations and saved 1,300+ hours. Sharesies hit a 70% resolution rate with Fin.
Pros: Beautiful interface that your team will actually enjoy using, sophisticated onboarding flows, strong product-led SaaS focus.
Cons: Unpredictable costs at scale worry finance teams. The per-resolution pricing model can surprise you when volume spikes.
Best for: SaaS companies and product-led growth businesses that want sophisticated in-app messaging.
3. Comm100
Comm100 is the most direct LivePerson competitor on this list, and they differentiate themselves with one word: transparency.
Their AI suite is comprehensive. AI Agent, AI Copilot, AI Insights, AI Knowledge, AI Quality Assurance, AI Onboarding.
You get the picture. Unlike competitors who hide enterprise pricing behind "contact sales" buttons, Comm100 publishes their rates.
Pricing breakdown:
They also offer Ticketing & Messaging from $47/agent/mo, Voice at $22/agent/mo, and Knowledge Base at $8/mo.
Security certifications include SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR. On-premises deployment is available if you need it. Every subscription includes 24/7 dedicated account managers.
Pros: Predictable pricing with no surprises, excellent for compliance-heavy sectors, on-premises option for strict data requirements.
Cons: Reporting customization could be more flexible compared to enterprise competitors.
Best for: Enterprises in regulated industries (healthcare, gaming, government, higher education) that need compliance and transparent costs.
4. Freshchat
Freshchat is part of the broader Freshworks ecosystem, which means it integrates seamlessly with Freshdesk if you need full customer service capabilities.
But it stands alone just fine too.
The generous free tier supports up to 10 agents with website chat, email, and a unified team inbox.
This makes it perfect for startups and small teams who want to start free and scale up.
Freddy AI pricing: First 500 sessions included, then $49 per 100 sessions. AI Copilot is $29/agent/mo on Pro and Enterprise plans.
Pros: Generous free tier that actually covers real use cases, affordable paid plans, unified with Freshdesk if you expand.
Cons: AI features are less advanced than premium competitors like Intercom Fin.
Best for: Small to mid-size teams wanting to start free and scale affordably.
5. LiveChat
Sometimes you just need simple, reliable live chat without the bloat. That's LiveChat.
With 200+ integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, and major CRMs, it plays nice with your existing stack.
The integrated ticketing system and customer history mean you don't need a separate help desk.
Pricing is refreshingly straightforward:
Starter gets you 1 user, 100 visitor tracking, and 60-day chat history. Team unlocks unlimited users and unlimited history. Business adds work scheduling, staffing prediction, and advanced reporting.
They also offer ChatBot (from $52/mo), HelpDesk (from $29/mo), and KnowledgeBase (from $49/mo) as add-ons.
Pros: Most affordable option for getting started, extremely easy setup that takes minutes not days, reliable performance with 35,000+ companies using it.
Cons: Less sophisticated AI capabilities, primarily focused on chat rather than full omnichannel.
Best for: Small businesses wanting simple, affordable live chat without complexity.
6. Drift
Drift is different from the others on this list. It's not really a customer support tool.
It's a conversational marketing and sales platform that happens to do chat really well.
If your goal is lead qualification and revenue acceleration, Drift is purpose-built for that.
The real-time engagement and sophisticated bot workflows can identify qualified leads before they even fill out a form.
Pricing is premium and requires annual contracts:
Pros: Excellent for B2B sales teams, powerful lead routing that actually works, strong Salesforce integration.
Cons: Premium pricing puts it out of reach for many teams. It's overkill if you just need customer support rather than lead generation.
Best for: B2B companies prioritizing lead generation and sales acceleration with substantial budgets.
7. HubSpot Live Chat
If you're already in the HubSpot ecosystem, their live chat is a no-brainer.
The native CRM integration means your chat agents see complete customer history, deal status, and marketing interactions without switching tabs.
The chatbot builder handles lead capture and qualification automatically.
Personalization based on CRM data means you can greet returning customers by name and reference their purchase history.
Service Hub pricing:
Note: Professional and Enterprise require one-time onboarding fees ($3,000 and $7,000 respectively).
Pros: Seamless CRM integration, free tier available, unified customer data across marketing, sales, and support.
Cons: Requires HubSpot ecosystem for full value. Pricing jumps significantly between tiers.
Best for: Teams already using HubSpot wanting unified marketing, sales, and support.
Feature comparison at a glance
Here's how these liveperson alternatives stack up across key dimensions:
For a 10-person team, your annual costs would range from roughly $2,280 (LiveChat Team) to $30,000+ (Drift Standard).
The spread is massive, which is why choosing based on your actual needs matters more than going with the "best" platform on paper.
Choosing the right liveperson alternative for your needs
Let's cut through the noise. Here's my honest take on which platform fits which situation:
For enterprises: Zendesk if you need maximum flexibility and integrations. Comm100 if you're in healthcare, gaming, or government and need compliance certifications.
For SaaS companies: Intercom is hard to beat. The in-app messaging and product-led growth features are genuinely best-in-class. Just watch those per-resolution costs.
For budget-conscious teams: LiveChat for pure simplicity, Freshchat if you want a free tier that scales.
For sales-led organizations: Drift is expensive but purpose-built for lead qualification. If your sales team lives in Salesforce, it's worth the investment.
For HubSpot users: Just use HubSpot Live Chat. The integration benefits outweigh any feature gaps.
For phone support specifically: If chat isn't your main channel and you need AI phone support, Ringly.io offers an AI phone agent that resolves about 70% of calls without human intervention. It's worth testing alongside these chat platforms.
Making the switch from LivePerson
Migrating away from LivePerson isn't trivial, but it's manageable with the right approach.
Most platforms offer migration assistance, either included or as a paid service.
Take advantage of it. Your historical chat data, customer profiles, and agent workflows all need to transfer cleanly.
Start with a pilot team before rolling out company-wide. Pick a small group of agents to test the new platform for 2-4 weeks.
They'll surface issues that would be painful to discover during a full rollout.
All seven platforms I tested offer free trials, most without requiring a credit card. Use them.
Nothing beats actually using the interface with your real workflows.
Start automating your customer support today
LivePerson isn't the only game in town for conversational AI. These 7 alternatives prove that you can get comparable (or better) features with transparent pricing and faster deployment.
The key is matching the platform to your actual needs, not just picking the one with the most features or the biggest brand name.
For e-commerce businesses specifically looking to automate phone support, Ringly.io offers an AI phone agent that handles the calls your chat platform can't.
It's worth testing alongside whichever chat platform you choose.
Pick 2-3 platforms from this list that fit your budget and use case. Run their free trials in parallel. Your team will tell you pretty quickly which one feels right.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best liveperson alternatives for small businesses?
For small businesses, LiveChat and Freshchat are your best bets. LiveChat starts at $19/mo for a single user with simple, reliable chat. Freshchat offers a genuinely useful free tier for up to 10 agents if you're just starting out.
Which liveperson alternatives have the most transparent pricing?
Comm100 and LiveChat lead here. Both publish all pricing online without requiring sales calls. Comm100 even includes 24/7 dedicated account managers in every subscription, which is unusual at their price point.
Are there any liveperson alternatives with better AI capabilities?
Intercom Fin AI Agent is genuinely impressive with its 60% claimed resolution rate. However, watch the per-resolution pricing ($0.99 each). Zendesk also offers advanced AI, but you'll pay $50/agent/mo for the Copilot add-on on top of base pricing.
What liveperson alternatives work best for regulated industries?
Comm100 is built for this. They hold SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR certifications. They also offer on-premises deployment if you need maximum data control. Zendesk Suite Professional and above also offers HIPAA compliance.
Which liveperson alternatives integrate best with existing CRMs?
HubSpot Live Chat wins if you're already using HubSpot, it's native. Zendesk has 1000+ integrations via their marketplace. Drift has particularly strong Salesforce integration for sales teams.
Can I try these liveperson alternatives for free?
Yes, all seven platforms offer free trials. Freshchat and HubSpot have free forever tiers. Most others offer 14-30 day trials, many without requiring a credit card.
What's the most affordable liveperson alternative for a 10-person team?
LiveChat Team plan at $49/agent/mo would run you about $490/mo annually. Freshchat Growth at $19/agent/mo would be $190/mo. Both are significantly cheaper than LivePerson's enterprise pricing, which typically starts in the thousands per month.
