LiveChat vs Zendesk: pricing for 1, 3 and 10 agents
LiveChat vs Zendesk pricing: LiveChat now sells Text plans, with live chat from $19 per user a month billed annually. Zendesk adds messaging and live chat from Suite Team, $55 per agent billed annually. Both pricing pages read November 11, 2026.
About this guide
Published by StackOnSale. Publisher: Emmanuel Grenier. Guide updated: 2026-11-11.
Research based on official vendor pages, not a hands-on review.
StackOnSale may earn a commission through disclosed affiliate links on the site. This does not decide which tool fits your needs.
Cheapest Text (LiveChat) plan, billed annually
Per user, in US dollars, before tax. Zendesk's cheapest plan with live chat, Suite Team, is $55 per agent a month billed annually.
Sources reviewed 2026-11-11. These are dated plan details, not a live checkout quote. Confirm current pricing and eligibility on the official pages.
Some vendor links on offer pages are disclosed affiliate links; this is not a paid ranking.
| Plan | Recorded price | Billing and limits | Before choosing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Essential (LiveChat) | $19 per user/month | Billed annually; $25 billed monthly | Includes 10 AI resolutions a month; packages of 50 more cost $49.50. |
The short answer
LiveChat vs Zendesk pricing comes down to which plan includes live chat. LiveChat sells its plans to new customers as Text, a product from the same company. Text Essential is $19 per user a month billed annually, or $25 billed monthly, and includes live chat, an inbox with ticketing, 1 AI agent and 10 AI resolutions a month.
Zendesk's cheapest plan, Support Team, is also $19 per agent a month billed annually, or $25 monthly, but it covers email and ticketing. Messaging and live chat start with Suite Team, at $55 per agent a month billed annually or $69 monthly.
For 3 agents billed annually, live chat costs $684 a year on Text Essential and $1,980 on Zendesk Suite Team. Prices were read on livechat.com/pricing and zendesk.com/pricing on November 11, 2026, in US dollars, before tax. StackOnSale has not tested either product. Our partner link gives a 30-day free trial instead of 14 days and 10% off the first payment.
How each one charges
Text (LiveChat): a price per user per month. Everyone who logs in to answer chats and tickets needs a seat. Essential includes 1 AI agent, 10 AI resolutions a month, 50 live visitors tracked and 3 proactive campaigns. Growth, at $79 per user a month billed annually or $99 monthly, adds chat supervision, shared canned responses, unlimited chat history, 400 live visitors tracked, 10 AI agents and 200 AI resolutions a month. Extra AI resolutions cost $49.50 for a package of 50. Enterprise is priced on request.
Zendesk: a price per agent per month, plus usage. Support Team covers email and ticketing, routing, prebuilt dashboards and automations. Suite Team adds AI agents, a knowledge base, omnichannel routing, messaging and live chat, and telephony. Suite Professional, at $115 per agent a month billed annually or $149 monthly, adds skills-based routing, an IVR phone tree and AI writing tools. Zendesk says its AI agents are included in every Suite and Support plan and billed per automated resolution, and that features such as App Builder, Action Builder and Voice are billed on consumption beyond the plan allowance. Suite Enterprise is priced on request.
Seat prices side by side
The table lists the plans with a published price. Text Enterprise, Zendesk Suite Enterprise and Zendesk add-ons are priced on request or separately.
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | What the plan includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Essential (LiveChat) | $19 per user | $25 per user | Live chat, inbox and ticketing, 1 AI agent, 10 AI resolutions a month, 50 live visitors tracked |
| Text Growth (LiveChat) | $79 per user | $99 per user | Chat supervision, unlimited chat history, 10 AI agents, 200 AI resolutions a month, 400 live visitors tracked |
| Zendesk Support Team | $19 per agent | $25 per agent | Email and ticketing, routing, prebuilt dashboards, automations; no live chat listed |
| Zendesk Suite Team | $55 per agent | $69 per agent | AI agents, knowledge base, omnichannel routing, messaging and live chat, telephony |
| Zendesk Suite Professional | $115 per agent | $149 per agent | Skills-based routing, IVR phone tree, AI writing tools, Admin Copilot |
Read on livechat.com/pricing and zendesk.com/pricing (Customer Service), November 11, 2026. Prices in US dollars, before tax. Zendesk AI agents are billed per automated resolution, at a rate not shown on the pricing page.
What a year costs
The second table multiplies the published annual prices by the number of agents and by 12 months. It counts seats only. Text includes 10 AI resolutions a month on Essential and 200 on Growth. Zendesk bills AI agents per automated resolution; its pricing page does not show the rate per resolution, so AI answers are left out of the Zendesk column.
Zendesk Support Team is in the table because it has the same seat price as Text Essential. It is not a live chat plan: messaging and live chat are listed from Suite Team.
| Agents | Text Essential | Text Growth | Zendesk Support Team | Zendesk Suite Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $228 | $948 | $228 | $660 |
| 3 | $684 | $2,844 | $684 | $1,980 |
| 10 | $2,280 | $9,480 | $2,280 | $6,600 |
StackOnSale arithmetic: annual price per agent x agents x 12. Seats only, before tax. Zendesk Support Team does not list live chat; Suite Team is the first Zendesk plan that does.
When LiveChat wins
You want live chat at the lowest seat price. Text Essential is $19 per user a month billed annually, against $55 for Zendesk Suite Team, the first Zendesk plan that lists live chat. For 10 agents, that is $2,280 a year against $6,600.
You want AI answers with a known price. Text includes 10 AI resolutions a month on Essential and 200 on Growth, and sells 50 more for $49.50.
You sell on Shopify. Text Essential lists selling through Shopify in the plan.
When Zendesk wins
You need phone support in the same tool. Suite Team includes telephony, and Suite Professional adds an IVR phone tree.
You handle mostly email tickets. Support Team covers email and ticketing at $19 per agent a month billed annually, the same price as Text Essential.
You are an early-stage startup. Zendesk for Startups gives eligible startups a 6-month trial of the Zendesk Suite for up to 50 agents, on application.
You need advanced routing and approvals. Suite Professional adds skills-based routing, and Suite Enterprise adds approval workflows, a sandbox and custom agent roles.
What we could not verify
Zendesk's price per automated AI resolution and how many, if any, each plan includes: the pricing page does not list them. Whether either annual price holds at renewal. Tax, which both vendors add where it applies.
StackOnSale earns a commission if you buy LiveChat or Text through our link. We have no affiliate relationship with Zendesk.
Questions
Is LiveChat cheaper than Zendesk?
For live chat, yes: Text Essential, the plan LiveChat now sells, is $19 per user a month billed annually, against $55 per agent for Zendesk Suite Team, the first Zendesk plan that lists messaging and live chat. Read November 11, 2026.
How much is Zendesk per agent?
Support Team is $19 per agent a month billed annually or $25 monthly, Suite Team $55 or $69, and Suite Professional $115 or $149. Suite Enterprise is priced on request. Read November 11, 2026.
Does Zendesk Support Team include live chat?
The pricing page lists email and ticketing for Support Team. Messaging and live chat appear from Suite Team, at $55 per agent a month billed annually.
Is there a free trial?
Both offer 14 days. Text asks for no credit card, and Zendesk's trial opens on Suite Professional by default. Our partner link for LiveChat gives a 30-day free trial instead of 14 days and 10% off the first payment.
Is there a LiveChat or Zendesk discount?
Both charge less per month with annual billing: Text Essential is $19 instead of $25, and Zendesk Suite Team $55 instead of $69. Zendesk for Startups offers eligible startups a 6-month Suite trial for up to 50 agents. We do not publish coupon codes that a vendor has not published.
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Sources
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