What Is LiveAgent? Helpdesk, Call Center, Your Own AI
By Joris van Huët · LiveAgent's own site
The short answer: if five people or fewer answer your email and chat, LiveAgent's Starter plan at $19 per agent a month covers the job; the day phone calls or WhatsApp join the queue you need Team at $35, because Starter leaves out social channels, the call center and reporting (monthly billing, checked on 26 October 2026 on the pricing page). LiveAgent is a helpdesk that puts tickets, chat, calls and a knowledge base in one inbox, with AI that runs on your own provider account.
Disclosure: I may earn a commission through some links on this site. It does not change what this page says.
What decides the plan:
- Seats times price. For example, a team of 8 is past Starter's limit of 5 agents; on Team it costs 8 x $35 = $280 a month, or 8 x $29 = $232 billed annually, per the pricing page.
- The AI account you already have. LiveAgent charges nothing for AI; its features run on your OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini or FlowHunt account, which bills the usage (pricing page).
- The log that shows the AI working. Every AI agent run lands in Reports > AI Agent Runs with its status, tool calls and any failure reason (run monitoring). Check it weekly.
Inside the inbox
The homepage lists email, live chat, phone, social media, WhatsApp, Viber and a knowledge base in one dashboard: messages turn into tickets, and calls are taken in the same helpdesk.
The AI comes in two shapes. A chatbot answers on your chat button and hands over to a person when the visitor asks or an agent clicks "Stop chatbot and join" (chatbot overview). AI agents work behind the scenes: rules trigger them, and they tag, transfer or resolve tickets with only the tools you allow (AI agents overview).
Where it fits
A support lead at a small or mid-sized company who wants tickets, chat and calls on one per-seat bill. Less so a team that mostly calls out, or one that wants AI bundled in: a plan buys AI agent slots, not the model.
A chatbot that answers visitors brings one legal step. Article 50 of the EU AI Act, which applies from 2 August 2026, requires that people are told they are dealing with an AI system at the latest at the first interaction, unless that is obvious (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 on EUR-Lex, Articles 50 and 113). Write it into the bot's first message.
Plans, in US dollars
Checked on 26 October 2026 on the LiveAgent pricing page:
| Plan | Per agent, monthly | Per agent, annual | Agents | AI agents | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $19 | $15 | Up to 5 | 1 | Email, chat, chatbot, knowledge base |
| Team | $35 | $29 | Up to 15 | 5 | Social, WhatsApp, call center, reporting |
| Business | $59 | $49 | Any number | 50 | MCP server, branding removal |
| Enterprise | $3,999 a month flat | $3,199 a month flat | 80, then $49 each | Unlimited | Account manager |
The trial runs 30 days with no card, and when it ends the account and everything in it stay only on a paid plan, per the pricing FAQ: the rules and AI agents you build in the free month become the reason to pay for the next one. Decide on day 25, with the run log open.
How it compares
Aircall. A phone system first: Essentials costs $30 per licence a month billed annually, with a three-licence minimum, and AI Voice Agents start at $100 a month (Aircall pricing). If calls are most of the work, that decides it; if they are one channel among several, LiveAgent's Team plan already carries a call center.
Trengo. Trengo prices a team rather than a seat, from €349 a month for 10 users and 500 conversations (Trengo pricing). Three people on email and chat pay 3 x $19 = $57 a month on LiveAgent Starter; a WhatsApp-first team near ten people is where Trengo's bundle fits.
Getting started
How to use LiveAgent sets up one AI agent that tags each new ticket and moves it to the right department, with a person checking its work.
FAQ
Does LiveAgent charge for AI?
No. Plans differ only in how many AI agents you can create, and your provider bills usage at its own prices, with no token markup or per-resolution fee (pricing page).
Why does the homepage name other plans?
You are not misreading it. On 26 October 2026 the homepage FAQ still listed Small, Medium, Large and Enterprise plans from $15 per agent billed annually, while the pricing page sells Starter, Team, Business and Enterprise. The $15 is Starter on annual billing.
Can Claude work with LiveAgent?
Yes. Anthropic can power your agents on any plan, and on Business and Enterprise an MCP server lets Claude read tickets with your agent permissions (MCP article).