Free live chat software: 7 things to check before you choose

Search for "free live chat" and you'll find dozens of tools, nearly all with a free plan. They aren't free in the same way. One shows its own logo in your chat, another stops after a set number of conversations, a third is free until your second teammate joins.

None of that is wrong: companies have to earn money somehow. But it's much easier to choose well when you know where each one draws its lines. Here are the seven things worth checking, with real examples.

Other companies' plans and prices below are as shown on their own pricing pages on 12 November 2026. They change, so check before you decide.

1. Whose brand is in your chat?

Many free plans put the provider's name in your chat window, often as a "Powered by" or "We run on" line. Your visitors see it every time they open the chat, and some tools charge to take it off:

• tawk.to is free, and charges $29 a month to remove its "Powered by tawk.to" line.
• Crisp's free plan shows "We run on Crisp". Removing it comes with its Plus plan, $295 a month.
• Tidio lists custom branding on its Plus plan, which starts at $300 a month plus usage.

Ask: on the plan I'd actually use, whose name do my visitors see? (Quarito shows no Quarito branding on any plan, including Free.)

2. How many people can answer?

A free plan might allow one person, two or ten. If you work alone, one is plenty. If two or three of you share the phone today, check what happens when you all want to answer chats, and what it costs to add the next person.

3. Is there a limit on chats?

Some plans count your conversations. Tidio's free plan, for example, includes 50 billable conversations a month, and its paid plans are priced by how many conversations you have. That suits some businesses well; just know which number you'll be watching. Others, like Quarito, don't limit chats or visitors on any plan.

4. How long are your chats kept?

Free and lower plans often keep only recent conversations. That's fine for answering today's questions, less fine if you want to look up what a customer said three months ago. To be upfront about ours: Quarito Free keeps the last 15 days of chats, and Premium keeps your full history. Paid plans elsewhere have limits too: LiveChat's Essential plan, for example, keeps 60 days of conversation history.

5. What does the first paid step cost?

This is the one that surprises people. Most live chat tools charge per seat: per person who answers chats, every month. One seat is cheap; five seats is five times that.

• Intercom: $29 per seat a month on its Essential plan, with a lower first price for new customers when we looked. No free plan, a 14-day trial.
• Zendesk: live chat comes with its Suite plans, from $55 per agent a month billed yearly. No free plan, a 14-day trial.
• LiveChat: from $19 per user a month billed yearly. No free plan, a 14-day trial.

Work out the price for the team you'll have next year, not just today. Quarito takes the other approach: Premium is one flat $9 a month for your first 3 months (usually $15) for your whole team, however many people answer.

6. Are there charges on top?

AI answers are often billed by use, on top of the plan. Intercom charges $0.99 for each outcome of its Fin AI agent. Zendesk includes a few automated resolutions per agent each month, then charges $1.50 to $2.00 for each one after that. If you want an AI agent, these can be worth it; just add them to your sums. If you don't, make sure you're not paying for one.

7. What happens to your visitors' data?

A chat widget runs on every page of your website, so it's worth knowing what it does there. Does it set cookies? Does it carry advertising or analytics trackers? How long are chats kept, and can you delete them? Will they sign a data processing agreement if you need one for GDPR? We go through these questions in live chat, cookies and GDPR.

A quick checklist

Where Quarito fits

We built Quarito for small teams who want their own brand in the chat and a price that doesn't grow with every hire. Free gives one agent and one website every feature, with no Quarito branding and no chat limits. Premium is one flat price for everyone.

It isn't for everyone. We don't have an AI agent, email ticketing or phone support. If you need those, a bigger suite may suit you better, and our side-by-side comparisons say so plainly.

Try Quarito free, or read how to add live chat to your website first.