The longer answer
No tool is the best for every small business, but four questions narrow the field quickly. Answer them before you compare feature lists.
1. Who answers the chats? If it's you, on a few chats a day, a free plan is enough. If you want AI to answer while you're busy or closed, check how many AI answers a plan includes and what the next ones cost.
2. How many people need a seat this year? Per-user tools add to the bill with every hire. Per-workspace tools stay flat up to a seat limit, then step up to the next plan.
3. Which channels? Website chat only, or email, WhatsApp and Instagram as well? Check which plan each channel is on.
4. What will the AI answer from? Most AI agents answer from help articles you write or import. Before you pay, test the AI on your own most common questions during a trial or a free allowance.
Seven tools, listed alphabetically (prices checked 23 October 2026 on each vendor's pricing page, US dollars before tax)
- Crisp: priced per workspace. Free for 2 seats without AI; Mini $45 a month, billed monthly, for 4 seats with AI credits for around 90 automated conversations; Essentials $95 for 10 seats and around 450. Best for a few agents who want one flat price with some AI included. Replyze vs Crisp
- Help Scout: priced per user. Free for 5 users and 1 inbox; Standard $25 per user a month billed yearly adds live chat; AI Answers cost $0.75 per resolution. Best for teams whose support is mostly email.
- Intercom: priced per seat plus AI usage. Essential $29 per seat a month billed yearly ($39 monthly; $19 for new customers); the Fin AI agent from $0.99 per outcome, with a minimum monthly commitment. 14-day trial, no card. Best for software products that want support, in-app messages and product tours in one place; tours come with the Proactive Support Plus add-on at $99 a month. Replyze vs Intercom
- LiveChat: priced per user. Essential $19 per user a month billed yearly ($25 monthly) with 10 AI resolutions a month, and 50 more for $49.50; Essential keeps conversation history for 60 days. 14-day trial, no card. Best for one or two people who want chat with a small AI allowance.
- Replyze (our product): priced per workspace. Free for 1 seat and 100 conversations a month, answered by you; Pro $55 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly) for up to 5 teammates with 1,000 AI replies a month; Business $159 billed yearly for up to 15 teammates and 5,000. The AI answers only from your own help articles and the answers your team teaches it, and hands the chat to your shared inbox when the visitor asks for a person. Hosted in Germany; AI replies are generated by Anthropic (USA) under our DPA. Best for small teams that want AI answering from their own articles, with everyone working in one inbox. Replyze plans
- tawk.to: the core live chat is free; removing branding costs $29 a month, and AI Assist starts at $29 a month. Best for free chat you answer yourself.
- Tidio: priced per plan and metered by conversations. Free for 10 seats and 50 conversations a month; Starter $24.17 a month billed yearly for 100 conversations; the Lyro AI agent from $32.50 a month billed yearly for 50 AI conversations. Self-serve plans stop at 10 seats. Best for online stores that want automated Flows and a Shopify integration. Replyze vs Tidio
Quick picks
- Just you, a few chats a day: a free plan (tawk.to, Tidio, Crisp or Replyze; Help Scout if it's mostly email).
- One to five people who want AI to answer: compare LiveChat Essential, Crisp Mini, Tidio Starter with Lyro, and Replyze Pro against the number of AI answers you need a month.
- Six to fifteen people: per-user tools cost more with each hire, while Tidio (up to 10 seats), Crisp Essentials ($95, 10 seats) and Replyze Business ($159 billed yearly, 15 seats) stay flat within their limits.
- In-app messages and product tours alongside support: Intercom.
- More than 15 people: Crisp Plus ($295 a month, 20 seats and up) stays flat; per-agent tools such as Zendesk (Suite Team $55 per agent a month billed yearly) and Intercom suit teams that need ticketing and strict workflows.
How we chose: what a small team pays, whether AI is included or metered, free-plan limits and seat caps, all taken from each vendor's public pricing page. Replyze is our product; we list its limits the same way as everyone else's.