Freshchat vs LiveAgent

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Our analysts compared Freshchat vs LiveAgent based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Live Chat Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Freshchat is a customer messaging software that helps businesses engage with customers across various channels like live chat, website, mobile app, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc. It's ideal for businesses of all sizes that want to improve customer engagement and satisfaction. Key benefits include increased customer satisfaction, improved agent productivity, and reduced resolution times. Popular features include a unified inbox for all customer conversations, bots to automate tasks, and powerful analytics to track performance.

Compared to similar products, Freshchat is known for its user-friendly interface, affordability, and comprehensive feature set. Pricing is based on the number of agents and the features required, with plans starting at $15 per agent per month billed annually.

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LiveAgent is an online communication platform that supports personalized, multilingual customer service. It provides in-suite and standalone offerings for live chat, online self-service portals, ticket management, change and license management, and more. It offers all-in-one helpdesk support by combining all communication channels, including email, live chat, phone calls and social media, in a single company inbox.

LiveAgent offers additional services through third-party companies to provide CRM, including sales and marketing automation. Users can analyze helpdesk performance and generate multiple reports to reward high-performing support agents and track customer satisfaction.
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$19/Agent, Monthly, Freemium
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Tailored to your specific needs
$9/Agent, Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Improve Efficiency: Gathers data from third-party apps and websites in one place. Resolve queries and provide instant solutions using gathered information. Customize predefined responses to answer commonly asked questions. Quickly access canned messages by setting up shortcodes. Record customer details and share information in real time. 
  • Boost Productivity: Routes support tickets to the right team. Scan incoming tickets and categorize them according to factors including customer type, language, location and ticket subject. Automate ticket assignments based on the agent’s expertise level. Create rules to send event alerts to the right agent. Encourage agent performance with gamification. 
  • Improve Customer Support: Resolves repetitive questions using intelligent automation. Delivers personalized solutions to customers by learning from past experiences. It provides product information and instant assistance to customers when needed. No need to wait for human assistance. 
  • Free Trial: Get first-hand experience with a 21-day free trial. No need to add credit card details. 
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  • Make Better Decisions: A range of insightful and data-driven reports summarize business aspects like accounting, inventory, employee activity and sales for performance overview and informed decision-making. 
  • Drive Profits: Improve user experience and boost retention to create fresh revenue channels with customer marketing strategies. 
  • Save Time: Improve customer support quality with over 180 features, like automated ticket distribution and callback, call routing, email notifications and IVR. Automate agent workflows using SLA rules, time and action. 
  • Respond Quickly: Improve customer engagement by reaching out faster to customer queries, with an average response time close to 30 minutes. 
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  • Messaging Channels: Receive, manage and respond to conversations from multiple channels from a unified inbox. Stay connected with ERP and CRM to automate queries in advance. Launch bots to automate tasks based on hours. 
  • Campaigns: Design flows and set timings to trigger targeted audience emails. Send emails based on user intent and website behavior. Set up different timings to re-engage or send invites and reminder emails. Analyze data gathered from previous campaigns and optimize performance accordingly. 
  • Chatbots: Create bots with the easy-to-use, low code bot builder. Build multiple bots to handle tasks like answering customer questions, updating data or building a single bot to handle multiple tasks. Set up bots for different cases with a predefined, ready-to-use template. 
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  • Ticketing System: Provide customer service with a centralized response system. Address inquiries from one inbox, update ticket status, gather customer data to identify and solve problems and distribute cases automatically to ensure fast resolution of queries. 
  • Call Center: Organize sales and provide support by managing customer calls on a unified platform. Connect devices, add agent phone numbers, place a call button on the website and make calls from the computer. Automate responses with IVR, route conversations to skip unnecessary waiting times, track missed calls using the callback feature and record talks without size limitations. 
  • Analytics and Reports: Get insights into the team performance, agent rankings, usage statistics, customer satisfaction ratings, SLA metrics, support channels and other key benchmarks to improve business practices, products and services. Access tag, SLA compliance, channel, department time reports. 
  • Data Protection: Enhance safety standards with help desk features to protect customer data and company practices. Ban IP addresses to limit irrelevant inquiries, enable secure login with 2-step verification, protect data between the browser and software using HTTPS encryption and store information in the data center for effective management. 
  • Gamification: Take advantage of innovative elements to increase engagement and customer retention. Use customizable badges based on the worker’s performance and benchmarks and leaderboards to showcase achievements. 
  • Customer Portal: Create product and brand-specific categories to help customers with self-service content and onboarding. Build knowledge bases using articles, guides, screenshots, videos, search widgets, suggestion forums and other problem-solving information to provide 24/7 customer support and boost website traffic. 
  • Automated Replies: Create automation rules to manage the high volume of tickets with predefined actions. Transfer tickets to departments, add tags, mark and resolve tickets with system actions and minimal guided intervention. Manage rules to organize tickets effectively, improve response time and reduce support costs. 
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Product Ranking

#32

among all
Live Chat Software

#41

among all
Live Chat Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

86
89
89
83
89
74
96
94
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Online Visitor Management
Platform Capabilities
Conversation Management
Customer Collaboration
Ticket Management
Online Visitor Management
Platform Capabilities
Integration and Extensibility

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Freshchat
LiveAgent
+ Add Product + Add Product
Conversation Management Customer Collaboration Online Visitor Management Platform Capabilities Ticket Management 89 89 96 96 62 83 74 94 94 100 0 25 50 75 100
87%
0%
13%
78%
0%
22%
80%
0%
20%
71%
0%
29%
89%
11%
0%
89%
0%
11%
86%
14%
0%
90%
0%
10%
20%
70%
10%
100%
0%
0%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

78%
0%
22%
78%
0%
22%

User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 720 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 3716 reviews
87%
of users recommend this product

Freshchat has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 87% when considering 720 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

93%
of users recommend this product

LiveAgent has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 3716 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

n/a
5.0 (172)
4.4 (489)
4.5 (1313)
n/a
4.68 (1174)
4.1 (112)
4.7 (995)
4.2 (28)
n/a
4.4 (91)
4.7 (62)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Freshchat and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Platform Capabilities.

Platform Capabilities Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated LiveAgent and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Ticket Management. LiveAgent stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award
Ticket Management Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Unified Platform: Freshchat offers a comprehensive customer engagement platform, bringing together live chat, bots, and social media messaging into one interface. This streamlines workflows and provides agents with a holistic view of customer interactions.
Customization Options: Users appreciate the ability to tailor the chat widget's appearance and behavior to match their brand and website. This includes customizing the widget's color, position, and welcome message, creating a seamless brand experience for visitors.
Automation Capabilities: Freshchat's automation features, such as chatbots and canned responses, help to improve agent productivity and response times. Chatbots can handle routine inquiries, while canned responses provide quick answers to frequently asked questions, freeing up agents to focus on more complex issues.
Reporting and Analytics: The platform offers robust reporting and analytics tools, providing insights into chat volume, agent performance, and customer satisfaction. This data empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve their customer support operations.
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Usability: 77% of users who reviewed this aspect said the software is easy to use and navigate.
Pricing: According to 82% of reviews on this element, the software offers many features at a great price.
Customer Service: The customer support channels are responsive and useful, according to 91% of users reviewing support.
Integration: 86% of users who mentioned this aspect said that the software offers multiple integrations.
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Limited Customization: Freshchat offers limited options for customizing the chat widget's appearance and behavior, making it challenging for brands to achieve a seamless integration with their website's design and user experience.
Mobile App Shortcomings: The mobile app for agents has received criticism for its occasional glitches and lack of features compared to the desktop version, hindering efficient communication and issue resolution on the go.
Reporting Limitations: Some users find the reporting and analytics capabilities of Freshchat to be somewhat basic, lacking the depth and granularity needed for comprehensive performance evaluation and data-driven decision-making.
Pricing Structure: The pricing structure, particularly for larger teams or those requiring advanced features, can be a deterrent for some businesses, especially when compared to alternative solutions in the market.
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Mobile Application: 84% of users who reviewed the mobile app stated that the notifications, features and design could be improved.
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Freshchat has carved out a niche for itself in the customer communication platform market, offering a compelling blend of features and affordability that resonates with many users. Reviewers frequently highlight the platform's intuitive interface and ease of use, making it a popular choice for businesses transitioning from simpler live chat solutions or those new to the world of customer messaging platforms. The seamless integration with other Freshworks products, such as Freshdesk and Freshsales, is another major draw, providing a unified view of customer interactions and streamlining workflows. This integration is particularly beneficial for businesses already invested in the Freshworks ecosystem, allowing them to leverage existing data and processes without the need for complex integrations. However, some users note that Freshchat's reporting and analytics capabilities could be more robust, especially when compared to competitors like Intercom or Zendesk Chat. While the platform offers basic reporting features, it may not provide the depth of insights needed by larger businesses or those with complex reporting requirements. Additionally, some users mention occasional limitations in customization options, particularly regarding chat widget appearance and branding. Despite these drawbacks, Freshchat's strengths in user-friendliness, affordability, and integration make it a compelling option for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a reliable and easy-to-implement customer messaging solution. Its focus on core live chat functionality and seamless integration with other Freshworks products makes it particularly well-suited for businesses already using or considering other tools within the Freshworks ecosystem.

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LiveAgent offers live chat and helpdesk capabilities, including advanced ticketing. Users can access and update all aspects of a given customer account. Interactive tools, automated behavior reply terminology, live queries management and intuitive onboarding are some aspects of the software that users appreciate. However, some users noted that the software is pricey and the UI is dated. They also reported issues with the payment gateway, mobile app design, service experience feedback and somewhat limited integration options, in terms of other social media and chat platforms. All things considered, LiveAgent is a decent live chat software suitable for businesses of all sizes.

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Screenshots

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