Gorgias vs LiveChat
Side-by-side total cost of ownership: subscription fees, labor, hidden costs, and AI alternatives.
Published pricing
The subscription is only part of the cost.
| Gorgias | LiveChat | |
|---|---|---|
| Published rate | $50/seat/mo | $19/seat/mo |
| Team size modeled | 10 | 5 |
| Annual subscription | $6,000/yr | $1,140/yr |
What the invoice doesn't show
Gorgias
Gorgias prices by ticket volume, not seats. The Starter plan ($10/mo, annual only) includes 50 tickets. Basic ($50/mo) includes 300 tickets. Pro ($360/mo) includes 2,000 tickets. Additional tickets cost $0.36–$0.40 each. A mid-size ecommerce brand handling 5,000 tickets/month on Pro pays $1,944/month including overages.
Gorgias AI Agent is billed per automated resolution at $0.90/resolution (annual) or $1.00 (monthly) — and double-billed: you pay both the helpdesk ticket fee AND the AI resolution fee for every conversation the AI handles. A team achieving 30% automation on 2,000 Pro tickets pays $360/mo (helpdesk) plus $540/mo (600 AI resolutions × $0.90) = $900/mo total.
Gorgias is built exclusively for ecommerce and integrates deeply with Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento. If your business model expands beyond ecommerce (SaaS, services, marketplace), you'll outgrow Gorgias and face a platform migration.
Users report that Gorgias's reporting and analytics are limited compared to Zendesk or Intercom. Custom report building requires the Advanced plan ($750/mo for 5,000 tickets) or exporting data to external BI tools.
LiveChat
The Starter plan at $19/agent/month supports only one agent — any team with a second support rep must move to the Team plan at $49/agent/month, a 158% per-seat increase that applies immediately on the first additional hire.
Social channel integrations — WhatsApp, Instagram, and SMS — are not included in any base plan and must be purchased as separate add-ons from the LiveChat Marketplace, pushing the real monthly bill above the per-agent headline rate.
Staffing prediction, work scheduling, and the reporting API are locked to the Business tier at $79/agent/month (annual billing) — a 61% per-seat increase over the Team plan — making workforce analytics inaccessible without a plan upgrade.
AI chatbot automation requires a separate ChatBot.com subscription — LiveChat's own pricing page lists the integration starting at $52/month billed annually — adding a second recurring vendor cost for teams that want to deflect routine inquiries.
What teams are switching to
Replacing Gorgias
Tidio + Lyro AI
Free–$749/mo, Lyro add-on from $32.50/mo
Flat-rate pricing instead of per-ticket billing. Lyro AI chatbot handles up to 70% of routine ecommerce inquiries at a predictable monthly cost. No per-resolution or per-ticket overage fees.
Richpanel
$500/AI agent/mo + $0.25/conversation; helpdesk seats $100/seat/mo, Enterprise custom
Ecommerce-focused helpdesk with AI self-service portal. Customers resolve order tracking, returns, and exchanges without creating tickets — reducing volume rather than charging per ticket.
Re:amaze
$29–$69/agent/mo, unlimited conversations
Per-agent pricing ($29/agent/mo) with unlimited conversations — no ticket caps or overage charges. Built for ecommerce with Shopify integration. AI-powered suggested replies and FAQ bot included.
Replacing LiveChat
Tidio + Lyro AI
Free (50 conversations/mo); Starter $24/mo (100 conversations); Growth from $49/mo (2,000 conversations); Lyro AI add-on from $32.50/mo (50 AI conversations)
Lyro AI handles a majority of support conversations autonomously — Tidio case studies report 70-83% resolution rates — so headcount grows more slowly than volume. Unlike LiveChat's per-agent model, Tidio's conversation-based billing doesn't add cost for each support rep added to the workspace.
Intercom with Fin AI
Essential from $29/seat/mo (annual); Advanced from $85/seat/mo (annual); Fin AI at $0.99/resolution; Copilot add-on at $29/seat/mo (annual)
Fin AI charges $0.99 per resolved conversation — cost scales with automation outcomes rather than headcount. At a 50% resolution rate, teams regularly lower blended cost per ticket compared to staffing additional LiveChat agents at $49–$79/seat, particularly as volume grows.
Crisp
Free (2 seats); Mini $45/mo (4 seats); Essentials $95/mo (10 seats); Plus $295/mo (20+ seats); additional seats $10/mo each
Workspace-based pricing bundles seats into each flat-rate plan — the Essentials tier at $95/month includes 10 agent seats, making it less expensive than LiveChat's Team plan for any team of three or more agents. AI credits are included in the plan price, not sold separately.
StackCut doesn't sell or recommend any of these tools. We show them for context. The decision is yours.
Total Cost of Ownership
Subscription fees plus labor and error costs, modeled at $50/hr loaded rate (BLS ECEC).
| Cost Component | Gorgias | LiveChat |
|---|---|---|
| Annual subscription | $6,000 | $1,140 |
| Labor cost | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Error & rework cost | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| Total Cost of Ownership | $20,400/yr | $15,540/yr |
| Est. AI alternative | $8,488/yr | $8,488/yr |
Labor rate based on BLS ECEC June 2025 ($45.65/hr private industry total compensation, rounded to $50). Team sizes differ because each vendor targets different market segments. Your actual numbers depend on team size, role mix, and usage. Run it with your own data.
Which one fits your team?
Both Gorgias and LiveChatcost more than their published pricing suggests. The right choice depends on your team size and how you weigh each tool's trade-offs.
Gorgias starts at $50/seat/mo , but watch for Gorgias prices by ticket volume, not seats. The Starter plan ($10/mo, annual only) includes 50 tickets. Basic ($50/mo) includes 300 tickets. Pro ($360/mo) includes 2,000 tickets. Additional tickets cost $0.36–$0.40 each. A mid-size ecommerce brand handling 5,000 tickets/month on Pro pays $1,944/month including overages.
LiveChat starts at $19/seat/mo , but watch for The Starter plan at $19/agent/month supports only one agent — any team with a second support rep must move to the Team plan at $49/agent/month, a 158% per-seat increase that applies immediately on the first additional hire.
An AI-native alternative may replace the workflow at a fraction of the TCO.
See all SaaS cost comparisonsBrowse alternatives for every tool
FAQ
Gorgias vs LiveChat: quick answers
Is Gorgias or LiveChat cheaper?
On total cost of ownership, Gorgias runs about $20,400/year (10-person team) versus $15,540/year for LiveChat (5-person team) once labor and hidden costs are counted, not just the published subscription. Adjust the inputs to your own team to compare them directly.
What can replace Gorgias or LiveChat?
Gorgias is often replaced by Tidio + Lyro AI and Richpanel; LiveChat by Tidio + Lyro AI and Intercom with Fin AI. StackCut shows the cost case for each AI-first alternative without taking referral fees.
What are the hidden costs of Gorgias and LiveChat?
Gorgias: Gorgias prices by ticket volume, not seats. The Starter plan ($10/mo, annual only) includes 50 tickets. Basic ($50/mo) includes 300 tickets. Pro ($360/mo) includes 2,000 tickets. Additional tickets cost $0.36–$0.40 each. A mid-size ecommerce brand handling 5,000 tickets/month on Pro pays $1,944/month including overages. LiveChat: The Starter plan at $19/agent/month supports only one agent — any team with a second support rep must move to the Team plan at $49/agent/month, a 158% per-seat increase that applies immediately on the first additional hire.
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