LiveAgent

LiveAgent has been around since 2006, making it one of the older players in the help desk space. The product has evolved into a comprehensive omnichannel platform that competes on both features and price.

The ticketing system converts communications from all channels into a universal inbox. Email, chat, phone, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Viber messages all become tickets. The hybrid ticket stream shows the complete customer conversation history regardless of which channel they used.

Live chat includes proactive chat invitations, real-time typing view, and video calls. The chat widgets are customizable, and you can set different chat buttons for different pages. The built-in call center handles inbound and outbound calls, IVR, call routing, and call recording—no separate phone system needed.

The gamification feature turns support into a competition with badges, leaderboards, and levels for agents. Some teams love this motivation system; others find it distracting or stressful. It's optional.

The knowledge base supports customer-facing articles and internal documentation. The customer portal lets customers track their tickets and access self-service resources.

Pricing is competitive: Free tier (1 agent, limited features), Small Business at $9/agent/month, Medium Business at $29/agent/month, Large Business at $49/agent/month, and Enterprise at $69/agent/month. All channels are included in paid plans.

The main trade-off is polish. LiveAgent is feature-rich but the interface feels dated compared to newer competitors. Some workflows are clunky, and the mobile apps could use improvement.