Software · head to head
Botpress vs LiveChat
The short version
- Only Botpress has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Botpress managed cloud version (Botpress Cloud) availability and pricing not accessible; open-source deployment requires managing infrastructure; LiveChat the Starter plan retains only 60 days of chat history, so an audit trail requires the Team plan at $49 per person per month
- They diverge on capability: Botpress covers Visual bot builder, LiveChat covers Live chat.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Botpress and LiveChat actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Botpress
- Visual bot builder
- NLU integration
- Multi-channel support
- Slack
- Teams
- Messenger
- On-premise support
Only in LiveChat
- Live chat
- Ticketing
- Chat routing
- Canned responses
- File sharing
- Shopify
- WordPress
- Salesforce
Both cover
- Analytics
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Botpress
- Development teams building chatbots and conversational AI using MIT-licensed open-source frameworknot LiveChat
- Organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via SDK/CLInot LiveChat
LiveChat
- Live chat support on a website with agent routingnot Botpress
- Handling customer conversations across chat, SMS and messaging channelsnot Botpress
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Botpress
- Managed cloud version (Botpress Cloud) availability and pricing not accessible; open-source deployment requires managing infrastructure
- Dependent on OpenAI integration; users must provide and manage OpenAI API keys and costs
LiveChat
- The Starter plan retains only 60 days of chat history, so an audit trail requires the Team plan at $49 per person per month
- Pricing is per agent, so support cost scales with headcount rather than with conversation volume
- AI reply suggestions are capped by plan, at 3 knowledge sources on Starter and 10 above it
- Surveys and eye catchers are predefined rather than customisable below the Enterprise plan
- SSO, white labelling and HIPAA compliance are Enterprise only
Pricing, plan by plan
Botpress
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Botpress review.
LiveChat
$20/month- Starter$20/month
- 60-day chat history
- Basic customization
- Ticketing system
- Team$41/month
- Unlimited history
- Advanced reporting
- Branding removal
- Business$59/month
- Staffing prediction
- Work scheduler
- Apple Business Chat
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Dedicated account manager
- Product training
- SSO
Which should you pick?
Choose Botpress if
- You need visual bot builder.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud).
- You also want nlu integration.
Choose LiveChat if
- You need live chat.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
- You also want ticketing.
Questions people ask
- Is Botpress or LiveChat better?
- Neither clearly leads. Botpress starts at Free and LiveChat at $20/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Botpress or LiveChat?
- Botpress has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Botpress and $20/month for LiveChat.
- Does Botpress or LiveChat run on more platforms?
- Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud). LiveChat runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
- Can I use Botpress for free?
- Yes. Botpress has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. LiveChat starts at $20/month.
- What is Botpress best used for?
- Botpress is most often used for development teams building chatbots and conversational ai using mit-licensed open-source framework, organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via sdk/cli. Of those, development teams building chatbots and conversational ai using mit-licensed open-source framework and organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via sdk/cli are not what LiveChat is typically brought in for.
- What can Botpress do that LiveChat cannot?
- Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Slack. LiveChat covers Live chat, Ticketing, Chat routing, Canned responses. Both handle Analytics.