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Customer Support · head to head

Cresta vs HubSpot Live Chat

Cresta logo

Cresta

Customer Support

Real-time AI coaching and autonomous agents that sit on top of an existing contact centre platform

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
HubSpot Live Chat logo

HubSpot Live Chat

Live Chat

Live chat integrated with HubSpot CRM platform

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only HubSpot Live Chat has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cresta cresta depends on the CCaaS platforms it integrates with, and NICE, Genesys and Five9 are all shipping native real-time assist and auto-QA of their own, so at renewal you may be paying twice for capability your platform vendor will bundle at a discount.; HubSpot Live Chat no specific pricing published on the live chat product page; pricing requires navigation to separate Marketing Hub pricing page
  • They diverge on capability: Cresta covers Real-time agent assist, HubSpot Live Chat covers Live chat messaging.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cresta and HubSpot Live Chat actually diverge.

Attributes where Cresta and HubSpot Live Chat differ
AttributeCrestaHubSpot Live Chat
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, Mobile app, IOS, Android
CategoryCustomer SupportLive Chat
FoundedUnknown2006

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Cresta

  • Real-time agent assist
  • Autonomous AI Agent
  • Conversation intelligence
  • Automated quality management
  • Behavioural coaching
  • Knowledge surfacing
  • Multilingual deployment
  • Supervisor dashboards

Only in HubSpot Live Chat

  • Live chat messaging
  • CRM integration
  • Visitor identification
  • Chatbot builder
  • Salesforce
  • Slack
  • Gmail
  • Outlook

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cresta

  • A 1,500-seat telecommunications sales centre that wants conversion lift from live agent prompting without migrating off an incumbent Genesys deploymentnot HubSpot Live Chat
  • An insurance contact centre replacing manual QA sampling of two per cent of calls with automated scoring of every call for regulatory evidencenot HubSpot Live Chat
  • A retail support operation deploying autonomous voice agents on high-volume order status calls while keeping humans on complex claimsnot HubSpot Live Chat
  • A contact centre director who needs to prove which specific agent behaviours drive outcome differences, rather than relying on post-call survey scoresnot HubSpot Live Chat

HubSpot Live Chat

  • Customer engagementnot Cresta
  • Lead generationnot Cresta
  • Customer supportnot Cresta
  • Sales automationnot Cresta

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cresta

  • Cresta depends on the CCaaS platforms it integrates with, and NICE, Genesys and Five9 are all shipping native real-time assist and auto-QA of their own, so at renewal you may be paying twice for capability your platform vendor will bundle at a discount.
  • Pricing is not published and contracts are seat-based and annual at enterprise scale, which in practice means six-figure commitments and a procurement cycle measured in months rather than weeks.
  • Real-time guidance only pays back where conversation outcomes are measurable and repeatable, so support teams handling long, varied, low-volume cases rarely recover the licence cost.
  • Deploying real-time assist requires agents to accept on-screen prompting mid-call, and contact centres with strong union representation or experienced tenured agents frequently see adoption resistance that no amount of model quality fixes.
  • Automated quality scoring changes what agents are measured on, and organisations that switch from human QA without rewriting their evaluation rubric and appeals process create industrial-relations problems that surface months after go-live.

HubSpot Live Chat

  • No specific pricing published on the live chat product page; pricing requires navigation to separate Marketing Hub pricing page
  • Live chat pricing bundled with broader Marketing Hub plans rather than offered as standalone product pricing
  • Free tier features not detailed on product page, requiring contact or additional navigation for feature clarity

Pricing, plan by plan

Cresta

On request
  • Cresta$undefined/year
    • AI Agent
    • Agent Assist
    • Conversation Intelligence

HubSpot Live Chat

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Live chat
    • CRM
    • Basic features
  • Starter$50/month
    • Marketing automation
    • Enhanced features
  • Professional$320/month
    • Advanced workflows
    • Custom reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Cresta if

  • You need real-time agent assist.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want autonomous ai agent.
Cresta review

Choose HubSpot Live Chat if

  • You need live chat messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app, IOS, Android.
  • You also want crm integration.
HubSpot Live Chat review

Questions people ask

Is Cresta or HubSpot Live Chat better?
Neither clearly leads. Cresta starts at On request and HubSpot Live Chat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cresta or HubSpot Live Chat?
HubSpot Live Chat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cresta and Free for HubSpot Live Chat.
Does Cresta or HubSpot Live Chat run on more platforms?
Cresta runs on Web, API. HubSpot Live Chat runs on Web, Mobile app, IOS, Android.
Can I use HubSpot Live Chat for free?
Yes. HubSpot Live Chat has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cresta starts at On request.
What is Cresta best used for?
Cresta is most often used for a 1,500-seat telecommunications sales centre that wants conversion lift from live agent prompting without migrating off an incumbent genesys deployment, an insurance contact centre replacing manual qa sampling of two per cent of calls with automated scoring of every call for regulatory evidence, a retail support operation deploying autonomous voice agents on high-volume order status calls while keeping humans on complex claims, a contact centre director who needs to prove which specific agent behaviours drive outcome differences, rather than relying on post-call survey scores. Of those, a 1,500-seat telecommunications sales centre that wants conversion lift from live agent prompting without migrating off an incumbent genesys deployment and an insurance contact centre replacing manual qa sampling of two per cent of calls with automated scoring of every call for regulatory evidence are not what HubSpot Live Chat is typically brought in for.
What can Cresta do that HubSpot Live Chat cannot?
Cresta covers Real-time agent assist, Autonomous AI Agent, Conversation intelligence, Automated quality management. HubSpot Live Chat covers Live chat messaging, CRM integration, Visitor identification, Chatbot builder.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cresta: Does Cresta replace my contact centre platform?

No. It is designed to sit on top of NICE, Genesys, Five9, Amazon Connect and similar platforms, which is why it is chosen where a full CCaaS migration is not feasible.

HubSpot Live Chat: What does HubSpot live chat cost?

HubSpot live chat is available free with core functionality and no credit card required. Premium features are available through Marketing Hub Starter, Professional, and Enterprise plans starting at $7/month annually, with details available on the main pricing page.

Source
Cresta: What does it cost?

Cresta does not publish pricing. Contracts are seat-based and annual, and at the enterprise scale it sells into they are typically six figures per year.

HubSpot Live Chat: Is there a free version of HubSpot live chat?

Yes, HubSpot live chat and chatbot builder are available free with core functionality including CRM integration and mobile app access, requiring no credit card to start.

Source
Cresta: Is it viable for a contact centre under 100 seats?

Rarely. The commercial model, implementation effort and required outcome measurement all assume several hundred seats or more.

HubSpot Live Chat: What premium features are included in paid HubSpot live chat plans?

Paid tiers include advanced automation and scaling features through Marketing Hub Starter, Professional, and Enterprise editions with varying levels of functionality and support.

Source
Cresta: Who owns Cresta?

It is an independent venture-backed company, having raised roughly 282 million USD in total including a 125 million USD Series D in November 2024 co-led by World Innovation Lab and the Qatar Investment Authority.

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