Customer Support · head to head
SupportBee vs LiveAgent
SupportBee
Customer Support
Simple email ticketing for small teams
- From
- $13/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only LiveAgent has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: SupportBee email-only ticketing, no live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features; LiveAgent social and messaging channels are separately priced add ons rather than plan features, at $19 to $39 a month each on top of the seat price
- They diverge on capability: SupportBee covers Shared inbox, LiveAgent covers Ticketing system.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which SupportBee and LiveAgent actually diverge.
| Attribute | SupportBee | LiveAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $13/month | Free |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile Browser | Web, Ios, Android |
| Founded | 2010 | 2004 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Customer Support).
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 SupportBee
- Shared inbox
- Email ticketing
- Snippets
- Reports
- Trello
- Asana
- Pipedrive
- Data encryption
Only in LiveAgent
- Ticketing system
- Live chat
- Call center
- Social media
- WordPress
- Shopify
- Magento
- GDPR
Both cover
- Customer portal
- Knowledge base
- Slack
- Zapier
- SSL
- 2FA
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
SupportBee
- Email supportnot LiveAgent
- Ticket managementnot LiveAgent
- Team collaborationnot LiveAgent
LiveAgent
- Multichannel help desk covering email, chat, calls and social messagesnot SupportBee
- Ticketing and shared inbox for customer support teamsnot SupportBee
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
SupportBee
- Email-only ticketing, no live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features
- Basic reporting and analytics, lacking advanced dashboards and customizable metrics
- No SLA management capabilities
- Limited workflow customization compared to enterprise platforms
- No dedicated mobile app (web interface only)
- Confusing navigation and UI issues reported by some users
- Cannot select and snooze multiple emails at once
- Occasional performance delays
LiveAgent
- Social and messaging channels are separately priced add ons rather than plan features, at $19 to $39 a month each on top of the seat price
- The entry plan is limited to 3 email accounts, 2 live chat buttons and 3 contact forms
- WhatsApp numbers are rationed by plan, at 5 on Large Business and 20 on Enterprise
- The advertised prices require annual billing, and monthly billing raises the entry plan from $10 to $13 per agent
- Every published price is a discounted rate against a higher regular price
Pricing, plan by plan
SupportBee
$13/month- Startup$13/month
- Unlimited tickets and inboxes
- Team inbox with ticket assignment
- Knowledge base integration (KBee)
- Enterprise$17/month
- All Startup features
- Advanced integrations
- Custom roles and permissions
LiveAgent
Free- FreeFree
- 7-day ticket history
- 1 chat button
- 1 email account
- Small$9/month
- Unlimited ticket history
- 3 email accounts
- Customer portal
- Medium$29/month
- Call center
- 10 email accounts
- Advanced reporting
- Large$49/month
- Everything unlimited
- Senior account manager
- White glove setup
Which should you pick?
Choose SupportBee if
- You need shared inbox.
- You work on Web, Mobile Browser.
- You also want email ticketing.
Choose LiveAgent if
- You need ticketing system.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want live chat.
Questions people ask
- Is SupportBee or LiveAgent better?
- Neither clearly leads. SupportBee starts at $13/month and LiveAgent at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, SupportBee or LiveAgent?
- LiveAgent has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $13/month for SupportBee and Free for LiveAgent.
- Does SupportBee or LiveAgent run on more platforms?
- SupportBee runs on Web, Mobile Browser. LiveAgent runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use LiveAgent for free?
- Yes. LiveAgent has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SupportBee starts at $13/month.
- What is SupportBee best used for?
- SupportBee is most often used for email support, ticket management, team collaboration. Of those, email support and ticket management are not what LiveAgent is typically brought in for.
- What can SupportBee do that LiveAgent cannot?
- SupportBee covers Shared inbox, Email ticketing, Snippets, Reports. LiveAgent covers Ticketing system, Live chat, Call center, Social media. Both handle Customer portal, Knowledge base, Slack, Zapier.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
SupportBee: How much does SupportBee cost?
SupportBee offers Startup plan at $13/user/month and Enterprise at $17/user/month, both with unlimited tickets and inboxes. No per-ticket charges. A 14-day free trial is available with no credit card required.
SourceSupportBee: Does SupportBee offer live chat or phone support?
No. SupportBee focuses on email ticketing and does not include native live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features. It is designed for email-based customer support.
SourceSupportBee: What platforms can SupportBee run on?
SupportBee is a web-based platform accessible on desktop and mobile browsers. It does not offer a dedicated desktop or mobile app, but the web interface is responsive and works on phones. Integration with email clients is available.
SourceSupportBee: Does SupportBee integrate with Slack?
Yes. SupportBee integrates with Slack to send real-time notifications for new tickets, replies, assignments, and internal comments. Teams can configure which events trigger alerts and organize notifications into dedicated channels.
Source