# Guides to buying live chat software

> Plain-language explanations of free plans, pricing models, AI billing, widget speed and the law.

Published: September 18, 2026 · Updated: September 18, 2026 · Prices and limits verified: September 18, 2026 · By the live-chat.reviews team

This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on it. We have not installed or tested these products ourselves. Method: [How we review](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/how-we-review)

- [Is a free live chat plan enough for your team?](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/guides/is-a-free-live-chat-plan-enough)
- [Per-seat vs per-workspace pricing: what your team size does to the bill](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/guides/per-seat-vs-per-workspace-pricing)
- [How live chat vendors bill for AI](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/guides/how-live-chat-vendors-bill-for-ai)
- [Live chat vs chatbot vs AI agent](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/guides/live-chat-vs-chatbot-vs-ai-agent)
- [Does a chat widget slow your site?](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/guides/does-a-chat-widget-slow-your-site)
- [Live chat, privacy and the law: what a US business should check](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/guides/live-chat-privacy-and-the-law)

> **Scored on a public rubric, from pages you can open.** Every score on this site comes from five published criteria: free-plan usability, cost as you add agents, AI billing clarity, channels and integrations, and data location and compliance. Each price and limit is stored once, links to its source, and shows the same value on every page. Rubric v1.0 · We have not installed or speed-tested these widgets yet, and no page here claims we did. [Read the full method](https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/how-we-review)

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Canonical: https://live-chat.reviews/en-us/guides