Looking for a LiveAgent alternative? Hesk may be a better fit when support is mainly handled through email and web tickets and the team wants predictable pricing, self-hosting and less administration. LiveAgent is the stronger choice when live chat, AI, phone support, social messaging, native mobile apps and contact-center features are part of the job.
LiveAgent offers many ways to talk with customers. Hesk is useful when the business needs fewer channels and a more direct ticket workflow.
Hesk gives staff clear queues, forms, assignments, filters, due dates, replies, reports and a knowledge base without adding a contact-center layer.
LiveAgent charges for each agent. Hesk Cloud includes several staff accounts in one flat plan, and self-hosted Hesk has no per-agent software fee.
LiveAgent earns its price when the support team actively handles several real-time channels.
The Small plan covers ticketing and chat. Call-center, SLA, reporting and social features appear on higher plans.
Both products handle tickets and self-service. LiveAgent then extends into real-time and omnichannel support, while Hesk stays focused on the help desk.
| Area | Hesk | LiveAgent |
|---|---|---|
| Core ticketing | Email and web tickets, categories, priorities, custom statuses, assignments, due dates, notes, canned replies, templates, followers, attachments and full history. Strong focused ticketing | Universal inbox and tickets from email, chat, calls and other connected channels, with departments, assignments, notes, tags, fields and automation. |
| Ease of setup | Configure categories, forms, mail, staff permissions and notices without setting up several communication channels. Less to administer | Ticketing can be set up quickly, but chat widgets, AI, phone providers, call routing, SLAs, social accounts and integrations add work when used. |
| Forms and custom fields | Several field types that can be public or staff-only, required or optional, reordered, pre-populated and tied to selected categories. Strong category-specific forms | Contact forms, ticket fields and custom fields can collect and organize customer data, with broader channel context. |
| Ticket filters and views | Detailed filters by category, status, priority, owner, assignment, dates and due status, plus quick views for assigned, due-soon and overdue work. | Filters, departments, tags, rules and reports support a more channel-rich queue. Both are capable |
| Customer portal and knowledge base | Customer ticket lookup, optional accounts and a built-in knowledge base are included in the core. | Customer portal, knowledge base, contact forms and self-service are included in the Small plan. Both are capable |
| Live chat | No native live chat. Customers submit web tickets instead. | Live chat is included from Small, with proactive chat invitations available on Medium. Better in LiveAgent |
| AI | No built-in AI answer assistant, chatbot or automated AI agent. | AI agents and answer assistance are part of the current product and plan positioning. Better in LiveAgent |
| Voice and call center | No built-in voice platform. Staff can create tickets for phone requests manually. | Medium adds call center and IVR. Calls can be received, recorded and logged as tickets, with phone and softphone options. Better in LiveAgent |
| Social and messaging channels | Focused on email and web ticket support. | Large adds Facebook, Instagram, X, Viber, Telegram and WhatsApp to the support workspace. Better in LiveAgent |
| Automation and SLAs | Category auto-assignment, statuses, due dates, overdue notices, auto-close, templates and Hesk Cloud escalation tools. | Automation rules are included from Small. Medium adds time rules, formal service levels, reporting, ratings and custom roles. More depth in LiveAgent |
| Reports and audit | Built-in reports, exports, time tracking, reply ratings and staff statistics cover ordinary help desk management. | Medium adds broader reports and ratings. Large adds time tracking and audit logs. More channel reporting in LiveAgent |
| Mobile apps | Responsive browser interface, but no native Hesk agent app. | Native Android and iOS apps support ticket and chat work away from the desktop. Better in LiveAgent |
| Integrations and API | Hesk is deliberately self-contained and can be customized in PHP, but it does not market a large integration catalog. | Integrations, plugins, Zapier-style connections and APIs support a broader customer service stack. Better in LiveAgent |
| Self-hosting | Publicly available Hesk Free and supported Hesk License for ordinary compatible PHP and MySQL hosting. Clear self-hosted path | The standard price table is for cloud subscriptions. Some official materials mention self-hosting, but public ordinary purchase terms are not shown alongside the standard plans. |
| Cloud regions | Hesk Cloud publicly offers US, EU and Australian hosting, with EU information, DPA and subprocessor documentation. | LiveAgent currently lists Northern Virginia, Frankfurt and Singapore, selected when the account is created. Different regional choices |
| Pricing model | Flat Cloud plans for 10, 50 or 200 agents, plus free self-hosting. Better as paid agent count grows | Per-agent subscriptions. Small is inexpensive for one agent, while Medium and Large add the broader channel features at higher rates. |
| Best fit | Teams that mainly resolve support through email and web tickets and want a focused system with predictable ownership. Hesk's natural market | Teams that actively staff live chat, phone, social and messaging channels and want them in one customer service platform. |
The comparison uses LiveAgent's regular annual list rates rather than the temporary new-user discount shown at the time of review. Promotions and plan details can change.
Move the slider to compare the effective monthly cost of annual Hesk Cloud with LiveAgent Small at its regular $15-per-agent annual list rate.
This uses LiveAgent's least expensive regular paid tier, which is the most favorable price comparison for LiveAgent. Call center, formal SLAs and social channels require higher tiers.
Effective monthly cost before taxes. Hesk is billed yearly in this calculation. LiveAgent may show temporary new-user discounts. The plans do not include the same channels or service features.
Hesk and LiveAgent overlap on ticketing, but their strongest use cases are different.
The product should match how customers contact you and how agents are scheduled.
An omnichannel feature list can look attractive long before the staffing plan exists.
Chat works when agents are available, response targets are clear and the widget is monitored. An unattended chat channel can create more frustration than a well-run ticket form.
Small includes ticketing, chat and AI. Call center, SLAs and broader reports begin on Medium, while the major social and messaging channels appear on Large.
Hesk has detailed filters, category-specific forms, permissions, custom statuses, due dates, reports, time tracking, ratings and customer accounts. It is simple in scope, not empty of features.
Part-time agents, managers, developers and specialists may all need access. Flat pricing can matter even when only a few people answer tickets every day.
Match the product to the channels customers really use.
Compare the actual workflow. LiveAgent Small has a lower regular paid price and includes chat and AI. Hesk Free may cost less if the team can self-host and mainly needs tickets.
Hesk is likely the better value. The flat plan is much less expensive, and the team avoids configuring channels it does not use.
LiveAgent is likely the better fit. Chat, proactive invitations, AI and broader customer context can justify the per-agent price.
Choose LiveAgent. Hesk does not replace IVR, call routing, recordings or a voice support workspace.
Start with Hesk. Structured forms, ticket history, collaborators, reports and predictable staff access often cover the need.
Look at LiveAgent Large. Social and messaging channels are a real product advantage when customers use them heavily.
LiveAgent can replace several separate tools, but each active channel needs setup, monitoring and service rules.
A move to Hesk makes sense only if email and web tickets can become the main support path.
Measure how many useful conversations come from email, chat, phone, social and messaging. Do not remove a channel that customers rely on.
Create Hesk categories, fields, permissions, templates and mail connections. Test customer submission, replies, attachments and due dates.
Decide whether chat, phone and social support will close, move to another tool or feed Hesk through email and manual tickets.
Use LiveAgent exports or APIs for contacts, tickets and required attachments. Check a sample and keep the old account available during cutover.
Preview the ticket list, settings and customer knowledge base. You can then try the filters, forms and day-to-day workflow in the live demo.
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Answers to common questions about LiveAgent pricing, chat, AI, call center, social channels, self-hosting and migration.
Yes, when the team mainly needs dependable email and web ticketing, flexible forms, detailed filters, customer accounts, reports and a knowledge base. LiveAgent is the stronger choice when live chat, an AI chatbot, call center, social messaging, native mobile apps, formal SLAs or a broader integration catalog are required.
LiveAgent Small is listed at $15 per agent per month with annual billing before promotional discounts. Hesk Cloud uses flat annual plans that work out to about $24.92, $41.58 or $83.25 per month for up to 10, 50 or 200 agents. At regular annual list prices, LiveAgent Small costs less for one agent, while Hesk Cloud costs less from two agents upward. LiveAgent Medium or Large costs more but includes features not present in Small or Hesk.
LiveAgent currently promotes a 30-day free trial rather than a permanent free plan on its main pricing page. Hesk Free can be installed on your own server without a recurring software fee, but you are responsible for hosting, updates and backups.
Hesk has a clearly published self-hosted download and license for ordinary PHP and MySQL hosting. LiveAgent standard pricing is presented as a cloud subscription. Some official LiveAgent materials mention self-hosted availability, but ordinary self-hosted pricing and purchase terms are not published in the main plan table, so confirm them directly if this is a requirement.
LiveAgent is the clear choice. Its Small plan includes live chat and AI agents, and higher plans add more setup and service capabilities. Hesk does not include native live chat, an AI chatbot or an AI answer assistant.
LiveAgent is better. Medium and higher plans include a call center and IVR, with calls recorded and logged as tickets. Hesk does not provide a built-in voice or call-center platform, although staff can create tickets for phone requests manually.
LiveAgent is better. Large includes Facebook, Instagram, X, Viber, Telegram and WhatsApp. Hesk focuses on email and web ticket support.
Hesk is very capable in this area. It provides category-specific custom fields, customer ticket tracking, detailed filters, due-date views, custom statuses and a conventional ticket history. LiveAgent also has forms, custom fields, filters and automation, but its main advantage is the wider channel set.
Hesk is usually easier when the team only needs tickets and a knowledge base. LiveAgent must also be configured for chat widgets, AI, call routing, phone providers, SLAs, social channels, automations and integrations when those features are used.
LiveAgent provides native Android and iOS apps. Hesk works in a mobile browser but does not provide native agent apps.
Hesk does not advertise a one-click LiveAgent importer. LiveAgent can export tickets in formats including CSV and also provides APIs. Before moving, decide which ticket threads, contacts, fields, attachments and channel records must be retained, test a small export and keep LiveAgent available during the transition.
Pricing and features can change. Check the official pages before making a purchase, planning a migration or completing a security review.
LiveAgent is a trademark and product of Quality Unit, LLC. Hesk is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by LiveAgent or Quality Unit. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. This comparison is based on publicly available information and product positioning as of the date shown.
Use the Hesk demo with your forms, filters and customer portal. If email and web tickets handle the real support volume, Hesk may be easier and less expensive to own.
Product, pricing and service information may change. Refer to the linked official pages for current terms.