Chat tool vs CRM platform feature

MyLiveChat vs HubSpot

HubSpot’s live chat is genuinely free — because it is a doorway into the HubSpot CRM platform. The chat widget carries HubSpot branding on free and lower tiers, and the automation, routing, and branding removal that make chat a support channel live in per-seat Service Hub tiers that reach $150/seat/month at Enterprise. MyLiveChat sells the chat tool itself: branding-light, one agent free forever with unlimited chats, and paid plans from $15/month total, not per seat.

Start free on MyLiveChat Back to full comparison
Where HubSpot wins

The CRM around the conversation.

If you want chat transcripts flowing into a full CRM — deals, tickets, marketing automation, reporting — HubSpot’s platform is the point. Chat is one of many channels feeding one customer record.

Where MyLiveChat wins

The chat job without the platform bill.

MyLiveChat is not an on-ramp to a suite. You get the full chat product — triggers, transcripts, knowledge base, optional AI — on a flat plan, without per-seat platform pricing deciding what support costs.

Decision rule

Buying a chat tool versus buying a platform.

Pick MyLiveChat when you want best-effort website support without adopting a CRM suite. Pick HubSpot when the CRM platform is the real purchase and chat is one channel of it.

Side-by-side

How the two products separate in practice.

Buying factor MyLiveChat HubSpot
Free plan 1 agent, unlimited chats, free forever Free live chat with HubSpot branding, up to 2 users
Pricing unit Flat per plan, from $15/mo Per seat, per Service Hub tier
Top-tier cost Flat plans, no per-seat ladder Enterprise from $150/seat/mo
Widget branding Branding removal on affordable paid plans HubSpot branding until higher paid tiers
CRM suite Focused chat tool, integrates via API Full CRM platform around every chat
Knowledge base Built-in public help center Available in Service Hub paid tiers
AI assistant Optional AI trained on your content Platform AI tied to suite tiers and credits
Best-fit buyer Team that wants the chat job done, flat cost Team buying the HubSpot platform anyway

Source check, July 17, 2026

  • HubSpot’s public pricing markets free live chat (with HubSpot branding, free tools for up to 2 users) as part of its free CRM, with Service Hub per-seat tiers above it and Enterprise from $150/seat/month. Exact Starter/Professional seat pricing varies by billing term and bundle — check the pricing page for current figures.
  • Official source: hubspot.com/pricing/service. Competitor pricing changes over time — confirm current figures on that page before deciding.
  • MyLiveChat figures reflect our own pricing page: 1 agent free forever with unlimited chats, paid plans from $15/month, no per-conversation charge.
Choose MyLiveChat if

You want the flat, focused option.

  • You want the chat widget, triggers, transcripts, and a knowledge base without adopting a CRM platform.
  • You want branding control and support features without per-seat suite tiers.
  • Total cost matters: flat plans from $15/month versus per-seat platform pricing.
Choose HubSpot if

Its model matches your plan.

  • Your company is standardizing on HubSpot CRM and chat should feed that customer record.
  • You need marketing automation, deals, and ticketing unified with chat in one platform.
  • Free chat with HubSpot branding is acceptable while you grow into paid tiers.
Run it yourself

How to tell whether you are buying chat or buying a platform.

This page frames the decision as a tool purchase versus a platform purchase. That distinction decides the price, the rollout, and who in your company owns the result — so it is worth answering deliberately rather than by default.

Step one

Work out what the purchase really is.

  • Ask who would own the system: support alone, or sales, marketing, and support together.
  • List what has to flow into the CRM and what genuinely does not. Many teams need the transcript link, not the whole record.
  • Check whether you already run a CRM. Two CRMs is a data problem you will pay for twice.
  • Price the platform at the seats and tier that unlock the parts you named, not the entry tier.
Step two

Then measure the chat job on its own.

  • Run a week on each with the same hours, greeting, and routing.
  • Track first response time, missed chats, and resolution without transfer.
  • Check what the widget looks like on mobile, where most visitors will meet it.
  • Log the questions a help article should have answered without a human.
Before you move

What switching actually involves.

If chat is the only piece moving, the job is small: a script tag, business hours, departments, canned replies, and your best help articles. If contacts and deals move too, that is a CRM migration wearing a chat costume — scope it as one.

MyLiveChat is deliberately not an on-ramp to a suite, so what you configure is the whole product. If you do need conversation data elsewhere, the API and transcript export are the route rather than a platform commitment.

Export your transcript archive before cancelling anything, and confirm who owns that export inside your company.

A step-by-step version of this lives in our guide to moving from another live chat provider.

Decision checklist

Questions to ask before you decide.

Ask about cost

The numbers that decide it.

  • Is the CRM the actual purchase here?
  • Do you already run a CRM you are keeping?
  • Which tier unlocks the parts you listed?
Ask about the work

The questions nobody demos.

  • Who owns chat day to day — support or marketing?
  • What conversation data must reach another system?
  • What does the widget cost per seat at real headcount?

One caution about any comparison page, including this one: pricing and packaging move. The HubSpot figures above carry the date they were checked, and anything material to your decision is worth confirming on the vendor’s own pricing page on the day you decide. Our own plans are listed on the pricing page, and if you want a structured way through the shortlist, start with the connecting chat to your CRM.

Verdict

HubSpot wins when the platform is the purchase — chat as one channel of a CRM your whole company runs on. MyLiveChat wins when you want the website-support job done well for a flat price, without per-seat platform tiers defining what a support conversation costs.

Searching for a HubSpot live chat alternative? MyLiveChat covers the same core job — website live chat with optional AI, a built-in knowledge base, and human handoff — with 1 agent free forever, unlimited chats, and flat paid plans from $15/month. Start free and compare on your own site.

Free forever for 1 agent

Give every visitor an instant way to reach you.

Launch live chat, connect your knowledge base, and add AI answers when you are ready. No credit card, no trial clock.

Get Started Free View Demo