Hesk
Hesk is a lightweight help desk software that allows you to manage customer support tickets, organize inquiries, and build a self-service knowledge base to reduce your support volume.
LiveChat
LiveChat is a customer service platform that helps you connect with website visitors in real-time to provide instant support, capture qualified leads, and increase your online sales conversions.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Hesk | LiveChat |
|---|---|---|
| Website | hesk.com | livechat.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starting Price | Free | $20/month |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 30 days free trial | ✓ 14 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2005 | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Wroclaw, Poland |
Overview
Hesk
Hesk is a streamlined help desk solution designed to help you manage customer support without the complexity of enterprise tools. You can track, organize, and resolve tickets efficiently through a clean interface that prioritizes speed. By setting up a customized knowledge base, you empower your customers to find answers themselves, which significantly cuts down the number of repetitive support requests your team receives daily.
The software is particularly flexible, offering both a free self-hosted version for complete control and a managed cloud-based service for instant setup. Whether you are a small business owner or an IT manager, you can customize fields, categories, and workflows to match your specific support process. It focuses on the essential features you need to keep customers happy without overwhelming your staff with unnecessary bells and whistles.
LiveChat
LiveChat is a versatile communication tool designed to help you engage with your customers the moment they land on your website. Instead of waiting for emails, you can solve problems instantly through a sleek chat widget that fits your brand. You can manage multiple conversations at once, use canned responses for speed, and see what customers are typing before they even hit send.
The platform is built for teams of all sizes, from solo entrepreneurs to large support departments in retail, tech, and service industries. It helps you move beyond simple messaging by providing detailed customer profiles and chat transcripts that integrate directly with your CRM. You can also track agent performance and customer satisfaction levels to ensure your support team stays efficient and helpful.
Overview
Hesk Features
- Ticket Management Organize incoming requests into categories, assign urgency levels, and track every conversation from start to finish in one place.
- Integrated Knowledge Base Create articles and FAQs so your customers can solve common problems instantly without needing to open a support ticket.
- Canned Responses Save time by creating pre-written replies for common questions, allowing you to respond to customers with just two clicks.
- Custom Data Fields Tailor your submission forms by adding custom fields to collect the exact information you need from your users.
- Email-to-Ticket Pipe Convert incoming customer emails directly into support tickets automatically so you never miss a message from your inbox.
- Staff Collaboration Assign tickets to specific team members and use internal notes to collaborate on complex issues behind the scenes.
LiveChat Features
- Sneak Peek. See what your customers are typing in real-time before they send the message so you can prepare faster answers.
- Canned Responses. Save and reuse answers to common questions with simple keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow.
- Targeted Greetings. Set up automated triggers that send personalized messages to visitors based on their behavior or current page.
- Chat Tags. Categorize your conversations with custom tags to identify trends and organize your support data for better reporting.
- File Sharing. Send and receive documents, screenshots, and guides directly within the chat window to resolve issues more effectively.
- Rich Messages. Use clickable buttons and product cards to guide your customers through your website and boost sales.
Pricing Comparison
Hesk Pricing
- Unlimited tickets and users
- Knowledge base included
- Community support access
- Full source code access
- Requires your own web server
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Fully managed cloud hosting
- Daily automated backups
- Free technical support
- Automatic software updates
- SSL certificate included
LiveChat Pricing
- 14-day chat history
- Basic widget customization
- Ticketing system
- Data encryption
- Daily performance summary
- Unlimited chat history
- Full widget customization
- Agent groups
- Basic reporting
- Multiple brand support
Pros & Cons
Hesk
Pros
- Extremely lightweight and fast performance
- Free version offers unlimited tickets and staff
- Simple setup process for non-technical users
- Knowledge base helps reduce support ticket volume
Cons
- Interface feels dated compared to modern SaaS
- Limited advanced automation and reporting features
- Self-hosted version requires manual maintenance
LiveChat
Pros
- Extremely easy to set up and customize
- Sneak peek feature significantly reduces response times
- Reliable mobile app for managing chats on-the-go
- Clean and intuitive interface for support agents
Cons
- No forever-free plan available for small users
- Pricing can become expensive for large teams
- Advanced reporting is locked behind higher tiers