LiveChat
Provide reliable website chat with routing, transcripts, and canned replies
The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For LiveChat, provide reliable website chat with routing, transcripts, and canned replies. The hard boundary is global chat delivery, mobile apps, staffing tools, integrations, and support, plus channel integrations and support operations.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- global chat delivery, mobile apps, staffing tools, integrations, and support
- omnichannel integrations
- large-scale deliverability
- AI resolution tuning
- enterprise routing and compliance
Why people still pay
People still pay for LiveChat because support software survives because missing or misrouting one customer message is expensive and every channel behaves differently. The recurring cost buys message delivery, webhooks, threading, identity, permissions, attachments, notifications, spam, search, uptime, and retention, not just the visible interface.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- A supported Node release, PostgreSQL, HTTPS for a shared deployment, and a backup destination. Begin with one workspace and explicit owner/member permissions.
- Implementation components: Next.js App Router and TypeScript for server-rendered pages and validated mutations. PostgreSQL with Drizzle migrations; Better Auth sessions for a small private workspace.
- Scope boundary: global chat delivery, mobile apps, staffing tools, integrations, and support; omnichannel integrations
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Optional external skill: vercel-react-best-practices — Improve React and Next.js data fetching, rendering, bundle size and server performance. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: supabase-postgres-best-practices — Review PostgreSQL schemas, queries, indexes, pooling, concurrency and row-level security. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: web-design-guidelines — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — data model: visitor sessions, conversations, message IDs, agent assignments, presence heartbeats and send acknowledgments
Project rule — preserve this invariant: Presence is advisory; messages are accepted exactly once by ID and visitors cannot select another conversation by changing a URL.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: Disconnect a visitor after sending and replay one message on reconnect; two agents see the same assignment without leaking an internal note to the visitor.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Embed a lightweight chat widget, route messages into an agent inbox and support canned replies and offline contact capture. Reconnect using the last acknowledged message ID and retain an auditable transcript. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: global chat delivery, mobile apps, staffing tools, integrations, and support; omnichannel integrations
Phase 2
Durable model. Model visitor sessions, conversations, message IDs, agent assignments, presence heartbeats and send acknowledgments Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Presence is advisory; messages are accepted exactly once by ID and visitors cannot select another conversation by changing a URL.
Phase 3
Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Commit related database changes in one transaction. Use version checks for competing edits and an outbox for external notifications; retry delivery independently of saving the record.
Phase 4
Permissions and integration failure. Authorize every record read and mutation on the server using its workspace membership; validate payloads, protect mutations against CSRF, and escape user-authored HTML. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
Phase 5
Portable handoff. Export versioned JSON plus attachments and a readable CSV summary. Restore into a separate database and compare record IDs and attachment checksums before switching. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
Phase 6
Acceptance scenarios. Disconnect a visitor after sending and replay one message on reconnect; two agents see the same assignment without leaking an internal note to the visitor. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.
WORKING SLICE Embed a lightweight chat widget, route messages into an agent inbox and support canned replies and offline contact capture. Reconnect using the last acknowledged message ID and retain an auditable transcript. Build this scoped LiveChat-inspired workflow with a documented data model and visible failure states. Architecture - Next.js App Router and TypeScript for server-rendered pages and validated mutations. - PostgreSQL with Drizzle migrations; Better Auth sessions for a small private workspace. Prerequisites and limits A supported Node release, PostgreSQL, HTTPS for a shared deployment, and a backup destination. Begin with one workspace and explicit owner/member permissions. Outside this release: global chat delivery, mobile apps, staffing tools, integrations, and support; omnichannel integrations Data model and correctness visitor sessions, conversations, message IDs, agent assignments, presence heartbeats and send acknowledgments Invariant: Presence is advisory; messages are accepted exactly once by ID and visitors cannot select another conversation by changing a URL. Commit related database changes in one transaction. Use version checks for competing edits and an outbox for external notifications; retry delivery independently of saving the record. Security and privacy Authorize every record read and mutation on the server using its workspace membership; validate payloads, protect mutations against CSRF, and escape user-authored HTML. Recovery and export Export versioned JSON plus attachments and a readable CSV summary. Restore into a separate database and compare record IDs and attachment checksums before switching. Implementation order 1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Embed a lightweight chat widget, route messages into an agent inbox and support canned replies and offline contact capture. Reconnect using the last acknowledged message ID and retain an auditable transcript. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: global chat delivery, mobile apps, staffing tools, integrations, and support; omnichannel integrations 2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model visitor sessions, conversations, message IDs, agent assignments, presence heartbeats and send acknowledgments Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Presence is advisory; messages are accepted exactly once by ID and visitors cannot select another conversation by changing a URL. 3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Commit related database changes in one transaction. Use version checks for competing edits and an outbox for external notifications; retry delivery independently of saving the record. 4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Authorize every record read and mutation on the server using its workspace membership; validate payloads, protect mutations against CSRF, and escape user-authored HTML. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results. 5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Export versioned JSON plus attachments and a readable CSV summary. Restore into a separate database and compare record IDs and attachment checksums before switching. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README. 6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. Disconnect a visitor after sending and replay one message on reconnect; two agents see the same assignment without leaking an internal note to the visitor. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder. Acceptance Disconnect a visitor after sending and replay one message on reconnect; two agents see the same assignment without leaking an internal note to the visitor. Use real source data or clearly labeled fixtures. Explain unsupported input and provider failures; do not fabricate analytics, delivery receipts, accuracy claims or security guarantees. Optional agent guidance Optional external skill: [vercel-react-best-practices](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/react-best-practices/SKILL.md) — Improve React and Next.js data fetching, rendering, bundle size and server performance. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [supabase-postgres-best-practices](https://github.com/supabase/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/supabase-postgres-best-practices/SKILL.md) — Review PostgreSQL schemas, queries, indexes, pooling, concurrency and row-level security. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [web-design-guidelines](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md) — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Project rule — data model: visitor sessions, conversations, message IDs, agent assignments, presence heartbeats and send acknowledgments Project rule — preserve this invariant: Presence is advisory; messages are accepted exactly once by ID and visitors cannot select another conversation by changing a URL. Project rule — acceptance evidence: Disconnect a visitor after sending and replay one message on reconnect; two agents see the same assignment without leaking an internal note to the visitor.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md
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Alternatives to building your own
all 7 free alternatives to LiveChat →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
LiveChat pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| starter | $25/user | $19/user | 1 user; track up to 100 visitors; 1 recurring campaign; 60-day chat history; 3 AI reply-knowledge sourcesPer-person pricing; 14-day trial. |
| team | $59/user | $49/user | Unlimited users at the per-user rate; track up to 400 visitors; unlimited campaigns and chat history; 10 AI reply-knowledge sources |
| business | $89/user | $79/user | Track up to 1,000 visitors; unlimited campaigns/history; work scheduler, staffing prediction and advanced reporting |
| enterprise | — | — | Custom visitor-tracking limit; SSO, HIPAA support, white-label widget, SLA and dedicated onboardingSales quote. |
free tierno free tier (14-day trial; no credit card required)
billingmonthly + annual
hidden costsPrice multiplies by paid users. ChatBot.com is a separate product starting at $52/month billed annually; SMS, WhatsApp and several other channels are marketplace integrations and can carry separate provider/usage charges.
pricing sources checked 2026-08-12 · pricing source ↗
Questions about LiveChat
Can you build your own LiveChat with AI?
Partly. The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For LiveChat, provide reliable website chat with routing, transcripts, and canned replies. The hard boundary is global chat delivery, mobile apps, staffing tools, integrations, and support, plus channel integrations and support operations.
What does the LiveChat build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Embed a lightweight chat widget, route messages into an agent inbox and support canned replies and offline contact capture. Reconnect using the last acknowledged message ID and retain an auditable transcript. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: global chat delivery, mobile apps, staffing tools, integrations, and support; omnichannel integrations; large-scale deliverability. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the LiveChat prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this LiveChat project take?
The catalogue estimate is multi-day for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing LiveChat?
global chat delivery, mobile apps, staffing tools, integrations, and support; omnichannel integrations; large-scale deliverability; AI resolution tuning; enterprise routing and compliance. People still pay for LiveChat because support software survives because missing or misrouting one customer message is expensive and every channel behaves differently. The recurring cost buys message delivery, webhooks, threading, identity, permissions, attachments, notifications, spam, search, uptime, and retention, not just the visible interface.
What price is this guide comparing against?
The recorded Starter plan is $25/mo per seat (monthly per user), checked 2026-08-12. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.
What can I use instead of building LiveChat?
Chatwoot: A proper support inbox with chat, email and a help center; free software, billable server chores. Zammad: A serious ticket desk with email, chat, SLAs and a knowledge base; setup is the first ticket. LibreDesk: A modern email-and-live-chat desk in one compact stack, because apparently that was allowed. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/livechat/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.