A chatbot answers on its own; live chat puts a person on the other end. Bots are cheaper per answer and never sleep. People resolve more, and customers trust them more: in Gartner’s 2024 survey, only 14% of service issues were fully resolved in self-service, and in its August 2026 survey 87% of customers said a company using AI must still let them reach a human. The right answer for most small businesses is not either-or, but which one goes first. Sources read on 9 October 2026.
Chatbot vs live chat at a glance
| Chatbot | Live chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Software: rules or an AI model | A person on your team |
| Hours | Always on | When your people are working |
| How it is priced | Often per answer or per resolution | Per person, per month, or once |
| Good at | The same simple question, many times a day | Anything with a “but” in it |
| Weak at | Exceptions, complaints, money | Volume at three in the morning |
| Main risk | A confident wrong answer | A slow answer, or none |
What the research says customers want
- 64% of customers would prefer companies did not use AI in customer service, and 53% would consider switching to a competitor that does not. Gartner, July 2024, 5,728 customers.
- 14% of service issues are fully resolved in self-service, and only 36% even of “very simple” ones. Gartner, August 2024, 5,728 customers.
- 87% say a company using generative AI for service must give access to a human agent. Gartner, August 2026, 3,566 customers.
- 27% would try a chatbot again after a bad experience. 49% say they would be willing to use one, but only 7% did in their latest service contact. Gartner, September 2026.
- Customers are about three times more likely to ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot than a company’s own chatbot, and company chatbot use is “statistically unchanged since 2022”. Gartner, July 2026.
- 72% say it is important to know when they are talking to an AI agent. Salesforce State of the Connected Customer, 7th edition, fieldwork July–August 2024.
The other side, for balance: Gartner predicts that by 2029 agentic AI will resolve 80% of common service issues on its own. It also predicts that by 2027 half of the companies that cut service staff because of AI will hire again. Both are predictions, not measurements.
The Air Canada lesson
In Moffatt v. Air Canada (2024 BCCRT 149, February 2024), Air Canada’s chatbot told a grieving customer that a bereavement fare could be claimed within 90 days after booking. The airline’s own policy said otherwise. Air Canada argued the chatbot was responsible for its own words; the tribunal called that “a remarkable submission”, found negligent misrepresentation and ordered CA$812.02 in damages, interest and fees.
The sum was small. The point was not: a business answers for what its bot says. A person can say “let me check”; a bot that has not been told to will guess.
When a chatbot is the right call
- The same few questions, all day: opening hours, delivery times, “where is my order?”.
- Traffic at hours nobody can cover, where an instant partial answer beats a reply tomorrow.
- Answers that already exist in a help centre and only need finding.
When live chat wins
- Just before checkout. Size, stock, delivery to an awkward address: a person who answers in a minute turns a question into a sale.
- Money, refunds and policy. Anything where a wrong answer is a promise you have to keep.
- Complaints. An upset customer handed to a bot first is a more upset customer.
- Small teams with a real voice. If your customers like that they talk to you, a bot spends that goodwill.
The middle way: people first, with help
You do not need a bot to answer quickly. The tools that make a person fast are older and cheaper:
- Saved replies for the questions you answer every day, typed with a short code.
- Help-centre articles suggested in the chat while the visitor is still typing, so many answer their own question.
- Opening hours and an away message, so nobody waits at an empty bubble.
- Rules that label, route and send a set first reply, without pretending to be a person.
What each one really costs
AI agents are increasingly priced per answer, which makes a busy month expensive.
| AI agent | How it is charged |
|---|---|
| Intercom Fin | $0.99 per outcome, on top of seats |
| Tidio Lyro | $39 to $700 a month for 50 to 1,000 conversations |
| LiveChat’s Text | a monthly allowance, then $49.50 per 50 extra resolutions |
From each company’s own pricing on 9 October 2026. See Intercom pricing and Tidio pricing.
Where ReplaChat stands
ReplaChat is live chat without a bot, on purpose. Your people answer, helped by saved replies, rules, macros and help-centre suggestions in the bubble. Each shop has its own opening hours and away message. It costs $299 once, for unlimited agents and chats, so a busy month costs the same as a quiet one.
Honestly. If you want an AI to answer first, ReplaChat is the wrong tool and we would rather say so now. If you want your own people answering, faster, it is built for that.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a chatbot and live chat?
A chatbot answers by itself, from rules or an AI model. Live chat connects the visitor to a person on your team. Many tools now do both: a bot answers first and hands over to a person when it cannot help.
Do customers prefer chatbots or humans?
Humans, on the evidence so far. In Gartner’s 2024 survey of 5,728 customers, 64% said they would prefer companies did not use AI in customer service. In its August 2026 survey, 87% said a company using generative AI for service must still offer access to a human agent.
Are chatbots cheaper than live chat?
Per answer, usually yes. But AI agents are now priced per resolution, for example $0.99 per outcome for Intercom’s Fin, so a busy month means a bigger bill. A wrong answer has a cost too, as Air Canada found.
Is a company responsible for what its chatbot says?
In Moffatt v. Air Canada (February 2024), a Canadian tribunal held Air Canada responsible for its chatbot’s wrong advice about bereavement fares and ordered it to pay CA$812.02. It called the airline’s argument that the chatbot was a separate legal entity “a remarkable submission”.
Should a small shop use a chatbot?
If the same few questions arrive all day and nobody is free to answer, a simple bot or a help centre can take them. For questions just before checkout, a person who answers in a minute usually sells more and risks less.
Does ReplaChat include a chatbot?
No. It has rules that can label, assign and send a set reply on their own, saved replies and macros, and help-centre articles suggested as the shopper types, but every answer comes from your people.
Own your live chat.
$299 once. Every shop, every person, one inbox. Nobody charges you per agent again.
The demo is read-only, with its logins on the homepage. Questions first? hello@replachat.com, or the chat bubble in the corner, which is ReplaChat itself.