MayaAI receptionist vs live chat: when each fits
Live chat puts a person, a bot or both in a text window on your site, and it works while someone answers. An AI receptionist on the site, like Maya, talks or types with visitors at any hour in their language, and can move the page, capture a lead and take a booking request. Live chat fits a team that is online and visitors who are happy typing. The AI receptionist fits visitors who arrive after hours, on a phone or in another language.
The two kinds side by side
This table describes the two kinds of product in general. Individual products differ, so the live chat column says "usually" and "depends" where it has to. The right-hand column is Maya.
| Topic | Live chat and chat bots (the kind) | AI receptionist on your website (Maya) |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | A person from your team, an AI bot, or a bot that hands over to a person. | An AI that answers from your website and what you taught her. When she does not know she says so and asks you. |
| Hours | A person answers while someone is online. A bot can answer at any hour. | Every hour, with no shifts. |
| How the visitor talks | Types in a text window. | Speaks or types in the same widget. If the microphone is refused she moves to typed chat. A voice conversation lasts up to 15 minutes by default. |
| Languages | Depends on the product and, for human chat, on who is online. | She talks with visitors in 70+ languages and answers in the language the visitor writes in. Her page translation covers 39 languages. |
| Acting on the page | Usually replies with text, a link or a card. | Scrolls to a section, goes to another page, opens pop-ups the setup scan verified, and switches the page to the visitor's language. |
| Leads and bookings | Usually collects an email or a name through a form or a flow. Booking depends on the product. | Saves a lead after she reads the details back and the visitor confirms. On Booking and above she takes the booking request and you confirm it. |
| Handing over to a person | Strong where a team works the conversation: a person can step in and see the history. | She passes a callback request to you by email. Maya is not a help desk. |
| Cost model | Often per seat, per resolution, or both. Some are flat. | A flat monthly plan: €299, €499 or €899 plus VAT. No fee per conversation or per resolution. |
| Setup | Usually flows, canned replies or a knowledge base that you write and maintain. | She reads your website to build her knowledge. The scan took about two minutes on a 17-page site in our tests. You review it and teach her what she missed. |
What live chat does well
- A person for the hard cases. A complaint, a sensitive request or an account problem often needs someone who can decide on the spot.
- A shared inbox. Your team sees every conversation, who answered and what is still open. Maya is not a help desk.
- Control over every word. When a person types the answer, nothing is generated.
What an AI receptionist adds
The gaps live chat leaves are the ones an AI receptionist on the website is built for: the hour when no one is online, the language the team does not speak, and the visitor who wants the page to move. Maya answers only from your site and what you teach her. When she does not know, she says so, takes the visitor's details if they want a reply, and puts the question on your list.
Which one fits
Live chat fits when
- A team is online during your opening hours and visitors are happy typing.
- Most conversations are account or order problems that need a person with access.
- You need one inbox for chat and email across a support team.
An AI receptionist fits when
- Visitors arrive after hours, when no one is online to answer.
- Visitors are on a phone and would rather speak than type.
- Visitors write in languages your team does not speak.
- The visitor needs the page to move to the pricing, the policy or the tour, and not only a reply.
- You want a lead or a booking request taken in the same conversation.
You can also use both. Maya takes the first conversation and passes a callback request to you when a visitor wants a person.
What we saw when we tested chat widgets
On 12 Oct 2026 we typed the same messages into the chat assistants on vendors' own websites. 0 of 10 answering widgets moved the page: each answered with text, a link or a card, and the page stayed where it was. Some replied in Italian and some stayed in English. This was a short typed test on each vendor's marketing site, so a business's own setup may behave differently. The full record is in how to choose an AI assistant for your website.
Cost
Live chat is often charged per seat, per resolution or both, and some products are flat. Maya is a flat monthly plan: Connect €299, Booking €499 and Reception €899, each plus VAT, with a 7-day trial and no fee per conversation or per resolution. The pricing guide explains the models and the costs to ask about.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between an AI receptionist and live chat?
Live chat is a text window on your site, answered by a person, by a bot or by both. An AI receptionist like Maya talks or types with the visitor at any hour, in their language, and can move the page, take a lead and, on Booking and above, take a booking request. Live chat is built around a team that answers. An AI receptionist is built around a visitor who gets an answer without waiting for one.
Is an AI receptionist better than live chat?
It depends on the job. If a team is online and your visitors are happy typing, live chat is enough. If visitors arrive after hours, speak other languages or leave before anyone replies, an AI receptionist covers those gaps. A business can run both: Maya takes the first conversation and passes a callback request to you when a visitor wants a person.
Does an AI receptionist cost more than live chat?
It depends on how each is charged. Live chat is often priced per seat, per resolution or both, and some are flat. Maya is a flat monthly plan, €299, €499 or €899 plus VAT, with no fee per conversation or per resolution. 7-day trial, card needed, cancel in one click. The pricing guide explains the models and what to ask a vendor.
Do chat bots answer in the visitor's language?
Some do and some do not. On 12 Oct 2026 we asked the chat assistants on vendors' own websites whether they spoke Italian. Here are two of the answers. Chatbase: Asked about Italian, it answered in Italian ("Ciao! Si, posso aiutarti in italiano."). Asked for the pricing page, it sent a link and the page did not move. Intercom Fin: Asked "Hi! Do you speak Italian?", it answered "I'll continue in English. How can I help you with Fin today?" Test the language your customers use on any product before you buy it.
Can an AI receptionist replace live chat entirely?
For a small business without a support team, often yes, because she answers at any hour, in the visitor's language, and takes the lead or the booking request. For a business with a team that works customer problems in a shared inbox, she is the first responder in front of the team, and does not replace the inbox.
How do I try an AI receptionist?
Talk to one. Maya answers live on trymaya.live, so you can ask her what a visitor would ask. If she fits, you install her on your own site with one line of code or the WordPress plugin, and the 7-day trial needs a card.
The quickest check is to talk to her: Maya answers live on our homepage. See also how to choose an AI website assistant, how to choose an AI voice receptionist, the AI receptionist pricing guide, Maya and Tidio compared, Maya and Intercom Fin compared and pricing.