Are you interested in providing personalized experiences to your customers and offering instant responses to their queries? With the top WordPress live chat plugins, you can achieve exactly that.
By utilizing live chat plugins for WordPress, you can promptly address customers’ issues and witness a growth in conversions by directing them appropriately; for instance, helping them locate a product.
This article presents the top live chat plugins for WordPress, enabling you to choose the ideal software for your business.
What Are the Benefits of Using Live Chat Plugins?
Live chat software provides not only a personal touch to your website but also offers actionable insights, builds trust with buyers, enhances customer satisfaction, and offers immediate solutions. Let’s analyze each of these advantages:
Collect Actionable User Data
By utilizing the data obtained via live chat support, you have the opportunity to gain insights into users’ actions, their visited pages, and effectively address their concerns. This information can be displayed through Google Analytics, enabling you to customize your offerings and ensure they align with the preferences of your visitors.
Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment
What if you could decrease the number of abandoned carts by guiding website visitors every step of the way using live chat? This would allow you to have control over nearly 69.82 percent of users worldwide who abandon their online shopping carts.
Deliver Instant Customer Support
There is absolutely no question that live chat reigns supreme in terms of speed and delivers remarkable performance, surpassing that of emails, phone calls, social media, or any other customer support channel.
How Do WordPress Live Chat Plugins Work?
In most cases, when using WordPress plugins, all the plugin’s activities occur on your personal server, which is typically leased from a hosting company. Your server handles all code processing and data storage for the plugin’s operations.
Most live chat plugins function slightly differently due to the nature of live chat.
Usually, the live chat service relies on its own servers to operate, meaning it functions as a “software as a service” (SaaS). The reason behind this is that a live chat server needs to be constantly active and operational, requiring significant resources that would be excessive if hosted on your own server.
In essence, essentially:
- The chat functionality will be powered by the service and chat data will be stored on their servers.
- The live chat plugin helps you integrate that functionality into your WordPress site.
13 Best Live Chat Plugins for WordPress Compared
Choosing the appropriate live chat website plugin is crucial as it could result in unsatisfactory customer service if done incorrectly.
We have compiled a list of affordable, user-friendly live chat plugins for WordPress that come with exciting features.
We can get started now!
1. LiveChat
LiveChat, our number 1 choice, is the top live chat website plugin in the industry, and it offers various customization options to suit your specific requirements.
You have the flexibility to customize your chat windows with different themes that match your website. In addition, you can incorporate your company logo, modify the chat window message, incorporate social media buttons, and create personalized profiles for your live chat agents.
LiveChat’s interface is user-friendly and enables you or your agent to communicate with customers using any device, including tablets, laptops, and mobiles. Additionally, LiveChat offers enhanced flexibility by offering integration with more than 130 tools, such as Facebook, Dropbox, Shopify, and WordPress.
Using LiveChat is a great way to generate leads, as it offers various reports that can help identify customer pain points and areas in need of improvement. Additionally, it allows you to measure your agents’ chat duration, number of queued customers, and response times effortlessly.
To begin using LiveChat, you can sign up for a LiveChat account (which includes a free trial that does not require a credit card) and subsequently link it to WordPress through the designated LiveChat WordPress plugin. Establishing the integration is a straightforward process of clicking a button.
If you own a WooCommerce store, you also have access to a specific plugin designed for live chat functionality.
LiveChat offers several standout features that set it apart from the competition.
- It’s quick
- Super easy to set up on WordPress
- Offers intense customization
- Clean interface
- Is available at inexpensive pricing plans
- Works with all the popular WordPress site builders
2. HubSpot
You can seamlessly incorporate live chat and chatbots into your website with HubSpot’s complimentary WordPress plugin.
As soon as visitors engage in a chat with you, their contact details will be automatically recorded by HubSpot in the integrated customer relationship manager (CRM), enabling you to communicate with them afterwards through email or any other available channels.
It’s incredibly easy to set up live chat. Once the plugin is installed, you can be operational within a matter of minutes. Additionally, you have the option to direct the chat box to specific content on your website or utilize various chat boxes for different sections of your site.
After incorporating live chat, you will be able to engage in conversations with visitors through the HubSpot web app, iOS and Android mobile apps, or Slack itself. Furthermore, it is possible to configure customized welcome messages specifically for distinct website pages or specific audience groups.
You have the option to create versatile chatbots using a user-friendly visual builder, even in your absence. Furthermore, you can customize the chatbot responses to enhance the level of engagement.
In order to begin using HubSpot and live chat, you will first need to sign up for a free account on HubSpot and proceed to install the free HubSpot plugin available on WordPress.org.
Moreover, the HubSpot WordPress plugin offers additional robust functionalities that facilitate the growth of your business, such as:
- Email marketing
- Forms and popups
- Landing pages
- Detailed analytics
- And more
3. Sendinblue
Sendinblue, an all-in-one marketing platform, provides a real-time chat box to connect with customers. It offers appealing features suitable for both novice and seasoned businesses.
Setting up the chat box under your account is a quick and easy process. After completing the setup, proceed to install the WordPress plugin and incorporate the live chat feature onto your website.
Sendinblue features a straightforward and intuitive user interface that is effortlessly navigable. Its design is inclusive of all age groups, allowing users to quickly engage with the software and communicate with customers.
One of the reasons Sendinblue is so powerful is because it offers a comprehensive marketing toolkit, which includes a live chat software component.
- Email marketing integration
- SMS marketing feature
- Segmentation of users data
- Facebook ad retargeting
- Landing pages
- A complete CRM
- Marketing automation
4. Olark
Olark is a website plugin for live chat, catering to businesses of all sizes in providing outstanding customer service. It boasts an attractive design, user-friendly interface, affordability, and a complimentary 2-week trial period.
By easily integrating with well-known platforms such as Salesforce, Slack, Mailchimp, and others, the live chat software aids in lead generation and the successful conversion of those leads into paying customers.
To set up Olark on your WordPress site, utilize its plugin. Simply install and enable the plugin, then refresh your website to initiate customer chats.
The transcript archives provided also grant access to the chat history of all your customers, enabling your sales team to extract useful insights from the data.
While we were reviewing the plugin, we also appreciated the reporting capabilities of Olark.
- Reports refresh in real-time
- Check the customer satisfaction level
- Measure chat volume
- Monitor live chat agents activities
5. Freshchat
Freshchat is an exceptional chat plugin for WordPress that provides the option of utilizing AI-powered bots or support agents to engage with your customers.
Freshchat’s UI is its standout feature, being minimalistic and easy for new users to navigate without a steep learning curve.
By integrating with marketing platforms such as Zendesk, Slack, and Freshdesk products, Freshchat allows you to interact with website visitors, prevent shopping cart abandonment, and convert them into potential customers.
Freshchat has other appealing features that distinguish it from other options.
- In-app messages
- User segmentation based on location and behavior
- Multi-channel messaging
- CoBrowsing (remotely accessing customers screen to resolve their problems)
6. Pure Chat
With a multitude of features, Pure Chat stands out as a top-notch plugin for websites, enabling users to effectively seize leads, set appointments, and gather payments.
Adding Pure Chat to WordPress is a simple process with an extensive knowledge base that provides tutorials for various platforms. In the case of WordPress, you can incorporate Pure Chat effortlessly within minutes by utilizing its complimentary plugin.
The design of Pure Chat’s live chat box and dashboard is stunning. It allows you to monitor and analyze various metrics to evaluate the performance of your customer service and make immediate improvements.
If you desire a wider range of reporting options and added features, the Pro package of this service may be worth considering as it provides:
- SMS notifications
- Realtime analytics
- Visitor tracking
- Remove Pure Chat branding from chat box
- Export reports and contacts in a CSV file
7. Chaport
Chaport, a well-known free live chat plugin for WordPress, provides features that rival those of any premium live chat service available. By capturing emails and enhancing conversions, Chaport can effectively aid in expanding your subscriber base.
With the free plan, visitors can connect and engage in conversation with a maximum of 5 agents. Additionally, you will have access to unlimited chat history, basic reports regarding chats that were served and missed, satisfactory customization choices, and a mobile application.
If you desire additional choices for customizing the chat box and accessing comprehensive reporting, including Google Analytics reports, our recommendation would be to upgrade to the Pro plan.
Advanced features are included in the Pro plan.
- Typing insights (read customers message before they are sent)
- Integrations with different platforms
- Saved replies
- File sharing option
- Group chats
- Advance widget customization
8. SnapEngage
With its advanced features and addons, SnapEngage, a renowned live chat software, can greatly boost your conversions.
During our evaluation of the live chat service, we discovered that its Omnichannel functionality is its standout feature, as it seamlessly integrates various channels with its live chat.
However, the reason why it stands out as the finest chat plugin for WordPress is its capability to seamlessly incorporate various social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Zalo, WeChat, and others, allowing visitors to engage in conversations with your agents. Furthermore, customers can also use SMS-to-Chat functionality to communicate with support agents via text messages.
With SnapEngage, you can have a comprehensive view of your customer support.
- Real-time activity monitoring
- Team reports
- Logs of chats
- Google Analytics integration
9. tawk.to
Tawk.to stands as the most widely used live chat service online, due to its distinctive offering of all live chat features at no cost.
Tawk.to has gained immense popularity because it offers a feature list comparable to a paid SaaS tool, all without any cost.
In order to incorporate tawk.to into WordPress, simply sign up for a tawk.to account free of charge and employ the integration plugin available at WordPress.org.
To establish a connection, you just need to input your tawk.to username and password into the plugin’s settings.
Even though it is free, tawk.to possesses almost all the features typically found in a live chat tool.
- Productivity tools – canned responses, message sneak-peek, agent transfers, agent-to-agent messaging, and more
- Automatic triggers – use these to automatically engage visitors
- Analytics and reporting – see how your live chat agents are doing
- Multilingual – supports 45+ languages (there’s also a beta feature to enable automatic translation)
10. Support Board
I have found Support Board to be the best solution as a self-hosted WordPress live chat plugin if you prefer keeping everything on your site’s server, rather than using a SaaS tool like most other options available.
Simply install Support Board like any other WordPress plugin since it is a self-hosted plugin. Access the settings area to customize all aspects of the plugin.
Envato’s license provides great value as it offers lifetime updates for a one-time fee.
Key Features
- Chat from the WP dashboard – respond to chats from your own WordPress admin area
- Progressive web app – chat from iOS or Android, along with Windows and macOS
- Dialogflow support – create your own custom chatbots
- Slack integration – respond to live chat messages from Slack
- WooCommerce integration – see shopper details in the chat
- Multi-channel chat – also chat from WhatsApp, FB Messenger, Twitter, Telegram, WeChat, and other channels
11. MyAlice
MyAlice is an ideal choice for those who use WooCommerce to operate an online store, as it is a live chat solution specifically targeted at eCommerce stores.
If you don’t have an eCommerce store, you should select another WordPress live chat plugin because MyAlice is designed specifically for eCommerce purposes.
Although MyAlice offers a personalized WordPress plugin to facilitate integration with your WooCommerce store, the setup procedure is not as smooth as that of other tools. It took me some time to decipher the steps required to ensure compatibility, and this is an area that MyAlice could enhance.
Key Features
- Omnichannel chat approach – chat via your website and social media profiles from one dashboard
- Customer data – see customer order history and edit order data right from your live chat interface
- Automation/chatbots – automate customer conversations to save time (MyAlice claims it can automate up to 60% of eCommerce conversations)
- Analytics – view detailed stats, such as average response time, the sales numbers that different agents drive, and more
12. Tidio
Many of the other plugins on this list follow the same approach, which is based on SaaS.
In terms of features, Tidio is not noticeably distinctive from other plugins. However, it offers a pleasant user experience and good value through its free plan. We believe it possesses one of the most appealing chat interfaces/widgets among all tools.
In addition, you receive all the essential functionalities that one would anticipate from a reliable live chat plugin, including pre-written responses, chatbots, real-time typing previews, and various other features.
In order to begin, you must first install the Tidio WordPress plugin. After that, you will be provided with the choice to easily create an account with just a few clicks.
Key Features
- Slick interface – the chat interface (frontend and backend) is really nice
- Chatbots – set up chatbot flows to automatically engage visitors when you’re not around
- Omnichannel – in addition to website chat, you can respond to Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and email
- Productivity tools – canned responses, live typing previews, see visitor’s current page, and more
- Chat anywhere – chat from the web interface, desktop apps (Windows, macOS, Linux), and/or mobile apps (iOS, Android)
13. Facebook Chat Plugin
Facebook Chat Plugin is a plugin authorized by Facebook/Meta that enables you to engage in conversations with visitors on your website through Facebook Messenger.
Do you consider it to be positive? Well, our opinion is that it varies depending on who your intended audience is.
In order to begin, it will be necessary for you to install the official Facebook Chat Plugin on your website.
Setting up is quite easy and straightforward. Simply click a button and select the Facebook page you wish to use for customer interaction, requiring you to have admin privileges for that page.
Afterwards, the plugin will incorporate a classic chat widget onto your website, albeit with the presence of the Messenger icon.
Key Features
- Easy setup – all you do is click a button and choose a Facebook page; there’s no need to create an app
- Guest chat – customers can chat using their Facebook account or as a guest
- Respond from Messenger – respond directly from Messenger
- Facebook Business tools – use all of the normal tools, including auto-replies and basic chatbots
Which Is the Best WordPress Live Chat Plugin?
Which WordPress live chat plugin is the most suitable for your specific situation is an important question to address.
Rather than an exclusive plugin that suits every individual user, it is rather about selecting the tool that aligns with your requirements and financial constraints.
Therefore, let’s explore several recommendations applicable to various situations.
Best Native, Self-Hosted WordPress Live Chat Plugin
To start with, if you prefer not to utilize a SaaS tool and desire to maintain complete self-hosting, Support Board is the most preferable choice I have come across.
Support Board has a sophisticated, SaaS-like vibe although it is fully self-hosted. It is priced at $59, but with the possibility of additional charges for extensions. However, the package includes lifetime updates, ensuring it remains highly affordable.
Best Free WordPress Live Chat Plugin
I believe tawk.to is the best choice for a free WordPress live chat plugin due to its distinct pricing strategy. Unlike other tools, tawk.to offers all features without any charges. However, the only requirement to remove the small tawk.to branding is to make a payment.
Tidio’s free plan is quite robust as it offers support for multiple users at no cost.
The Facebook Chat Plugin is completely free for a lifetime if you enjoy the Facebook chat method.
Most Powerful WordPress Live Chat Plugin
LiveChat would be my top recommendation for the “best” live chat plugin in terms of features and user experience.
The software offers numerous beneficial features, and both the frontend and backend interfaces provide excellent user experiences.
Although LiveChat is a bit pricier than most other tools, the only drawback is that you’ll have to pay for it. However, for a serious business, this investment might be worthwhile.
Best Full Customer Relationship Management Plugin
If you’re looking for a solution to effectively handle your customer relationships through live chat and additional features, it is worth considering the free HubSpot CRM and WordPress plugin.
Best WooCommerce Live Chat Plugin
If specifically in need of a WooCommerce live chat plugin, MyAlice may be the preferred choice as it is tailored for eCommerce and packed with numerous convenient features that enhance shopper support and sales growth.
Additionally, LiveChat offers a specific plugin designed for integration with WooCommerce, while Support Board provides an extension specifically made for WooCommerce.
Try One Of These Live Chat Plugins Today
By now, you should have a solid understanding of the most suitable WordPress live chat plugin for your requirements.
Most of these plugins provide either free plans that last forever or free trials, thus you can try out the ones that catch your interest and quickly have the ideal live chat feature functioning.
