By incorporating a live chat feature into your website, you can enhance the user experience and boost sales. This method of communication is highly favored by approximately 80% of online customers because of its instantaneous nature.
With a wide array of options available, it can be challenging to select the most suitable WordPress plugin from the extensive range, even though there are numerous live chat plugins for WordPress that expedite visitor communication with the support team or inquiries about product information.
To assist you in determining the most suitable live chat solution for your WordPress website, this article provides a compilation of the top 20 live chat WordPress plugins. The key features, pricing, and ratings of these plugins are also included.
What Is WordPress Live Chat?
Live chat is an application that allows any website visitor to interact with you instantly and directly, just as the name suggests.
This can be advantageous or disadvantageous depending on the situation.
Because you can promptly address any inquiries and guide visitors towards conversion, it has the potential to benefit you. Additionally, it enables you to present your business in a favorable light while demonstrating your high level of responsiveness.
A potential customer can find enough confidence in this to proceed with a purchase.
Having live chat functionality can become a drawback as it requires you to be on standby 24/7 for answering queries. This can pose a significant challenge, especially when running a small eCommerce website catering to various time zones.
Top 20 WordPress Live Chat Plugins
In order to assist you in choosing the most suitable plugin for your needs, we have thoroughly tested and compiled a list of the top 16 live chat plugins for WordPress. These plugins, along with their key features and pricing models, are available for download on the official WordPress plugin page, which offers a wide array of options to select from.
1. 3CX Live Chat
Statistics for 3CX Live Chat:
- Downloads : 2 million+
- Rating : 4.6/5
- Best for : budget-conscious businesses
- Pricing model : freemium
A centralized web-client dashboard allows users to access and manage a variety of communication features offered by 3CX, a WordPress chat plugin. These includes live messaging, as well as voice or video calls, enabling real-time communication with website visitors.
Creating an account on the 3CX website and integrating it into your WordPress website through the live chat URL on the WordPress dashboard, followed by clicking Save Changes, is the initial step of the installation process, which is fairly simple and aided by an intuitive wizard.
3CX provides a range of options for customizing and configuring your live chat feature, such as establishing specific working hours and modifying the appearance of the chat window.
Additionally, you have the option to register and include clients in your contact roster by requesting them to provide their names and email addresses prior to accessing the live chat for the WordPress widget. Moreover, this online application functions as a control panel from where you can respond to chat messages or attend to incoming calls.
Features that are essential or significant.
- Integrated voice and video call feature
- Multi-channel chat
- Extensive chat-routing capabilities
2. Tidio
With numerous integration options available, Tidio serves as an uncomplicated yet effective communication solution for enhancing user experience and overall marketing endeavors in your online business.
Tidio installation and configuration is easy for beginners and ideal for those who wish to avoid dealing with complex technical terms during the setup process.
After creating your Tidio account, you will be led by the installation wizard to complete the remaining steps, which include configuring the agent name, live chat window appearance, and language.
With its intuitive design, the live chat dashboard enables your agent to efficiently and promptly engage with customers. Furthermore, it allows you to easily access user information like their email address, location, IP address, and the pages they have viewed on your WordPress site.
Tidio provides the option to integrate with other communication platforms such as Facebook Messenger and Instagram. Additionally, it allows you to connect your Tidio account with a range of online marketing tools such as Mailchimp, Google Analytics, and Hubspot.
Furthermore, the live chat encounter offers functions such as swift replies and an integrated chatbot. Tidio offers an extensive selection of chatbot response templates, encompassing greetings, frequently asked question solutions, as well as news and updates.
Important characteristics
- Beginner-friendly
- Sleek and highly-customizable chat box design
- Versatile chatbot with marketing automation capabilities
- Integrated chat analytics
- Ability to monitor visitor details and behavior through the control panel
3. Pure Chat
The Pure Chat widget is recognized for its simplicity and versatility, encompassing all essential features for instant messaging. Users can also benefit from user-tracking functionalities and access a dedicated report page through this live chat plugin.
After Pure Chat is installed and activated on your WordPress site, a new plugin menu will be visible on your WordPress dashboard. This menu will guide you in creating an account, and the registration and setup procedure is quite straightforward, suitable even for beginners.
Once completed, the setup wizard will guide you to the dashboard, which houses all the configurations. From there, users can conveniently access and oversee chat rooms, invite team members, and monitor visitor numbers on their websites.
Users can export the analytics results of this live chat widget, which include important metrics such as total conversations, average response time, chat duration, and ratings, into a CSV file for reporting purposes.
Features that are important or necessary.
- Access to the chat transcript
- Easy installation process
- Robust analytics capabilities
- Customizable chat box
4. Tawk.To Live Chat
Tawk.To is a WordPress live chat plugin that provides unlimited free conversations and additional customer interaction features in order to improve your website experience. With this live chat software, you can access various features to maintain communication with your customers, obtain valuable insights, and boost conversions.
After installing and activating this live chat plugin, proceed to the Settings -> Tawk.To menu on your WordPress dashboard to initiate the creation of a new account and chat widget configuration.
After completing the setup process, users are required to generate Properties and chat widgets that will be linked to their WordPress website. Subsequently, return to the WordPress dashboard to select the desired property and widget for utilization.
Once you have successfully configured your account and embedded the chat widget into your website, you will be able to access the Tawk.To dashboard. This platform allows users to manage their live chat widgets and utilize extra functionalities like visitor monitoring and analytics.
With Tawk.To, users are able to establish an integrated knowledge base accessible to visitors through the live chat window, thus enhancing the quality and efficiency of customer service.
Main characteristics
- All key features are available for free
- Users can create an integrated knowledge base
- Built-in analytics tools
5. Live Chat by Formilla
Formilla Live Chat is dedicated to offering a convenient live chat for WordPress with additional features such as chatbots and multi-channel communication. These features can all be accessed through an uncomplicated and user-friendly dashboard, available on both desktop and mobile applications.
Immediately after installing the plugin and registering for the service, users can utilize Formilla Live Chat. This plugin provides essential live chat features such as personalized pre-made responses, proactive chat options, and the capability to establish group chats.
Formilla’s AI-powered chatbots are the primary feature that enables you to provide more efficient live chat support.
Helper Bots or Custom Bots can be utilized by users to establish automated responses for frequently asked questions, or to manage common sales and support duties.
Features that are essential or of great importance.
- Instant installation process
- Advanced chatbots
- Robust marketing automation features
6. Smartsupp
If you aim to enhance the experience of your website visitors, Smartsupp is an excellent option as it provides necessary communication and customer support tools for live chat assistance in online shops. This uncomplicated live chat plugin is a beneficial choice.
You can start using this WordPress plugin immediately due to its simple setup process. By accessing the Smarsupp dashboard, you can easily open live chats and messenger, track website visitors in real-time, and review conversation statistics.
Additionally, this is the place where you have the ability to generate and customize AI-driven chatbots for chat automation purposes. These chatbots are capable of performing a range of functions such as sending proactive messages, providing assistance with online shopping, or responding to frequently asked questions.
One more distinctive aspect of Smatsupp is its capability to enable site visitors in submitting their screen recordings to you. This feature facilitates smoother support as agents can observe the visitors’ navigation on your site and identify areas where they face difficulties.
Essential characteristics
- Screen recording capabilities
- GPDR compliant
- Integrate seamlessly with Facebook messenger
- Chat routing
7. Crisp
If you are in search of a live chat solution for WordPress that is hassle-free and straightforward, Crisp is a fitting choice, as it offers unlimited free conversations.
The setup process of this WordPress live chat plugin is user-friendly and the chat box has a minimalistic yet professional design.
By signing up for a free plan, users can conveniently access important real-time support features such as live chat, contact form, and mobile and desktop apps in this box.
At the same time, live chat agents have the ability to read messages from customers using an intuitive interface and effortlessly accomplish crucial tasks such as resolving issues or transferring chats.
Furthermore, this live chat plugin offers additional handy functionalities such as chatbots and email marketing automation.
Essential Characteristics
- Free unlimited chats
- Integrated knowledge base
- A robust chat analytics tool
8. Facebook Chat Plugin
Facebook’s built-in instant messaging feature set it apart from its rivals, and it later transformed into a specialized live chat platform known as Facebook Messenger, which can be accessed through the website and mobile applications.
Nowadays, numerous online businesses make use of Facebook Messenger for communication and delivering live chat assistance to their customers. You can also incorporate this service into your website by utilizing its dedicated WordPress live chat plugin.
Please bear in mind that you need to possess a Facebook page prior to utilizing the chat widget on your WordPress site. After creating a Facebook page, proceed to install and activate the WordPress chat plugin. Subsequently, navigate to Settings -> Facebook Chat on your WordPress dashboard to establish a connection with the widget.
Connect your Facebook page to the live chat plugin and customize its features such as automation, greeting messages, and chat box appearance. Once you have finished, click on the Publish button and the live chat bubble will be displayed on your site.
To access and reply to messages from different platforms, such as the WordPress live chat plugin, visit your Meta Business Suite. Additionally, this dashboard enables you to oversee additional functionalities like a planner and Facebook Ads.
The Facebook Messenger plugin provides several beneficial live chat features, including availability notifications and three pre-set responses.
Visitors can receive live chat support through this plugin, regardless of whether or not they have a Facebook account.
In order to utilize all the features of Facebook Chat, having a Facebook Business account and a dedicated page is a requirement, but the plugin itself is absolutely free.
Main features.
- Seamless integration with Facebook and Instagram accounts
- Access to Facebook Ads and analytics tool
- Customizable chat box
9. LiveAgent
LiveAgent provides businesses with a customer support solution suitable for any size, which includes a comprehensive WordPress live chat plugin. With its range of features and integrations, it is the perfect option for companies seeking to simplify their support process and boost customer satisfaction.
The process of installing and setting up the LiveAgent plugin is straightforward, thanks to its user-friendly interface. After installation, you can effortlessly personalize the chat widget’s look, establish automated responses, and handle support tickets all within a centralized dashboard.
You can handle customer inquiries from different sources, such as email, social media, and phone calls, simultaneously using the multi-channel support feature. By showing the real-time typing view, agents can effectively respond to customers by seeing what they are typing in the chat window.
By utilizing the integrated analytics and reporting tools, you can gain valuable insights into the performance of your customer support. This will assist you in making informed decisions based on data. Furthermore, the advanced automation and routing functionalities guarantee that customer queries are promptly directed to the most appropriate agents. This enhances both efficiency and response times.
Users have the option to try LiveAgent for 14 days at no cost to evaluate its features and see if it aligns with their business requirements. Once the trial ends, users can select one of the paid plans, with prices starting at $9 per month per agent, based on the desired features and support level. Alternatively, users can also choose to use the free version of the plugin, which has some limitations.
Main characteristics
- Multi-channel support management
- Automation and routing capabilities
- Real-time typing view and visitor monitoring
- Integrated analytics and reporting
10. HubSpot Live Chat
HubSpot, popular among marketers and customer service professionals, offers a range of software programs referred to as a CRM (customer relationship management) suite. Their software encompasses various functions, including email marketing and customer support.
Live Chat is one of the available programs that is equipped with impressive features such as automatically saving all conversations, mobile apps, and seamlessly integrating data with other HubSpot services.
For those who are expecting their website to grow in the future and desire a unified software program to handle all aspects, HubSpot is a suitable option with its basic free plan.
Advantages
- Tons of other integrations and services with HubSpot
- Customize the chat widget to fit your brand
- Direct inquiries to certain teams depending on the chat content
- Automatic saving of every chat conversation
- Respond to all chats directly from the conversations inbox
- Utilize data from saved conversations with other HubSpot tools
- No coding required
- Mobile app and support for Slack
- Designate office hours
The following statements provide reasons for why something is true.
- Many features might be overkill
- More advanced features require expensive plans
- Only community support for free plans
11. LiveChat
LiveChat is a customer service platform that offers comprehensive chat customer support, encompassing all areas. It incorporates several robust AI and automation functionalities, enabling the utilization of computer chatbots as well as directing queries to the most suitable customer service representative.
With a plethora of other features, this platform functions seamlessly on several platforms such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and iMessage.
If a company has a chat-focused support system and can afford the $16/month starter plan, LiveChat is an excellent option.
Advantages
- Used by many famous companies like IKEA, CBS, McDonalds, Adobe, and Mercedes-Benz
- Support for Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Email, Apple iMessage, SMS, and website embedding
- Display recommended products directly in the chat window itself
- Qualify leads with customized forms
- Track sales and other data to boost revenue
- Integrations with over 200 tools, including MailChimp, Dropbox, and Zendesk
Cons are the disadvantages or negative aspects of a situation or decision.
- No free plan
12. SendInBlue
SendInBlue is primarily a marketing-focused integrated platform that offers various features, such as email marketing, SMS marketing, CRM, landing pages, and live chat. Despite its emphasis on marketing, it provides a decent range of choices for live chat and customer support.
If you are in search of a marketing software package that is well-designed and provides live chat support, consider trying out SendInBlue.
Advantages
- Integrated platform with a variety of marketing features
- Elegant design and easy setup
- Customizable colors and design
Cons are individuals who use deception and manipulation to exploit others for personal gain.
- Extra features may be overkill
- Focused more on marketing than live chat
13. ZenDesk
ZenDesk is a widely used customer service platform that offers various software packages, including a live chat feature that can be integrated anywhere on your website.
ZenDesk is an all-in-one management system that is perfect for users who wish to handle everything in one location. This is particularly beneficial if you anticipate interacting with users through different channels, such as reaching out on Facebook and then having a conversation on your website.
Although ZenDesk may come with a certain cost, its range of features makes it a suitable option for any website aiming to implement a comprehensive customer service strategy, regardless of the expenses involved.
Advantages
- Support for web and mobile
- Embeddable chat windows
- Automated responses and bot options
- Redirect questions to the right department based on complex rules
- Easily view past questions by the user
- Premade personalized responses based on the customer
However, despite this, we must still strive towards our goals and persevere through challenges.
- Expensive compared to other options
- If you only need chat, it may be overkill
14. ChatBot
As suggested by its name, ChatBot is a service that centers on chatbots. With their Visual Builder technology, you can effortlessly develop intricate chatbots possessing multiple paths, as depicted in the image provided.
The chatbot has additional functionalities such as ready-to-use templates for specific scenarios such as offering discounts or gathering customer feedback. It also provides analytics to monitor interactions and utilizes Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning to consistently enhance the performance of your chatbot.
If you are seeking a versatile chatbot that is effective in any scenario, consider exploring ChatBot. Its technology surpasses that of numerous other alternatives.
Advantages
- Templates for customer service, discounts, lead generation, and more
- Dynamic responses that change based on customer replies
- Artificial intelligence using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning
- Extensive analytics
Cons, also known as disadvantages or drawbacks, refer to the negative aspects or weaknesses of something.
- Expensive for smaller companies
15. Olark
Olark is a software service dedicated to providing customer support and facilitating sales through live chat. Its range of features includes chat transcripts, personalized pre-chat forms, triggered messages, and offline responses for when agents are unavailable.
The pricing model brings a much-needed sense of relief due to its extreme simplicity.
Olark offers a wide range of cost-effective options, making it an excellent option for those seeking to incorporate chat functionality on their website.
Advantages
- Keep track of all data and transcripts of chat logs for further analysis
- Customized pre-chat question forms to get more information from your customers
- Send triggered messages at certain moments
- Offline messaging
- Real-time dashboards
Consistently maintaining a good habit is key to achieving long-term success in any area of life.
- None
16. JivoChat Live Chat
With integration capabilities to messaging systems such as WhatsApp, Apple iMessage, and Facebook, JivoChat serves as a comprehensive business messenger, offering a range of features. These include real-time monitoring, chat log storage, agent-to-agent chat transfer, and intelligent triggers.
Those on a budget will find JivoChat to be a good choice due to its straightforward and cost-effective pricing system.
Advantages or positive aspects
- Unlimited chats and websites
- Support for over 20 languages
- Storage of chat logs for up to 2 months
- Real-time monitoring
- Get complete visitor information like IP, region, source and more
- Use smart triggers to be proactive and send chat invitations
- Transfer chat between agents
Cons refer to the disadvantages or drawbacks of something.
- Chat storage is only for 2 months with free plan
- Free plan doesn’t allow for transferring between agents
17. Freshchat by Freshworks
Freshworks offers an array of more than ten software programs, such as Freshdesk, Freshcaller, and Freshchat, catering to enterprise customer service needs. Among these programs, Freshchat is specifically designed for live chat, whereas the rest are intended for tasks like email support or CRM.
Although they are meant to work together seamlessly, Freshchat can also be utilized independently. It offers all the standard features of a chat plugin, such as group chats, automation, proactive campaigns, and integration with other platforms like Stripe or Salesforce. Additionally, there is a highly capable free plan available.
If you are considering using a unified service to handle all your customer service and HR requirements, consider opting for the FreshWorks package of programs. Not only are they budget-friendly, but they also offer robust capabilities.
Advantages or benefits
- Access to other Freshworks apps
- Powerful free plan available
- Automation and chatbots
- Reach out to customers with proactive campaigns
- Connections to dozens of other tools like Stripe and Salesforce
- View chats in the inbox
- Group chats
- Conversation labels
There are cons to consider when making a decision.
- Not intended to be used individually
- May be too many features
18. Chaport
Chaport is a plugin that offers a simple solution for incorporating a chat feature into your website. It stands out from other alternatives by avoiding an abundance of perplexing features and options. Therefore, it caters to individuals seeking an uncomplicated and convenient method to integrate chat support into their site.
The features of this include automated replies, group chats, integrations, and chat logs, most of which are commonly found in standard chat plugins.
If you are in search of an inexpensive plugin that solely prioritizes chat, Chaport is worth considering!
Advantages
- Affordable compared to many other options
- Automation features and chatbots
- Send automated chat invitations based on rules
- Saved replies
- Group chats
- Send files and other documents
- Apps for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac OSX
- Integrated with MailChimp, Facebook, Google Docs, and over 2,000 other packages
Consequently, the project was delayed due to unexpected complications.
- Focused only on chat
19. Intercom
Intercom is a customer service platform centered on “conversations,” encompassing features like live chat, email correspondence, product tours, and more.
The app stands out for its sleek and contemporary design, creating a casual and intimate atmosphere unlike many competitors. It offers various conversation-oriented tools such as chatbots, product tours, and integration with platforms like Slack and Facebook, among others.
If you have a generous budget and prefer a more personalized approach to customer service, Intercom is an excellent option.
Advantages
- Chatbots to answer common inquiries
- Give product tours and walkthroughs with popup chat windows
- Integrated apps to schedule events and accomplish other tasks
- In-product messages for onboarding
- Integrations with Slack, Facebook, Salesforce, and more
Conservation of energy is a fundamental principle in physics that states that energy cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system, but only transformed from one form to another or transferred between different objects.
- Quite expensive compared to competitors
- May not be ideal for some formal types of industries
20. Click to Chat
You can integrate your WhatsApp account with your WordPress site using the free Click to Chat plugin. By clicking the button on your site, users will be instantly redirected to a specified WhatsApp chat without any cost.
With its popularity globally for personal and business purposes, WhatsApp has emerged as an ideal choice for providing customer support.
If your user base is active on WhatsApp, it may be worth giving a try to the plugin, despite its simplicity and limited functionality, as it can still be quite useful.
Advantages
- Extensive customization options that can be activated on certain pages
- Easily answer chat inquiries from anywhere, via WhatsApp
- Create a pre-filled message
- Support for group chats
- Call-to-action buttons are easy to make
There are various drawbacks to this approach that should be considered.
- Phone number required for setting up your WhatsApp account
- Won’t work unless the phone with WhatsApp installed is connected to the internet
- Customers need to have a WhatsApp account to contact you
Why Should You Use a Live Chat Plugin?
You may question the benefits of utilizing a chat plugin. Despite the fact that numerous shops operate without them and thrive, it is probable that incorporating a chat function would enhance their sales further.
It’s More Personal
Most importantly, chat applications enhance the personalization of the shopping experience. Engaging in direct conversations with customers through chat, rather than using the impersonal format of email, effectively portrays a warm and approachable image to your website visitors.
It gives the impression that your company is operated by genuine individuals rather than an anonymous organization.
Using chat plugins is also beneficial in creating positive initial experiences, which significantly impacts customers’ decision to buy a product or not.
The quicker you create a favorable impression of your website, the better, as decisions are frequently made unconsciously within milliseconds. Avoid depending on lengthy FAQs or emails to persuade customers of your credibility as a seller!
Adding your real name and photo to the chat app is crucial for the same reason: people generally dislike interacting with AI bots, particularly when their valuable funds are at stake.
Gather More Customer Data
You can make use of various chat plugins to keep track of users accessing different pages of your website. For instance, you have the ability to observe when customers navigate to the Features page and subsequently send a notification to inquire if they have any particular queries.
Moreover, you have the opportunity to utilize this data to enhance the sales process and make alterations to your landing pages. Is there a tendency for visitors to ask similar inquiries on specific pages? Majority of chat plugins offer the ability to capture and store each interaction, hence it is important to monitor and adapt accordingly.
Reduce Support Ticket Time
By promptly responding to customers’ inquiries in a chat, you can significantly reduce the amount of time spent on providing support. Allocating a few minutes to address their questions can prevent hours of exchanging emails for support purposes.
If your help desk system shows new emails at the bottom of the inbox, it can be particularly time-consuming to close a ticket that could have been quickly resolved through a thirty-second chat, requiring hours of waiting.
Appeal to Different Types of Customers
When it comes to seeking assistance or locating information, individuals have their own preferences. While some individuals prefer phone conversations, others opt for email communication. There are also those who prefer text but are unwilling to wait for hours or days to receive an email response.
A live chat plugin enables you to cater to customers who prefer immediate assistance from an actual person, which may constitute a significant portion of your target audience, depending on your market.
Reduce Cart Abandonment
Reducing cart abandonment is a goal for businesses, and live chat plugins can be effective in achieving this by assisting customers who add products to their cart but ultimately don’t make a purchase.
Having a live chat service helps to promptly resolve any hesitations or doubts customers may have. Additionally, certain services can send notifications or pop-ups to encourage stalled users to proceed with the checkout process.
