Top 10 Best Live Chat Softwares for Website

Live chat is an online customer support tool that allows businesses to interact with their customers in real-time. By integrating a live chat widget into your website, you can respond to inquiries immediately, addressing customer concerns and inquiries as they arise. This immediate interaction fosters a positive customer experience and can lead to higher conversion rates.

Benefits of Using Live Chat

The benefits of incorporating live chat into your website are numerous:

• Instant Communication: Customers appreciate prompt responses. Live chat enables businesses to provide immediate assistance, which can be crucial for resolving issues and answering questions.
• Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: A responsive customer service experience often leads to increased satisfaction and loyalty. Live chat allows for personalized interactions, making customers feel valued.
• Cost-Effective Support: Live chat can handle multiple inquiries simultaneously, reducing the need for a large customer service team. This efficiency translates to cost savings.
• Increased Sales: By engaging customers at key moments, live chat can encourage them to complete their purchases, leading to higher sales conversion rates.
• Valuable Insights: Many live chat solutions come equipped with analytics tools that provide insights into customer behavior, allowing businesses to refine their strategies.

How I Tested and Reviewed Live Chat Solutions

To evaluate the top live chat solutions, I considered several criteria:

• Ease of Use: The user interface for both customers and support agents.
• Features: The range of tools and capabilities offered.
• Integration: Compatibility with other platforms and systems.
• Pricing: The value offered by free and paid versions.
• Customer Support: Quality of customer service from the providers.
• User Feedback: Reviews and ratings from actual users.

Based on these criteria, I tested various live chat solutions and compiled a list of the top ten options available today.

Top 10 Live Chat Softwares

Tidio

Tidio is an innovative live chat solution that integrates both live chat and chatbot functionalities, making it a versatile tool for businesses seeking to enhance customer communication. Founded in 2013, Tidio is particularly popular among e-commerce platforms. The platform is designed to engage website visitors in real-time, helping businesses to increase conversion rates by providing immediate assistance. With its user-friendly interface, Tidio allows easy setup without requiring extensive technical knowledge. It integrates seamlessly with platforms like Shopify, WordPress, and Wix, enabling businesses to quickly implement chat features on their websites.

Key Features:

Who It Is Suitable For:

Tidio is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses, particularly e-commerce stores, looking to improve customer engagement and provide real-time support. Its integration capabilities make it a strong choice for those already using popular website platforms.

AI Features:

Tidio leverages AI through its chatbot functionality, which automates responses to common customer inquiries. This allows businesses to engage visitors even outside of business hours, providing a consistent and responsive customer experience.

Free Trial:

Tidio offers a free plan with basic features, including live chat, email, and chatbot functionality for up to 100 unique visitors per month. The free plan comes with no time restrictions, so users can access core features indefinitely without upgrading. This is perfect for small websites or businesses testing live chat solutions.

Paid Version:

Tidio’s paid plans start at $29 per month, billed annually. The paid version includes advanced features such as unlimited chatbot triggers, chatbot templates, visitor analytics, and integration with third-party apps like Shopify, WordPress, and Zapier. With the paid plan, you also get support for more visitors and access to features like advanced automations and multi-channel communication, including Messenger and Instagram chat.

JivoChat

JivoChat is a versatile communication platform that combines live chat, email, and social media messaging, making it an all-in-one solution for customer interaction. Launched in 2013, JivoChat aims to enhance customer support while increasing sales through effective engagement strategies. The platform provides a unified dashboard that consolidates various communication channels, enabling agents to respond to inquiries efficiently. With proactive chat invitations and visitor tracking, JivoChat allows businesses to engage potential customers before they leave the site, significantly boosting conversion opportunities.

Key Features:

• Omnichannel Support: JivoChat allows businesses to communicate through multiple platforms, including live chat, email, phone, and social media.
• Built-in CRM: JivoChat includes an integrated CRM that helps track customer data and manage interactions seamlessly.
• Real-Time Visitor Monitoring: Businesses can view visitor activity, pages viewed, and time spent on the website in real time, which helps in targeting and engaging customers effectively.
• Canned Responses: This feature allows agents to save predefined answers to frequently asked questions, speeding up response times.
• Proactive Invitations: JivoChat sends proactive chat invitations to website visitors, encouraging them to engage before they leave the site.
• Mobile and Desktop Apps: The platform offers mobile and desktop apps, enabling customer support agents to stay connected on the go.

Who It Is Suitable For:

JivoChat is best suited for e-commerce businesses and service providers that need a multi-channel communication tool to engage with customers effectively. It’s particularly beneficial for organizations looking to improve their customer service experience.

AI Features:

JivoChat incorporates AI features such as automated greetings and intelligent response suggestions, helping businesses streamline customer interactions and improve response times.

Free Trial:

JivoChat offers a free plan for an unlimited number of agents, providing features like live chat, email, and Facebook Messenger integration. The free plan is not limited by time, and small businesses can utilize it for basic live chat functionality.

Paid Version:

JivoChat’s paid plans start at $19 per agent per month, billed annually. With the paid version, users gain access to advanced features such as file transfers during chat, CRM integration, real-time visitor monitoring, and canned responses. It also includes multi-language support, unlimited chat history, and more advanced customer service tools like callback requests and automated responses.

LiveChat

LiveChat is a premium live chat solution that has been helping businesses improve customer support since 2002. Known for its extensive feature set and reliability, LiveChat allows companies to connect with customers in real time, enhancing engagement and driving sales. The platform’s powerful reporting and analytics tools enable businesses to track chat performance and customer behavior, facilitating informed decision-making. With an easy-to-use interface, LiveChat is designed for quick implementation, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes looking to elevate their customer service.

Key Features:

• Ticketing System: LiveChat includes an integrated ticketing system that lets agents manage both live chat and email support from the same interface.

• Customizable Chat Widgets: The chat widget can be fully customized, allowing businesses to align it with their brand’s design and aesthetics.

• AI-Powered Chatbots: LiveChat offers AI-driven bots to handle basic queries, reducing the load on human agents.

• Third-Party Integrations: It integrates with a wide range of popular CRMs, help desks, and analytics tools, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Google Analytics.

• Canned Responses and Shortcuts: Agents can save common responses to improve the efficiency and speed of replies.

• Analytics and Reporting: The tool offers robust reporting features, helping businesses analyze chat performance and customer satisfaction.

Who It Is Suitable For:

LiveChat is ideal for larger businesses and enterprises that require comprehensive features and detailed analytics for customer interactions. It’s particularly beneficial for companies with dedicated customer service teams looking to improve efficiency and response times.

AI Features:

LiveChat includes AI capabilities such as chatbots for automated responses and smart routing, ensuring customers receive prompt assistance and reducing wait times.

Free Trial:

LiveChat offers a 14-day free trial, during which users can test the full set of features, including unlimited chats, advanced analytics, ticketing, and integration options. This trial allows businesses to evaluate all premium functionalities before committing to a subscription.

Paid Version:

LiveChat’s paid version starts at $20 per agent per month when billed annually. This includes advanced features such as chat routing, real-time analytics, ticketing integration, and full customization options for the chat widget. Higher-tier plans offer features like chatbot automation, agent reports, and in-depth analytics, making it suitable for larger businesses looking for comprehensive customer service tools.

GrooveHQ

GrooveHQ is a live chat solution tailored for small businesses and startups, providing a simple yet effective way to communicate with customers. Designed with user experience in mind, GrooveHQ enables teams to manage customer inquiries through an easy-to-use interface. The platform emphasizes essential features that streamline communication, making it accessible for users without extensive technical knowledge. GrooveHQ also offers ticket management tools to help teams track and resolve customer issues efficiently.

Key Features:

• Unified Inbox: GrooveHQ provides a shared inbox that brings together all customer communications (email, chat, and social media) in one place.

• Live Chat Support: GrooveHQ includes live chat functionality, allowing businesses to engage with their website visitors in real time.

• Knowledge Base Integration: The live chat can be integrated with a knowledge base, helping customers find answers to common questions quickly without contacting support.

• Ticketing System: GrooveHQ converts live chat conversations into tickets for easier management and follow-up.

• Performance Reporting: GrooveHQ provides detailed reports on chat interactions, response times, and customer satisfaction to help businesses improve their support.

• Customizable Branding: Businesses can customize the appearance of the chat widget to match their brand’s identity.

Who It Is Suitable For:

GrooveHQ is perfect for small businesses and startups that need a straightforward live chat solution to manage customer communications effectively. Its simplicity and affordability make it an excellent choice for teams looking to enhance their support capabilities without overwhelming complexity.

AI Features:

GrooveHQ offers basic automation capabilities, allowing users to set up automated responses for frequently asked questions. This feature helps businesses streamline customer interactions, even with limited resources.

Free Trial:

GrooveHQ offers a 30-day free trial that allows users to explore all its customer support features, including live chat, shared inbox, and team collaboration tools. During this period, users can test out the platform’s real-time chat and email ticketing system, making it easier to manage customer support across multiple channels.

Paid Version:

GrooveHQ’s paid plans start at $16 per user per month, billed annually. The paid version offers additional features like reporting, knowledge base integration, live chat customization, and advanced workflows for ticketing and support management. It’s designed for businesses looking for a unified platform to manage customer communication through multiple channels like chat, email, and social media.

HubSpot Chat

HubSpot Chat is part of HubSpot’s comprehensive CRM and marketing ecosystem, providing an integrated solution for managing customer interactions. Designed to enhance customer support and engagement, HubSpot Chat allows businesses to connect with customers seamlessly across various channels. Its robust analytics and automation capabilities empower teams to improve their support strategies while maintaining a focus on relationship management. With an intuitive interface, HubSpot Chat is easy to implement and customize to fit unique business needs.

Key Features:

• Free Forever Plan: HubSpot Chat offers a free version with core features like live chat and chatbot capabilities, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes.

• Seamless CRM Integration: The live chat tool integrates directly with HubSpot’s CRM, allowing agents to access contact information and past interactions.

• Chatbots: HubSpot includes customizable chatbots to handle basic customer inquiries or qualify leads before routing them to human agents.

• Email Continuation: If a visitor leaves a conversation, the system can send follow-up emails to ensure the issue is resolved.

• Live Visitor Data: HubSpot provides detailed information about website visitors, such as page views, activity history, and location, allowing for more personalized conversations.

• Proactive Messages: The tool enables proactive engagement by sending automated chat messages to visitors based on their activity on the site.

Who It Is Suitable For:

HubSpot Chat is best suited for businesses already utilizing HubSpot’s suite of marketing and sales tools. It’s particularly beneficial for organizations that prioritize customer relationship management and require robust analytics to drive their strategies.

AI Features:

HubSpot Chat leverages AI to provide chatbots that automate responses and capture leads, allowing businesses to engage visitors efficiently and improve conversion rates.

Free Trial:

HubSpot Chat is part of HubSpot’s CRM, and the free version provides access to live chat, chatbot tools, and email marketing integration with HubSpot’s CRM. The free plan is available indefinitely, allowing businesses to collect and manage customer data with basic live chat functionality.

Paid Version:

HubSpot’s paid version, bundled with its Service Hub, starts at $50 per month, billed annually. The paid version offers advanced customer service features such as custom branding for chat, advanced chatbots, comprehensive analytics, and enhanced automation. Integration with HubSpot’s marketing and sales tools provides a complete customer management and engagement solution.

ChatBot

ChatBot is a specialized live chat solution designed to enhance customer interaction through AI-powered chatbots. Launched with the intent to automate customer service, ChatBot allows businesses to create custom chat experiences without needing extensive coding knowledge. With its drag-and-drop interface, users can build chatbots that handle FAQs, schedule appointments, and even take orders, all while integrating seamlessly with popular platforms like Facebook Messenger, Slack, and various CRM systems. The platform focuses on providing a personalized user experience, helping businesses improve engagement and streamline support.

Key Features:

• AI-Powered Conversations: ChatBot allows businesses to create and deploy AI-driven conversations, automating customer support tasks with a conversational experience.

• Pre-Built Templates: It comes with pre-built templates for various industries, making it easier to set up chatbots without needing coding skills.

• Multi-Channel Support: ChatBot can be integrated with popular platforms like Facebook Messenger, Slack, and WhatsApp, providing multi-channel engagement.

• Drag-and-Drop Builder: The platform offers a drag-and-drop interface that simplifies the creation of customized chatbots tailored to specific business needs.

• Analytics and Reporting: ChatBot includes in-depth analytics that help track bot performance, customer engagement, and satisfaction metrics.

• Seamless Integration: It integrates with CRM systems, email marketing tools, and help desks, ensuring a streamlined workflow for businesses.

Who It Is Suitable For:

ChatBot is ideal for businesses looking to automate customer support and engagement without extensive technical resources. It is particularly beneficial for e-commerce sites and service-oriented companies that receive high volumes of inquiries.

AI Features:

ChatBot leverages AI to provide smart responses based on user queries, allowing for a more interactive and personalized experience. Its natural language processing capabilities enable it to understand and respond to customer inquiries efficiently, reducing the need for human intervention.

Free Trial:

ChatBot offers a 14-day free trial, which includes access to AI-powered chatbot creation, live chat, and integrations with popular platforms like Messenger and Slack. During the trial, users can test ChatBot’s templates, analytics tools, and chatbot workflows.

Paid Version:

ChatBot’s paid version starts at $52 per month, billed annually. The paid version includes features like unlimited bot conversations, multi-channel support, advanced chatbot templates, and detailed reports. ChatBot is ideal for businesses looking to scale their customer support with automated workflows while also integrating live chat for human interaction.

ProProfs Chat

ProProfs Chat is a comprehensive live chat solution that emphasizes ease of use and flexibility. Designed for businesses of all sizes, ProProfs Chat enables real-time communication with customers through an intuitive interface. The platform integrates seamlessly with various applications and websites, allowing businesses to provide immediate support. ProProfs Chat also features robust analytics tools to help organizations monitor chat performance and optimize customer interactions, making it a valuable asset for enhancing customer service.

Key Features:

• Lead Capture Forms: ProProfs Chat includes built-in lead capture forms that can collect visitor information before starting a chat, which is great for generating leads.

• Canned Responses: Support agents can use predefined responses for frequently asked questions, reducing response times.

• Real-Time Visitor Monitoring: The tool offers real-time tracking of visitor activity, helping agents engage at the right moment.

• Chat Routing: ProProfs Chat includes intelligent routing features that direct customers to the most appropriate agent or department.

• File Sharing: Users can share files, screenshots, or documents directly within the chat window, improving customer support efficiency.

• Analytics and Reports: The platform provides detailed performance reports on chat volume, response time, and customer satisfaction to help businesses optimize their support efforts.

Who It Is Suitable For:

ProProfs Chat is suitable for businesses of all sizes, especially those that prioritize customer service and engagement. It is particularly effective for e-commerce sites and support teams that handle a high volume of customer inquiries.

AI Features:

ProProfs Chat utilizes AI to automate responses to common questions, allowing support teams to focus on more complex inquiries. The chatbot feature enhances customer engagement by providing instant answers, which can lead to higher customer satisfaction rates.

Free Trial:

ProProfs Chat offers forever free for a single operator, where users can access features like unlimited chats, visitor tracking, and custom chat greetings, businesses can also test out chatbot functionality and basic reporting features.

Paid Version:

ProProfs Chat’s paid plans start at $19.99 per user per month, billed annually. This includes advanced features like proactive chat, real-time visitor tracking, detailed analytics, and chatbot integration. Higher-tier plans also offer CRM and helpdesk software integrations, making it suitable for businesses that need a full-service customer support tool.

Brevo Chat

Brevo Chat (formerly known as Sendinblue) is part of a broader marketing and customer relationship management platform. It focuses on providing businesses with tools to engage customers through various channels, including live chat. The live chat feature is designed to facilitate real-time communication, enabling businesses to respond promptly to customer inquiries. Brevo Chat integrates seamlessly with email marketing and other customer engagement tools, making it a valuable option for organizations looking to enhance their marketing efforts alongside customer support.

Key Features:

• Chat and Email Integration: Brevo Chat offers seamless integration with its email marketing platform, allowing businesses to manage both live chat and email campaigns in one system.

• Real-Time Visitor Tracking: The tool allows businesses to track website visitors in real-time and engage with them based on their browsing behavior.

• Customizable Chat Widgets: Businesses can customize the chat widget to match their website’s branding and style for a cohesive look.

• Automation Workflows: Brevo allows businesses to create automated workflows that trigger chats or send follow-up emails based on customer actions.

• Mobile-Friendly Interface: Brevo Chat is fully optimized for mobile devices, ensuring a seamless experience for both agents and customers on smartphones.

• Advanced Reporting: The platform offers detailed analytics and reporting, providing insights into chat performance, visitor behavior, and customer satisfaction.

Who It Is Suitable For:

Brevo Chat is suitable for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a comprehensive marketing and customer engagement solution. It is especially beneficial for those already using Brevo’s email marketing tools and seeking to integrate live chat into their strategy.

AI Features:

Brevo Chat utilizes AI to enhance customer interactions by automating responses to frequently asked questions. This feature helps streamline communication and ensures customers receive timely answers, improving overall satisfaction.

Free Trial:

Brevo (formerly known as SendinBlue) offers a free plan that includes basic live chat functionality along with email marketing features. The free plan is available indefinitely, but it is limited to one chat agent and basic live chat capabilities.

Paid Version:

Brevo’s paid version starts at $25 per month, billed annually. This plan allows for more agents, advanced chat features like custom chat widgets, multi-channel marketing tools, and integration with CRM systems. Higher plans include more advanced segmentation tools and automation, making it suitable for businesses looking to combine marketing and customer support.

Tawk.to

Tawk.to is one of the most popular and widely used free live chat tools available today. It is renowned for providing a rich set of features without any cost, making it particularly appealing to small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs who want to engage with their website visitors in real-time. Unlike many live chat tools that limit features or users in their free version, Tawk.to offers unlimited chats, agents, and reporting, all without charging a dime. This allows businesses to offer immediate support to their visitors and potential customers, helping them resolve issues, answer queries, and increase overall user satisfaction and engagement.

Key Features:

• Unlimited Chats and Agents: You can have as many chat agents as you want, with no restrictions on the number of chats.
• Customizable Chat Widget: Adjust the chat window’s appearance to align with your website’s design and branding.
• Real-Time Visitor Monitoring: See who is on your site, what they’re viewing, and how long they’ve been on specific pages in real-time.
• Automated Triggers: Send personalized messages to visitors based on their behavior, such as how long they’ve been on a particular page.
• Multilingual Support: The chat tool can be used in different languages, making it ideal for businesses that cater to global customers.
• Canned Responses: Save time by sending pre-written responses to common customer queries.
• File Sharing: Agents and users can share files directly through the chat window, which is useful for technical support or sending documents.
• Chat History and Reporting: Access a detailed history of all chats and generate reports to evaluate team performance and customer satisfaction.

Who It’s Suitable For:

Tawk.to is an excellent choice for small and medium-sized businesses, startups, and freelancers looking for a free and feature-rich live chat solution. Its flexibility and ease of use also make it suitable for businesses of all sizes that want to offer real-time support without incurring extra costs. The platform is particularly ideal for organizations on a budget that still want professional-level functionality and customer engagement tools.

AI Features:

While Tawk.to does not currently have advanced AI features like some premium competitors, it does offer key AI-driven functionalities such as automated chat triggers, visitor targeting, and proactive engagement. These features make it easier for businesses to manage a higher volume of chats and improve the customer experience, especially for those looking for cost-effective solutions with some level of automation.

Free Trial:

Tawk.to is free forever. Its free version offers unlimited agents, chats, and core live chat features without any time restriction. Businesses can access real-time visitor monitoring, file sharing, and customizable chat widgets at no cost.

Paid Version:

The paid version of Tawk.to starts at $19 per month, billed annually. This includes the ability to remove the Tawk.to branding for a more professional look. Additional paid features include video and voice calls, and advanced customization options, making it suitable for businesses that want a polished, branded live chat solution.

SmartsUpp

SmartsUpp is an innovative live chat solution that focuses on providing a seamless customer interaction experience. The platform is designed for businesses of all sizes, offering real-time communication tools to engage visitors and improve customer support. With an emphasis on user experience, SmartsUpp enables businesses to customize their chat interface and automate responses to common inquiries. This flexibility makes it a strong choice for organizations seeking to enhance their customer service capabilities.

Key Features:

• Multichannel Communication: The platform supports live chat, email, and Facebook Messenger, allowing businesses to handle all communications in one place.

• Chatbots and Automation: SmartsUpp provides chatbot functionality to automate responses and save agents time, especially for handling common queries.

• Customizable Chat Widget: The chat widget can be fully customized to match the branding of the website, enhancing the overall user experience.

• Visitor Monitoring: Businesses can track visitor behavior in real-time, helping them proactively engage customers based on their actions.

• Analytics and Reports: SmartsUpp offers detailed analytics, including chat statistics, customer satisfaction scores, and agent performance, helping businesses optimize their customer service efforts.

Who It Is Suitable For:

SmartsUpp is suitable for small to medium-sized businesses looking for an easy-to-use live chat solution. Its customizable features and automation capabilities make it particularly effective for organizations focused on improving customer service.

AI Features:

SmartsUpp incorporates AI to automate responses and manage customer interactions efficiently. The chatbot feature can handle common queries, allowing support teams to focus on more complex customer needs.

Free Trial:

SmartsUpp offers a 14-day free trial with access to their full feature set, including live chat, chatbots, and real-time visitor tracking. The trial period is designed to let users experience the advanced features of SmartsUpp’s paid plans before committing.

Paid Version:

SmartsUpp’s paid plans start at $19 per month, billed annually. The paid version includes advanced features such as video recordings of visitor behavior, in-depth analytics, unlimited conversations, and integration with platforms like Shopify and WordPress. The higher-tier plans are ideal for businesses looking to improve their sales and customer support through real-time visitor insights and proactive engagement.

Summary of Live Chat Recommendations

Choosing the right live chat solution depends on your specific needs, budget, and the scale of your business. Here’s a quick summary of recommendations:

• Best for Comprehensive Features: LiveChat
• Best for Small Businesses: Tidio
• Best for Automation: ChatBot
• Best for Multichannel Communication: Brevo Chat
• Best for Startups and Freelancers: Tawk

Incorporating a live chat solution can significantly enhance your customer engagement and satisfaction. Evaluate the options above based on your unique requirements, and take the plunge into improving your online customer service today!