9 Best WordPress Live Chat Plugins in 2024

Looking for the best WordPress Live Chat plugin? With WordPress powering nearly half of all websites, there’s a good chance you’ll want to incorporate live chat on your site.

What used to be a "nice to have" is now an "essential part" of every website, especially if you’re selling a product or service. Customers have quickly become accustomed to starting an online chat whether they’re searching for an answer to a product query or need help making their online purchase.

But with hundreds of WordPress chat plugins to choose from, where do you start? That’s what this guide is all about. Check it out.

Why Add Live Chat to Your WordPress Website?#

1. Customers prefer live chat over other channels#

Using live chat, customers can connect with service reps quickly and get their questions answered immediately. It’s more convenient than sending an email and waiting for a reply or holding on the phone until a support agent is free.

Today, 41% of consumers prefer live chat support, versus 32% who prefer phone support, 23% who prefer email support, and 3% who prefer getting support via social media.

2. Live chat improves lead and sales conversion rates#

Around 20% of WordPress websites use WooCommerce as their ecommerce solution. And we know that shoppers expect help with their online purchases.

According to a Forrester report, 44% of online consumers say that "having questions answered by a live person while in the middle of an online purchase" is one of the most important features a website can offer.

Furthermore, 79% of businesses say that offering live chat has positively affected sales, revenue, and customer loyalty.

3. Live chat improves customer satisfaction#

As well as sales support, you can use live chat to provide customer service. Almost half of consumers (48%) favor companies that offer proactive support. And, according to Statista, the average global customer satisfaction rating for live chat is 83%.

Here are a few more reasons you may want to use a live chat plugin:

• Reduce cart abandonment
• Redirect users to social media profiles
• Grow sales
• Boost engagement
• Increase leads
• Improve customer loyalty

How to Choose the Best WordPress Chat Plugins#

There are several factors to consider when choosing your WordPress chat plugin. You can find the following information in the WordPress repository alongside each plugin:

1) Last updated:

First, check when the plugin was last updated. An out-of-date live chat plugin can cause problems, so always look for recent updates. If a plugin is not maintained, it is more susceptible to security breaches by cyber-criminals.

2) Number of active installs:

Next, check the number of active installs. A high number shows the plugin is popular and trusted on many sites.

3) Compatible with latest versions of WordPress:

Next, ensure the plugin is compatible with the latest version of WordPress. Otherwise, it could break your site when you install it or introduce potential security risks.

4) Check review count and average ratings:

On the Reviews tab, you can find the latest reviews and ratings for the plugin:

In this example, you can see the plugin has received hundreds of 5-star ratings, which means it's widely recognized and appreciated by the WordPress community.

Features:#

A quality WordPress live chat plugin should allow you to:

• Install and use the software easily
• Customize the chat widget to match your site and brand's identity
• Route or transfer chat messages to other agents
• Monitor visitors in real-time
• Integrate with your CRM
• Use canned messages, triggered auto-replies, and chatbots
• Provide visitor and agent insights and reports
• Allow you to send unlimited messages
• Work as a complete customer communication platform
• Purchase at a reasonable price

11 Best Live Chat Plugins for WordPress#

1. JivoChat#

JivoChat is more than just a live chat plugin – it’s an all-in-one omnichannel business manager that teams use to talk to customers everywhere via live chat, phone, email, and social.

Key features:

• Omnichannel: Communicate with clients through Live Chat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Apple Business Chat, Telegram, Email, and Phone.
• Offline messages: Hold inquiries in your inbox so that you can reach clients when you’re back online.
• Event-based triggers: Proactively engage visitors using a range of different triggers such as time on page, web page URL, visitor location and more.
• Callbacks: Offer your visitors a callback by phone if they prefer.
• Multi-agent chats: Transfer chats to your colleagues or invite them to participate in open support chats with customers.
• Visitor monitoring: Track your visitors in real-time.
• Built-in CRM: Includes a CRM that allows you to track statuses with your clients, attach comments to them, and funnel them.
• Unlimited archiving: Store all of your conversations and automatically load conversation history with a client when you chat again.
• Team chats: Includes an efficient and powerful team chat so that you have all your messages in one place.
• Reminders: Set a reminder for you or one of your colleagues to carry out follow-up actions on a specific customer conversation.
• Geo-IP-based behaviors: Show a customized widget for different cities or countries with a particular language, behavior, or set of agents.
• Automatic translator: Translate your live chat (in both directions) with foreign-language speakers instantly and accurately.
• Quick phrases and canned responses: Create predefined messages you can send with hotkeys, and get suggestions from messages you’ve sent before.
• Typing insights: See the messages that visitors are typing in real-time before they hit "send."
• GDPR compliance: Complies with GDPR requirements.
• CRM Integrations, API, and Webhooks: Position a live chat widget where you want with the Webhooks API, change the widget's behavior with JS API, and integrate your CRM with Webhooks.
• Quick site loading time: JivoChat scripts are loaded asynchronously.

2. Tawk.To#

The Tawk.To live chat app lets you monitor and chat with visitors to your WordPress site. It’s "the #1 most widely used Live Chat software in the world" and has the highest number of installations among all WordPress chat plugins.

Key features:

• Customize your chat widget’s colors, messages, size, position, and language.
• Monitor your website visitors and chat with them when they need it most.
• Manage multiple sites and agents from a single dashboard.
• Monitor which pages your visitors are on in real-time, know how often they visit your site, and view their entire customer journey.
• Tag and assign conversations to team members and ensure the right person is responding at the right time.
• Use handy shortcuts and canned messages to provide quick and consistent responses every time.

3. Zendesk Chat#

Zendesk Chat allows your website visitors to chat with you directly through the widget so that you can answer their questions in real-time and make them feel more comfortable about buying from you.

Key features:

• Chat with your visitors from any device using the mobile-optimized chat widget.
• Use automatic triggers to start chats proactively rather than waiting for your visitors.
• Monitor visitor flow and usage patterns in the analytics dashboard so that you can jump in whenever a customer might need help.
• Customize the chat widget to complement your website’s design palette.
• Control multiple conversations from the user-friendly dashboard.

4. Tidio#

Tidio Live Chat is one of the simplest live chat plugins to set up, so you can engage your audience, nurture leads, automate work, and grow your business.

Key features:#

• Customize the chatbox widget to complement your branding.
• Send automatic messages to frequently asked questions, even when you’re not there.
• Check the viewed pages list to see where your visitors are and offer them specific assistance.
• View real-time conversations as visitors are typing and prepare your answers.
• Communicate with your customers from anywhere via the mobile app.
• Receive incoming visitor notifications so that you can engage them as soon as they land on your website.
• Use canned responses and chatbots to automate repetitive tasks, conversations, and generate leads.
• Integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Mailchimp.
• Includes unlimited chat conversations, contacts, and chat history in the free plan

5. Crisp#

Crisp Live Chat is a free WordPress chat plugin that you can use to grow your email list, generate leads, and enhance customer relationships.

Key features:

• Customize the chat widget (colors/languages/position) to fit with your brand.
• See where all your active visitors are on MagicMap in real-time.
• Check what your visitors are typing in real-time, allowing you to respond quickly with the correct information.
• Receive a notification on your desktop/mobile when a visitor sends a message.
• Use canned responses and triggers for proactive chat messaging.
• Gather all communications in one shared inbox.
• Reply to your customers directly from Slack, Messenger, Twitter, and Telegram.

6. Chaport#

Chaport is a modern live chat and chatbot service for your WordPress site. You can receive messages from multiple channels, like Facebook, Telegram, and Viber, and answer them in a live chat.

Key features:#

• Customize the appearance of the mobile-friendly live chat widget to match your website.
• Create chatbots to handle common queries so that operators can manage more complex work.
• Start more chats by sending automatic invitations based on predefined rules.
• Send automatic messages to your customers on the checkout page.
• Connect with other third-party apps and services via Zapier or the API.

7. Smartsupp#

Smartsupp is one of the most popular live chat solutions. It offers video recordings where you can see each visitor's movements on your website. You can also use its proactive chat to automatically engage customers, assist with sales, and save you time.

Key features:#

• Create chatbots to provide quick and consistent support for your customers.
• View your visitors’ behavior on your website by watching their screen recordings.
• Customize the chat box to match your site design.
• Reply to conversations even after the visitor has left your website.
• Create personalized automatic messages to engage visitors at the right moment.
• Review visitor insights and detailed analytics in the dashboard.
• Integrate live chat, email, and Facebook Messenger in one customer messaging platform.

8. LiveChat#

LiveChat is a comprehensive WordPress chat plugin that works well with any WordPress theme or site builder. It also comes with a built-in ticketing system so that you can provide 24/7 customer support when you’re away.

Key features:

• Trigger proactive chat invitations when a visitor meets predefined criteria, such as the number of visited pages or time spent on the website.
• Answer the most common customer questions with canned responses.
• Customize the chat widget to match your branding.
• Track visitors and check what page they’re on and where they came from.
• Add surveys to the live chat window to gather customer insights at the beginning and end of each chat.
• Assign conversations to available agents automatically or manually and transfer chats to other agents when required.
• Get detailed reports and analytics on visitors’ queries and agents’ activities.

9. Formilla#

Formilla combines live chat with artificial intelligence (AI) to boost sales and support. Plus, you can communicate from anywhere using the mobile apps for iPhone and Android.

Key features:#

• Customize the live chat widget color, size, and position, plus optional CSS.
• Enable proactive chat to automatically trigger live chat with a visitor after a defined number of seconds.
• Monitor and track the number of active visitors on your website, and initiate live chats with them.
• Respond to customer requests as quickly and efficiently as possible with canned messages.
• Activate the offline chat to collect visitor chat transcripts by email when you’re away.
• Create a helper bot to assist with frequently asked questions around the clock, even when a live person is not available.
• Transfer a chat message to other available chat agents, including additional details in a private message.

Install a WordPress Live Chat Plugin Today#

Each of these live chat plugins for WordPress come jam-packed with features that will allow you to improve lead and sales conversion rates, boost customer satisfaction, and meet customers in their preferred conversational environment.

There are plugins to meet every budget and requirement, from small businesses and online stores to large-scale enterprises. But which one are you going to install on your WordPress site? Take your time to test a few plugins and see which one suits your needs best.

You can also get started for free today with JivoChat’s top-rated WordPress live chat plugin.