Why Adding a Live Chat to WordPress is a Smart Move
A study by Firstperson found that 63% of users prefer websites with live chat for quick feedback and answers. Integrating a live chat plugin enhances customer communication by providing real-time interactions with site visitors. When operators are unavailable, the chat seamlessly switches to chatbot mode, offering FAQs and contact details.
Beyond engagement, live chat helps collect valuable user data, including inquiries, location, and cart details—boosting customer trust and loyalty.
This post explores eight top WordPress live chat plugins, detailing their features, benefits, and pricing. Each section includes a link to setup instructions for easy installation.
LiveChat
How to install the LiveChat WordPress plugin
Perhaps, as the main feature of this plugin, we will highlight the abundance of opportunities for live communication of your contact agents with the clients of the website. Your team gets access to unique options, such as clients’ waiting time indicator (to optimize response time), saved chats with the ability to return to them, and an extensive library of saved answers to popular questions.
From the user’s side, the LiveChat plugin provides complete comfort in communicating with the company. It starts with a visually pleasing branded chat button and ends with the functional ability to exchange files with an operator in a chat. LiveChat provides a feedback field at the end of communication and comes with integrations with other platforms and social networks for convenience.
Live Chat has a free trial of 14 days for all users and 30 days after registration on their website, and after that, a paid pro version is available for $16 per month.
HubSpot
How to install the HubSpot WordPress plugin:
HubSpot is primarily known for its extensive marketing component: live chat is just one of its functions. However, despite many other useful options, the development of this plugin is perfectly focused on live chats. By installing the plugin, you will get the opportunity not only to communicate with customers online comfortably but also to set up your own offline chatbot, which will immediately answer questions from website users with prepared answers. This creates the confidence of close constant contact of the company with its consumers.
Like competitor plugins, HubSpot has a free version with a very limited range of features, and a full-fledged paid version, in this case, will cost as much as $540 dollars per year. Due to the fact that this plugin is designed not only for live chat but also for many more useful widgets from the field of marketing, such a price is more than justified.
Tidio Live Chat
How to install the Tidio WordPress plugin
There is an opinion among WordPress-based developers that Tidio is one of the best plugins for setting up a live chat on your website. We will simply list a number of its advantages, and you will decide for yourself whether to choose it or not.
All the positive aspects of this plugin can be described in one word – multifunctionality. The reason for this is that Tidio concurrently provides access to design changes, integration with numerous customer support services and your mailbox, as well as an interface with 200 languages to provide an individual approach to each client. In addition, an unlimited number of agents and a huge analytical base can work simultaneously inside the Tidio live chat plugin. This means that you will get full access to information about your users to formulate their needs as accurately as possible.
If we touch on the price aspect, the free version has normal functionality, but it has a limit of one agent in the chat and requests $16.80 per month for each new one. In addition, the Tidio plugin has several other account upgrade levels with an average price of $200-225 per year.
JivoChat
How to install the JivoChat WordPress plugin:
Jivo plugin is a huge help for cases when you need one app to communicate with customers not only within your website but also via other messengers. It’s easier to stay connected when you have a multi-channel tool connected to social networks, all kinds of file messaging apps, and email.
Among other useful features, the Jivo chat plugin has a database of functions for organizing your team’s interaction effectively. For instance, built-in reminders of tasks or unread messages, multi-agent chats, and unlimited archiving of the messaging history of any operator or team chat. In addition, the plugin will monitor users and adjust to their geo-IP, as well as answer standard questions with ready-made solutions automatically with the offered feedback form.
JivoChat is a universal assistant that can be free forever or offer advanced functionality for $19 per month in the premium version.
Olark
How to install the Olark WordPress plugin
The next in line is a very easy-to-integrate and pleasant-to-use plugin for creating a live chat based on WordPress is Olark. Among its features, one definitely worth mentioning is an excellent basis it provides for team communication and collecting information to work on weaknesses. To do this, Olark has the functions of summarizing data on the analysis of chats: frequency of answers, the speed of the operator’s response, reviews about the operator, the history of correspondence with quotes. Furthermore, for personalized assistance to users, it allows dividing agents into thematic departments to ensure focus on a specific area. The collection of data on the customer base is possible thanks to the option of viewing site visitors in real-time, studying their baskets of goods, and monitoring their activity on different pages of the website.
After the 14-day trial period, you can leave a free account with a limit of one operator and only 20 dialogues per month. To get rid of this framework, you can upgrade your account to the Pro version for $29 per month.
Tawk.to
How to install the Tawk.to WordPress plugin:
This plugin is one of the few that have a full-fledged free version and openly declares it. Tawk.to is a standard set of all necessary functions, such as monitoring user activity on the website, 45+ built-in languages for connecting with representatives of different cultures, a mobile application for the convenience of your team with the ability to stay in touch 24/7, and a built-in library of standard answers to basic questions about the company/product/service. Of course, Tawk.to is not replete with unique advanced features, but it will definitely contribute to establishing a connection with the client in a live chat format for any company.
Live Chat by Formilla
How to install the Formilla WordPress plugin
This plugin, of course, has a wide range of previously mentioned features that others have as well. Among the unique things here is the ability to line up customers to the operator and provoke the site users to use a live chat with a sound signal after the appearance of the trigger. Of course, this plugin also has integrations with major social networks, customer support services, and even Google Analytics. Live Chat by Formilla provides developers with a choice of the location of the chat button: either in the right or in the lower-left corner. The built-in monitoring service collects data on the quality of the operator’s communication with the visitor, using data on the duration of the communication and all saved correspondence.
If you opt for the free version of the plugin, then you will not be able to monitor anything in real time, select chat window settings, or communicate via mobile applications. When you purchase a subscription for $19.99 per month, you will get all these features in unlimited quantities and even more.
Conclusion
WordPress offers endless possibilities for enhancing your website, and live chat plugins are no exception. Investing in seamless customer communication can greatly benefit any business by fostering engagement and long-term relationships.
Since there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, it’s essential to compare different plugins, weighing their pros and cons. Start with free options to get familiar with their setup and functionality. Once you have a clear understanding of your needs, you can choose a plugin that aligns with both your goals and budget.
Additionally, consider your team’s capacity. For a truly “live” chat experience, having dedicated operators to assist customers in real-time is crucial. While chatbots can handle some interactions, direct communication with a human representative often leads to better engagement and customer satisfaction.
