10 Best Live Chat Software for your Website

Last Updated: April 6, 2021

Most consumers begin their customer service engagement online and rely on support agents when they can’t resolve issues on their own. They engage and receive service across multiple touchpoints such as email, chat, and social media.

More and more users are turning to live chat when looking for help, and a growing number of consumers say it is their preferred way to interact with support – because it is fast and effective.

A recent study by Microsoft revealed that there is a direct correlation between delivering superior and fast customer service, with brand loyalty. In fact, 95% of customers say it’s important in their choice of and loyalty to a brand.

If you’re in the hunt for a live chat tool or plugin for your website, then you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we’ve come up with 10 live chat tools you can try, so you can decide which one’s best for you!


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Why add Live Chat to your website?

Modern consumers prefer lightning-fast connection times with support and quicker response rates. Despite the rise in demand for businesses offering support through social media, live chat still reigns as organizations’ preferred support channel for interacting with customers. Here’s why:

Easy to Implement: Live chat installation is usually straightforward. Most providers will require you to copy a few lines of codes and integrate it into your website. The setup time hardly goes beyond a few minutes, so you can get up and running quickly.

Improved User Experience: Live chats are usually intuitive pop-up boxes inside your website that offer direct access to a support representative. Gone are the days where you’d have to fill-up lengthy contact forms or search through the website for the support e-mail.

Fast and instant Customer Service: Unlike support channels like email and social media, the agent responses in live chat are usually quick, so customers can quickly resolve their queries almost instantly.

Easier Follow-ups: With transcripts and logs, it is easier for support agents to follow-up with customers after the live-chat session. This could also mean live chats can also be a tool for sales conversion and upselling.

Informed Decision Making: With reports and analytics, it becomes easy to make data-driven decisions to improve customer service. Also, many live chat software providers integrate with CRM and Help Desks where customer data and can be aggregated and shared with internal teams.


1. HappyFox Chat

HappyFox Chat is a powerful live chat software for businesses of all sizes. It packs powerful features at an attractive price. Advanced customization options mean HappyFox Chat doubles up as a brand touchpoint. HappyFox Chat is also mobile responsive – customers can easily switch between talking to support agents and completing their actions on your website.

Standout Features

  • Canned Responses
  • Real-Time Chat Translation
  • Live typing preview
  • Intelligent Chat Routing and Queuing
  • Live Chat work hours configuration
  • Powerful Reporting and Analytics
  • Geo-fencing and visitor blocking

Integrations

HappyFox Chat integrates with over 25 popular SaaS tools. Some of the popular integrations include WordPress, Salesforce, Shopify, HappyFox Help desk, Facebook Messenger, and Slack. HappyFox Chat also integrates with AI-Powered Enterprise Chatbot solution – HappyFox Chatbot to reduce your workload on agents.

Pricing

HappyFox Chat has an innovative pricing strategy with unlimited agents on all plans. Companies are instead billed based on their chat volumes. This means you could onboard your entire team from multiple departments into HappyFox Chat. The pricing starts at $29 per month for 500 chats and goes all the way up to $299 per month for 20,000 chats. HappyFox Chat provides a free 14-day credit card free trial.

2. Bold360

Bold360 is a customer engagement and AI software with a tightly integrated live agent & chatbot solution. Bold360 also offers “Bold360 Suite” which comprises all the essential customer service tools like helpdesk, live chat, and conversational chatbots. Bold360 also provides powerful reporting capabilities to get insights right out of the box.

Standout Features

  • Canned Responses
  • Customizable Branding
  • Geo-Targeting
  • Offline Form
  • Proactive Chat
  • Transfers/Routing

Integrations

Bold360 has a limited number of integrations. However, it does integrate with CRM/Help desk tools like Zendesk, Service now, and Salesforce for close collaboration between support and sales teams.

Pricing

Bold360 pricing is variable. You can pay individually for the different products or buy the “Bold360 Suite” to get access to all of them. There is no free trial. However, there is a free demo option.

3. Zendesk Chat

Zendesk Chat is live chat software that helps businesses deliver real-time support on the web, mobile, and messaging services. It was formerly known as Zopim. Zendesk Chat can be added to any CMS including WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Wix, etc. You can also automatically create tickets from each chat interaction using Zendesk Chat.

Standout features

  • Roles and Permissions for chat agents
  • Templated responses
  • Reports and Conversion tracking
  • Pre-chat & offline forms
  • Chat routing
  • Satisfaction Rating
  • File Management and Sharing

Integrations

Zendesk Chat integrates with over 30 popular SaaS tools. Some of the popular integrations include Teamviewer, BigCommerce, and NiceReply. Zendesk Chat also integrates seamlessly with other products in the Zendesk Suite like Guide and Support.

Pricing

Zendesk Chat has a free pricing plan called “Lite” which provides essential features like chat rating, 1 concurrent chat, and has a 14-day chat history. This plan is recommended if you’re just starting out a business. The paid plans start at $14 per agent per month and offer unlimited chats and access to integrations and are aimed at medium to large enterprises. Zendesk Chat does offer a free trial on all of their pricing plans.

4. Chatra

Chatra is a sleek live chat and messaging solution designed to facilitate interactions between companies and their customers on their website. Chatra has powerful cross-platform capabilities and can be accessed through your browser, desktop app, or mobile app (Android/iOS).

Standout features

  • Unlimited Concurrent chats
  • Multilingual chat widget
  • Offline messaging
  • Typing indicators
  • Read receipts

Integrations:

Chatra integrates with popular SaaS products like Slack, Helpscout, and Google Analytics. To integrate Chatra with other platforms, it is recommended to use Zapier.

Pricing:

Chatra pricing starts at $15.00 per agent, per month.There is a free version. Chatra offers a free trial of its paid plans.

5. SnapEngage

SnapEngage is a scalable live chat tool that helps increase website conversion rates and improves customer satisfaction. It offers powerful omnichannel capabilities and native integrations with popular CRMs and Helpdesks. Uniquely, SnapEngage has set up specialists who guide you through the setup process and ensure your live chat widget gets up and running quickly.

Standout features

  • HIPAA compliance
  • Easy setup and Customization
  • Chat Transcripts
  • Chat Automation
  • Powerful Reporting and Analytics

Integrations:

SnapEngage easily integrates with your existing workflows through 3rd party apps. It has over 10 integrations. Some of the popular integrations include Jira, Microsoft Dynamics, and Basecamp.

Pricing:

SnapEngage pricing starts at $16.00 per month, per agent. There is no free version. SnapEngage offers a free trial. 

6. HelpCrunch

HelpCrunch is a highly rated customer communication software for your Support, Marketing & Sales team. It combines the power of a Live Chat tool, Email Marketing Automation, Help Desk, and Knowledgebase in one unified tool.

Standout features

  • Auto Messages
  • Email Marketing
  • Help Desk
  • Knowledge Base
  • Proactive Chat

Integrations

HelpCrunch integrates with over 15 popular SaaS tools. Popular integrations include Slack, Magento, Squarespace, and Google Analytics.

Pricing:

HelpCrunch plans start at $15.00 per month, per agent. HelpCrunch offers a free trial.

7. Olark

Olark is ideal for small- to mid-sized businesses looking for nifty live chat software. Olark integrates with a number of CRM, eCommerce, and Help Desk platforms to provide you with robust data and powerful customer insights. 

Standout features

  • Custom chatbox forms
  • Live chat analytics
  • Custom Chat workflows
  • Easy access to chat transcripts
  • Chat Distribution and Routing

Integrations

Olark integrates with over 15+ popular SaaS applications. It also has dedicated plugins for eCommerce platforms like Shopify, WordPress, Magento, and BigCommerce. Olark’s webhooks and Javascript API can be used to create custom integrations.

Pricing

Olark pricing starts at $17.00 per month, per agent. There is a free version that is suited for companies that are just starting out. Olark offers a free trial.

8. Zoho SalesIQ

Zoho SalesIQ is a Hassle-free live chat software designed for strong business growth. Zoho SalesIQ’s appearance is very modern, including the actual chat interface. There’s a mobile app for iOS and Android as well as a web-based management interface.

Standout features:

  • Visitor insights and lead scoring
  • Geolocate visitors
  • Track visitors’ footprints
  • Personalized chat
  • Automatic chat translation
  • Screen sharing

Integrations:

Zoho SalesIQ integrates with over 50 SaaS tools. Popular integrations include SugarCRM, WordPress, Facebook Messenger, and Bigcommerce. Zoho SalesIQ also integrates seamlessly with other Zoho products – providing a unified support experience.

Pricing:

Zoho SalesIQ pricing starts at $19.00 per month. There is a free plan. Zoho SalesIQ also offers a free trial.

9. Nextiva Chat

Nextiva is a voice-over-internet-protocol company that offers telephony and technology services. Nextiva allows you to increase revenue, deliver faster service, and boost efficiency through their live chat offering. It offers detailed chat-based reports, so managers can review chat transcripts, monitor agent performance, and track website visitors.

Standout features:

  • Unlimited Chat history
  • Internal Wiki
  • Convert Chats to Cases
  • Internal Chat

Integrations: 

Nextiva integrates with providers tools like Outlook, Weebly, Azure AD, etc.

Pricing:

Nextiva pricing starts at $25.00 per month, per agent. Nextiva offers a free trial to test their product.

10. Tidio

Tidio Live Chat is a comprehensive chat software designed for modern businesses aiming to interact with their website visitors, identify leads, and boost sales. Tidio combines the power of live chat with chatbots.

Standout features

  • Visitor insights and lead scoring
  • Geolocate visitors
  • Track visitors’ footprints
  • Personalized chat
  • Automatic chat translation
  • Screen sharing

Integrations

Tidio integrates with over 50 SaaS tools. Popular integrations include Hubspot, Wix, Mailchimp, and Shopify.

Pricing:

Tidio pricing starts at $15.00 per month for 3 operators. Additional chat operators are only available with the $18 per month plan and with an additional 10$ per seat. There is a free version. Tidio also offers a free trial.

Conclusion

Customer expectations are constantly on the rise, and it’s quintessential for organizations to keep pace with those expectations in a way that’s innovative and presents a differentiated experience over other competitors. The quickest way to gain the trust and loyalty of your customer is by interacting them with a lightning-fast channel like Live Chat.

All of the tools mentioned above provide an intuitive user experience for your customers. Most paid plans are affordable, and even some free plans offer fairly basic services. Here’s a handy pricing comparison chart comparing the different live chat software on their cheapest paid plan:

ProductCost per 5 agents per monthCost per 10 agents per month
HappyFox Chat$29$29
Bold 360No available dataNo available data
Zendesk Chat$70$140
Chatra$75$150
SnapEngage$80$160
HelpCrunch$75$150
Olark$85$170
Zoho SalesIQ$95$190
Nextiva Chat$125$250
Tidio$38$88

HappyFox Chat, the live chat solution that is revolutionizing the way businesses chat with customers. Start your 14-day free trial and enjoy unlimited agents on all our pricing plans. 

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