10+ Best Live Chat Software for eCommerce Stores (Free & Paid)
If you’re tired of watching potential customers abandon their carts or hesitate before hitting checkout, then it’s time to consider integrating powerful live chat software into your eCommerce store.
Live chat isn’t just about offering real-time support; it’s about building trust, boosting conversions, and creating personalized customer experiences that drive loyalty.
In this blog post, we’ll dive into the 10 best live chat software options for your online store both free and paid, helping you find the perfect tool to turn website visitors into loyal customers. Let’s get your chat box buzzing!
What Is Live Chat Software?
Live chat software is a tool that enables real-time communication between businesses and their customers or employees, usually through a chat window embedded on a website, mobile app, or even social media pages. It acts as a virtual bridge, allowing for instant dialogue and interaction without the need for phone calls or emails.
How Live Chat Software Works
The magic of live chat software unfolds behind the scenes, but understanding its inner workings can be quite interesting! Here’s how it works:
- Customers click on a chat window on your website or app, initiating a conversation with an available agent.
- Agents can communicate with multiple customers simultaneously, often with the help of automation and pre-built responses.
- Chat transcripts are logged, allowing for record-keeping and future reference.
Benefits of Using Live Chat Tool
Live chat tools offer a powerful and versatile solution for businesses to improve customer service, boost sales, gain valuable insights, and enhance brand image. With its numerous benefits, it’s no wonder why live chat has become an essential tool for businesses of all sizes across various industries, such as:
- Improved customer service: Live chat offers immediate assistance and builds stronger relationships with customers.
- Increased sales: Proactive chat prompts can engage visitors and answer questions, leading to more conversions.
- Reduced costs: Live chat can be more efficient than phone support, saving time and resources.
- Valuable insights: Chat transcripts provide valuable data about customer needs and preferences.
Gorgias – Online Chat for Website
Gorgias is a helpdesk platform specifically designed for eCommerce, combining live chat, an eCommerce chatbot, email ticketing, and analytics. It integrates with popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify and Magento to have a great online chat for website.
Pros:
- Omnichannel support: Handle all customer interactions (chat, email, social media) from one platform.
- Automated workflows: Set up automated responses, FAQs, and product recommendations for faster support.
- Advanced analytics: Track key metrics like conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and agent performance.
- Strong integrations: Connects with various eCommerce and CRM tools for a seamless workflow.
Cons:
- Pricier than other options: Starts at $60/month for the basic plan, with higher tiers offering more features.
- Steeper learning curve: Can be complex for smaller stores with limited tech experience.
Pricing:
- Starter: $10/month
- Basic: $60/month
- Pro: $360/month
- Advanced: $900/month
LiveChat – Live Chat Software
LiveChat is a user-friendly live chat software with a focus on simplicity and ease of use. It offers basic chat features, canned responses, and visitor tracking.
Pros:
- Easy to set up and use: Simple interface and intuitive design.
- Affordable: Starts with a free plan for up to 100 chats per month.
- Mobile app: Receive and respond to chats from your mobile device.
- Integrations: Connects with popular CRM, marketing automation, and analytics tools.
Cons:
- Limited features: Lacks advanced functionalities like ticketing, automation, and in-depth analytics.
- Less automation: Requires more manual work from agents compared to Gorgias.
- Branding limitations: Free and lower tiers include LiveChat branding on your chat window.
Pricing:
- Starter: $20/month
- Team: $41/month
- Business: $59/month
Olark – Best Live Chat Software
Olark is the best live chat software designed to help businesses connect with customers in real time. It offers a user-friendly interface for both agents and visitors, with features like proactive chat triggers, targeted engagement tools, and integrations with popular open source eCommerce platforms.
Pros:
- Simple and easy to use: Olark features a clean interface and intuitive settings, making it easy for both non-technical users and agents to pick it up.
- Proactive chat triggers: Engage visitors actively with automated chat greetings based on browsing behavior or page triggers.
- Targeted engagement tools: Segment visitors based on their characteristics and send personalized messages to increase conversion rates.
- eCommerce integrations: Integrates seamlessly with leading platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, displaying visitor information and order details within the chat window.
Cons:
- Limited reporting: While analytics are available, they might be less comprehensive compared to some competitors, especially for larger teams.
- Fewer customization options: The interface offers less design and branding flexibility compared to other live chat solutions.
- Limited automation features: Compared to some competitors, Olark’s automation options are more focused on proactive chat triggers and less on automated workflows.
Pricing:
- A free plan with basic features
- Paid plans start at $29/month for additional features and agent seats
Tidio Chat – Free Chat for Website
Tidio Chat is a beginner-friendly, affordable live chat software solution with an integrated chatbot and email marketing tools. It focuses on user-friendliness and ease of customization for small and medium-sized businesses.
Pros:
- Simple and intuitive interface: Easy to install and set up, even for non-technical users.
- Freemium plan: Basic live chat features are available for free chat for website with paid plans offering advanced functionalities.
- Omnichannel communication: Combines live chat with email, Facebook Messenger, and other channels on one platform.
- Chatbot builder: Create automated chatbots to answer common questions and qualify leads.
- Marketing tools: Send targeted email campaigns and collect leads through chat pop-ups.
Cons:
- Limited reporting and analytics: Paid plans offer basic analytics, but deeper insights are lacking.
- Chatbot capabilities are basic: Rule-based bots require manual setup and lack AI-powered learning.
- Scalability limitations: May not be suitable for high-volume businesses with complex needs.
Pricing:
- Free plan: Unlimited seats, 50 conversations
- Starter plan: $29/month
- Grow plan: $59/month
- Tidio+: $398/month
Freshdesk
Freshdesk is a comprehensive customer service suite with integrated live chat, a ticketing system, and omnichannel capabilities. It caters to medium-sized and large businesses looking for a scalable solution. Freshchat is a perfect solution for owners who are looking for live chat software.
Pros:
- Powerful features: Advanced omnichannel support, ticket management, reporting and analytics, and automation tools.
- Scalability: Can handle high-volume customer interactions and grow with your business.
- AI-powered chatbots: Freddy AI provides intelligent chatbots for automated support and lead qualification.
- Customization: Highly customizable dashboards, workflows, and reporting.
- Integrations: Integrates with a wide range of CRM, eCommerce, and marketing tools.
Cons:
- Complex setup and navigation: May have a steeper learning curve for new users.
- Higher pricing: Can be expensive for startups and small businesses.
- Live chat features may not be as user-friendly as dedicated live chat solutions.
Pricing:
- Free: Upto 10 agents
- Growth plan: $15/month
- Pro plan: $49/month
- Enterprise plan: $79/month
Freshchat
Freshchat is a cloud-based customer messaging platform with a focus on omnichannel engagement and AI-powered chatbots. It’s well-suited for businesses looking for a modern, conversational approach to customer support. You can use Freshchat as a free live chat for website with basic features.
Pros:
- Omnichannel messaging: Integrate chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other channels into one platform.
- AI-powered chatbots: Freddy AI delivers personalized chat experiences and automates customer support tasks.
- Cross-channel history: View and manage all conversations from different channels.
- Proactive engagement: Initiate chats based on website visitor behavior.
- Scalable: Can handle high chat volumes and integrate with other Freshworks products.
Cons:
- Limited reporting: Paid plans offer basic reporting, and advanced insights require additional tools.
- Integration cost: Connecting to some eCommerce platforms requires separate subscriptions.
- Mobile app limitations: May not offer all features available on the web platform.
Pricing:
- Free: Upto 10 agents
- Growth plan: $15/month
- Pro plan: $49/month
- Enterprise plan: $79/month
Zendesk
Zendesk is a popular customer service software company that offers a variety of features, including ticketing, live chat, and a help center. It is a cloud-based solution that is easy to use and can be scaled to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. It’s known as the best live chat software.
Pros:
- Comprehensive features: Zendesk offers a wide range of features beyond live chat, making it a one-stop shop for customer service needs.
- Scalability: Zendesk can be scaled to accommodate businesses of all sizes.
- Integrations: Zendesk integrates with a wide range of third-party tools and platforms.
- Security: Zendesk takes data security seriously and offers several security features.
Cons:
- Cost: Zendesk can be expensive, especially for smaller businesses.
- Complexity: Zendesk can be complex to set up and use, especially for non-technical users.
- Limited customization: Zendesk’s live chat widget is not as customizable as some other options.
Pricing:
- Suite team plan: $55/month
- Suite growth plan: $89/month
- Suite professional: $115/month
Pure Chat
Pure Chat is a live chat software that is specifically designed for eCommerce stores. It offers a variety of features, such as proactive chat, chat transcripts, and visitor insights. Pure Chat is a cloud-based solution that is easy to use and can be installed on any website.
Pros:
- Ease of use: Pure Chat is very easy to set up and use, even for non-technical users.
- Customizable: Pure Chat’s live chat widget is highly customizable, allowing you to match it to your brand.
- Free plan: Pure Chat offers a free plan with basic features.
- Affordable paid plans: Pure Chat’s paid plans are very affordable, even for small businesses.
Cons:
- Limited features: Pure Chat does not offer some of the advanced features that other live chat solutions do.
- Integrations: Pure Chat’s integrations are not as extensive as Zendesk’s.
- Reporting: Pure Chat’s reporting features are not as robust as Zendesk’s.
Pricing:
- Growth plan: $39/month
- Pro plan: $79/month
Intercom
Intercom is a robust customer messaging platform offering live chat, email, and messenger integrations. It excels at personalized automation and proactive outreach, making it ideal for businesses seeking sophisticated customer engagement.
Pros:
- Advanced features: Intercom offers AI-powered chatbots, targeted messaging, and lead scoring, making it ideal for scaling customer engagement.
- Personalization: Intercom allows you to personalize chat greetings, proactive messages, and product recommendations based on user behavior.
- Integrations: Intercom integrates seamlessly with various CRM, marketing, and eCommerce platforms.
- Robust analytics: Intercom provides detailed insights into chat performance, user behavior, and conversion rates.
Cons:
- Learning curve: Intercom’s advanced features might have a steeper learning curve for beginner users.
- Cost: Intercom can be expensive compared to simpler live chat options, especially for small businesses.
- Limited customization: While Intercom offers some customization, it may not be as flexible as other platforms.
Pricing:
- Essential plan: $39/month
- Advanced plan: $99/month
- Expert plan: $139/month
DelightChat
DelightChat is a user-friendly live chat software solution specifically designed for eCommerce stores. It focuses on simplifying customer interactions and boosting conversions with AI-powered features.
Pros:
- Ease of use: DelightChat’s intuitive interface makes it easy for anyone to set up and use, even without technical expertise.
- eCommerce focus: Features like product recommendations and abandoned cart recovery are tailor-made for online stores.
- AI-powered chatbots: AI-powered chatbots handle basic inquiries and qualify leads, freeing up your team for complex interactions.
- Affordable: DelightChat offers competitive pricing, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.
Cons:
- Limited features: DelightChat lacks some of the advanced features and integrations offered by Intercom.
- Less personalization: While DelightChat offers some personalization options, it’s not as robust as Intercom’s automation capabilities.
- Reporting basics: DelightChat’s reporting tools are good for basic insights but may not be sufficient for sophisticated analytics needs.
Pricing:
- Startup plan: $49/month
- Scale plan: $99/month
- Growth plan: $299/month
Read More: What Is An eCommerce CMS? (Top 12 Picks)
