{"id":2432,"date":"2019-03-14T08:26:39","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T13:26:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.kmbrian.com\/?p=2432"},"modified":"2020-12-04T00:39:00","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T06:39:00","slug":"free-live-chat-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/free-live-chat-software\/","title":{"rendered":"21 Best Free Live Chat Software"},"content":{"rendered":"
Live chat is big right now \u2013 and the numbers behind its adoption prove why.\u00a0Recent research from Kayako<\/a>, which surveyed more than 400 consumers and 100 businesses, found that:<\/p>\n The bottom line? Live chat offers huge potential benefits, whether you\u2019re a big-ticket\u00a0B2B company<\/a>\u00a0or a transactional ecommerce retailer.<\/p>\n But with so many options on the market, which should you choose? First, let\u2019s look at what you can expect across most live chat tools. Then, we\u2019ll explore 15 of the best free live chat software programs out there, along with the features that make them different.<\/p>\n Knowing what\u2019s commonly available from live chat programs makes it easier to differentiate one option from another.<\/p>\n To that end, here are some common features you\u2019ll find across most live chat software programs:<\/p>\n As a note, although these features are available on live chat programs, the extent to which they\u2019re implemented may vary across free and paid plans. Chat history, for example, might be limited to just a few days or weeks on free plans, while longer histories of up to a year may be available by upgrading to the same program\u2019s paid plan.<\/p>\n With that in mind, let\u2019s take a look at our 15 favorite free live chat software programs:<\/p>\n Website: hubspot.com\/products\/crm\/live-chat<\/a> HubSpot launched their free live chat tool as an integral part of their free CRM. This makes it an excellent choice for a growing business because, first off, you won’t have to spend tons of time and money integrated different systems and piping your data into a different place. It just happens automatically. Second, it allows you a full view of your visitor and customer communications as well as contact property data of those you chat with (giving you an edge in terms of context).<\/p>\n Because it\u2019s tied so tightly to the HubSpot CRM you\u2019ll know exactly who you\u2019re chatting with and their history, be it a prospect, long time customer, or new contact.<\/p>\n The whole live chat system is built on their Conversations product, which is like a free, collaborative inbox that the whole company can use to collaborate on incoming messages.<\/p>\n Deals, tickets, and more can be spun up from live chats and transcripts are stored on the contact record in the CRM.<\/p>\n The targeting capabilities are limited, at least on the free setup. However, if you pay for HubSpot’s Marketing Hub, you can do some pretty interesting and robust things with their automation workflows (similar to what you can do with Intercom, Drift, etc.)<\/p>\n Website: liveagent.com\/free-live-chat-software\/<\/span><\/a> LiveAgent launched a free live chat tool as an integral part of their free help desk software. The software is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses across all industries. Using the software, you can chat with customers in real-time, while viewing and managing important customer information. All of your live chat conversation transcripts will be saved in the form of a ticket, so you can review what was said to your customers as needed.<\/p>\n Apart from enabling users to chat with customers in real-time, the free software also offers free ticket management, CRM, call center, and knowledge base functionality. In essence, it\u2019s your one-stop-shop for all of your customer service needs.<\/p>\n LiveAgent\u2019s free live chat software is also fully customizable, as well as language adaptable. It\u2019s also the fastest performing live chat widget on the market, enabling you to convert potential buyers into paying customers in seconds. LiveAgent offers 24\/7 support, as well as ready to use Android and iOS apps for customer service on the go.<\/p>\n Website: crisp.chat\/en\/<\/a> Like many of the live chat tools featured here, Crisp uses chat windows to support customer messaging and feedback gathering. What\u2019s unique, however, is what you can do with this data after it\u2019s captured.<\/p>\n Companies with longer sales cycles, for example, will enjoy the ability to send drip marketing campaigns from the program, based on data gathered by Crisp. The program\u2019s sales pipeline<\/a> automation tools will also appeal to those with sophisticated sales programs.<\/p>\n Another interesting feature: a status monitoring system that alerts customers to outages as they\u2019re detected. SaaS companies that promise certain uptimes may benefit from these proactive communications.<\/p>\n Website: Acquire.io<\/a> Acquire live chat solution help you to engage with your visitors and customers at the most critical point of their journey. Use of AI-driven assistance mechanism automatically interprets common customer queries and resolves them without involving your service agents. Send behavior based auto messages to garner engagement.<\/p>\n Reduce understanding barriers as any input by your customers is assisted with a \u201cSmart Suggestion\u201d feature which helps the customers to easily express their concern without having to worry about terminologies.<\/p>\n Empowers the agent to resolves complex issues in the first interaction with co-browsing. The agent can literally take control over the customer’s browser and give visual cues by engaging in a two-way interaction.<\/p>\n 5. JivoChat<\/span><\/p>\n Website:\u00a0http:\/\/www.jivochat.com\/features\/<\/a> JivoChat offers a robust onmichannel business messenger that enables sales and support teams to connect with users via live chat, phone, email and social media channels.<\/p>\n The live chat application provides a single point of record for support and sales reps. Agents receive all chats, emails, and calls in a single, easy-to-navigate window, which enables faster response and resolution times.<\/p>\n The platform offers a host of features that can be used to improve communications with website visitors, including automatic triggers, callbacks, detailed visitor information, CRM integration, and easy connections with other chat tools such as facebook messenger and WhatsApp.<\/p>\n JivoChat is used by over 285,000 websites, and with a 4.7 star rating, is the top-rated mobile support app at the App Store.<\/p>\n 6. LiveSupporti<\/span><\/p>\n Website:\u00a0livesupporti.com<\/a> Designed to provide great customer support through live chat, LiveSupporti gives users the ability to assign messages to different groups (for example, your sales or customer service teams), as well as to view a \u201csneak peek\u201d of visitors\u2019 text as they\u2019re typing in order to provide faster support.<\/p>\n Like Tawk, LiveSupporti uses geolocation features to enable agents to provide targeted support. Advanced visitor statistics also improve the service experience by showing agents which pages they\u2019ve visited, how long they stayed on a particular page, their browser, their operating system and their device.<\/p>\n Unlike many of the other systems mentioned here, LiveSupporti offers an \u201cInfinity\u201d plan that can be locked in for unlimited agents for a one-time fee. If you anticipate using live chat for a long time, across a large team of agents, LiveSupporti\u2019s one-time fee may turn out to be cheaper than ongoing subscription charges.<\/p>\n Website: livezilla.net<\/a> Like other programs described here, LiveZilla offers three core features: live chat, visitor monitoring and user ticketing.<\/p>\n A few things that set it apart, however, include its development based on open source technology, as well as its data privacy features (especially important to EU companies that must be GDPR compliant).<\/p>\n Website: rocketbots.io<\/a> Rocketbots straddles the line between live chat tool and CRM. Not only does the program integrate with multiple messaging apps \u2013 including Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Slack and Kik \u2013 it captures the information gathered on these platforms to facilitate more effective messaging.<\/p>\n Rocketbots calls itself a \u201cself-learning system,\u201d stating that it includes an \u201cAI that learns from your conversations and suggests the replies you\u2019ve already used when similar inquiries come up later. The more conversations you have, the smarter it gets.\u201d<\/p>\n Because the program offers a free trial with no credit card required, it\u2019s worth a look if you\u2019re looking for a more advanced chat system that spans multiple platforms.<\/p>\n Website: userlike.com<\/a> <\/p>\n Website: onwebchat.com<\/a> onWebChat may not be as feature-rich as some of the other options, but its lightweight construction offers one key benefit: it claims to not affect site speeds on the sites where it\u2019s installed. Given that more than\u00a0half of website visitors will leave<\/a>\u00a0a page that takes more than three seconds to load, site speed should be a vital consideration when choosing a live chat program.<\/p>\n That said, onWebChat\u2019s minimalist approach doesn\u2019t mean your visitors\u2019 experience will suffer. Besides its core chat features, onWebChat offers the ability to easily toggle between multiple chats, as well as a visitor history viewer that\u2019s visible to agents during chat sessions.<\/p>\n Website: purechat.com<\/a> A straightforward program, PureChat offers the simplicity of tools like onWebChat alongside more advanced options, such as its ArtiBot.ai lead capture bot.<\/p>\n The free version of the program makes past chat transcripts and canned responses available, while paid plans add real-time visitor analytics and SMS messaging capabilities. Detailed setup guides are available for popular platforms at all subscription levels.<\/p>\n Website: zendesk.com<\/a> If you do, you\u2019ll enjoy access to triggered conversations and live chat analytics, as well as the ability to integrate with everything from websites and mobile apps, to popular messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and LINE.<\/p>\n Website: clickdesk.com<\/a> One notable feature you\u2019ll find on ClickDesk that you won\u2019t find on many other live chat programs is video chat functionality, which makes it possible to offer face-to-face support to your customers.<\/p>\n On top of that, ClickDesk guarantees 99.95% uptime, in addition to providing users with a popular help desk option and integrations with commonly-used social media programs.<\/p>\n Website: smartsupp.com<\/a> Smartsupp is a smart choice for ecommerce sellers, given the program\u2019s integration with popular shopping platforms, as well as video recordings of users\u2019 website activities to facilitate easier support experiences.<\/p>\n As an added bonus? If you\u2019re a pro user and you happen to drop by the team\u2019s office in the Czech Republic, they\u2019ll treat you to a complimentary shot of local Slivovica brandy.<\/p>\n Website: zoho.com\/salesiq<\/a> Like ZenDesk, Zoho\u2019s SalesIQ live chat program is part of the larger Zoho ecosystem, which contains everything from CRM to sales-focused tools.<\/p>\n Users who sign up for multiple Zoho programs will get the most out of SalesIQ\u2019s features, but even those who don\u2019t will be able to enjoy automated visitor geolocation, lead scoring and sales team<\/a> coaching features that allow team managers to understand the performance of individual agents.<\/p>\n Website: chatra.io<\/a> Like other programs listed here, Chatra offers a multilingual chat widget that ensures agents are able to provide a great experience to all visitors \u2013 no matter where in the world they\u2019re located.<\/p>\n Beyond this, users may be interested in Chatra\u2019s screen sharing integration, as well as its outgoing webhooks, which make it easier to sync Chatra activities with other programs. Although both features are only available to paid users, they\u2019re worth a look by any business that\u2019s interested in maximizing the value of its live chat experiences.<\/p>\n Website: helpcrunch.com<\/a> HelpCrunch calls its live chat system a \u201csmart customer communication platform\u201d because it offers so much more than simple chat engagement. Beyond its ability to answer visitor questions, the system comes with built-in lead prequalification features and multichannel messaging opportunities.<\/p>\n Agents using the platform will benefit from tagging, assigning and merging features that simplify visitor conversation management. And a heads-up for smaller teams \u2013 these features and more are available for free to single-agent subscriptions.<\/p>\n Website: freshworks.com\/live-chat-software<\/a> In addition to its extensibility, FreshChat offers agents visitor context tools, which enrich chat conversations with event timelines, user information and data from visitors\u2019 social profiles. It also makes a huge resource library available, ensuring every FreshChat user gets the most out of the popular platform.<\/p>\n Website:\u00a0Intercom.com<\/a> Intercom is the leading conversational relationship platform that helps businesses build better relationships with their customers through scalable messaging. Staying true to this goal, Intercom’s Business Messenger allows companies to chat with customers in real-time. With its app store of more than 100+ apps, the Business Messenger can easily integrate with other tools, making it infinitely customizable to whatever is most important to your business.<\/p>\n What makes Intercom stand out from competitors is the seamless way you can communicate with all your customers through one interface — whether it\u2019s answering an email or an in-app message. The chat window also mimics apps that users use daily, making it easy and inviting for them to talk to a customer support rep.<\/p>\n Another interesting Intercom feature are the triggered automated campaigns that you can create based on a particular event or user behavior. For example, if a repeat visitor looks at a page a number of times, you can start a direct conversation with them, whether it\u2019s automated or in real-time.<\/p>\n Website: http:\/\/www.tidio.com\/live-chat\/<\/a> All-in-one website chat (boosted with chatbots) might be all you need to engage your website visitors in real-time, capture leads and create personalized offers on the spot. It goes by the name of\u00a0Tidio Live Chat<\/a>.<\/p>\n With Tidio you easily address\u00a0questions and concerns of your customers, build customized chatbots and track your visitors behaviour – from the moment they land on your page. Tidio offers a free plan (forever) equipped with all important features to help you run a successful eCommerce business. It’s one of the most innovative and affordable solutions on the market.\u00a0Tidio can also be integrated with most popular eCommerce platforms, as well as Zapier and other third-party apps.<\/p>\n Website: tawk.to<\/a> Though Tawk doesn\u2019t offer the same level of sales automation features as Crisp, those with simpler live chat needs will appreciate its \u201calways free\u201d option and its promise of one-minute installation.<\/p>\n\n
Live Chat: Standard Software Features<\/h2>\n
\n
1. Hubspot<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free
\nFree Option: Unlimited<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
2. LiveAgent<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $39 per month per agent
\nFree Option: Yes, unlimited agent seats<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
3. Crisp.Chat<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $95\/month (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, 2 seats included<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
4. Acquire.io<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: $40 per month (details<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nPrice: Free – $13 per month per agent
\nFree option: Yes, Basic plan for up to 5 agents<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $99 one-time fee (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, 1 agent included<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
7. LiveZilla<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 1100\u20ac lifetime fee for unlimited operators and bots (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, 1 operator or bot included<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
8. Rocketbots<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $99\/month (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, up to 1,000 messages per month<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
9. Userlike<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 299\u20ac per month (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, includes 1 operator, 1 chat widget and unlimited chats<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
10. onWebChat<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $8\/month\/operator (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, up to 100 chats per month<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
11. Pure Chat<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $79\/month (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, unlimited live chat for up to 3 users or operators<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
12. ZenDesk<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $59\/month\/agent (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, including 1 concurrent chat<\/p>\nLive chat is just one part of ZenDesk\u2019s larger suite of customer support tools, so it\u2019s most effective in practice if you plan to buy into the company\u2019s larger product ecosystem.<\/p>\n
13. ClickDesk<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $39.99\/month (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, for up to 10 users and 30 chats<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
14. Smartsupp<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $23.75\/month\/agent (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, for up to 3 agents<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
15. Zoho SalesIQ<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $129\/month (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, for up to 2 operators<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
16. Chatra<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $19\/month\/agent (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, including 1 agent<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
17. HelpCrunch<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $15\/month (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: 14-day free trial<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
18. Freshdesk<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $99\/month\/team member (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, including up to 10 team members<\/p>\nLooking for a live chat system that ties directly into a CRM, a marketing automation platform, a help desk and more? Look no further than FreshChat \u2013 part of the FreshWorks 360-degree \u201ccustomer-for-life\u201d software suite.<\/p>\n
19. Intercom<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $153\/month (details<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes — Free trials for Business Messenger, Team Inbox, Outbound Messages<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
20. Tidio<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free \u2013 $15\/month\/10$\/additional operators\u00a0(details)<\/a>
\nFree Option: Yes, includes 3 operators.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
21. Tawk.To<\/h2>\n
\nPrice: Free (chat agents available for $1\/hour<\/a>)
\nFree Option: Yes, unlimited usage<\/p>\n<\/p>\n