16 Best WordPress Live Chat Plugins to Skyrocket Conversions in 2022

You work hard to attract customers to your WordPress site, but is your hard work paying off? Consider this: 57% of customers abandon their online purchases if they can‘t get quick answers to their questions (Forrester). 73% say valuing their time is the most important thing companies can do to serve them better (Forrester).

The solution? Implementing live chat on your WordPress site. With the right plugin, you can:

• Proactively engage visitors before they leave your site
• Provide instant, personalized answers to increase conversions
• Build trust and relationships with prompt, human service
• Reduce support costs by handling multiple chats at once
• Gather valuable customer data for sales and marketing

Live chat usage has grown by 400% since 2015 and shows no signs of slowing down (99firms). 79% of businesses say live chat has had a positive effect on sales, revenue and customer loyalty (Kayako). Can you afford to miss out on those results?

Luckily, implementing live chat on WordPress is easier than ever with the plethora of plugins available. But choosing the right one for your specific needs can be tricky. That‘s why we‘ve done the research for you and compiled this ultimate list of the 16 best WordPress live chat plugins for 2022.

How to Choose the Best Live Chat Plugin for Your WordPress Site

Before we dive into the individual plugin reviews, let‘s cover some key criteria to consider when evaluating live chat solutions:

1. Ease of setup and use on WordPress
2. Customization options to match your branding
3. Availability of web, desktop and mobile agent apps
4. Live visitor tracking (location, pages viewed, etc.)
5. Canned responses for frequently asked questions
6. Proactive chat triggers and invitations
7. Agent-to-agent notes and chat transfers
8. Built-in chatbots and automation capabilities
9. Support for multiple languages and translation
10. Reporting and analytics to measure performance
11. Integrations with CRM, eCommerce and other tools
12. Reliable vendor support and documentation
13. Pricing and overall value for the features

With those factors in mind, here are our picks for the top 16 WordPress live chat plugins, including detailed reviews, feature comparisons, and pricing info.

1. HubSpot Live Chat

HubSpot‘s WordPress plugin packs an impressive array of free sales, marketing and support features, including a fantastic live chat tool. It‘s our top overall pick for growing businesses.

Key features:

• Seamless integration with WordPress in a few clicks
• Clean, modern chat widget that matches your site
• Real-time visitor info like page, location, and device
• Canned responses to answer FAQs instantly
• Automatic chat to lead capture in the free HubSpot CRM
• Chatbot builder for 24/7 automated support
• In-depth reporting on chat volume, response times, and agent performance
• Desktop, iOS and Android agent apps for on-the-go chat
• 300+ integrations with popular tools like Slack and Zapier

Pricing: 100% free to use live chat with unlimited chats. Upgrade starting at $45/month for more advanced features.

2. LiveChat

LiveChat is a robust live chat app trusted by major brands like PayPal and McDonald‘s. While not the cheapest option, its advanced features and slick interface are worth the price.

Notable capabilities:

• One-click integration with WordPress via plugin
• Eye-catching chat buttons and proactive invitations
• Detailed customer profiles with previous interactions
• Intelligent chat routing to the right team or agent
• Canned responses and agent chat templates
• Secure payments directly in the chat window
• AI-powered chatbots with natural language processing
• Advanced chat metrics and customer satisfaction ratings
• 200+ integrations with CRMs, eCommerce, help desk and more

Pricing: Starts at $16 per agent per month. 14-day free trial.

3. Tidio

Over 300,000 websites use Tidio‘s simple but powerful WordPress live chat plugin. It‘s especially popular among small businesses for its multi-channel inbox and chatbot features.

Top features:

• Easy installation from the WordPress plugin library
• Customizable chat widget in 140+ languages
• Shared inbox for live chat, email, and Facebook Messenger
• Chatbots with visual drag-and-drop builder
• Visitor list with location, page views, and devices
• Proactive chat triggers based on time and behavior
• Email follow-up to continue conversations
• Live typing preview to see what visitors are saying
• Desktop and mobile apps to chat from any device

Pricing: Free for 3 agents. Paid plans start at $15 per month.

Rather than listing full details for all 16 plugins, here is a comparison table summarizing the key features and pricing for the remaining top WordPress live chat plugins in 2022:

Plugin	Chatbot	Mobile Apps	Visitor Tracking	Integrations	Pricing from
Tawk.to	✓	✓	✓	20+	Free
Zendesk Chat	✓	✓	✓	100+	$14/agent/mo
Olark	✓	✓	✓	50+	$17/agent/mo
Intercom	✓	✓	✓	100+	$39/mo
Drift	✓	✓	✓	50+	$40/mo
Freshchat	✓	✓	✓	50+	$15/agent/mo
UserLike	✖	✓	✖	20+	€29/mo
Chaport	✓	✓	✓	10+	$15/agent/mo
Pure Chat	✖	✓	✓	15+	$39/mo
Formilla	✓	✓	✓	15+	$11.99/agent/mo
Chatra	✓	✓	✓	10+	Free
Smartsupp	✓	✓	✓	20+	$10/agent/mo
Jivochat	✓	✓	✓	5+	$13/agent/mo

As you can see, most of the top live chat plugins offer comparable core features like customizable chat widgets, visitor tracking, and canned responses. The key differentiators tend to be:

• Pricing structure (free vs per agent vs per month)
• Depth of chatbot and automation capabilities
• Number and quality of 3rd party integrations
• Availability of additional channels like email and Facebook Messenger
• Unique features like co-browsing, video chat, or analytics

Ultimately, the "best" live chat plugin for your WordPress site depends on your specific needs and budget. We recommend making a prioritized list of your must-have features, narrowing it down to 3-5 options, then taking advantage of free trials to test before committing.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your WordPress Live Chat Plugin

Having the right tool is only part of the equation. To maximize the impact of live chat for your business, you need a sound strategy and well-trained agents. Here are some tips:

1. Put the chat widget in a prominent location like the bottom right corner
2. Write a clear, compelling greeting to invite visitors to chat
3. Create and organize canned responses for faster replies
4. Integrate your CRM to personalize chats and build complete customer records
5. Set up proactive chat triggers for high-intent pages like pricing or checkout
6. Route chats to the appropriate department or expert for the query
7. Use chatbots to handle basic FAQs and qualify leads 24/7
8. Train agents to keep responses quick, clear, and empathetic
9. Analyze chat transcripts to identify gaps in your knowledge base content
10. Monitor key metrics like response times and customer satisfaction regularly

By implementing these best practices in combination with a robust live chat plugin, you‘ll be well on your way to providing the fast, frictionless service modern consumers demand. The payoff will come in more leads, conversions, and loyal customers.

The Future of Live Chat (And What it Means for WordPress)

As technology evolves, so do consumer expectations for on-demand service. Recent developments in conversational AI, personalization, and omnichannel messaging will continue to reshape the landscape of customer engagement. To stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on these live chat trends:

• Greater adoption of chatbots to scale support while still feeling "human"
• Deeper integration between live chat and other systems (CRM, order management, etc)
• More personalized chat experiences based on customer data and behavior
• Increased use of video, co-browsing, and screen sharing during chats
• Unified agent inbox to manage chats alongside email, social media and SMS

Forward-thinking businesses will leverage these emerging capabilities to meet customers where they are and provide even more efficient, effective support. The most successful live chat tools will be those that balance automation and AI with authentic human interaction.

However the technology evolves, one thing is clear: Live chat is now table stakes for any company that does business online. Those that fail to offer real-time, personalized engagement will get left behind in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.

By staying on top of the trends and continually optimizing your live chat strategy, you can turn more browsers into buyers and build the kind of customer relationships that fuel sustainable growth. These 16 WordPress live chat plugins are a fantastic place to start.