Top 10 Best Website Chat Options

Are you considering the best website chat options? If you’re beginning to feel distant from your customers, you might want to consider live chat solutions. Chat options are a great way to communicate live with your customers. For additional help, SEO Design Chicago has trained professionals who can answer any questions you might have concerning website chat options. This article will go through free live chat software available, paid live chart, and free website pop up chat boxes.

Best Free Live Chat Software

You have probably heard of chatbots. The difference between live chat software and chatbots is that live chat is a real person. You might be wondering why your business should invest in live chat software. Some companies offer free live chat software. In today’s modern society, where everything is accessible by a quick touch of a button, people want quick answers. If you want to improve your relationship with your customers, live chat is one place to begin. You can either manage live chats using your company’s service agents, or you can outsource live chat services to third-party companies. SEO Design Chicago has trained professionals who can help you with finding the right live chat software to fit your business’s needs.One issue that websites have is reaching out to their customers in a timely manner. Live chat software helps speed up the process of getting back to your customers. Most people also would prefer receiving a text message rather than a phone call. A live chat allows the communication to be more convenient. 

Top 10 Best Website Chat Options

Live chat is a great way for you to increase your leads and conversion rates. Websites are now offering some sort of online customer service, but they should consider switching over to live chat. The top 10 best free live chat software include:

1: HubSpot Live Chat

HubSpot Live Chat is one of the best free live chat software. The HubSpot Live Chat’s software provides custom branding, welcome messages, support answers, and meeting scheduling, to name a few of its benefits. The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool that HubSpot provides is a great way to interact with past customers. If you’re looking for a free and easy to use CRM, HubSpot Live Chat is the perfect way to go. 

2: Podium Webchat

Podium Webchat is one of the best live chat to text software. If you like text messages and are looking for an easy way to communicate with customers, Podium Webchat is a great option to consider. Podium Webchat’s live chat widget is also customizable, so you can match your live chat to your website and branding.Customers can enter their phone number into the live chat window to converse with your business. You can also text them answers to their potential questions, schedule appointments with them, or even keep the conversation going after they leave their computer. Podium Webchat doesn’t cost you a dime to get started, too. 

3: Olark

If you’re a smaller business or manage a smaller website, Olark might be the live chat option for you. It is one of the best live chat software for sales and marketing. Even though Olark isn’t a free live chat software, it is still quite affordable, with plans starting at $12 per agent. 

4: Crisp.Chat

Crisp.Chat offers a free option with two seats included, but can also be as high as $95 per month. This software uses chat windows to support feedback gathering and customer messaging. If you’re a business that has longer sales cycles, Crisp can be a great option for you, as you have the ability to send drip marketing campaigns, as a result of Crisp’s data gathering. They also have a status monitoring system that can alert customers to outages as soon as they’re detected. 

5: Chatra

Chatra is a live chat messenger application that is designed to allow you to engage with your customers and cater to their needs. offers a multilingual chat widget, which provides you with customers from around the globe. They provide a free option that includes one agent. Users may also take advantage of Chitra’s screen sharing and other features that make their live chat experiences positive.

6: HelpCrunch

HelpCrunch is more than a simple chat engagement platform. It offers a free 14-day trial, but after the trial is over, it’s only $15 per month. HelpCrunch not only answers customer’s questions, but also has multi channel messaging and lead features. It also simplifies visitor conversation management. HelpCrunch is especially helpful to smaller businesses as some features are more accessible.

7: Freshdesk

Freshdesk has a free option that allows you to add up to ten team members. Freshdesk is a marketing automation platform and part of the FreshWorks 360-degree software suite. FreshChat gives agents visitor content tools to improve their communication with their customers. FreshChat also has a resource library, giving you a wide variety of information. 

8: LiveAgent

LiveAgent offers a free chat tool option as part of their free help desk software. For the free option, you have an unlimited number of agent seats. LiveAgent’s software is perfect for smaller businesses. They offer chatting with customers in real-time, free ticket management, and CRM. It also provides your business with language adaptability and is customizable.

9: Tawk.To

Tawk.To includes a free option or has chat agents available for $1 per hour. Tawk.To also provides monitoring and chatting with your website customers and enables responding to support tickets. It also creates a help center that allows customers to help themselves. Even though it doesn’t offer the same features as Crisp does, if you’re looking for an absolutely free, but simpler, live chat, Tawk is the way to go. 

10: Intercom

Intercom’s free option includes free trials for Team Inbox, Business Messenger, and Outbound Messages. Depending on your available price range, they also offer options up to $153 a month. Intercom can help your business improve your relationship with your customers by scalable messaging. They have an app store that includes more than 100 apps, making it customizable. Intercom allows your business to communicate with all of your users through one interface. Another feature of Intercom is sending out automated campaigns to repetitive visitors and allows you to start a conversation with them.   

Pop Up Chat Box for Website Free

If you’re looking to create a customized pop up chat box for your website, or use software to create one, there are a few free pop up chat box software you can use. A chat box is a cloud-based messaging platform. It is designed for businesses of all shapes and sizes. A chat box also enables your users to manage live chat communication channels. They are also a great way for users to personalize messages using customer data from the fields (such as name or age) in the message. Some free pop up chat box software options include:

• phpFreeChat: If you find that your website isn’t that social, you can run a chat room. PhpFreeChat helps your website become more user-friendly. It is also easy to set up and is customizable.

• LiveZilla: LiveZilla offers a free 30 day trial to the pro version before they downgrade you. Depending on your funds, you can look into LiveZilla’s paid versions, which includes a one-time payment. If you find that you enjoyed the free trial, LiveZilla might be the way to go for your website.

• Pure Chat: Pure Chat is a popular chat script and is easy to use. They offer a range of chatting options, visitor analytics, and pre-generated responses for your FAQs. They also provide a free option that includes unlimited live chat for up to 3 users or operators. The free version of Pure Chat also makes past chat transcripts available. With Pure Chat’s paid plans, it adds real-time visitor analytics and SMS messaging features.

• My Live Chat: My Live Chat offers a free plan that enables you to grab your user’s attention before they leave your website. Some of their features include a spell checker, multilingual support, and an unlimited number of chats. 

• Live Chat Script: Even though Live Chat Script is free software, it has popular features that most paid chat tools have. These tools include chat queue display, offline messaging including notifications and email, and an independent mobile web app. 

There are many free options out there that can give your business’s website a customized look. For more features, you can also look into their paid plans, some of which can be within your price range. After finding a pop up chat box that meets your business’s needs, SEO Design Chicago can help you customize and add it to your website.

Benefits of Paid Chat

Many people think that a free chat is going to be a better option than paying for one, right? After all, who does not like free?However, the paid chat options have some great benefits that are not commonly found with a free program. 

• You are much more likely to have a human chatting instead of a bot
• You can often have that human offer services 
• The paid chats are often designed to get leads. Many times, a single good lead from a paid chat can more than make up for the cost of the service.

Ready to Start Chatting on Your Website?

Now that you know more about the best free website live chat options and the many software options available with free options, you are ready to begin increasing your communication rates with your customers. For more information or answers to any of your live chat software questions, contact SEO Design Chicago. SEO Design Chicago provides a wide variety of website development services and can help you find the perfect live chat option for your website.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I choose between free and paid live chat software?

Free live chat software is ideal for small businesses with basic needs, limited budgets, or those just starting with live chat. However, free options often have limitations like fewer agents, limited customization, or basic features. Paid solutions offer advanced features like detailed analytics, unlimited agents, CRM integration, and priority support. Consider paid options if you need multiple agents, advanced reporting, custom branding, or expect high chat volumes. Many businesses start with free options and upgrade as their needs grow. Calculate potential ROI—if live chat generates leads worth more than the monthly cost, paid solutions are worthwhile.

2. What’s the difference between live chat, chatbots, and automated responses?

Live chat connects customers with real human agents in real-time, providing personalized assistance and complex problem-solving. Chatbots are automated programs that can handle simple questions using pre-programmed responses or AI, available 24/7 but limited in handling complex issues. Automated responses are pre-written messages triggered by specific keywords or actions. Many modern solutions combine all three: chatbots handle initial inquiries and simple questions, escalate complex issues to human agents, and use automated responses for common queries. This hybrid approach provides 24/7 availability while ensuring human support when needed.

3. How many agents do I need to effectively manage live chat on my website?

The number of agents needed depends on your website traffic, chat volume, and business hours. As a starting point, monitor your website’s peak traffic times and average response expectations. Most small businesses start with 1-2 agents, while larger sites may need 5-10 or more. Consider that each agent can typically handle 3-5 simultaneous chats effectively. Factor in break coverage, sick days, and time zones if you offer 24/7 support. Many businesses start small and scale based on chat volume and response time goals. Most platforms provide analytics to help you determine optimal staffing levels.

4. Can live chat integration affect my website’s loading speed or performance?

Modern live chat widgets are designed to load asynchronously and have minimal impact on website speed when properly implemented. Most reputable providers optimize their chat scripts to load after your main content, ensuring your website’s core functionality isn’t affected. However, poorly implemented chat solutions can slow down your site. Choose providers that offer lightweight scripts, CDN delivery, and mobile optimization. Test your website speed before and after implementation using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights. If you notice significant slowdowns, consider switching providers or adjusting the chat widget’s loading settings.

5. How should I train my team to handle live chat conversations effectively?

Effective live chat training should cover your company’s tone and voice, common customer questions and responses, product knowledge, and chat-specific communication skills like typing speed and multitasking. Train agents to be concise yet helpful, use positive language, and know when to escalate issues. Establish response time goals (typically 30 seconds to 2 minutes), create templates for common responses, and practice handling multiple chats simultaneously. Role-play difficult scenarios and regularly review chat transcripts for improvement opportunities. Many chat platforms offer built-in training resources and best practices specific to their interface.

6. What metrics should I track to measure live chat success?

Key metrics include response time (how quickly agents respond), resolution time (how long it takes to solve issues), customer satisfaction scores, chat-to-lead conversion rates, and chat volume trends. Also track agent utilization (how many chats per agent), missed chat opportunities, and the percentage of chats that result in sales or desired actions. Most platforms provide built-in analytics for these metrics. Set benchmarks like responding within 30 seconds, maintaining 90%+ satisfaction scores, and converting 10-20% of chats to leads. Regular monitoring helps identify training needs and optimization opportunities.

7. Should live chat be available 24/7, and how do I handle after-hours inquiries?

24/7 availability depends on your customer base, time zones, and resources. If you serve international customers or operate in multiple time zones, 24/7 chat can significantly improve customer experience. For businesses without round-the-clock staffing, consider using chatbots for after-hours initial contact, collecting contact information for follow-up, or clearly displaying your chat hours. Many platforms offer offline message forms that convert to emails or tickets. You can also use automated messages to set expectations about response times during off-hours. Evaluate your website analytics to see when visitors are most active.

8. How do I integrate live chat with my existing CRM and marketing tools?

Most modern live chat platforms offer integrations with popular CRMs like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive, as well as marketing tools like Mailchimp and Marketo. These integrations automatically sync chat conversations, contact information, and lead data with your existing systems. Look for platforms that offer native integrations with your current tools, or use connection platforms like Zapier for custom integrations. Proper integration ensures chat leads don’t get lost, enables personalized follow-up, and provides a complete customer journey view. Set up automated workflows to assign leads to sales teams and trigger follow-up sequences based on chat interactions.