The Best 19 Free Live Chat Software for Websites [2023]

A live chat enables you to communicate with your website visitors in real time and quickly answer their questions whenever they need support.

Boost it with some automation features, and it can send your visitors a welcome message or answer repetitive questions for you.

Sounds like a great deal for anyone who handles an online business?

Well, that’s because it is!

And it gets even better—

There are companies that offer free live chat software solutions. But how do you know which one is the best for YOUR business? We’ll help you figure this out.

The best free live chat software out there are:

• Tidio
• HubSpot Chat
• LiveAgent
• Drift
• Freshchat
• Zoho Sales IQ Chat
• Olark
• Tawk.to
• ClickDesk
• Jivo Chat
• Chatra
• My LiveChat
• SmartsUpp
• Zendesk Chat
• Hiver
• LiveChat
• PureChat
• Respond.io
• Thrivedesk

If you want to find out more about free live chat apps, check out these articles:

• How to Add Live Chat to Website in 10 Minutes [8 Steps]
• Live Chat Button: How to Quickly Install It on Your Website
• Live Chat Icons [Examples & How To Customize Them]

Okay—

Let’s set some solid foundation for the incoming information and answer the important question.

What is free live chat support?

Free live chat software is a free version of a customer support tool that lets you interact with clients on your website and other channels in real time.

It’s usually text-based, but companies can implement voice-based chatting on their website as an additional feature. The chat widget is placed in the corner of the page and allows shoppers to start a conversation with your business. 

This is an example of free live chat software:

Read more: Find out more about what a live chat is and how your business can benefit from it. 

So—

It’s time to check out some of the best free live chat tools out there.

The 19 best free live chat software

Now that you know what a live chat for a website is, let’s dive into the ranking of the best free live chat apps with forever-free plans. We put them in order of the best ratings and the largest number of reviews to make things clearer for you.

Here’s a comparison table of the free live chat sites we reviewed for a quick view:

Software	Ratings	Free plan/trial	Best for
Tidio	4.7/5 ⭐️ (1,400+ reviews)	✅ free plan	SMBs
HubSpot Chat	4.4/5 ⭐️ (1,870+ reviews)	✅ free plan	CRM software integration
LiveAgent	4.5/5 ⭐️ (1,445+ reviews)	✅ free plan	Account permissions and management
Drift	4.4/5 ⭐️ (930+ reviews)	✅ free plan	Enterprise-level features
Freshchat	4.4/5 ⭐️ (305+ reviews)	✅ free plan	Automated email campraigns
Zoho Sales IQ Chat	4.4/5 ⭐️ (260+ reviews)	✅ free plan	Omnichannel customer service
Olark	4.3/5 ⭐️ (220+ reviews)	✅ free plan	Marketing and surveys
Tawk.to	4.5/5 ⭐️ (170+ reviews)	✅ free plan	Outsourcing customer support
ClickDesk	3.8/5 ⭐️ (45+ reviews)	✅ free plan	Customer location
Jivo Chat	4.8/5 ⭐️ (45+ reviews)	✅ free plan	Multilingual support
Chatra	4.2/5 ⭐️ (25+ reviews)	✅ free plan	Targeted messages and triggers
My LiveChat	4.3/5 ⭐️ (10+ reviews)	✅ free plan	Co-browsing
SmartsUpp	4.6/5 ⭐️ (125+ reviews)	✅ free plan	Sending video recordings to clients
Zendesk Chat	4.3/5 ⭐️ (5,600+ reviews)	30-days free trial	Helpdesk service
Hiver	4.6/5 ⭐️ (760+ reviews)	7-day free trial	Team collaboration features
LiveChat	4.5/5 ⭐️ (745+ reviews)	14-day free trial	Chat supervision
PureChat	4.3/5 ⭐️ (200+ reviews)	30-day free trial	Reporting and analysis
Respond.io	4.6/5 ⭐️ (55+ reviews)	14-day free trial	Smart replies feature
Thrivedesk	5/5 ⭐️ (12+ reviews)	15-day free trial	SaaS & ecommerce businesses

Now it’s time to go a little more in depth. 

Let’s go through free live chat software reviews to compare the pros and cons, and discover what’s included in the free version of the system. 

1. Tidio

Ratings: 4.7/5 ⭐️ (1,400+ reviews)

Let’s be clear—just because you are reading this ranking on our blog, it doesn’t mean we will go on and on about how great our tool is.

So, we’ll keep it short. 

Tidio offers a free live chat tool boosted with AI chatbots, which makes customer engagement and sales generation easier for your ecommerce business. It also offers a multichannel system that routes all conversations to one panel. 

But don’t trust our word for it—check out the reviews of our users and try the tool for yourself free of charge!

Main features:

• Customizable live chat widget 
• AI-powered chatbot templates
• Shared multichannel inbox
• Free live chat app on a mobile phone 
• Easy installation under 5 minutes 
• Variety of integrations including Shopify, WordPress, HubSpot, Messenger, and more

Pricing:

• Free version available
• Starter ($29/mo)
• Communicator ($19/mo/seat)
• Chatbots ($19/mo)
• Tidio+ ($329/mo)

Features included in the free plan are:

• 50 unique live chat conversations
• Chatbot conversations with up to 100 users
• Email support
• Ticketing system
• Desktop and mobile app
• Visitors’ information
• JavaScript API

Read more: Learn how Tidio live chat conversation panel works.

2. HubSpot Chat

Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (1,870+ reviews)

An OG of inbound marketing provides a free live online chat feature that connects directly to their customer relationship management system (CRM). This is one of the best free live chat apps for websites with a great option for growing companies. It can help you to nail your pipeline management by integrating chat communication with a ticketing system. 

Pros:

• Customizable, free chat for website 
• Basic chatbot builder available
• Numerous integrations for pipeline management (Slack, Outlook, Gmail)

Cons:

• Email system is a little outdated 
• New conversations can be missed because of subtle notifications

Pricing:

• Free plan available
• Starter ($20/mo)
• Professional ($490/mo)
• Enterprise ($1,180/mo)

Included in the free live chat support software, you get:

• One shared inbox
• Mobile app for free live chat on phone available
• One ticket pipeline per account
• Up to 5 canned snippets
• Up to 3 reporting dashboards (10 reports/dashboard)

3. LiveAgent

Rating: 4.5/5⭐️ (1,445+ reviews) 

LiveAgent is a full-blown help desk software that offers a CRM, a ticket management system, and a call center. A free live chat solution is an additional feature, but it doesn’t make it any less efficient. Packed with features, this tool is one of the best solutions for medium-sized businesses.

Pros:

• Multilingual software with over 40 languages
• Video chat rooms available
• Mobile app for iOS and Android

Cons:

• Some reviewers report issues with the setup and integrations 
• The platform deletes your account after 8 weeks of consecutive inactivity

Pricing:

• Free plan available
• Ticket ($15/mo/agent) 
• Ticket+Chat ($35/mo/agent) 
• All-inclusive ($59/mo/agent)

Included in the free plan are:

• Seven-day ticket history
• Three departments
• Chat widgets customization
• Ticketing system

4. Drift

Rating: 4.4/5⭐️ (930+ reviews) 

This free live chat app will be loved by large-sized companies that focus on omnichannel sales and account-based marketing. Drift definitely stands out from the rest in terms of unique, versatile features, each of which could be described as a highlight! 

Pros:

• Users and customers segmentation with target messaging 
• Built-in scheduling tool for calls and online conversations 
• Chat to call and chat to Zoom functionalities

Cons:

• Some users complain about a confusing backend user interface 
• Limited customization available

Pricing:

• Free plan available
• Premium ($2,500/mo)
• Advanced (price on demand)
• Enterprise (price on demand)

Included in the Drift’s free live chat software you get:

• One operator
• 100 contacts
• Real-time notifications
• Conversational landing pages

5. Freshchat

Rating: 4.4/5⭐️ (305+ reviews)

Similar to HubSpot chat, Freshchat is a part of a complex customer software suite, offering marketing automation tools, a CRM, and a cloud-based phone system. This free live chat website enables operators to see many details about the shopper, from custom event timelines to social media details.

Pros:

• Visitor-context tools: event timelines, contact details, social media
• Rich variety of integrations (Salesforce, Slack, Stripe, Zendesk, Chargify, Twilio)
• Vast knowledge base

Cons:

• Difficult to navigate user interface
• Some issues with data synchronization

Pricing:

• Free plan for 100 agents
• Growth ($18/mo/agent)
• Pro ($47/mo/agent)
• Enterprise ($83/mo/agent)

6. Zoho Sales IQ Chat

Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (260+ reviews)

Zoho Sales offers a free live chat for your website with a variety of advanced tools that are part of a larger ecosystem. Their live chat features are robust and functionalities advanced, which makes it a good choice for medium and big-sized companies focused on sales generation.

Pros:

• Customizable, multilingual live chat 
• Web chat screen sharing option 
• Voice notes recordings available

Cons:

• Sometimes there are UI failures 
• Customer support can be slow

Pricing:

• Forever-free plan available
• Basic ($10/mo/operator)
• Professional ($17/mo/operator)
• Enterprise ($25/mo/operator)

Included in the free version of this software, you receive:

• Three operators
• One brand
• 10K visitors insights per month
• 100 chat sessions/month
• Basic visitor information

7. Olark

Rating: 4.3/5⭐️ (220+ reviews)

Olark live chat is the best option for companies with a large customer base. It offers outstanding analytics and reporting features that let you analyze chat volume, agent activity, and customer satisfaction scores. This can help you keep on track with your results and make better future business decisions.

Pros:

• Customizable live chat and advanced chatbots 
• Advanced analytics and user monitoring in real time 
• CRM and email integration

Cons:

• A little outdated dashboard 
• Technical difficulties with messaging occur sometimes

Pricing:

• Free plan available
• Live chat ($19/mo)
• Pro (price on demand)

This free chat software for website includes:

• 20 chats per month
• APIs
• Visitor file sharing and uploads
• One agent

8. Tawk.to

Rating: 4.5/5⭐️(170+ reviews)

This free live chat support tool offers features that are worthy of their industry-leading, expensive competitors. So, if you don’t want to spend big bucks on the software but still want it to have great functionality, this might be the best choice for your business. On top of the main live chat features, you can enjoy a simple ticketing system, essential features, and a lack of the need to upgrade. 

Pros:

• Multilingual chatbot, available in 45+ languages 
• Unlimited chats available 
• Setting automated greetings based on customers’ location

Cons:

• Only basic reports and analytics 
• Delay between the offline customer’s message sent and email notification

Pricing:

• No plans, it’s totally free for unlimited agents
• Branding removal ($19/mo)
• Hire support agents ($1/hour/operator)

What’s included in the free plan?

You get every feature in the free plan as that’s the only plan they offer. You only need to pay if you want to hire their support agents per hour. 

9. ClickDesk

Rating: 3.8/5⭐️ (45+ reviews)

Apart from a live chat, ClickDesk also provides a ticketing system and advanced analytics, which makes it suitable for medium-sized companies that need scaling tools. Many of its features are designed to help you connect with customers and put yourself in their shoes. 

Pros:

• Showing the location of your customer 
• Advanced analytics and reporting dashboards
• Chat transcripts for your client communication

Cons:

• It can be complicated to use
• Some reviewers say it needs more real-time notifications

Pricing:

• Forever-free plan for 10 users
• Lite ($14.99/mo/agent)
• Pro ($24.99/mo/agent)
• Enterprise ($39.99/mo/agent)

Features included in this free live chat software for websites are:

• 30 chats
• 25 tickets
• Audio calling
• Localization of chat widget
• Customizable basic settings

10. Jivo Chat

Rating: 4.8/5⭐️(45+ reviews)

Jivo chat is part of a large help desk solution that combines live chat, phone, and email messages in one panel. As the ultimate business multichannel communicator, Jivo’s live chat enables agents to handle many conversations at once, easily segment customers, and track the messaging flow. 

Pros:

• Live chat with translation into 20+ languages 
• Color-coded chats, hotkeys, and canned responses 
• Advanced analytics and reporting dashboard

Cons:

• Customer support can take hours to get back to you 
• No auto-messages available

Pricing:

• Basic plan available for free
• Professional ($19/mo/agent)
• Enterprise ($38/mo/agent)

Jivo free chat software includes:

• Five agents
• Two-month chat history storage
• Unlimited chats and websites
• Customizable multilingual chat widget
• Basic statistics on chats and reps’ activity

11. Chatra

Ratings: 4.2/5 ⭐️ (25+ reviews)

Reviewers say it’s “pleasant to use,” and for a good reason. On top of providing a live chat functionality, Chatra’s features are designed to keep your customer happy by interacting with your support team in real time. As it doesn’t include a ticketing system, this would be the best option for small and medium businesses.

Pros:

• Multilingual live chat and chatbot tool 
• “Agent is typing” and “Message read” notifications for customers 
• Integration with email, Instagram, and Facebook

Cons:

• Rarely any new features
• Lack of automation for order check

Pricing:

• Forever-free plan available
• Essential ($21/mo/operator)
• Pro ($29/mo/operator)

This free live chat support software includes:

• One agent
• Customization of online & offline chat widget for unlimited websites
• SSL-encryption
• Basic visitor information
• Mobile and desktop app

12. My LiveChat

Rating: 4.3/5⭐️ (10+ reviews) 

My LiveChat is a super simple free live chat software solution with basic features, such as chatbots that send greetings and collect customer feedback at the end of the chat. Although the design can be seen as slightly outdated, My LiveChat still gains customers, SMBs, and larger companies alike looking for an uncomplicated live chat experience.

Pros:

• Automated greetings and feedback-collecting chatbots 
• Co-browsing: seeing what your visitors are seeing in real-time 
• Leading platforms and websites integrations

Cons:

• Difficult to use and lacks onboarding material 
• No automation

Pricing:

• Free plan available
• Starter ($15/mo)
• Basic ($29/mo)
• Corporate ($59/mo)
• Enterprise ($99/mo)

This free live chat system includes:

• One operator
• Unlimited depts
• Unlimited websites
• Unlimited chats
• Three-year chat history

13. SmartsUpp

Rating: 4.6/5⭐️(125+ reviews)

SmartsUpp offers great core features such as multichannel management of live chat, email, and Messenger, as well as numerous ecommerce platform integrations. This makes it a great choice for online store owners. On top of that, SmartsUpp offers a recording feature thanks to which you can monitor prospects’ visits and understand the customers’ journey better.

Pros:

• Video recordings of your customers’ browsing 
• Multichannel for live chat, email, and Facebook Messenger 
• Numerous ecommerce integrations with industry-leading platforms (Shopify, PrestaShop, Opencart, and more)

Cons:

• Poor offline mode functionality 
• Lag in receiving messages on the app

Pricing:

• Forever-free plan available
• Standard ($25.5/mo)
• Pro ($60/mo)
• Ultimate (price on demand)

In this free online live chat software, you get:

• One agent
• 100 conversations/month
• 14-day conversation history
• An unlimited number of websites
• Mobile, desktop, and tablet apps

These were the software that offered a free live chat plan. Let’s now have a look at the systems that have paid plans only, but provide a free live chat trial instead.

14. Zendesk Messaging

Rating: 4.3/5⭐️ (5,270+ reviews)

Zendesk is a leader in the customer service industry because it offers a large suite of customer support tools, and live chat is a crucial element of it. Zendesk’s live chat feature includes custom chatbots, advanced visitors’ analytics, as well as a variety of third-party integrations. It also provides a group messaging feature and a preview of your customer’s location to help your support team even further.

Pros:

• Customizable live chat and chatbots 
• Group messaging for team collaboration
• Customer’s live location preview 

Cons:

• Some reviewers report system crashes when running multiple chats 
• Sometimes data transfer issues occur 

Pricing:

• Suite Team ($49/mo)
• Suite Growth ($79/mo)
• Suite Professional ($99/mo)
• Suite Enterprise ($150/mo)

Included in the free trial are:

• Duration: 30 days
• Includes all features from the Zendesk Suite Professional

15. Hiver

Ratings: 4.6/5 ⭐️⭐ (760+ reviews)

This is the best free chat service if you want to combine your email communication from Gmail with your live chat software. You can collaborate with team members, assign tickets as they come through, and prioritize the most urgent issues. Hiver also offers a mobile app so you can provide real-time support even when you’re on the go. On top of that, you can use chat templates to respond to queries even faster.

Pros:

• Integrates seamlessly with Gmail through a plugin 
• Simple and quick-to-learn system
• Shared inbox and folders

Cons:

• Only basic CSAT feature with limited customization
• Clunky shared draft

Pricing:

• Lite ($19/mo/user)
• Pro ($49/mo/user)
• Elite ($69/mo/user)

In this free live chat software, you get:

• Access to all features from the Elite plan
• 7-day duration of the trial

16. LiveChat

Rating: 4.5/5⭐️ (745+ reviews)

LiveChat tools are made for medium and big companies that have to be in constant touch with their clients. Multichannel covering WhatsApp, Messenger, live chat and emails, and integrated helpdesk only highlight this mission.

Pros:

• Integrated helpdesk system 
• Integrations with CRM, Google Analytics, and email marketing services 
• Dedicated mobile app for iOS and Android

Cons:

• Mobile app needs functionality improvements 
• Limits the number of clients in a queue and redirects additional customers to other support channels

Pricing:

• Starter ($24/mo) 
• Team ($49/mo)
• Business ($69/mo)
• Enterprise (plan on request)

In the free trial, you get:

• All the features from the Team plan
• Duration: 14 days

17. PureChat

Rating: 4.3/5⭐️(200+ reviews)

This is the best option for businesses that want basic features, full transparency, and ease of use. PureChat combines simplicity with powerful effectiveness, so it’s no surprise that this live chat solution will most likely delight medium-sized companies.

Pros: 

• Easy installation via one line of code 
• Real-time visitor analytics and reporting
• Integrations with Google Analytics, Mailchimp, and Slack

Cons:

• Some users have issues when connecting their email 
• Disconnects customers when they leave the chat to search for something on the website

Pricing:

• Growth ($49/mo)
• Pro ($99/mo)
• Additional user/operator ($10-$15/mo)

In this free chat system, you get:

• 30-day trial duration
• All the features from the Pro plan

18. Respond.io

Rating: 4.6/5 ⭐️ (17+ reviews)

Respond.io is one of the free chat platforms that offer a tool that integrates with your website and social media channels. It also comes with a centralized messaging inbox with AI-powered chatbot features, which gives you a holistic overview of all customer communication. Because of these functionalities, Respond.io enjoys popularity among medium and large companies.

Pros:

• Free live chat app for desktop and mobile 
• Centralized inbox for the whole team
• Smart replies feature available

Cons:

• Not possible to merge contacts through an API 
• Limitations on customization

Pricing:

• Team ($99/mo)
• Business ($299/mo)
• Enterprise (based on your specific needs)

This free website live chat software trial includes:

• Up to 1,000 monthly active contacts
• Business plan features

19. Thrivedesk

Ratings: 5/5 ⭐️ (12+ reviews)

Thrivedesk offers free web chats with pre-written transcripts, instant replies, and the ability to send attachments within the chat box. It also provides a granular access control system that manages what each agent sees and has access to. This is one of the best free live chat apps that allows great customization of the system including colors, notification sounds, logo, welcome messages, and more. 

Pros:

• User-friendly interface
• Advanced ticket management system
• Robust analytics and reporting

Cons:

• Android mobile app needs improvements
• No text autocorrect available

Pricing:

• Basic ($8/mo/user) 
• Pro ($15/mo/user)

With this free live chat online trial you get:

• Features from the Pro plan available
• 15-day trial period

Bonus Tip: FineShare FineCam

Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (15+ reviews)

This is one of the best AI virtual camera software for video recording and enhancing. You can use it to send video content to your customers with onboarding instructions, support step-by-steps, and more. With FineCam you can convert your phone into a webcam. Also, you can easily remove, blur, or change the background without the need for the green screen.

Main features:

• Personal branding on the video
• Multiple cameras enabled at once
• Compatibility with other apps and platforms
• Adjustable camera filters and lighting

Okay—

Now you’re familiar with the top free live chat apps, as well as their features and pricing. So, let’s go through some advantages of putting a free live chat tool on your website.oid apps too, so you can write to your customers on the go, on every device.

Benefits of using free live chat software

It’s crucial to provide your website visitors and clients with excellent customer service. That’s because good customer experience is one of the main factors when it comes to shopping and brand loyalty decisions.

As the PwC report confirms, customers will decide whether they’ll stay with you or move to your competitors based on your support team’s performance. Even if you offer an absolute gem of a product.

And that’s where a proactive chat comes in. 

It’s the only customer service tool that enables your customers to contact you directly from the level of the landing page, in real time. Customers get the answers about your product quickly, and consequently, their customer satisfaction increases. You, on the other hand, have higher chances to increase sales.

Here are just a few data points that confirm it’s worth installing free live chat on your website:

• As many as 41% of customers prefer live chat to other contact channels, like social media and email
• Live chat leads to a 40% increase in conversion rate and a 48% increase in revenue per chat hour
• As many as 38% of consumers are more likely to buy products from a company if they offer live chat support, and 51% of customers are more likely to return to a website that offers live chat

Free online chat support also speeds up your chat agents’ workflows and improves their processes. And thanks to chat routing, your reps can assign the right person to the query and solve the customer’s issue in no time. So, it’s a win-win for your reps and customers.

Read more: Learn how an Italian fashion atelier used Tidio to boost conversion rates and decrease cart abandonment on their ecommerce store. 

Features to look out for in a free live chat software

When choosing a free website live chat, keep in mind that your business’ specific needs and processes will determine which software is best for you. 

For example, a hip clothing brand that communicates with customers mostly through social media will have different needs to the small business selling children’s toys that focuses efforts on their website. It makes sense, doesn’t it?

Here are all the free live chat features you should look out for:

So, the main features that your free live chat service should include:

• Customizable system

Ensure you can customize the free chat widget for the website, its icon, pre-chat messages, and the feel of the live chat. Match it to your brand as much as possible for the best user experience.

• Flexible chat history available

The best free live chat software offers a couple of months of chat history that you can view and analyze when needed. So, when choosing your software, make sure it offers a long enough conversation history for your teams.

• Useful integrations

Think of the systems your customer service team is already using to communicate with your shoppers. Then, look for a free online live chat that will offer integrations with these platforms. These could include your CRM, social media channels, or communication apps like Telegram, WhatsApp, or Slack.

• Ability to set up opening hours

To let your website visitors know when you’re able to chat with them, you need to set up opening or operational hours. You should also be able to hide your chat widget from your website if you don’t want users messaging your support team when it’s unavailable.

• Canned responses available

This feature will speed up your response time and reduce the repeating tasks that your support team handles. That’s because you can write down replies to the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) and then just choose the right text when the client messages you, instead of writing the same response over and over again. 

• Automated chatbots at hand

When your sales team is offline, it’s good to have a virtual assistant there to answer visitors’ questions and help out their shopping experience. Chatbots can answer questions, give discounts, collect emails, and much more.

Free live chat on website: key takeaway

And that’s all. Let’s review what we went through today.

Free live chat software is a free version of a tool for real-time interactions with customers on a website or other communication platform. It includes a widget and a chat window where shoppers can ask their questions, get discount codes, and engage with your brand. 

Free chat support tools can help you increase conversions, boost sales, and improve customer engagement while attracting more loyal customers to your brand. That’s thanks to the real-time support, human touch, and convenience. 

The best free online support chat tools are:

• Tidio
• HubSpot Chat
• LiveAgent
• Drift
• Freshchat
• Zoho Sales IQ Chat
• Olark
• Tawk.to
• ClickDesk
• Jivo Chat
• Chatra
• My LiveChat 
• SmartsUpp
• Zendesk Chat
• Hiver
• LiveChat
• PureChat
• Respond.io
• Thrivedesk

Choose the tool that best suits your needs and enjoy all the benefits it provides.

Frequently Asked Questions