Top 6 Best Chat Plugins for WordPress in 2025

Live chats aren’t a nice-to-have fancy feature anymore in 2025, they are an absolute necessity for businesses who want their customers to reach out to them instantly.

It doesn’t matter whether you are running a small eCommerce store or a service-based business, offering instant support via chat can greatly boost engagement, increase conversions, and improve customer satisfaction.

At cmsMinds, from early on we have understood that customers prefer 3 things over anything– speed, convenience, and personalization.

Keeping this in mind, we have worked with WordPress for years, helping businesses seamlessly integrate the best tools to enhance their website. That’s precisely why we decided to take matters into our own hands and tested a ton of WordPress chat plugins.

Of course, of all the plugins we tested, 6 of them stood out.

In this blog post, you are going to know everything you need to– about WordPress chat plugins– What they are, how and what features to look for, etc.

How We Tested These WordPress Chat Plugins

Instead of relying on marketing hype, as an expert WordPress plugin development company, cmsMinds rigorously tested each chat plugin in real-world conditions to see how it performs. This is what our testing process included:

So How Does It Work?

First, a live chat plugin integrates with your WordPress website and enables instant messaging between your site visitors and your customer support team (or chatbot). It typically functions in the following way:

• Visitor Initiates Chat – A user clicks on the chat widget to start a conversation.
• Live Agent or Chatbot Responds – Based on your customer support setup, either a human support agent or an AI-powered chatbot will get the query.
• Real-Time Conversation – Messages are exchanged instantly between the visitor and agent/AI chatbot, providing quick solutions and engagement.
• Integrations & Follow-ups – Most chat plugins integrate with CRMs, email marketing tools, and support ticket systems for further customer interaction.

The Top 6 WordPress Chat Plugins for 2025 (Ranked & Reviewed)

At cmsMinds, we spent hours testing various chat plugins to bring you the top 6 best WordPress chat solutions. Let’s take a look at how well these plugins performed in our testing phase.

1. Tidio – The AI-Powered Chat Solution

Combining real-time chat, AI-powered automation, and chatbot workflows into a single platform, Tidio is one of the most advanced live chat solutions available for WordPress in 2024.

Tidio claims that almost 70% of customer inquiries can be solved without human intervention and it proved to be true in our testing.

In fact, it is one of the standout features that we liked about Tidio. It seamlessly handles frequently asked questions, recommends products, and even qualifies leads, all without human intervention.

Beyond being just a live chat, Tidio offers multichannel support, enabling businesses to connect chat conversations from websites, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and email– yes, all in one place.

With this, businesses can easily cater to international audiences and its seamless WooCommerce integration lets store owners track abandoned carts and proactively reach out to potential customers.

Tidio is particularly popular among eCommerce businesses, as it integrates with WooCommerce, Shopify, and other CRM tools, enabling automated support and personalized messaging. I

Pricing Plans (No Free Plan, Only a 7-Day Trial)

• Starter – $29/month → Basic live chat, ticketing, and chatbot automation
• Growth – $59/month → More chatbot automation, analytics, and integrations
• Tidio+ – $749/month → Advanced AI chatbots, automation, and dedicated support
• Premium – $2999/month → Enterprise-level solution with full customization and priority support

Our Experience Testing Tidio

We tested Tidio for over 20 hours on an eCommerce website and a business service website to evaluate its real-world performance. Here’s what we found:

• Setup & Ease of Use:
  The installation process was fast and simple—it actually took less than 5 minutes to set up Tidio on WordPress. The chatbot builder was easy to use. It pretty much lets us create automated workflows without coding.
• Speed & Performance:
  We tested the chat widget’s impact on site speed, and it remained lightweight and responsive, resulting in fast load times on both desktop and mobile.
• AI Chatbot Testing:
  Tidio’s AI chatbot handled customer inquiries effectively, provided automated responses, and even helped recover abandoned carts through personalized messages.
• Integrations:
  We successfully connected Tidio with WooCommerce, which allowed automated cart recovery. It also synced with HubSpot and email marketing tools for lead nurturing.

2. LiveChat – The Ultimate Premium Chat Plugin

This chat plugin is known for its sleek interface, advanced analytics, and seamless integrations with CRMs, helpdesks, and eCommerce platforms.

LiveChat plugin comes with some powerful features like chat routing, canned responses, AI-powered chatbots, and ticketing, helping businesses enhance customer interactions and drive conversions.

Unlike some chat solutions whose primary focus is automation, LiveChat keeps its human-first approach, making it perfect for businesses that prioritize personalized customer support.

Apart from that, it offers multi-channel messaging, allowing agents to communicate with customers across email, Messenger, WhatsApp, Apple Business Chat, and SMS— that too all from a single dashboard.

LiveChat also comes with advanced reporting tools, enabling businesses to analyze chat performance, track customer satisfaction, and optimize support workflows.

Pricing Plans (14-Day Free Trial Available)

• Starter – $20/agent/month → Basic live chat with unlimited chat history
• Team – $41/agent/month → Advanced chat features with agent routing
• Business – $59/agent/month → Full chat automation, reporting, and analytics
• Enterprise – Custom Pricing → Advanced security, API access, and VIP support

Our Experience Testing LiveChat

We tested LiveChat for 20+ hours on a business service website and an eCommerce store to evaluate performance, usability, and effectiveness.

• Setup & Ease of Use:
  The installation procedure was swift and easy, and the chat interface was one of the best-looking among all the plugins we tried. The LiveChat dashboard was user-friendly, making it simple to monitor client interactions.
• Speed & Performance:
  LiveChat delivered messages instantly and without lag. The chat widget was lightweight, resulting in no negative influence on site speed.
• Customer Interaction:
  We evaluated canned responses and chat routing, leading to faster and more efficient responses. Customers might also submit comments on their experiences through the chat rating system.
• Analytics & Reporting:
  LiveChat’s analytics dashboard offers significant insights into response times, agent performance, and customer satisfaction levels, making it ideal for enterprises looking to optimize customer interactions.

3. Crisp – The Most User-Friendly Chat Solution

A modern, easy-to-use live chat plugin, Crisp is built for WordPress users.
It easily combines real-time messaging, chatbots, automation, and team collaboration into a sleek and intuitive platform.

Other than a basic live chat, Crisp has features like shared inboxes, chatbot automation, live typing previews, and even co-browsing. These features allow customer support agents to assist customers directly on their screens.

Also, its integrated knowledge base helps businesses reduce support volume by offering instant self-service solutions.

With multichannel capabilities, Crisp enables communication via email, Messenger, and Instagram DM, all within a single platform.

Pricing Plans (Free Plan Available)

• Free – $0 (Basic chat features, 2 seats, no chatbot)
• Pro – $25/month (Per website, live chat with integrations & chat triggers)
• Unlimited – $95/month (Advanced chat automation, chatbots, and co-browsing)

Our Experience Testing Crisp

We tested Crisp for 15+ hours on a tech startup website to evaluate its usability, automation, and customer engagement features.

• Setup & Ease of Use:
  Crisp’s integration with WordPress was quick and simple, taking only 3 minutes. The chat widget design was smooth, modern, and adaptable, making it stand out from other plugins.
• Speed & Performance:
  Improved website speed and performance by using the quick and lightweight Crisp chat widget. The live typing preview lets us answer queries faster.
• Chatbot & Automation Testing:
  The Unlimited plan’s chatbot feature effectively handles FAQs and generates leads. However, it lacked deep AI learning when compared to Tidio’s chatbot.
• Team Collaboration Features:
  Crisp’s shared inbox was one of its most significant features; it allows several agents to manage discussions effortlessly, making it suitable for teams.
• Co-Browsing & Screen Sharing:
  This was a standout feature—we could see customers’ screens and assist them live, making it perfect for SaaS companies and service-based businesses.

4. Tawk.to – The Best Free Chat for High-Volume Sites

Tawk.to is one of the most powerful free live chat plugins for WordPress. This free live chat plugin is an ideal solution for organizations that handle a high volume of client contacts.

When compared to many other live chat systems, Tawk.to provides unlimited agents, conversations, and chat history—all for free, making it a great choice for large websites, eCommerce companies, and customer support teams who need to handle several conversations at the same time.

Now, Tawk.to is cloud-based, so that means all chat data is saved elsewhere, decreasing the burden on your website. The platform also offers visitor monitoring, chat automation, ticketing, and multichannel messaging, which enable organizations to manage customer interactions across several platforms.

While the main live chat feature is free, organizations may pay for further services, such as chat agent outsourcing and white-label branding.

Pricing Plans (Core Features Are Free)

• Free Plan – $0 → Unlimited agents, unlimited chats, visitor tracking, and ticketing
• Remove Branding – $19/month → White-label chat widget (removes “Powered by Tawk.to” branding)
• Virtual Chat Agents – From $1/hour → Outsource live chat support to Tawk.to’s professional agents
• Video & Voice Chat – $29/month → Add voice and video chat functionality

Our Experience Testing Tawk.to

We tested Tawk.to on a high-traffic eCommerce site for over 15 hours to see how well it handled large volumes of customer inquiries.

• Setup & Ease of Use:
  Installation was straightforward, requiring only plugin activation and connection to a free Tawk.to account. The interface was straightforward, making it simple to assign agents and monitor talks in real-time.
• Performance & Scalability:
  Tawk.to handle heavy traffic without latency or slowdowns, even with numerous chat operators processing chats concurrently.
• Customer Interaction & Features:
  Visitor tracking and real-time monitoring enable proactive engagement with website visitors before they want assistance.
• Limitations & Drawbacks:
  Tawk.to provides free limitless agents and conversations, but lacks built-in AI chatbots, requiring businesses to rely on human agents 24/7. Furthermore, the “Powered by Tawk.to” logo is only removable with a paid plan.

5. Olark – The Most Customizable Chat Plugin

Olark is a highly configurable live chat plugin for WordPress that prioritizes customer interaction, sales conversions, and team collaboration.

This plugin offers extensive customization possibilities, allowing businesses to personalize the chat widget’s style, automate answers, and link it with CRM, helpdesk, and analytics applications.

Olark’s standout feature is its powerful real-time chat analytics, which provides detailed insights into customer interactions, agent performance, and visitor behavior.

Additionally, the plugin includes features like chat routing, automated messaging, pre-chat surveys, and offline messaging. Businesses looking for a chat tool that integrates well with their existing CRM and marketing stack will find Olark to be a great choice.

Pricing Plans (14-Day Free Trial Available)

• Free Trial – 14 days → Full access to all features for testing
• Basic Plan – $29/agent/month → Unlimited chat history, pre-chat surveys, and chat automation
• Pro Plan – Custom Pricing → Advanced reporting, chat analytics, and full API access

Our Experience Testing Olark

We tested Olark on a SaaS website for over 12 hours, evaluating its customization, integrations, and analytics capabilities.

• Setup & Ease of Use:
  The chat widget was easy to install and customizable to match our website identity.
• Performance & Customization:
  Olark’s chat interface is fluid and lightweight, resulting in quick reaction times. The flexibility to change chat positioning, colors, and branding makes it one of the most adaptable chat plugins we examined.
• Analytics & Visitor Insights:
  Olark offers real-time visitor monitoring and conversation statistics, making it a standout feature. We could monitor visitor behavior, chat ratings, and extensive interaction data, making it excellent for teams working on performance improvement.
• CRM & Helpdesk Integrations:
  We successfully connected Olark with Salesforce and HubSpot to sync chat conversations directly into our CRM.
• Limitations & Drawbacks:
  While Olark excels in customization and analytics, it lacks AI-powered automation, meaning human agents must be available for chat handling. Additionally, pricing can become costly for large teams due to the per-agent pricing model.

6. JivoChat – Best Multi-Channel Chat Plugin

Being a comprehensive multi-channel live chat solution, with JivoChat, businesses can easily interact with their clients across a variety of channels. This includes websites, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Business Chat, email, and phone calls.

Now moving on to their area of expertise, JivoChat enables customer support and sales staff to effortlessly manage interactions more by combining all customer conversations into a single inbox.

To guarantee efficient customer service, it also offers programmed responses, proactive chat triggers, real-time visitor tracking, and chat routing.

It is an excellent option for companies who wish to provide high-touch customer service outside of text-based chat because it also enables voice and video conversations.

Pricing Plans (14-Day Free Trial Available)

• Free Plan – $0 → 5 agents, basic chat features, and integrations
• Professional – $19/agent/month → Multi-channel support (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, email)
• Enterprise – Custom Pricing → API access, advanced reporting, and VIP support

Our Experience Testing JivoChat

We tested JivoChat on a service-based business website for over 14 hours, focusing on its multi-channel capabilities and customer engagement features.

• Setup & Ease of Use:
  JivoChat installation was simple, and multi-channel messaging setup was not too difficult. Managing interactions across several platforms was made easy by the dashboard’s clear and orderly design.
• Performance & Multi-Channel Integration:
  We were able to reply to clients from many platforms in one location because to JivoChat’s smooth handling of website live chat, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger interactions.
• Voice & Video Chat Testing:
  We tested JivoChat’s voice and video call features, and the quality was clear and stable. This feature is especially useful for businesses needing real-time consultations or technical support.
• Limitations & Drawbacks:
  While JivoChat excels in multi-channel communication, it lacks AI-powered automation—meaning all conversations must be handled manually by agents. Additionally, costs can add up for larger teams due to per-agent pricing.

Which Chat Plugin Should You Choose?

Features You Should Look for in a WordPress Live Chat Plugin

When choosing a live chat plugin for your WordPress site, here are the key features to look for:

Conclusion

After rigorously testing the top WordPress chat plugins for 2025, one thing is clear: Live chat is no longer an optional feature—it’s a necessity for businesses looking to enhance customer experience, increase sales, and provide real-time support.

So whether you need a free, budget-friendly chat tool or a premium AI-powered solution, there’s a plugin that fits your specific needs.