9 Best Chat Widgets for Websites

You're about to launch your website, or maybe you already have one up and running. Your business is set, your pages are live, and everything is ready to go. But there’s one thing missing: a way for visitors to ask questions and get instant answers.

You need a seamless way for them to reach your support team in real-time—without any hassle. That’s where a chat widget comes in.

A chat widget is a small but powerful tool you can embed on your website, allowing visitors to chat with you or your support team instantly. Whether they have a quick inquiry, need help navigating your site, or want to resolve an issue, a chat widget makes communication smooth and effortless.

But with so many options out there, which one should you choose?

We’ve done the work for you. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best live chat widgets you can deploy on your website in no time. We’ve handpicked them based on quality, ease of setup, speed, pricing, and overall performance.

1. Chatbase

Chatbase is a powerful and versatile chat widget that allows you to deploy an AI chatbot on your website with ease. Unlike traditional live chat widgets, Chatbase combines AI-driven automation with live agent support, ensuring your customers get quick and efficient responses to their inquiries.

With Chatbase, you can train your chatbot on your own data, making it highly customized to your business. It can handle FAQs, resolve customer issues, and even take actions like booking meetings or retrieving order details. If the AI can't resolve an issue, it smoothly hands the conversation over to a human agent.

Key Features

Trainable AI Chatbot – Customize your chatbot with your own data so it can provide accurate answers without human intervention.
AI Actions – More than just a chat widget; your chatbot can take real actions, such as booking appointments or checking order statuses.
Live Agent Handoff – Easily route conversations to human support when needed.
Integrations – Connect Chatbase with tools like Calendly, Shopify, and Slack to enhance functionality.
Advanced Analytics – Track user sentiment, conversation trends, and customer feedback for insights into your audience’s needs.

Pricing

Pricing for Chatbase starts at $40/month, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses looking for a powerful, AI-driven chat widget. There is also a free plan to help you get started.

Get started → Add Chatbase chat widget to your website

2. Intercom

Intercom is a popular chat widget that goes beyond simple live chat by offering a full customer communication platform. It’s widely used by businesses for customer support, sales, and engagement, combining automation with live agent support to enhance customer interactions.

With Intercom, you can deploy an AI-powered chatbot that helps customers find answers instantly, qualify leads, and escalate complex issues to human agents when needed. It also integrates deeply with CRM tools, making it a strong choice for businesses focused on customer engagement.

Key Features

AI-Powered Chatbot – Automate responses and streamline customer support with AI-driven assistance.
Live Chat & Help Desk – Route conversations to support agents with a ticketing system for better resolution management.
CRM Integrations – Sync with Salesforce, HubSpot, and other CRMs to track customer interactions.
Proactive Messaging – Send automated messages to engage users at the right time.
In-App & Email Support – Offer seamless support via chat, email, and even in-app messaging.

Pricing

Pricing for Intercom starts at $29 per seat per month, but it can get expensive depending on the features and number of users, making it a better fit for mid-to-large businesses looking for an all-in-one customer communication tool.

3. Zendesk Chat

Zendesk Chat is a well-known chat widget designed to help businesses provide real-time support to customers. It’s part of the broader Zendesk customer service suite, making it a great option for companies already using Zendesk for ticketing and support.

Zendesk Chat offers both AI-powered automation and live chat capabilities, allowing businesses to scale customer interactions efficiently. It integrates seamlessly with other Zendesk tools, ensuring a smooth workflow for support teams.

Key Features

AI-Powered Chatbot – Automates responses and handles FAQs to reduce agent workload.
Live Chat Support – Connects customers to human agents when needed.
Proactive Messaging – Triggers automated messages based on user behavior.
Multi-Channel Integration – Works across web, mobile apps, and social media.
Detailed Analytics – Provides insights into chat performance and customer satisfaction.

Pricing

Zendesk Chat pricing starts at $55/month, making it a premium chat widget ideal for businesses looking for an enterprise-grade live chat solution with deep integration into Zendesk’s customer support ecosystem.

4. Tawk.to

Tawk.to is a free live chat widget that allows businesses to communicate with website visitors in real time. Unlike most other chat solutions, Tawk.to stands out because it offers unlimited messaging and agent seats, making it one of the most budget-friendly options available.

It’s a simple, no-frills chat widget designed for businesses that need a straightforward live chat solution. However, its lack of AI automation is a huge draw back because human support agents need to be available round the clock to keep it operational.

Key Features

Mostly Free – No monthly subscription fees for core live chat features.
Unlimited Agents – Allows businesses to add as many support agents as needed.
Live Typing Preview – Shows what users are typing before they hit send.
Mobile and Desktop Apps – Chat with visitors from anywhere.
Visitor Monitoring – Tracks user activity on your website in real time.

Pricing

Tawk.to is free, but it offers optional paid add-ons, such as chat agents ($1/hour) and chat widget customization ($19/month) for businesses that want additional support or branding options.

5. Freshchat

Freshchat, by Freshworks, is a live chat widget designed for businesses that want to engage with website visitors and customers in real-time. While it offers AI-powered chatbots and multi-channel messaging, it leans more towards enterprises rather than smaller businesses looking for a quick and simple chat widget.

The interface is modern, but setting it up can feel a bit overwhelming compared to more lightweight alternatives. Additionally, while Freshchat has free and paid plans, some of the more useful automation features are locked behind higher-tier subscriptions.

Key Features

AI Chatbots – Automates responses but may require fine-tuning to work effectively.
Omnichannel Messaging – Connects with WhatsApp, Messenger, and other platforms, though setup can be tricky.
Canned Responses – Allows quick replies, but lacks advanced AI actions.
IntelliAssign – Routes chats to agents, though it's mostly useful for larger teams.

Pricing

Freshchat starts at $19 per agent/month, but businesses looking for automation and chatbot capabilities will need to upgrade to higher plans, which can get expensive over time.

6. Tidio

Tidio is a chat widget that combines live chat and chatbots to help businesses communicate with website visitors. It’s designed for small to medium businesses that want a simple live chat solution. However, while it offers an intuitive interface, its AI chatbot capabilities are fairly basic compared to more advanced options.

One drawback is that Tidio’s free plan is quite limited, especially if you want to use chatbots. Many of its automation and integration features are only available in higher-tier plans, making it less scalable for growing businesses.

Key Features

Live Chat & Chatbots – Helps automate customer interactions, but AI capabilities are not as robust as some competitors.
Integrations – Connects with tools like Shopify and Messenger, though not as deep as enterprise solutions.
Basic Automation – Allows simple workflows, but lacks AI-driven actions that can perform tasks beyond just answering questions.
Visitor Tracking – Provides some insights, but advanced analytics require paid plans.

Pricing

Tidio starts at $29 per month, but AI chatbot features require an additional subscription, making it less cost-effective for businesses needing advanced automation.

7. Drift

Drift is a chat widget designed for businesses focused on sales and lead generation. Unlike traditional live chat solutions, Drift emphasizes conversational marketing, using AI chatbots to qualify leads and book meetings. However, its pricing is on the higher side, making it less accessible for smaller businesses.

Another downside is that Drift’s AI chatbot features are primarily tailored for sales, meaning it may not be the best fit if you’re looking for a balanced customer support solution. The tool also has a steep learning curve, requiring time to set up and optimize workflows effectively.

Key Features

AI-Powered Chatbots – Designed to capture leads rather than handle deep customer support.
Live Chat & Sales Automation – Helps qualify and route leads, but lacks robust self-service options for customer support.
Meeting Scheduling – Automates sales calls, though this is less useful for businesses focused on general inquiries or support.
Integrations – Connects with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce, but full functionality is locked behind expensive plans.

Pricing

Drift’s pricing starts at $2,500 per month for businesses that want access to its full AI-powered conversational marketing suite. This makes it one of the most expensive options—not ideal for those who just need a simple, effective chat widget.

8. Olark

Olark is a live chat widget that focuses on simplicity and ease of use. It’s a straightforward solution for small to mid-sized businesses that need basic live chat functionality without complex AI automation. However, it lacks advanced AI capabilities, meaning it relies heavily on human agents.

Another drawback is that Olark’s feature set is quite limited compared to modern AI-driven chat solutions. While it does offer transcripts, chat automation, and integrations, it doesn’t have advanced AI chatbots or action-based automation like ChatBase or other premium options.

Key Features

Live Chat – Simple and easy to use, but lacks AI-powered automation.
Chat Transcripts – Helps businesses review past conversations, though this is now standard in most tools.
Custom Chat Automation – Basic chat routing, but no real AI to handle complex inquiries.
Integrations – Works with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Google Analytics, but limited compared to more robust platforms.

Pricing

Olark starts at $29 per month per agent, which can add up quickly for larger teams. While it’s affordable for smaller businesses, it lacks many of the modern AI-driven features that competitors offer.

9. Hiver

Hiver is a customer service platform that integrates seamlessly with Gmail, enabling businesses to manage customer interactions directly from their inboxes. This integration allows teams to handle emails, live chats, and other support channels without switching between multiple tools.

Key Features:

Gmail Integration: Hiver operates within Gmail, allowing teams to manage customer communications without leaving their email interface.
Live Chat Widget: Engage with website visitors in real-time through a customizable live chat widget, facilitating immediate support and improved customer satisfaction.
Collaboration Tools: Features like shared inboxes, notes, tags, and collision detection enhance team collaboration, ensuring efficient handling of customer queries.
Automation and AI: Utilize AI-powered responses and automation to streamline repetitive tasks, allowing support agents to focus on more complex issues.
Analytics and Reporting: Access detailed analytics to monitor team performance, customer satisfaction, and other key metrics, enabling data-driven decisions.

Pricing:

Hiver paid plans start at $15 per user per month (Lite plan), with Pro and Elite plans at $39 and $59 per user per month, respectively.

Adding a chat widget to your website doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right tool, you can set up a live chat widget in minutes and start engaging with your visitors instantly. The options we’ve explored offer a range of features to suit different needs, from basic live chat functionality to AI-powered automation and integrations.

That said, if you’re looking for the best combination of ease of use, powerful AI, and straightforward pricing, Chatbase stands out.

With Chatbase, you can:

Set up and deploy a chatbot in just five minutes
Train it on your data to provide accurate, instant responses
Seamlessly integrate with your favorite tools and workflows
Enjoy transparent pricing—no extra fees for adding team members or integrations

Unlike many other platforms that charge per agent, ChatBase keeps things simple: one plan, all features, no hidden costs.

So, if you're ready to add AI-powered chat to your website, Chatbase is the way to go.

Get started → Add Chatbase chat widget to your website.