Top 10 Free Shopify Live Chat Apps for 2023
Updated: Apr 2023
Live chat apps are becoming an integral part of Shopify businesses, and it’s undeniable the impact it has on the online shopping experience. Live chat apps have become one of the most convenient form of communication over the years, and the number of people relying on phone calls or emails, is beginning to dwindle as time passes.
So is live chat a must-have for Shopify store owners?
That depends.
Some people might still be inclined to use phone or email for various reasons — for privacy, record keeping, etc. — depending on the type of business or service you provide.
But if you’re trying to target online buyers, especially on Shopify, adding a live chat widget to your Shopify store is a must.
Here are some helpful statistics to show you the effects of having a live chat service:
- Live chat has a customer satisfaction level of 73% compared to email (61%) and phone (44%).
- 90% of customers feel immediate responses positively influence buying decisions.
- 79% of businesses reported increased customer loyalty, sales and revenue with a live chat.
- Live chats can increase conversion rates up to 3.84% and overall revenue by 6%.
- Up to 50% reduction on support and staffing costs
Why Live Chat Apps are Important for Shopify Store Owners
Before looking at which Shopify live chat app is right for you, it’s important to fully understand why having a live chat is beneficial, so that you can make the best decision for your store.
Here are a few reasons:
Increased Customer Satisfaction: Live chat enables customers to quickly and easily get answers to their questions or concerns, which can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and better customer experience.
Improved Conversion Rates: By providing real-time support to customers, live chat can help reduce cart abandonment rates and improve conversion rates. It can also help your customer support team to upsell or cross-sell products and improve customer retention.
Competitive Advantage: Live chat can give Shopify stores a competitive advantage over other stores that don’t offer live chat. Customers are more likely to purchase from a store that provides instant support and assistance.
Enhanced Customer Insights: Live chat can provide valuable insights into customer needs and preferences through customer conversations, which can be used to improve product offerings, marketing strategies, and customer service.
Cost-effective: Compared to traditional phone support, live chat can be a more cost-effective way to provide customer service. It allows support agents to handle multiple customer queries simultaneously, reducing the need to increase the size of your customer support team.
Overall, having a Shopify live chat app can help stores improve customer satisfaction, increase sales, and gain a competitive advantage in the e-commerce marketplace.
Which Live Chat App Should You Get for Your Shopify Store?
Which Live Chat App Should You Get for Your Shopify Store?
It’s clear that getting a live chat app for your Shopify store can be beneficial. But the challenge that remains, is deciding on which live chat app is right for you.
There are so many different Shopify chat apps to choose from, that finding the right one can be a challenge as well.
If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’ve got a tight budget, looking to change your current software or trying to move away from support tickets — and you’ve come to the right place.
We believe having simple conversations with customers shouldn’t become a financial burden or a hassle to find. We’ve put together a list of top 10 best live chat apps available for free on Shopify that include all the basic features to help you figure out which live chat would be the best fit for your business.
Luckily most of these apps can be found and installed directly from the Shopify app store, but do keep in mind that some may need to be installed directly from their own sites.
Let’s dive right in!
1. Channel.io
As a newer addition to Shopify’s app store, Channel.io offers ecommerce store owners a set of free key features that are designed to help you connect with customers in real-time with just a few clicks.
The app comes with a free live chat and team chat — both with unlimited chats and operators — no strings attached.
The flexibility and value of the live chat app makes it the top customer support tool on this list.
As an all-in-one platform, it also comes with powerful paid features such as the CRM, Marketing, and Chatbots, that provide automated responses, unlimited chat history, offline messages, customer insights, and integrations.
These features are designed to help you recognize your most valuable customers, visualize customer data, and strengthen customer retention.
Best of all, it works on pretty much all ecommerce platforms or custom websites.
It’s great for businesses of all sizes — from those just starting out, or businesses looking to scale. As it’s available on Shopify’s app store, you’ll be able to install the live chat solution to your site in minutes.
2. Tidio
Tidio offers live chat features that are simple to use for teams of up to 3.
Although the free plan does limit conversation with up to 50 users, (100 for chatbots,) the live chat is light and clean, making it a good pick for micro or small businesses looking to start using live chats for the first time.
The platform does a great job of simplifying customer conversations and handling multiple chats.
It comes with a wide range of integrations with some of the most popular tech stacks, and a good set of customization options.
Tidio limits the number of chats that go out through the chatbot, but offers unlimited chats for regular live chat conversations.
A good pick for those that don’t need a CRM and just want a live chat and chatbot to help manage customer conversations and answer questions from customers.
3. Crisp
Crisp is another super light, live chat solution that allows up to 2 operators on their free plan.
This one’s not on Shopify, but you can get the app by visiting their site and is a popular choice for many Shopify store owners.
The platform has a great live chat feature to help boost customer satisfaction for your online store.
It’s easy to understand and has all of the basic features you would need if you’re just starting out with your business, and looking for a free live chat app to open up a new customer support channel on your site.
It comes with most of the essential live chat features, with a shared inbox that allows you to keep track of communication as a team.
It also allows you to build chatbot scenarios, giving your support team the ability to set up automated responses.
4. Jivochat
A unique and new approach to live chat software — Jivochat is known for allowing operators to see customer chats before they hit send.
This could be a double-edged sword for your support team, especially if they’re dealing with foul mouthed customers, but it does give them more time to prepare and understand the customers’ mindset coming into the conversation.
The free plan is limited to 5 operators, and comes with a clean chat feature that’s fairly easy to learn.
It also offers integrations with the whatsapp chat, additional customization options, and simple live chat capabilities that make it a strong contender on this list.
5. Hubspot
Hubspot’s live chat comes along with the main CRM tool that allows you to keep track of your customer information.
Most live chat apps usually lack CRM capabilities, but Hubspot is known for it’s strong CRM database.
Though there are some limitations for each feature — as you’ll be using the “lite” version — the free plan offers a variety of free key features that you can use.
The platform might feel a little bit heavy for those that are new to live chat software, but if you’re willing to put in the time to learn, it’s definitely a good choice.
It’s also available as a Shopify app.
6. Tawk.to
Another Shopify live chat app to consider is Tawk.to.
The live chat app is free, for as long as you continue to advertise their brand for them — by keeping the “powered by Tawk.to” label at the bottom of your chat.
If you choose to remove the label, the charge jumps to $19 a month.
Communicating on the platform is straight forward, with a basic live chat function you can benefit from as a new company.
Installing the live chat feature is also quick and easy, as it’s available on the Shopify app store, but it can feel a bit different from other live chats as it’s browser based.
A great app that can benefit your customer support process.
7. Maisie AI
Maisie AI is more known for it’s chatbot feature, but the platform also includes live chat software that comes with a 14 day free trial.
It has a decent chatbot system that allows businesses to automate their customer support, and a customizable live chat system, where a chatbot starts the conversation off before sending customers to the agent chat window.
For businesses looking to minimize time talking to customers, Maisie is a good option to consider.
It’s unfortunately not available on the Shopify app store, but you can download the app directly from the site.
8. Re:Amaze
If you’re the type that likes to have all weapons at the ready — regardless of whether you need them right away — then ReAmaze may be what you’re looking for.
The platform is packed with features of all kinds to help Shopify businesses match the right tool, for the right problem, at the right time. If you’re looking to encourage customers to buy more, ReAmaze is a great live chat to consider for your stack.
Although they do offer a 14 day free trial, the price of the paid plan and the number of paid features can come off as a bit heavy for some people.
But if you’ve got the money and need the extra features — then ReAmaze might be the Shopify app you’re looking for.
9. Chatra
With a free forever plan, limited to 1 operator, Chatra is a live chat software designed to provide businesses both flexibility and mobility.
Unfortunately, it’s main features are unavailable on the free plan, but as a simple live chat, Chatra does a fairly good job of providing the basic necessities to start talking to website visitors, and to start making sales.
Considering that most platforms don’t even offer a free plan, it’s definitely worth a look, especially if you’re a small or a one-man team.
Chatra live chat is perfect shopify app for those running their Shopify stores solo, but still want to provide premium services to their customers.
10. Gorgias
Gorgias is another popular Shopify live chat app that has been creating a lot of buzz in the e-commerce market over the recent years.
The live chat platform has a decent range of integrations and features that are designed to help manage large number of customer queries and provide quality live chat support.
We placed the platform a bit lower on the list because it still functions on the ticketing system, which can become costly or hard to manage with a smaller team.
It’s available on the Shopify app store and comes with a 7-day free trial that’ll allow you to test out the live chat feature before subscribing to their monthly plan.
We would, however, recommend this live chat app to businesses with a bit more room in their budget.
The paid plan comes with a limited number of support tickets, but if you go over the limit, the bill can really sneak up on you.
If you prefer the ticketing system and have room in your budget, Gorgias is a live chat definitely worth looking into. You can download and test it out on Shopify to see if it’s right for you.
Deciding on the Right Live Chat App for You
With so much competition in the Shopify ecosystem, it’s important to stand out from your competitors with a good live chat support system, ready and available on your site.
And with so many live chat app options available, we know it can be overwhelming trying to figure out which is the best live chat app for your business. Hopefully, this list will give you some insight into which live chat you should choose.
Just keep in mind that the best live chat apps usually have customers in mind, and should help you improve the experience for your website visitors.
If you struggle to decide, it’s sometimes better to just dive right in and try them out one-by-one. Start from the top and test to see which live chat provides the most value and flexibility to you and your business.
Originally published at https://channel.io/en.
