Top 10 Free Shopify Live Chat Apps for 2023
Channel Talk
- Business Insights
Top 10 Free Shopify Live Chat Apps for 2023
Best Live Chat for Shopify Businesses
Shopify 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 has 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 a Shopify live chat a must-have for online 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 if you're looking to provide better customer service online.
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 and a personalized experience positively influence buying decisions.
79% of businesses reported increased customer loyalty, sales and revenue with a live chat.
Live chat can increase conversion rates up to 3.84% and overall revenue by 6%.
Up to 50% reduction on support and staffing costs
What is a live chat?
In simplest terms, a live chat is an online customer service platform that allows customers to communicate with a business in real-time. It’s an efficient way for companies to provide and receive feedback from their customers as well as answer their questions and address their concerns. Live chats are typically provided through third-party applications such as chatbots or web-based tools. You can spot live chats through chat widgets that are shown at the front of the webpage, usually positioned at the bottom right-hand corner of the page. People can click on the widget and begin writing in the chat window to speak with a customer service representative on the other side.
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.
Where can I find live chat apps?
The great thing about Shopify is that they offer a lot of live chat apps on the Shopify app store. All you need to do is navigate to the Shopify app store and search 'live chat' to see the different options.
You can also find live chat options outside of Shopify, but you'll have to manually implement it by adding code to your website. If you do decide to get a Shopify live chat app directly from the app store, you'll be able to link it to your webpage without any coding needed.
How to install a live chat app on your Shopify site
If you're looking for a new live chat app for your Shopify site, you can install apps quite easily through no-code installations.
You can simply log into your Shopify account, search the app on the app store and and click into the app description page to find the installation button near the top of the page. By clicking 'install' you'll be given the option to install it directly into your Shopify webpage.
If you're looking for apps outside of the Shopify ecosystem, the process could get a little bit more complicated, as you would need to insert a few lines of code into the backend of your site.
Most platforms will have detailed instructions on how to do this and won't require you to change or write new code to install, but if you're not very confident with touching code, we'd definitely recommend that you stick to finding an app in the Shopify app store.
Which Live Chat App Should You Get for Your Shopify Store?
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, all of which include all the basic features to help you figure out which platform would be the best fit for your business.
Luckily, most of these Shopify live chat apps can be found and installed directly on Shopify, but do keep in mind that some may need to be installed directly from their own sites.
Let’s dive right in!
Here's our list of some of the best live chat app options for Shopify that are offered with a free plan:
Channel Talk
Tidio
Crisp
Jivochat
Hubspot
Tawk.to
Maisie AI
Re:Amaze
Chatra
Gorgias
Keep reading for more details.
1. Channel Talk
Rating: 4.8/5 ⭐
As a newer addition to the Shopify app store, Channel Talk 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. Not only is the live chat and team chat free, but even as a customer focused CRM the pricing has all other platforms beat in terms of value and functionality. The quality of the chat functions are solid and the CRM gets the job done for ecommerce businesses looking to collect lead information and customer data.
As an all-in-one platform, the paid features — the CRM, Marketing, and Chatbots — provide automated responses, a customizable chat widget, unlimited chat history, automated marketing, customer data insights, and integrations — all put together to enhance customer experience.
These features are designed to help you recognize your most valuable customers, visualize customer data, segment and target custom marketing campaigns, and strengthen customer retention by giving you the ability to design the shopping experience for your store visitors throughout the entire end-to-end customer journey.
Best of all, it works on pretty much all ecommerce platforms or custom websites.
It's a great free Shopify live chat option 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.
The Pros:
Unlimited free live chat and
messages
Unlimited operator seats
New customizable chat widget and home window designs
Pricing that scales when the business scales
Automations and customizable chatbots
Lead collection from website visitors
Zapier and email and Instagram integrations
Upcoming AI and phone features to be released
Available on Shopify's app store
The Cons:
Limitations with integrations
Language support in English, Korean and Japanese only
2. Tidio
Rating: 4.7/5 ⭐
Tidio live chat offers features that are simple to use for teams of up to 3.
Although the free version does limit conversation with up to 50 users, (100 for chatbots,) the Shopify chat is light and clean, making it a good pick for micro or small businesses looking to start using live chat for the first time.
The platform does a great job of simplifying customer conversations and handling multiple chats, making it a great option for those looking to improve customer experience.
It comes with a wide range of integrations with some of the most popular tech stacks, and a good set of customization options including a customizable chat widget.
Tidio live chat limits the number of chats that go out through the chatbot, but offers unlimited chats for regular live chat conversations.
A good option 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.
The Pros:
Good for small teams just starting out with live chats
Free plan option available
Good range of integrations available with popular tech stacks
Good set of customizations available
New AI chatbot
The Cons:
Limited chatbot conversations to 50 users (100 for paid plans)
No CRM features
Can get pricey if you're looking for more capabilities
English and European language support only
3. Crisp
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐
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 free live chat feature to help boost customer satisfaction for your online store and is a good option for your Shopify 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.
The Pros:
Can be integrated with your Shopify store
Light and easy to use
Live chat and team chat available
Customizable chat bot scenarios and automations
Wide range of integrations
The Cons:
Limited features available compared to other live chat apps
Not available on the Shopify app store
4. Jivochat
Rating: 4.6/5 ⭐
A unique and new approach to live chat software — Jivochat is known for allowing operators to see customer chats before they hit send.
As a Shopify live chat, it gives your team more time to prepare and understand the customers’ mindset coming into the conversation.
The live chat is available on Shopify's app store and is a great option for those that want more control over the conversations with their customers.
Unlike many chat apps available on Shopify, this one comes with a CRM that's available as a paid feature as well.
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.
The Pros:
More visibility compared to other live chat apps
Ability to see what customers are typing before they hit send
Integrations with whatsapp
Customization options
Wide range of integrations
The Cons:
Limited operators
CRM only available on professional plan
Free version is very limited
No built in chatbot
5. Hubspot
Rating: 2.8/5 ⭐
Despite it's lower rating on Shopify, we've ranked it's live chat 5th on this list because of the capabilities offered on it's free version.
Hubspot’s live chat also comes along with a built-in 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 and comes with a decent Shopify chat to enhance customer experience.
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.
The Pros:
Well-known and good CRM feature on the paid plan
Integrations with the most popular tech stacks
"Lite" version available with good set of available features
The Cons:
Limitations as a Shopify live chat
Paid plan can be very expensive
6. Tawk.to
Rating: 4.2/5 ⭐
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 Shopify live chat option that can benefit your customer support process.
The Pros:
Good set of features offered on the free version
Popular among new users as a Shopify live chat
Customizations and automation options available
Customer funnel analysis
Agent assignment
The Cons:
Heavy advertising to end-user on free version
Can get pricey on the paid version
7. Maisie AI
Rating: 4.9/5 ⭐
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.
If your business is trying to save time talking to customers, Maisie is a good option to consider.
It's unfortunately not available as a Shopify live chat on the app store, but you can download the software directly from the site.
The Pros:
Live chat included with an AI chatbot
Automations and customizations available
Transparent pricing that scales with the company
The Cons:
Not available on Shopify's app store
Price jumps if you need integrations with Klaviyo or want to remove branding
8. Re:Amaze
Rating: 4.6/5 ⭐
If you’re the type that likes to have all weapons at the ready — then ReAmaze may be what you’re looking for in a Shopify live chat.
The Shopify chat 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.
The Pros:
Lots of available features and integrations with most popular apps
Automations and customizations available
Customer activity tracking
Push campaigns for marketing
Chatbots, live chat and FAQ features available
The Cons:
Can get very pricey with additional features
14-day trial, but no free version available
9. Chatra
Rating: 4.8/5 ⭐
With a free forever plan, limited to 1 operator, Chatra live chat is a 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 tool, 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.
The Pros:
Easy to use interface
Available on Shopify
Free version available
Ability to see customer information
Integrations with most ecommerce platforms
The Cons:
Very limited on the free version
Need to be on the Pro plan to access a lot of the integrations
10. Gorgias
Rating: 4.4/5 ⭐
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 popular helpdesk software 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 focuses a bit less on live chat support and more on a ticketing based 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.
The Pros:
Help desk and ticketing system
One of the most well-known live chats on this list
Offered as a Shopify chat on the app store
Strong integrations with some of the most popular tech
The Cons:
No free version available only 14 day trial
Can become very expensive with more inquiries
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 for your online store. Hopefully, this list will give you some insight into which live chat you should choose.
Just keep in mind that the best Shopify live chat apps usually have customers in mind, are user friendly, and should help you improve the experience for your website visitors. You can have all of the features in the world, but they'll be no help to you without figuring out which features your business truly needs.
If you're struggling to decide on a Shopify live chat, 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 tool provides the most value and flexibility to you and your business.
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