Technology makes it possible for companies to sell and connect with customers in real time. You’ve probably heard of live chat and chatbots and may wonder which option is best for support. 

Typically, people prefer live chat software because companies can address their customer queries instantaneously. Learning how to add your live chat widget to your site is crucial, but you also have to think about the options available.

LiveChat is one of the most popular options, but it contains many drawbacks. Therefore, you may want to consider some LiveChat alternatives, which you’ll learn about today!

Introduction to LiveChat

LiveChat is a customer support platform integrating help desk, live chat support, and web analytics options. It helps users offer assistance to customers, so it’s a reliable tool when companies want real-time communication.

Compared to email support, live chat functionality offers many benefits. These include:

• Boost Sales 
• Real-time Communication 
• Comprehensive Features 

Though LiveChat has many great features, you may decide to choose one of our seven LiveChat alternatives because of these concerns:

• Price – The starter plan at LiveChat is $20/month/agent, and you only get a few customization options. Other alternatives have more features for less.
• Limited Customization Options – Though you’ll find many great LiveChat features, it doesn’t allow you to customize without upgrading. Plus, you’d need the Enterprise package to remove the LiveChat logo from the chat widget.
• Learning Curve – Users might find that the interface and features aren’t intuitive, so there’s a big learning curve. This delays the implementation process and may even require you to host additional training for your staff. You wish to reduce the agent’s workload instead of adding to it!

The Criteria for Choosing LiveChat Alternatives

Understanding why an eCommerce website requires live chat functionality is the first step. Now, you need to figure out how to choose the best solution. We checked out various LiveChat alternatives and found that this criteria is important:

• Multichannel Support – The best LiveChat alternatives let you interact with your customers on various platforms, such as messaging apps like Whatsapp, SMS, email, and social media.
• Integrating with Other Tools – If you already have marketing tools, CRM systems, and other software, you want your Livechat alternative to integrate for a seamless workflow. This will help you track key metrics for your live chat solution.
• Pricing Flexibility – Your live chat solution must have flexible and transparent pricing plans to fit your needs now and in the future.
• Scalability – The platform must grow with your brand so that you can accommodate higher chat volumes and more agents without a performance issue.
• Ease of Use – You want your live chat platform to be easy to use. This might include offering training and support to your team as you integrate into the new system.

The LiveChat Alternatives to Consider

Knowing the benefits of live chat functionality is crucial, but LiveChat might not be the solution you need. Here are seven LiveChat alternatives to consider instead:

1. Chatway

Chatway is an excellent LiveChat alternative because it helps you talk to your website visitors in real time. Here are the key features to enjoy:

• Live Chat Widget – You’ll offer your customers immediate and personalized assistance with an intuitive widget that helps improve communication.
• Mobile Apps – You and your agents don’t have to be at your desk to respond to customer inquiries because you can download the app to your mobile device.
• Multiple Agents – Reduce wait times and offer instant solutions because you have numerous agents helping others.

Here are a few reviews/ratings from Capterra to help you understand the benefits of Chatway:

• Customer Service – 4.6/5 stars
• Ease of Use – 5/5 stars
• Overall Benefit – 4.6/5 stars

Currently, Chatway is completely free, so you can enjoy all the features available.

2. Tidio

Tidio is an excellent LiveChat alternative. This customer communication platform facilitates real-time interactions between customers and businesses. Plus, it offers chatbots, live chat, and other email marketing options. 

Check out these key features:

• Integrations – You can integrate Tidio with other platforms, such as WordPress, Wix, and Shopify. This will ensure that your agents can preview customer carts, offer coupon codes, view order/payment history, and more!
• AI Functionality – Tidio helps you answer common questions with Reply Assistant and Lyro, its AI-powered chatbots.
• Email Campaigns – With Tidio, your team can send personalized email messages to target specific groups and tailor the information.

Here are some ratings from Capterra to help you decide if this is the best solution for you:

• Customer Service – 4.6/5 stars
• Ease of Use – 4.7/5 stars
• Overall – 4.8/ 5 stars

The pricing plans include:

• Free Plan – Up to 50 conversations
• Starter Plan – $29/month for 100 conversations
• Communicator Plan – $25/month for unlimited conversations
• Chatbots Plan – $29/month for 2,000 to 40,000 chatbot triggers and 50 conversations

3. Gorgias

Gorgias offers these features:

• Ticket Management – AI can help you assign, prioritize, and tag tickets when they hit your inbox.
• Instant Resolutions – You can automatically process your returns, generate discount codes, send tracking data, and more.
• Get Insights on Customers – Understand your customer’s ordering history, subscriptions, loyalty status, and more.

The prices include:

• Starter – $10/month for 50 tickets
• Basic – $60/month for 300 tickets
• Pro – $360/month for 2,000 tickets
• Advanced – $900/month for 5,000 tickets
• Enterprise – Contact for quote

Capterra shows these ratings for Gorgias:

• Value for Money – 4.5/5 stars
• Customer Service – 4.7/5 stars
• Ease of Use – 4.6/5 stars

4. Tawk.to

Tawk.to helps companies communicate with customers directly on their mobile apps and websites. This free SaaS live chat software has these features:

• Real-time Monitoring – See what pages your visitors view in real time. Also, learn how often they visit the site and what they search for.
• Knowledge Base Integration – Create a customizable knowledge base and publish it publicly to let customers help themselves.
• Agent Collaboration – Tag and assign your conversations to specific chat agents to ensure that customers talk to the right person.

Ultimately, Tawk.to is a free service, so there is no limit on how many agents you can have or conversations you could create.

Here are the ratings from Capterra to give you a better picture overall:

• Value for Money – 4.7/5 stars
• Customer Service – 4.4/5 stars
• Ease of Use – 4.6/5 stars

5. Re:Amaze

The key features for Re:Amaze include:

• Customizable chat experience
• Native in-chat video calls
• Pre-built or custom chatbots

Capterra shows these ratings:

• Value for Money – 4.8/5 stars
• Customer Service – 4.8/5 stars
• Ease of Use – 4.7/5 stars

The pricing plans are as follows:

• Basic – $29/month/user
• Pro – $49/month/user
• Plus – $69/month/user

6. Helpscout

The live chat option for HelpScout is Beacon. Here are the key features to understand:

• Initiate Requests – Customers can initiate live chats and submit email requests.
• Searchable Access – HelpScout offers a knowledge base where anyone can search for information.
• Microsurveys – You can easily gather customer feedback with microsurveys.

Capterra shows these ratings:

• Value for Money – 4.4/5 stars
• Customer Service – 4.7/5 stars
• Ease of Use – 4.7/5 stars

Here is a list of the pricing plans:

• Standard – $20/user/month
• Plus – $40/user/month
• Pro – $65/user/month

7. Crisp

Crisp offers these features:

• Chatbots – Automate lead conversations and offer support. You can also use this to handle FAQs outside of normal support hours.
• Status Page – This lets you monitor the system’s status and alert people.
• Email/SMS Campaigns – You can push more leads to Crisp with various forms and pop ups.

Capterra indicates these ratings:

• Value for Money – 4.5/5 stars
• Customer Service – 4.4/5 stars
• Ease of Use – 4.6/5 stars

Here are the pricing features:

• Basic – Free
• Pro – $25
• Unlimited – $95

Comparison of LiveChat Alternatives

Let’s compare the LiveChat Alternatives based on these criteria:

• Cost Comparison – If you’re looking for a free service, Chatway and Tawk.to are completely free. Tidio and Crisp have free plans, and you can pay for more advanced services.
• Feature Comparison – Ultimately, Chatway and Tawk.to have fewer features because they are completely free. Helpscout also has limits, though Tidio and Gorgias are ideal.
• User Experience Comparison – You’ll get a great user experience with any of the LiveChat alternatives shown here.
• Integration Capabilities Comparison – Each LiveChat alternative offers integrations.
• Customer Support Comparison – All LiveChat alternatives have excellent customer support.

Conclusion

Ultimately, you must choose a live chat solution that aligns with your unique business requirements. It’s wise to check different LiveChat alternatives to see which option might work best. Consider using Chatway today!