Explore the Best 25 Live Chat Apps for Sales, Support, and Engagement
In today’s hyper-connected digital landscape, live chat apps have emerged as an indispensable tool for businesses seeking to provide exceptional customer service, boost sales, and build lasting relationships with their audience. These powerful communication platforms enable real-time conversations between businesses and customers, breaking down barriers and creating seamless interactions that traditional support channels simply cannot match. As consumers increasingly expect immediate responses and personalized assistance, live chat apps have evolved from simple messaging tools to sophisticated engagement hubs that incorporate AI, automation, and analytics to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Why Live Chat Apps Are Revolutionizing Business Communication
The significance of live chat apps in today’s business environment cannot be overstated. Studies consistently show that customers prefer live chat over other communication channels, with 79% of businesses reporting that implementing live chat has had a positive effect on sales, revenue, and customer loyalty. The ability to engage visitors in real-time while they browse your website or use your app creates opportunities for meaningful connections that might otherwise be lost.
Modern live chat apps do far more than facilitate simple text conversations. They offer features like co-browsing, video chat, chatbots powered by sophisticated AI, proactive messaging based on user behavior, and deep integration with CRM systems. These capabilities allow businesses to understand customer needs better, respond more effectively, and create personalized experiences that drive satisfaction and loyalty.
As remote work continues to shape our professional landscape, internal live chat apps have also become essential tools for team collaboration, enabling seamless communication regardless of physical location. The market for these applications continues to grow exponentially, with new solutions emerging regularly to address specific industry needs and use cases.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the most innovative and effective live chat apps available in 2025, examining their unique features, pricing structures, integration capabilities, and ideal use cases. Whether you’re a small business looking to implement your first chat solution or an enterprise seeking to upgrade your existing customer engagement strategy, this article will help you navigate the complex landscape of live chat technology and choose the right tool for your specific needs.
Top Live Chat Apps for Customer Support and Sales
Intercom
Intercom has established itself as a market leader in customer messaging platforms, offering a comprehensive suite of tools that extend far beyond basic live chat functionality.
Key Features:
- Business Messenger with customizable chat widgets
- Proactive chat triggers based on user behavior
- Team inbox for collaborative customer support
- Automated chatbots and support article suggestions
- Advanced lead qualification and routing
- Integrated knowledge base and help center
- Robust analytics and reporting capabilities
Pricing: Intercom’s pricing starts at $74/month for the basic plan, with more comprehensive solutions ranging from $119-$499/month. Enterprise pricing is available upon request.
Best For: Growing businesses and enterprises looking for a complete customer communication platform with sophisticated automation capabilities.
Zendesk Chat
Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) offers powerful live chat functionality as part of Zendesk’s comprehensive customer service platform.
Key Features:
- Seamless integration with Zendesk Support
- Proactive chat triggers
- Real-time visitor monitoring
- Offline messaging and chat routing
- Comprehensive analytics dashboard
- Pre-chat forms for better customer qualification
- Multilingual support
Pricing: Zendesk Chat starts at $19/month per agent for the Basic plan. More advanced plans range from $49-$99/month per agent, with enterprise options available.
Best For: Companies already using other Zendesk products or looking for a scalable chat solution with strong customer support capabilities.
LiveChat
LiveChat is a dedicated customer service platform that focuses on creating seamless chat experiences across multiple channels.
Key Features:
- Simple, intuitive interface
- Advanced chat routing and agent groups
- Customizable chat widgets and branding
- Robust reporting and analytics
- Integration with 200+ tools
- Automated chat invitations
- Native mobile apps for agents
- Co-browsing capabilities
Pricing: LiveChat offers plans ranging from $20-$69/month per agent, with enterprise pricing available upon request.
Best For: Small to medium-sized businesses seeking a dedicated, easy-to-implement chat solution with strong analytics capabilities.
Drift
Drift pioneered the “conversational marketing” approach and focuses on using chat to accelerate the sales process.
Key Features:
- Chatbots for lead qualification and scheduling
- Conversation-based landing pages
- Intent-based routing
- Advanced targeting and personalization
- Video messaging capabilities
- Integration with major CRM and marketing automation tools
- Conversational AI for sophisticated interactions
- Comprehensive analytics and attribution
Pricing: Drift’s Premium plans start at $2,500/month, with enterprise pricing available upon request. They also offer a free plan with limited functionality.
Best For: B2B companies focused on using chat for sales acceleration and lead generation.
Olark
Olark offers a streamlined live chat solution that emphasizes simplicity and ease of use.
Key Features:
- Straightforward setup and implementation
- Customizable chat boxes
- Automated messages based on visitor behavior
- Real-time monitoring and reporting
- Chat rating and feedback collection
- Searchable chat transcripts
- Team management tools
Pricing: Olark starts at $19/month per agent when billed annually, with discounts available for larger teams.
Best For: Small businesses and startups looking for an affordable, easy-to-implement chat solution.
LivePerson
LivePerson is an enterprise-grade conversational commerce platform that specializes in AI-powered messaging solutions.
Key Features:
- AI-powered conversation orchestration
- Intent detection and analysis
- Automated conversation design
- Sophisticated routing based on intent and skill
- Integration with messaging channels like WhatsApp and Facebook
- Comprehensive analytics and reporting
- Proprietary conversational AI technology
Pricing: LivePerson offers custom pricing based on business needs and scale.
Best For: Large enterprises looking for sophisticated AI-powered conversational solutions across multiple channels.
Freshchat
Freshchat is part of the Freshworks suite of business products and offers a modern messaging solution for customer engagement.
Key Features:
- AI-powered chatbots (Freddy AI)
- Intelligent message routing
- Event-triggered campaigns
- Multi-channel support (web, mobile, social)
- Team inbox with collaboration tools
- Custom user properties for personalization
- Comprehensive analytics dashboard
Pricing: Freshchat offers plans ranging from $15-$69/month per agent, with a limited free plan available.
Best For: Growing businesses looking for a scalable chat solution with strong AI capabilities and multichannel support.
Tidio
Tidio offers a combination of live chat and chatbots designed to automate customer service and sales processes.
Key Features:
- Easy-to-use visual chatbot builder
- Live typing preview
- Visitor information cards
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Quick response templates
- Integration with major e-commerce platforms
- Multilingual support
- Real-time visitor monitoring
Pricing: Tidio offers a free plan with limited features, with paid plans ranging from $19-$49/month.
Best For: Small e-commerce businesses looking for an affordable chat solution with strong automation capabilities.
HubSpot Live Chat
HubSpot Live Chat is integrated into HubSpot’s CRM platform, offering seamless connection between marketing, sales, and customer service.
Key Features:
- Direct integration with HubSpot CRM
- Automated chatbot functionality
- Meeting scheduling capabilities
- Targeted welcome messages
- Saved responses for common questions
- Chat routing based on agent availability
- Comprehensive analytics and reporting
Pricing: HubSpot Live Chat is available with HubSpot’s free CRM, with additional functionality in their Service Hub plans starting at $50/month.
Best For: Businesses already using HubSpot tools or looking for a chat solution deeply integrated with CRM functionality.
Tawk.to
Tawk.to distinguishes itself as a completely free live chat solution with no limitations on agents or chats.
Key Features:
- Unlimited agents and chats
- Customizable chat widget
- Ticketing system
- Detailed visitor information
- Chat triggers and canned responses
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Basic reporting and analytics
Pricing: Tawk.to is completely free, with optional paid add-ons like removing the tawk.to branding ($19/month) or hiring agents through their platform.
Best For: Budget-conscious small businesses and startups looking for a basic but functional chat solution.
Enterprise-Grade Live Chat Solutions
Ada
Ada specializes in automated customer experience, offering sophisticated AI chatbots that can handle complex customer interactions.
Key Features:
- Advanced natural language processing
- Multilingual support
- No-code bot building interface
- Personalized customer journeys
- Seamless handoff to human agents
- Deep analytics and insights
- Enterprise-grade security
Pricing: Ada offers custom pricing based on business needs and scale.
Best For: Large enterprises looking for sophisticated AI automation for customer interactions with high volumes of repetitive queries.
Acquire
Acquire provides a unified customer engagement platform with advanced co-browsing and video chat capabilities.
Key Features:
- Co-browsing with no downloads required
- Video and voice chat integration
- Secure document sharing
- Screen sharing capabilities
- AI-powered chatbots
- Knowledge base integration
- Enterprise-grade security features
Pricing: Acquire offers custom pricing based on business requirements.
Best For: Financial services, healthcare, and other industries requiring secure, high-touch customer assistance.
Team Collaboration Live Chat Apps
Slack
Slack has become the standard for team communication and collaboration across many industries.
Key Features:
- Organized conversations in channels
- Direct messaging and group chats
- File sharing and collaboration
- Voice and video calls
- Robust search functionality
- 2,000+ app integrations
- Advanced permission settings
- Enterprise-grade security
Pricing: Slack offers a limited free plan, with paid plans ranging from $7.25-$12.50/user/month. Enterprise Grid pricing is available upon request.
Best For: Teams of all sizes looking for a comprehensive internal communication platform.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams combines chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Key Features:
- Integrated with Microsoft 365 applications
- Channel-based conversations
- Direct messaging and group chats
- Video and audio conferencing
- File sharing and collaboration
- Third-party app integration
- Advanced security and compliance features
Pricing: Teams is available with Microsoft 365 business plans starting at $5/user/month, with more comprehensive plans ranging from $12.50-$22/user/month.
Best For: Organizations already using Microsoft 365 products or requiring tight integration with Office applications.
Rocket.Chat
Rocket.Chat is an open-source communication platform that can be self-hosted for complete control over data.
Key Features:
- Self-hosting option for complete data control
- End-to-end encryption
- Channel-based messaging
- Video conferencing capabilities
- File sharing and collaboration
- Custom fields and webhook integrations
- Advanced permissions and roles
Pricing: Rocket.Chat offers a free Community Edition, with SaaS plans ranging from $3-$12/user/month. Enterprise pricing is available upon request.
Best For: Organizations with strict data security requirements or those preferring open-source solutions.
Mobile-First Live Chat Apps
WhatsApp Business
WhatsApp Business allows businesses to interact with customers through the world’s most popular messaging app.
Key Features:
- Business profile with key information
- Quick replies for common questions
- Automated greeting and away messages
- Labels to organize conversations
- WhatsApp Business API for larger businesses
- Catalog sharing for products and services
- End-to-end encryption
Pricing: The WhatsApp Business app is free for small businesses. The WhatsApp Business API has costs associated with message volume after the first 1,000 conversations each month.
Best For: Small to medium-sized businesses looking to engage customers through WhatsApp’s massive user base.
Facebook Messenger for Business
Facebook Messenger enables businesses to connect with the vast Facebook user base through their messaging platform.
Key Features:
- Integration with Facebook Pages
- Automated responses and chatbots
- Customer acquisition ads that open to Messenger
- Rich media support
- Payment processing capabilities
- Appointment booking functionality
- Broad reach across Facebook’s network
Pricing: Basic Facebook Messenger functionality is free, with costs associated with certain advertising features.
Best For: Businesses with an active Facebook presence looking to engage customers directly through the platform.
Telegram Business
Telegram offers business solutions through its messaging platform with a focus on security and flexibility.
Key Features:
- Bot API for creating custom business solutions
- Group chats with up to 200,000 members
- Channels for broadcasting messages
- File sharing up to 2GB
- End-to-end encrypted “Secret Chats”
- Cross-platform synchronization
- Custom stickers and interactive buttons
Pricing: Telegram is free to use, including its Bot API for businesses.
Best For: Businesses looking for a secure, flexible messaging platform with strong automation capabilities.
Specialized Live Chat Solutions
LiveAgent
LiveAgent combines live chat with comprehensive helpdesk functionality for unified customer support.
Key Features:
- Unified inbox for all communication channels
- Video chat capabilities
- Time tracking for support agents
- Gamification for agent productivity
- Customer portal and forum options
- Advanced automation and routing
- SLA management tools
Pricing: LiveAgent offers plans ranging from $15-$49/agent/month, with enterprise pricing available upon request.
Best For: Businesses seeking a comprehensive helpdesk solution with integrated live chat capabilities.
Chatlio
Chatlio specializes in integrating live chat directly with Slack, allowing teams to manage customer conversations where they already work.
Key Features:
- Direct integration with Slack
- Custom forms and routing
- Automated workflows
- Visitor tracking and history
- Widget customization
- File sharing capabilities
- Simple implementation
Pricing: Chatlio plans range from $29-$99/month, with enterprise pricing available upon request.
Best For: Teams already using Slack who want to manage customer chat without adding another interface.
Pure Chat
Pure Chat offers straightforward live chat functionality focused on simplicity and affordability.
Key Features:
- Unlimited chats
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Customizable chat widgets
- Visitor tracking information
- Canned responses for quick replies
- Real-time visitor monitoring
- Basic analytics
Pricing: Pure Chat offers plans at $49/month (4 users) and $79/month (10 users), with unlimited chats.
Best For: Small businesses looking for an affordable, easy-to-use live chat solution.
SnapEngage
SnapEngage focuses on providing secure, HIPAA-compliant live chat solutions for regulated industries.
Key Features:
- HIPAA compliance capabilities
- Multi-channel messaging
- Advanced routing and queue management
- Proactive chat rules
- Design customization
- Integration with major CRM systems
- Analytics and reporting
Pricing: SnapEngage offers plans ranging from $149-$499/month, with enterprise pricing available upon request.
Best For: Healthcare, financial services, and other regulated industries requiring secure, compliant communication.
Chatra
Chatra provides a lightweight live chat solution with group chat capabilities and file sharing.
Key Features:
- Group chat functionality
- File attachment support
- Visitor information display
- Typing indicators
- Mobile apps for agents
- Offline message collection
- Basic chatbot capabilities
Pricing: Chatra offers a free plan with limited features, with paid plans at $19/agent/month and $29/agent/month.
Best For: Small teams looking for an affordable, feature-rich live chat solution.
How to Choose the Right Live Chat App for Your Business
Selecting the optimal live chat app for your organization requires careful consideration of several factors:
- Business Size and Scale: Assess whether the solution can grow with your business and handle your expected chat volume.
- Integration Requirements: Ensure the chat solution integrates smoothly with your existing tech stack, particularly your CRM and support systems.
- Feature Priorities: Determine which features are essential for your specific use case (chatbots, video chat, co-browsing, etc.).
- User Experience: Evaluate the ease of use for both your team and your customers.
- Channel Support: Consider whether you need omnichannel capabilities to engage customers across different platforms.
- Analytics and Reporting: Assess the depth of insights available to measure effectiveness and ROI.
- Security and Compliance: Ensure the solution meets any industry-specific regulations relevant to your business.
- Budget Constraints: Balance functionality against cost to find the solution that delivers the best value for your specific needs.
- Support Quality: Research the vendor’s support reputation and availability to ensure you’ll have help when needed.
- Customization Options: Evaluate how well the chat interface can be tailored to match your brand identity.
Conclusion
The landscape of live chat apps continues to evolve rapidly, with new features and capabilities emerging regularly. From AI-powered chatbots that can handle routine inquiries to sophisticated co-browsing tools that facilitate complex support scenarios, these platforms are transforming how businesses connect with their customers and teams collaborate internally.
As we’ve seen in this comprehensive overview, there’s a wide spectrum of solutions available to meet different business needs and use cases. Whether you’re a small e-commerce store looking to boost conversions, a large enterprise seeking to streamline customer support operations, or a team looking to improve internal communication, there’s a live chat solution designed to address your specific challenges.
The key to success with any live chat app lies not just in selecting the right tool but in implementing it strategically. This means training your team effectively, establishing clear processes for handling conversations, continuously refining your approach based on analytics, and ensuring that the chat experience aligns with your overall customer experience strategy.
By leveraging the power of real-time communication through these sophisticated platforms, businesses of all sizes can create more immediate, personal, and effective connections with their audiences—ultimately driving improved satisfaction, loyalty, and growth in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.
<p>The post Explore the Best 25 Live Chat Apps for Sales, Support, and Engagement first appeared on Designbeep.</p>