First things first—what is Shopify live chat extension?
Shopify live chat refers to a real-time messaging tool integrated into a Shopify online store, allowing store owners to interact with their customers directly through the website.
This feature can help improve customer service, increase sales, and enhance the overall shopping experience.
Each of the hundreds of the third-party apps available in the Shopify App Store offers its own set of unique features and customization options tailored to the merchant’s needs.
We’ve narrowed it down for you.
Let’s jump straight into it.
What is the best live chat for a Shopify store?
Customers crave instant help from the business. Whether their questions are related to the recommendations of the products or complaints about the malfunction of the system, your business should provide help as soon as possible. But that’s not always possible if using an email or phone support system. This is where the Shopify support chat comes in.
With hundreds of options available on the market, we’ve narrowed our list down to 10 of the best ones. Let’s compare the top Shopify chat apps that can help your customers go through the checkout steps, recommend products, speed up the refund process, and help to navigate through the knowledge base.
Let’s review them one by one in more detail, shall we?
1. Tidio
Rating: 4.7/5 ⭐ (1,880+ reviews)
We know that it may seem odd to review Tidio on our own blog. But being one of the most-installed and most-reviewed Shopify live chat software, we thought our software should be included in this list. And to tell you the truth, we do have a bent for Shopify stores.
You can use the shared inbox tool to track your customer communication from different channels like Facebook Messenger, website, and Shopify inbox. On top of that, store owners can automate workflows for the team using the live chat & chatbot for distributing discount codes, answering queries, and cross-selling.
Main features:
- Customizable welcome messages
- Website visitor tracking tools
- Intent recognition features and canned responses
- NLP and AI chatbots available
- Deep integration with Shopify sales analytics and product pages
- Pre-chat and post-chat surveys
- 7-day free trial available
- Free version available
- Starter ($29/mo)
- Growth (starts at $59/mo)
- Plus (starts at $749/mo)
- Premium (starts at $2999/mo)
Skip the list and get the best Shopify live chat on the market
Read more: Go through the Shopify FAQs on Tidio’s integration. Also, learn how Bella Sante increased sales after switching to Lyro.
2. LiveChat
Rating: 4.1/5 ⭐ (45+ reviews)
LiveChat for Shopify is a great tool for gathering client feedback and conversation routing if you are a SaaS company. It offers real-time chat, analytics, and a ticketing system, making it a comprehensive tool for support needs. Its most important functionalities include a live chat tool, customer segmentation system, and an analytics toolkit. This Shopify chat app is a rather complicated tool that has its own app store with additional modules such as chatbots.
Pros:
- Over 170 integrations and additional modules
- Detailed user information and customer insights
- Product cards and recommendations
Cons:
- Steep learning curve for new users
- Limited functionality of the mobile app
- Free 14-day trial available
- Starter ($20/mo/agent)
- Team ($41/mo/agent)
- Business ($59/mo/agent)
- Enterprise → contact sales
Read more: Check out the top LiveChat alternatives available on the market today.
3. Zendesk
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️ (155+ reviews)
Zendesk is an all-in-one customer support platform with sales, marketing, and branding features. This is the best live chat app for Shopify when it comes to multichannel customer support, as it gathers interactions from email, popup chat, phone, and social media into one place. The tool is mostly known for its site widget, email support, and analytic capabilities. It also includes permissions for agents, a web software development kit (SDK), and setting operating hours.
Pros:
- Pre-chat forms for customer data collection
- Real-time view of visitors
- Robust analytics and dashboards
Cons:
- Navigation needs improvements
- Automatic closure of tickets after 30 days
- Free 30-day trial available
- Basic plans (from $19/mo/agent)
- Suite Team ($69/mo/agent)
- Suite Growth ($115/mo/agent)
- Suite Professional ($149/mo/agent)
- Suite Enterprise→ contact sales
4. Tawk.to
Rating: 4.2/5⭐️ (225+ reviews)
Tawk.to is the best free live chat app for Shopify with ticketing services. It’s ideal for startups and small businesses looking to add basic chat support without extra costs. Moreover, it has unlimited conversations and mobile apps (iOS & Android) that allow you to stay connected with your customers wherever you are. This tool offers some advanced features such as visitor tracking and chat service analytics.
Pros:
- Live visitor list and geolocation details
- Android, Windows, iOS, and Mac OS apps
- Dashboards with detailed live chat analytics
Cons:
- Limited automations
- Not many options for widget customization
- Forever free
- Remove branding ($29/month)
- AI Assist ($29/month)
- Trained support assistant ($1/hour)
Read more: Learn about the best Tawk.to alternatives and choose the right one for your business.
5. Chatra
Rating: 4.8/5⭐️ (645+ reviews)
Chatra offers real-time chat and automated customer engagement features. It provides visitor segmentation tools, advanced Shopify cart abandonment features, and a mobile app. This Shopify customer service live chat also has typing insights and intelligent chatbots for faster support. Also, it offers a user-friendly interface that looks good and is easy to operate.
Pros:
- Shopping cart abandonment recovery
- Ready-to-use scripts
- Group chats with multiple agents
Cons:
- Rarely any new features
- Lack of integrations
- Free plan available
- Essential ($17/mo/agent)
- Pro ($23/mo/agent)
Read more: Discover the best chat platforms for your business needs.
6. JivoChat
Rating: 4.6/5 ⭐️(105+ reviews)
Jivo Chat is a multi-platform suite designed for businesses that want to aggregate various communication channels into a single dashboard. With a live chat feature, email tools, and numerous integrations on board, it’s a great solution for companies looking for a customer support tool for their Shopify store. It helps agents handle multiple conversations at once, segments customers into the right categories, tracks the messaging flow, and more.
Pros:
- Advanced analytics and reports
- Easy setup process
- Over 20 languages available
Cons:
- Mobile app can have some glitches
- Limited number of automations
- Free basic plan
- Professional ($19/mo/agent)
- Enterprise ($38/mo/agent)
Read more: Learn how to add chat to your website in under 10 minutes.
7. Gorgias
Rating: 4.3/5 ⭐️ (695+ reviews)
Gorgias is an AI-powered customer support platform built primarily for ecommerce businesses using Shopify or Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento). It offers a chat widget, as well as AI-driven automated responses and multichannel support. This Shopify online chat solution also provides an ecommerce help desk system and pre-made templates to speed up your support-related processes.
Pros:
- Numerous ecommerce store integrations
- Custom contact forms available
- Customer’s order tracking system
Cons:
- Unpredictable spam filters that can filter out real users
- Ticketing system has some hiccups
- Free 7-day trial available
- Starter ($10/mo)
- Basic ($60/mo)
- Pro ($360/mo)
- Advanced ($900/mo)
- Enterprise→ custom pricing
Read more: Check out the best Gorgias alternatives and choose the right one for your business.
8. Dondy: WhatsApp Chat
Rating: 4.9/5 ⭐️ (730+ reviews)
This tool integrates WhatsApp with your business website, allowing you to connect with the vast user base of WhatsApp. It’s especially useful for businesses in regions where WhatsApp is a dominant form of communication. This Shopify live customer service software provides ready-made automation and audience categorization to help businesses accelerate their marketing efforts.
Pros:
- Quick and easy to set up
- Secure messaging
- Adaptable templates
Cons:
- Limited to WhatsApp
- May require a separate phone number for business
- Free version available
- Contact sales team for pro pricing and demo
Read more: Discover what WhatsApp automation is and how you can use it for your business
9. Pure Chat
Rating: N/A on Shopify but 4.3/5 ⭐️ (200+ reviews on G2)
Pure Chat is one of the most popular Shopify live chat solutions. It provides a straightforward and simplified web chat for small to medium-sized businesses. Its most known features are chatting software, visitor analytics, and chat transcripts.
Pros:
- Website visitor tracking tools
- Android and iOS mobile apps
- CSV exports for contacts and reports
Cons:
- Less comprehensive than competing solutions
- Limited customization
- Free 30-day trial available
- Growth ($49/mo)
- Pro ($99/mo)
10. Re:amaze
Rating: 4.4/5 ⭐ (225+ reviews)
Reamaze puts the “omni” in omnichannel customer support and covers pretty much all types of client communication. You can use it to manage your email, live chat, social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter), WhatsApp, SMS, and even VOIP. One of the most interesting things about this Shopify chat app is that it integrates with many other apps for ecommerce platforms and becomes your command center of customer-oriented activities.
Pros:
- Access to demos, training tutorials, and other resources
- The ability to send products to customers in chats
- SMS and push notifications
Cons:
- Some users said the chat is clunky
- Reporting feature could be complex to understand
- Basic ($29/mo/operator)
- Pro ($49/mo/operator)
- Plus ($69/mo/operator)
- Starter ($59/mo)
- Enterprise → contact sales
Now—
Let’s find out what are the key features when it comes to Shopify live chat support.
What features to look out for in the Shopify live chat app?
Before deciding on the platform to use for your business, you should consider the following—
What do you need the software to do apart from facilitating live conversations? Do you want a helpdesk management system, a tool to upsell products, or an app to include on all of your sales channels?
Your must-have features will depend on the functionality you need the Shopify chat support tool to perform. But the core features everyone should look out for are:
- No-code builder
No-code builders empower businesses to swiftly implement and tailor their customer communication systems without needing extensive technical expertise. An intuitive, drag-and-drop interface ensures that the chat box is easily installable and customizable to meet the specific business needs and branding requirements.
- Canned responses
Canned responses are pre-written replies answering frequently asked queries that the support agents can send to shoppers when a common question appears. This feature speeds up your customer service processes and improves the overall client experience.
This is important as a study shows that over 96% of shoppers say a quick response impacts their trust in a brand. Moreover, as many as 93% of customers say the content of the reviews impacts their purchasing decisions.
- Useful integrations
Some of the most popular ecommerce integrations include Zapier, Google Analytics, and popular CRM systems like HubSpot or Salesforce.
Moreover, your company might need more specific connections with social media including Facebook and Instagram, or communication apps like WhatsApp. So, ensure the software you choose offers integrations with the platforms you’re currently using.
- Live view of website visitors
This feature allows you to view the people who are on your website, find out which pages they’re looking at, and spot the places they get stuck on. It’s useful for reaching out to visitors at the right time of their customer journey and pushing them down the sales funnel.
On top of that, retailers can proactively engage visitors, offer personalized product recommendations, and address potential objections in real time. This is important as over 52% of buyers expect personalized offers from the brand.
- Analytics and reports
Tracking performance lets you improve the efforts in just the right areas. And reports are your best friend when it comes to a data-driven approach to your customer service. These reports clearly show how efficient your support team is, how satisfied the clients are, and much more.
Since you know the top platforms and how to choose the right one for your business, let’s go through a quick tutorial on adding a chat to your Shopify website.
How to integrate Shopify live chat to your ecommerce site?
We’ll show you how to add live chat to Shopify using the Tidio platform, as it’s simple and only takes about 3 minutes. But, most other software from our list will work similarly when integrating it into your ecommerce site. Let’s go through a few easy steps you can use to add this software to your online store.
- Search for the plugin
The first and most important step is to install Tidio via the Shopify plugin. To do this, log into your Shopify account, go to the Apps tab, and type “live chat” or a specific provider into the search bar.
2. Install the software
Select the tool and click on the Add app button. Choose Install App on the following page. And that’s it—your live chat has been added to your ecommerce site.
You can now customize your widget and the system to your needs by following the steps in your chat’s admin panel.
3. Customize the widget
Log into the platform and navigate to the Settings tab. Then, click on Appearance. Here you can change the color of your widget, customize the welcome message, and more.
Read more: Check out all the steps you need to take to install Tidio on Shopify.
Live chat for Shopify: summary
All in all, the Shopify customer service chat is real-time support for your ecommerce store visitors that helps them find the right products and answers they seek. It also helps businesses by improving customer satisfaction and therefore boosting sales.
And remember—when choosing a live chat plugin for Shopify, remember to look for a no-code builder, useful integrations, automations, and analytics with reporting dashboards.
Some of the best Shopify chat apps to get for your ecommerce store, include:
- Tidio
- LiveChat
- Zendesk
- Tawk.to
- Chatra
- JivoChat
- Gorgias
- Dondy
- Pure Chat
- Re:amaze
Install Shopify chat on your business website today and start converting more of your visitors into customers.
ting more of your visitors into customers.
Start using live chat for your Shopify store
FAQ
To add live chat to a Shopify store, go to the App Marketplace, search for the platform you’d like to use, and click the Add App button.
Firstly, add the live chat feature to your ecommerce store. Then, activate the chat button by going to your Shopify admin panel. Choose Online Store and then click on the Themes section. Find the theme you’re using for your site and click Customize. After that, open the App embeds tab and activate the live chat app. Save changes and that’s it.
To access live chat software in Shopify admin:
1. Click on Settings
2. Go to Apps and sales channels
3. Select the chat platform’s app
The top live chat for Shopify are Tidio, Chatra, and Gorgias.
Yes, you can contact Shopify customer support by chat 24/7.
