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Best WordPress Live Chat Plugins in 2026

Data from WordPress.org Updated First published 5 min read

Chat widgets, hosted messaging and click-to-chat links for support on the page.

Live chat plugins put a conversation on the page. Most are a front end for a hosted service; a few keep the messages in WordPress; the simplest just open a messaging app. Each choice decides where the conversation lives and what it costs.

Together these 10 plugins run on more than 890,000 active WordPress sites. Ranked from both WordPress.org orderings for "chat", its tag listing and its search results.

On this page
  1. Best for each measure
  2. Quick comparison
  3. The top 10
  4. What moved
  5. How to choose
  6. Head-to-head
  7. How this list is ranked
  8. FAQ
  9. Conclusion
  10. Other rankings

Best Live Chat Plugin for each measure

One plugin per measure, taken from the same WordPress.org figures as the ranking. A measure with nothing behind it is left out rather than guessed.

Most installed
Chaty

300,000+, active installs reported by WordPress.org

Highest rated
Chaty

5.0 out of 5, from 1,244 reviews, counting only plugins with at least 50

Most reviewed
Chaty

1,244 reviews, the largest body of feedback behind a score

Most recently updated
Crisp

October 21, 2026, the latest release in this list

Longest established
LiveChat

March 10, 2010, first published on WordPress.org

Best support record
Chaty

7 of 7 resolved, recent threads on the WordPress.org support forum

Live Chat Plugins compared: rating, reviews, installs

# Plugin Rating Reviews Active installs
1 Chaty 5.0 1,244 300,000+
2 3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging 4.6 820 100,000+
3 Tidio 4.8 395 70,000+
4 Chatway Live Chat 5.0 772 30,000+
5 HubSpot All-In-One Marketing 4.3 207 200,000+
6 Smartsupp 4.7 131 20,000+
7 Buttonizer 5.0 23 50,000+
8 LiveChat 4.6 98 10,000+
9 Crisp 4.6 73 20,000+
10 WPZOOM Connect 4.9 144 90,000+

The 10 best Live Chat Plugins, ranked by WordPress.org

Ranked from both WordPress.org orderings for "chat", its tag listing and its search results. Arrows show movement against the previous snapshot.

  1. 1.Chaty

    Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty

    5.0 (1,244) 300,000+ active installs Updated Oct 8, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3

    WhatsApp chat, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, Instagram, Email, Line, WeChat Phone call, SMS, 20+ live chat icons & WhatsApp chat pop up 💬

    216,637 downloads in 30 days
    Stats and rankings WordPress.org

  2. 2.3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging

    4.6 (820) 100,000+ active installs Updated Oct 20, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3

    Chat with your website visitors in real-time for free! Engage with your customers and increase sales.

    42,727 downloads in 30 days
    Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website

  3. 3.Tidio

    Tidio – Live Chat & AI Chatbots

    4.8 (395) 70,000+ active installs Updated Sep 1, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3

    Add Tidio Live Chat to your WordPress for free to answer customers’ questions, engage website visitors, generate leads, and increase sales.

    13,904 downloads in 30 days
    Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website

  4. 4.Chatway Live Chat

    Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons

    5.0 (772) 30,000+ active installs Updated Oct 14, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3

    AI chatbot agent, MCP & human live chat for customer support, FAQ, chat buttons include WhatsApp with Chatway live chat. iOS & Android apps available

    6,940 downloads in 30 days
    Stats and rankings WordPress.org

  5. 5.HubSpot All-In-One Marketing

    HubSpot All-In-One Marketing – Forms, Popups, Live Chat

    4.3 (207) 200,000+ active installs Updated Sep 16, 2026 Tested up to 6.9.10

    The CRM, Sales, and Marketing WordPress plugin to grow your business better. Capture and engage web visitors with free live chat, forms, CRM, email ma …

    74,075 downloads in 30 days
    Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website

  6. 6.Smartsupp

    Smartsupp – live chat, AI shopping assistant and chatbots

    4.7 (131) 20,000+ active installs Updated Oct 4, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3

    Boost your sales and turn visitors into customers with live chat, AI tools and chatbots. Smartsupp is trusted by 100,000+ online stores.

    11,319 downloads in 30 days
    Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website

  7. 7.Buttonizer

    Buttonizer – Live Chat, AI Chatbot, Call, Chat, Contact Button

    5.0 (23) 50,000+ active installs Updated Sep 21, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3

    Powerful platform with Live Chat, AI Chatbots, and Real-Time Visitor Monitoring! Also, create Call, Email, SMS, & Contact buttons to increase conv …

    8,794 downloads in 30 days
    Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website

  8. 8.LiveChat

    LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites

    4.6 (98) 10,000+ active installs Updated May 25, 2026 Tested up to 6.9.10

    Best live chat and help desk plugin for WordPress websites. Add the LiveChat widget to engage visitors and provide real‑time customer support! 🚀

    3,686 downloads in 30 days
    Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website

  9. 9.Crisp

    Crisp – Live Chat and AI Chatbot

    4.6 (73) 20,000+ active installs Updated Oct 21, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3

    A free, one-click-to-install Live Chat and AI Chatbot plugin. No coding skills required. Used by more than 30 000 customers on WordPress.

    8,257 downloads in 30 days
    Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website

  10. 10.WPZOOM Connect

    WPZOOM Connect: AI Chat, Click to Chat, Social Icons & Share Buttons

    4.9 (144) 90,000+ active installs Updated Sep 25, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3

    AI chat that answers visitors from your own pages, Click to Chat for WhatsApp & Telegram, social icons & share buttons — one floating button.

    64,310 downloads in 30 days
    Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website

What changed in the Live Chat Plugins ranking

How to choose a Live Chat Plugin for WordPress

  1. 1

    Decide who answers, and when

    A chat widget with nobody behind it is worse than a contact form. If cover is part-time, pick one that changes to a message form when you are away.

  2. 2

    Hosted, self-hosted or a link

    A hosted service is easiest and adds a third-party script. Self-hosted keeps data local and adds load. A click-to-chat link costs almost nothing and has no history.

  3. 3

    Watch the weight of the widget

    Chat scripts are often the heaviest third-party asset on a page. Loading it on interaction rather than on arrival is worth looking for.

  4. 4

    Check the mobile experience

    A chat bubble that covers content, or a window that fights the on-screen keyboard, loses more visitors than it helps.

Live Chat Plugin comparisons: side by side

The top four against each other on installs, ratings, reviews and updates. Each measure names its own leader; there is no overall winner.

How we rank Live Chat Plugins

WordPress.org publishes two orderings for "chat" and neither is reliable alone. The tag listing covers every tag the directory files these plugins under, "chat", "live-chat", "chatbot" and "messenger", and is sorted by active installs, which lets a large plugin carrying one of them loosely sit above the ones the category is about. Its search results are sorted by relevance and carry their own noise. So a plugin is placed here by where it sits across both lists: high in each one lifts it, high in only one does not. We fetch both every day at 03:00 UTC, keep every day's snapshot, and add nothing of our own. No plugin is inserted, removed or sponsored, and each entry shows its position in both lists on its own page. Full methodology.

Live Chat Plugins FAQ

What is the best Live Chat Plugin for WordPress?

On WordPress.org's own ranking for "chat", Chaty is #1 as of October 23, 2026, with 300,000+ active installs and a 5.0 out of 5 rating.

Which Live Chat Plugin has the most active installs?

Chaty, with 300,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org as of October 23, 2026. It ranks #1 in this list.

Which Live Chat Plugin has the highest rating?

Chaty, rated 5.0 out of 5 by 1,244 reviewers on WordPress.org. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted, so a single 5-star review does not win.

Which Live Chat Plugin was updated most recently?

Crisp shipped its latest release on October 21, 2026. 9 of the 10 plugins in this list were updated in the last 90 days, which is the usual sign of active maintenance.

How many Live Chat Plugins are there on WordPress.org?

WordPress.org lists 1,731 plugins tagged "chat", "live-chat", "chatbot" and "messenger" as of October 23, 2026. This page shows the top 10 in the directory's own order.

Does live chat slow down a website?

The script usually is the heaviest third-party thing on the page, and it loads on every view whether or not anyone chats. The way round it is a plugin that loads the widget only when the button is clicked, or a click-to-chat link that opens a messaging app and needs no script at all.

What happens to the chat when nobody is available?

That depends on the plugin, and it is worth checking before install. The good ones switch to an offline form that emails you, or show your hours plainly. The bad ones keep inviting people to chat with nobody, which reads as being ignored rather than closed.

Live Chat Plugins: the bottom line

As of October 23, 2026, Chaty holds the #1 spot for "chat" on WordPress.org, followed by 3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging and Tidio. If install base matters most, Chaty leads with 300,000+ active installs. If ratings matter most, Chaty scores 5.0 out of 5 across 1,244 reviews.

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