In a world where technology is changing faster than ever with a growing demand for instant access to information online, live chat software has become an integral part of any online digital marketing strategy.

Study after study proves that not only can live chat help increase conversation rates on your site, but it can also provide a more personal and genuine experience to your end users. Additionally, studies have shown that live chat messages get 15x more engagement than email (the benchmark click rate from MailChimp data is typically anywhere between 2-3%).

What’s even more exciting is that as time goes on and as consumers continue to evolve, live chat is getting increasingly sophisticated. You can now utilize your live chat platform as a central hub to help answer questions for your users and provide helpful information to prospective customers. Or, you can jump to the next level by automatically routing chats to the best person on your team or implement chatbots, a service powered by rules, and sometimes artificial intelligence, that you interact with via a chat interface.

The downside to all of this? The market is saturated. There’s an overwhelming amount of live chat providers out there, all with different price points, features and functionalities. With so many options, it’s becoming more and more difficult to identify which provider is best for you and your website users.

To help with this, we’ve put together a comparison of the top contenders out there to help you find the best live chat software for your needs and a breakdown of each.

Olark

Olark is very strong on chat automation and offers reasonable prices. Overall, it’s a solid solution and fun to use!

• Founded: 2009
• Starting price: $17/month/user
• Pricing details: Plans start at $17 per user per month. Annual pricing is available at $15 per user.
• Free trial option: 2 weeks
• Is there a free version?: Yes
• Deployment options: Cloud, SaaS, Web
• Integrations: Salesforce, HubSpot, MailChimp, Desk and more!
• Main live chat features:
  • Geo Targeting
  • Knowledge Database
  • Offline Form
  • Persistent Chat
  • White Label Branding
  • Visitor Targeting
  • Transfers/Routing
  • Proactive Invitations
  • Shortcut Messages
• Who uses this software?
  • Olark is used by more than 12,000 business worldwide and is ideal for small to mid-size businesses.

Intercom

Intercom sets a new standard for live chat software. Plus, the tool can handle basic and advanced aspects of customer support.

• Founded: 2011
• Starting price: $49/month
• Pricing details: Visit intercom.com/pricing for a quote.
• Free trial option: 14 days
• Is there a free version?: No
• Deployment options: Cloud, SaaS,Web, mobile for Android and mobile for iOS.
• Integrations: Facebook, Slack, Salesforce, WordPress, Shopify and more.
• Main live chat features:
  • Transfers/Routing
  • Visitor Targeting
  • White Label Branding
• Additional capabilities:
  • Customer Experience Management
  • Help Desk
  • Email Marketing
  • Channel/Contact Management
  • Lead Management/Nurturing
• Who uses the software?
  • General Assembly, Gusto, Ancestry.com, Shopify, Moz

SnapEngage

SnapEngage is uncluttered and easy to use. If you can do without live analytics, this is an easy to use tool that allows easy customization.

• Founded: 2008
• Starting price: $17/month
• Pricing details: SnapEngage offers Solo, Business, Plus, Premier and Enterprise plans.
• Free trial option: 15 days
• Is there a free version?: No
• Deployment option: Cloud, SaaS, Web
• Main live chat features:
  • Agent Scheduling
  • Geo Targeting
  • Offline Form
  • Transfers/Routing
  • White Label Branding
  • Shortcut Messages
  • Call Me Option
  • Knowledge Database
• Integrations:
  • Hootsuite
  • Facebook
  • Desk.com
  • Basecamp
  • HubSpot
  • Salesforce
• Who uses the software?
  • Tesla, University of Denver, HootSuite, Wacom, Exact Target

Drift

Drift is a simple tool that can be used for more complex tasks like surveys and announcements, or for creating more detailed popovers that are targeted to specific users.

• Founded: 2015
• Starting price: $50/month
• Pricing details: com/pricing
• Is there a free version? Yes
• Deployment options: Cloud, SaaS, Web, mobile for Android and mobile for iOS.
• Main live chat features:
  • Agent Scheduling
  • Call Me Option
  • Offline Form
  • Proactive Invitations
  • Transfers/Routing
  • Visitor Targeting
  • White Label Branding
• Integrations:
  • Zapier
  • Slack
  • Segment
  • Driftbot
• Who uses the software?
  • Vital, Leadpages, Taplytics, 15Five, RewardStream

LiveChat

Despite a few missing features, LiveChat’s robust web chat software provides the tools you need to connect with your customers and assist them quickly.

• Founded: 2002
• Starting price: $16/month/user
• Pricing details: https://www.livechatinc.com/pricing
• Free trial option: 30 days
• Is there a free version?: No
• Deployment options :
  • Cloud, SaaS, Web
  • Installed – Mac
  • Installed – Windows
  • Mobile – Android Native
  • Mobile – iOS Native
• Main live chat features:
  • Alerts/Escalation
  • Automated Routing
  • Complaint Monitoring
  • Customer Database
  • Help Desk
  • Surveys & Feedback
  • Knowledge Base
  • Customer Experience Management
• Integrations:
  • HubSpot
  • com
  • MailChimp
  • Salesforce
  • Magento
• Who uses the software?
  • Hulu, Roku, CBS, Stripe, GoDaddy

Technology is changing and so are consumers. This means exploring more channels, adapting your marketing strategy and creating customer experiences that make it easier for them to convert in environments they are already in. Instead of filling out a form, or waiting for a phone call from a representative, live chat allows users to instantly interact with your team when they want to connect.

Hopefully this list helps you sort through some of the noise in the market and helps you identify exactly which tool is your right for your business. Contact us or live chat us (we had to say it) if you want to talk further about website or digital marketing strategy.