Best Tawk.to Alternatives for Customer Engagement

Customer engagement is an ongoing challenge for businesses. You want to provide exceptional service that converts prospects into customers. But what if your current tools aren’t delivering? It’s time to explore options. A lead generation widget can enhance your engagement strategy by capturing potential customers efficiently. This article offers insights into the best Tawk.to alternatives for customer engagement, helping you identify solutions that meet your needs.

14 Best Tawk.to Alternatives for Customer Engagement

1. HubSpot Chat

An OG of inbound marketing provides a free live online chat feature that connects directly to its customer relationship management system (CRM). This is one of the best free live chat apps for websites and an excellent option for growing companies. Chat communication with a ticketing system can help you nail your pipeline management.

Pros

Customizable, free chat for website
Basic chatbot builder available
Numerous integrations for pipeline management (Slack, Outlook, Gmail)

Cons

Email system is a little outdated
New conversations can be missed because of subtle notifications

Pricing

Free Plan: Available
Starter: $20/mo
Professional: $490/mo
Enterprise: $1,180/mo

Included in the free live chat support software, you get:
One shared inbox mobile app for free live chat on the phone is available. One ticket pipeline per account. Up to 5 canned snippets. Up to 3 reporting dashboards (10 reports/dashboard).

2. LiveAgent

LiveAgent is a full-blown help desk software that offers a CRM, a ticket management system, and a call center. A free live chat solution is an additional feature, but it doesn’t make it less efficient. Packed with features, this tool is one of the best solutions for medium-sized businesses.

Pros

Multilingual software with over 40 languages
Video chat rooms available
Mobile app for iOS and Android

Cons

Some reviewers report issues with the setup and integrations
The platform deletes your account after 8 weeks of consecutive inactivity

Pricing

Free Plan available
Ticket: $15/mo/agent
Ticket+Chat: $35/mo/agent
All-inclusive $59/mo/agent

Included in the free plan are:

Seven-day ticket history
Three departments
Chat widgets customization
Ticketing system

3. Drift

Large companies focusing on omnichannel sales and account-based marketing will love this free live chat app. Drift stands out from the rest in unique, versatile features, each of which could be described as a highlight!

Pros

Users and customers segmentation with target messaging
Built-in scheduling tool for calls and online conversations
Chat to call and chat to Zoom functionalities.

Cons

Some users complain about a confusing backend user interface
Limited customization available

Pricing

Free Plan: Available
Premium: $2,500/mo
Advanced: Price on demand
Enterprise: Price on demand

Included in the Drift’s free live chat software, you get:

One operator 100 contacts
Real-time notifications
Conversational landing pages

4. Freshchat

Like HubSpot chat, Freshchat is part of a complex customer software suite offering marketing automation tools, a CRM, and a cloud-based phone system. This free live chat website lets operators see many details about the shopper, from custom event timelines to social media details.

Pros

Visitor-Context Tools: Event timelines, contact details, social media
Rich variety of integrations (Salesforce, Slack, Stripe, Zendesk, Chargify, Twilio)
Vast knowledge base

Cons

Challenging to navigate user interface
Some issues with data synchronization

Pricing

Free plan for 100 agents
Growth: $18/mo/agent
Pro: $47/mo/agent
Enterprise: $83/mo/agent

5. Zoho Sales IQ Chat

Zoho Sales offers a free live chat for your website and a variety of advanced tools that are part of a larger ecosystem. Its live chat features are robust, and its functionalities are advanced, which makes it a good choice for medium and large-sized companies focused on sales generation.

Pros

Customizable
Multilingual live chat
Web chat screen sharing option
Voice note recordings available

Cons

Sometimes there are UI failures
Customer support can be slow

Pricing

Forever-free Plan: Available
Basic: $10/mo/operator
Professional: $17/mo/operator
Enterprise: $25/mo/operator

Included in the free version of this software, you receive:
Three operators One brand 10K visitors insights per month 100 chat sessions/month Basic visitor information.

6. Olark

Olark live chat is the best option for companies with a large customer base. It offers outstanding analytics and reporting features that let you analyze chat volume, agent activity, and customer satisfaction scores. This can help you keep track of your results and make better future business decisions.

Pros

Customizable live chat and advanced chatbots.
Advanced analytics and user monitoring in real time.
CRM and email integration.

Cons

A little outdated dashboard
Technical difficulties with messaging occur sometimes.

Pricing

Free Plan: Available
Live Chat: $19/mo
Pro: Price on demand

This free chat software for websites includes:

20 chats per month
APIs
Visitor file sharing and uploads
One agent

7. Hiver

This is the best free chat service for combining email communication from Gmail with live chat software. You can collaborate with team members, assign tickets as they come through, and prioritize the most urgent issues.

Hiver also offers a mobile app to provide real-time support even when you’re on the go. You can also use chat templates to respond to queries even faster.

Pros

Integrates seamlessly with Gmail through a plugin
Simple and quick-to-learn system
Shared inbox and folders

Cons

Only essential
CSAT feature with limited customization
Clunky shared draft

Pricing

Lite: $19/mo/user
Pro: $49/mo/user
Elite: $69/mo/user

This free live chat software gives you access to all features from the Elite plan for 7 days of the trial.

8. ClickDesk

Besides a live chat, ClickDesk provides a ticketing system and advanced analytics, making it suitable for medium-sized companies needing scaling tools. Many of its features are designed to help you connect with customers and put yourself in their shoes.

Pros

Showing the location of your customer
Advanced analytics and reporting dashboards
Chat transcripts for your client communication

Cons

It can be complicated to use
Some reviewers say it needs more real-time notifications

Pricing

Forever-free plan for 10 users
Lite: $14.99/mo/agent
Pro: $24.99/mo/agent
Enterprise: $39.99/mo/agent

Features included in this free live chat software for websites are:

30 chats 25 tickets
Audio calling
Localization of chat widget
Customizable basic settings

9. Jivo Chat

Jivo chat is a significant help desk solution combining live chat, phone, and email messages in one panel. As the ultimate business multichannel communicator, Jivo’s live chat enables agents to handle many conversations simultaneously, efficiently segment customers, and track the messaging flow.

Pros

Live chat with translation into 20+ languages
Color-coded chats, hotkeys, and canned responses
Advanced analytics and reporting dashboard

Cons

Customer support can take hours to get back to you
No auto-messages available

Pricing

Basic Plan: Available for free
Professional: $19/mo/agent
Enterprise: $38/mo/agent

Jivo free chat software includes:

Five agents
Two-month chat history storage
Unlimited chats and websites
Customizable multilingual chat widget
Basic statistics on chats and reps’ activity

10. Chatra

Reviewers say it’s “pleasant to use,” and for a good reason. On top of providing live chat functionality, Chatra’s features are designed to keep your customers happy by allowing them to interact with your support team in real time. This would be the best option for small and medium businesses as it doesn't include a ticketing system.

Pros

Multilingual live chat and chatbot tool
Agent is typing and “message read” notifications for customers
Integration with email, Instagram, and Facebook

Cons

Rarely any new features
Lack of automation for order check

Pricing

Forever-Free Plan available

Essential: $21/mo/operator)

Pro ($29/mo/operator)

This free live chat support software includes:

One agent
Customization of online & offline chat widget for unlimited websites
SSL-encryption
Basic visitor information
Mobile and desktop app

11. My LiveChat

My LiveChat is a simple, free live chat software solution with basic features, such as chatbots that send greetings and collect customer feedback at the end of the chat. Although the design can be slightly outdated, My LiveChat still gains customers, SMBs, and larger companies looking for an uncomplicated live chat experience.

Pros

Automated greetings and feedback-collecting chatbots
Co-browsing: Seeing what your visitors are seeing in real-time
Leading platforms and websites integrations

Cons

Difficult to use and lacks onboarding material
No automation

Pricing

Free Plan available
Starter: $15/mo
Basic: $29/mo
Corporate: $59/mo
Enterprise: $99/mo

This free live chat system includes:

One operator
Unlimited depts
Unlimited websites
Unlimited chats
Three-year chat history

12. SmartsUpp

SmartsUpp offers great core features such as multichannel management of live chat, email, and Messenger and numerous e-commerce platform integrations, making it an excellent choice for online store owners. It also offers a recording feature, which allows you to monitor prospects’ visits and better understand the customers’ journey.

Pros

Video recordings of your customers’ browsing
Multichannel for live chat, email, and Facebook Messenger
Numerous ecommerce integrations with industry-leading platforms (Shopify, PrestaShop, Opencart, and more)

Cons

Poor offline mode functionality
Lag in receiving messages on the app

Pricing

Forever-Free Plan available
Standard: $25.5/mo
Pro: $60/mo
Ultimate: Price on demand

In this free online live chat software, you get:

One agent: 100 conversations/month
14-day conversation history
An unlimited number of websites Mobile, desktop, and tablet apps

13. Zendesk Messaging

Zendesk is a leader in the customer service industry because it offers an extensive suite of customer support tools, and live chat is crucial. Zendesk’s live chat feature includes:

Custom chatbots
Advanced visitors’ analytics
A variety of third-party integrations

It also provides a group messaging feature and a preview of your customer’s location to help your support team further.

Pros

Customizable live chat and chatbots
Group messaging for team collaboration
Customer’s live location preview

Cons

Some reviewers report system crashes when running multiple chats
Sometimes, data transfer issues occur

Pricing

Suite Team: $49/mo
Suite Growth: $79/mo
Suite Professional: $99/mo
Suite Enterprise: $150/mo

Included in the free trial are:

Duration: 30 days
Includes all features from the Zendesk Suite Professional

Choosing the Best Tawk.to Alternative for Your Website

employees in a discussion - Tawk.to Alternatives

When customers reach out, they expect an immediate response. The best live chat software delivers instant communication between businesses and customers, eliminating frustrating delays. Look for features like proactive chat, typing indicators, and message previews to create a smooth customer experience.

Why Consider a Tawk.to Alternative?

Tawk.to’s user management system can create confusion, so setting up users, assigning roles, and managing tickets feels complicated. Many users report uncertainty about who receives which tickets, leading to response delays and workflow disruptions. This lack of clarity is a significant pain point for teams that rely on fast, clear communication.

Customization: Limited Options for Personalization

Tawk.to offers basic design tweaks for its chat widget, but the customization options are limited. Businesses that want a chatbox that seamlessly matches their website’s branding may grow frustrated. More advanced styling features require technical skills or come at a cost, as they are locked behind a paywall. Upgrading to a paid plan is necessary to remove Tawk.to’s branding from the widget.

Mobile App: Clunky Experience and Notifications Delays

Speed is critical for live chat support. Tawk.to’s mobile app experience can be clunky. Users have reported delays in notifications, which can prevent them from seeing incoming messages in real time. This issue could be a dealbreaker if your team depends on mobile responsiveness.

Scalability: Advanced Features and Integration Limitations

Tawk.to works well for small businesses. Nevertheless, as companies grow, they often find the platform lacks deeper integrations with CRM systems and automation tools. If your organization needs advanced features, such as AI-driven chatbots or automated workflows, you may need to explore alternatives that scale better with business growth.

Customer Support: Mixed Experiences with Tawk.to’s Service

Tawk.to is designed for customer support but has customer service issues. Some users report poor support experiences, including misleading information and slow response times. There are cases where businesses have struggled to obtain refunds after canceling their plans. This could be a red flag if reliable customer service is a priority for your organization.

Why Use Live Chat Software on Your Website?

employees on a laptop - Tawk.to Alternatives

The best live chat software can improve your customer service processes, making it easier for agents to handle questions and concerns in real time instead of making phone calls and responding to confusing email threads. In addition, live chat solutions offer the following benefits for your business:

1. Increase Customer Satisfaction

Customer service is essential to your business. Companies with poor customer service lose clients and have bad reputations, ultimately impacting their overall growth and profitability.

‍41% of consumers prefer real-time support via live chat because they prefer to connect with a human who can answer any of their questions instead of talking to a robot who can only answer a few inquiries.

2. Boost Customer Engagement

Your website product and service pages answer consumers' questions. Nevertheless, your website can’t do everything, and you can’t anticipate every question your prospective clients will have. Therefore, enabling online chat software can help boost engagement with your brand by delivering helpful content and information to customers while they’re immersed in the buying journey.

Instantaneous Information

If your customers are interested in a product but have a question, you don’t want them to call or email you to get the answers they need because it takes them out of the journey. When customers are almost ready to purchase, they should get answers to their questions as soon as possible while still engaged to increase sales.

3. Provide 24/7 Support

With the best live chat software, businesses have the option to provide 24/7 support to customers. Nonetheless, this ability will depend on your resources. Many small businesses don’t have enough staff to cover the full 24 hours. If you provide answers anytime, you can improve customer satisfaction and boost engagement.

4. Immediate Communication

Website chat software offers immediate communication. Your customers no longer have to grab their mobile devices to make a phone call or leave your website to send an email to customer support, hoping someone will answer their questions quickly. Customers who are seriously concerned about a product or service want an immediate response.

The best chat software allows your agents to respond immediately to concerns. Good and fast customer service can remedy any issues affecting your reputation.

5. Acquire More Customers

The goal of every business is to increase sales, and to do that, you must acquire more customers. While the primary goal of online chat software isn’t to boost your sales, providing better customer service can help you reach this objective.

The Speed of Sales

38% of shoppers are likelier to buy from live chat support companies because they value personal and fast interactions. If your potential customer has a question about a product before making a purchase, you’ll want to answer that question as fast as possible without making them wait for a response.

6. Enhance User Experience (UX)

User experience describes the interaction between the end user (your customer) and your brand from the moment they first discover your business until they no longer use your brand.

It includes elements like:

Quality of the products and services
Customer assistance
Modern website design

For example, using online chat software on your website will enhance the user experience of your website and the company as a whole because it offers consumers an easy way to chat with an actual human and get answers to their pressing questions.

7. Save Money

While online chat software requires customer care agents who can answer questions, it can save you money in the long run because it’s more efficient than email and phone calls. Since agents can handle multiple customers simultaneously, you won’t need to hire more employees. An agent can simultaneously service numerous customers via phone, email, and online chat.

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