To a visitor, it looks the same: a chat window in the bottom corner of the website. But a chatbot and live chat are two different things, each with their own strengths. This article explains the difference and helps you choose — or combine them.
What is a live chat widget?
Live chat is a direct, real-time conversation between a visitor and a member of your team. The visitor types a question, a team member reads it and replies personally. The upside: genuine, personal contact. The downside: it requires someone to be available to respond.
What is a chatbot?
A chatbot answers questions automatically, without a team member stepping in — based on preset rules or, for an AI chatbot, based on a knowledge base and natural language processing. The upside: available 24/7, instant answers, no wait time. The downside: for complex or sensitive questions, a chatbot is less suited than a human.
The key differences at a glance
| Live chat | Chatbot | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Only during staffed hours | 24/7 |
| Response time | Depends on team availability | Instant |
| Personal touch | High | Limited (unless well trained) |
| Suited for complex questions | Yes | Limited |
| Cost at high volume | Scales with team size | Scales without extra cost |
Why most online stores need both
In practice, it's not a matter of choosing, but combining. An AI chatbot catches the majority of standard questions — opening hours, shipping costs, order status — and hands more complex questions over to a team member via live chat seamlessly, including the full conversation history. That way you combine the speed and availability of a chatbot with the personal attention of live chat when it's needed.
Read our complete guide to live chat for your webshop and our AI chatbot guide for more depth on each piece.
How to decide what you need
- Limited volume, mostly office hours? Live chat alone might be enough
- Lots of repeating standard questions? A chatbot saves time immediately
- Customers outside office hours, international customers? A chatbot ensures instant availability
- Sensitive or complex customer questions? Make sure there's always a clear handoff to a team member
Using Shopify Inbox for chat in your Shopify store? See our Shopify Inbox alternative to compare it with Bugalou.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a chatbot and live chat at the same time? Yes, and in practice that's the most common setup: the chatbot catches standard questions, and hands more complex conversations to a team member.
Doesn't a chatbot feel impersonal to customers? That depends on the execution. A chatbot that's clear about when a human takes over, and does so smoothly, feels less impersonal than a chatbot that leaves customers in a dead end.
How much does this cost with Bugalou? Both are included from €49/month — live chat widget and AI chatbot, no separate surcharge. 14-day free trial.
This article was last updated in September 2026.
Founder of Bugalou and e-commerce entrepreneur. As a business owner, I noticed that customer service tools were either unaffordable or so complex you needed an IT department. That frustration led to Bugalou.
