A live chat on your website helps visitors who are on the fence. A question about delivery time, a size or a price is answered in a minute, instead of someone sending an email or leaving the site. The good news: you don't have to pay for it straight away. There are several free live chats.
But free isn't always the same. In this article you'll read what you get in a free plan, where the limits are and when a paid plan is worth it.
Why a live chat on your website?
- Visitors get an answer right away. People who hesitate about a purchase or a service are less likely to drop off when their question is answered immediately.
- Less email and fewer calls. Short questions come in through the chat and are handled quickly.
- You learn what customers really want to know. The questions in the chat show what's missing on your site.
Read more about chat in an online store in live chat for your webshop. Not sure whether you need a chatbot or a live chat? Read the difference between a chatbot and live chat.
What to look for in a free live chat
Almost every provider has a free plan, but the limits differ. Look at these five points:
- Number of conversations. Some free plans stop after a fixed number of conversations per month.
- Number of users. Can you only chat yourself, or with colleagues too?
- Branding. The provider's name is almost always shown in the chat. Removing it usually costs money.
- AI. A chatbot or AI assistant that answers on its own is rarely fully included in a free plan.
- Other channels. Do WhatsApp, email and Instagram arrive in the same inbox, or is it website chat only?
Free live chats compared
Below are the best-known free live chats and what their free plans include at the time of writing. Providers change their plans regularly, so check the current terms on their own pricing pages.
| Conversations per month | Users | AI in free plan | Other channels free | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tawk.to | Unlimited | Unlimited | Limited, more is paid | No |
| Tidio | 50 | Several | A small one-off number of AI conversations | Limited |
| Crisp | No fixed cap, but a cap on contacts | 2 | No | No |
| Bugalou Free | 50 | 1 | No | No, from Starter |
tawk.to
The most generous free plan: no cap on conversations or users. In return, you pay for extras such as removing the branding and more AI. A good fit if you mainly want lots of conversations and don't need other channels.
Tidio
A well-known free plan with a limit of 50 conversations a month and a small amount of AI to try. If you want more conversations or the AI chatbot, you move to a paid plan.
Crisp
Free for two users, with a cap on the number of contacts. No AI in the free plan. Paid plans start at around 45 dollars a month per workspace.
Bugalou Free
Bugalou's free plan is made for a simple start: a live chat on your website for 1 user, up to 50 conversations a month, with no time limit and no credit card. You set up the chat yourself: colours, logo, texts, opening hours and a pre-chat form to ask for a name and email. "Powered by Bugalou" is shown in the chat and there's no AI.
The difference lies in what comes next. With Bugalou, the chat grows into one inbox for WhatsApp, email, Instagram and Messenger, with an AI agent and integrations with your online store. You don't have to switch to another system.
How to add a free live chat to your website
With Bugalou it takes a few minutes:
- Create a free account. You don't have to choose a plan.
- In the dashboard, go to Channels → Website chat and adjust the colours and texts.
- Add the chat to your site:
- WordPress: with the Bugalou Live Chat plugin you paste your widget key, no code needed.
- WooCommerce: the Bugalou for WooCommerce plugin adds the chat to your store.
- Shopify: the Bugalou app adds the chat to your store.
- Other sites: paste the installation code before the closing body tag.
- Chats arrive in your Bugalou inbox. You reply from the browser or the app on your phone.
You'll find useful canned replies for your first chats in live chat scripts and templates.
When is paying worth it?
A free live chat is enough as long as you work alone and get a limited number of questions. Paying usually pays off when:
- you have more than a few conversations a day. You'll quickly hit the limit of a free plan.
- colleagues need to help out. Most free plans are for one person or a small team.
- customers also contact you via WhatsApp or email. Separate apps for each channel take time. In one inbox you see everything together.
- the same questions keep coming back. An AI agent answers questions about orders, delivery times and opening hours by itself, even at night.
With Bugalou you then choose Starter (€49 a month) or Pro (€109 a month, with the AI agent). Extra users cost €12 a month. You can try every paid plan free for 14 days first. Full details are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a completely free live chat?
Yes. Several providers have a free plan with no time limit, including tawk.to, Tidio, Crisp and Bugalou. The differences are in the number of conversations, the number of users, the branding and the AI.
Is Bugalou's free plan really free?
Yes. The free plan has no time limit and you don't need a credit card. You get a live chat on your website for 1 user and up to 50 conversations a month. AI, other channels and extra users are part of the paid plans.
What happens if I get more than 50 conversations a month?
With Bugalou, the chat is hidden until the first of the next month, so no chats come in that you can't answer. Your overview shows how many conversations you've had, so you can upgrade in time.
Can I use the free live chat on WordPress, WooCommerce or Shopify?
Yes. There are plugins for WordPress and WooCommerce, and an app for Shopify. On other websites you paste a short installation code.
Can I move to a paid plan later?
Yes, with one click. Your chats and settings are kept. After that you can also add WhatsApp, email and the AI agent.
Want to see how it works? Create a free account and add the chat to your website in a few minutes.
This article was last updated in October 2026. Prices and limits of other providers may have changed since.
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.