Best Free Chat Widget for Your Website in 2026 | Chatboq

A free chat widget for a website is an embedded chat window that lets visitors message a business in real time. Some tools are fully free but basic, while others use a freemium model with stronger features and clear limits. A modern live chat widget may include AI integration or multi-channel support, but those features only matter if they actually work on the free plan.

In 2026, many small businesses use free chat widgets to answer questions faster, support customer conversations, and capture leads while visitors are still on the site. Chat widget reduces response time by answering questions while visitors are still browsing, instead of forcing them to wait for email replies or leave the page.

The problem is that “free” often hides limits that only surface once traffic or team usage increases. Many free chat widgets for websites restrict agents, chat volume, history, or integrations as traffic grows. That makes choosing the best free chat widget for website use less about features and more about avoiding tools that force upgrades or migration later.

The tools reviewed in this guide are:

• Chatboq - free chat widget with routing, triggers, and integrations

• Tawk.to - unlimited free live chat and agents

• Tidio - AI chatbot starter use on a free tier

• HubSpot Live Chat - free chat connected to CRM lead capture

• Crisp - shared inbox for small teams

• JivoChat - free chat for international visitors

• LiveAgent - free chat linked to ticketing workflows

Read on to see which free chat widgets actually hold up in real use and which ones break first once your website starts getting traffic.

• Free chat widgets almost always include hidden limits.

• The best free chat widget depends on your workflow needs.

• Chatboq is built for teams that need operational control.

• Tawk.to offers unlimited free live chat and agents.

• Tidio is best for testing AI chatbot automation.

• HubSpot Live Chat focuses on CRM-based lead capture.

• Crisp suits small teams that want a shared inbox.

• JivoChat works well for multilingual websites.

• LiveAgent connects live chat with ticketing workflows.

• Free-plan limits often force upgrades or migration.

1. Chatboq

Chatboq is a free chat widget designed for websites that need operational control over routing, missed chats, visitor context, and proactive engagement.

Widget & Messaging Capabilities

Chatboq enables two-way chat between admins and website visitors with seen status and typing indicators on both sides. Agents can send files and voice messages, edit or delete inbox messages, and mark conversations as resolved or unresolved. Message sound alerts, spam handling, VIP tagging, and IP banning help teams stay responsive and organized.

Agent & Team Operations

Chats can be assigned to agents, switched when needed, or made selectable by visitors. Missed messages trigger notifications to multiple users to avoid silent drops. Separate admin and agent views, along with time-based rules and role permissions, support controlled team workflows, especially when a multi-operator chat workflow is required.

Triggers & Campaigns

Chatboq supports proactive chat based on time on page, pages visited, referral source, or URL match. AND/OR logic, first-time visitor detection, delays, and frequency caps conversion control when chats appear. Campaign scheduling, targeting, fallback messages, and inbound or outbound triggers help manage conversion-focused outreach through better conversation trigger design.

Visitor Context & Tracking

Teams can see live visitors, IP data, country views, landing pages, and map-based location signals. Agents can start chats directly from the visitor list to respond with context instead of generic questions.

Widget Settings & Controls

The chat widget can be customized using appearance settings, default messages, and behavior controls. Teams can choose required fields, allow or block file and voice messages, configure inbox sounds, and set missed-message timing.

Integrations & Tickets

Chatboq integrates with messaging platforms like Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, Line, Discord, and Slack, along with tools such as Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, Notion, and Google Forms. Optional ticketing supports assignment, priorities, SLA tracking, Kanban views, and email-based ticket creation, while supporting customer record synchronization via chat.

Best for

Chatboq is best for teams who actually need fewer missed chats, better routing, proactive triggers, visitor context, and integrations to support real operations.

Limitations

Chatboq offers more structure than ultra-basic chat widgets, and advanced workflows benefit from initial setup. This makes Chatboq a stronger fit for teams that actively manage conversations instead of treating chat as a passive contact box.

2. Tawk.to

Tawk.to is a tool designed for users who want a completely free chat widget and are worried about hidden caps. The core value is simple and clear: unlimited live chat conversations and unlimited agents on the free plan. This makes it appealing for websites that want to stay available without monitoring chat volume, agent limits, or usage caps.

The chat widget supports real-time, two-way messaging between agents and website visitors. Chats are delivered instantly and stored as chat transcripts, allowing teams to review past customer conversations. Agents can see active visitors on the site, which adds basic context during conversations even without advanced visitor tracking or triggers.

Setup is straightforward and fast, requiring only a plugin install or a simple code snippet, with basic customization for appearance and greetings. Basic customization options allow teams to adjust the chat widget’s appearance and greeting message so it fits the website design.

Best for
Tawk.to is best for bootstrapped sites and small teams that need dependable live chat with unlimited agents and conversations, without automation or workflow complexity.

Limitations
Tawk.to focuses on human-led live chat, so advanced automation, proactive triggers, and complex routing are limited compared to freemium AI tools. Vendor branding remains visible on the widget unless upgraded.

3. Tidio

Tidio is a tool designed for users who want basic AI automation without paying upfront. Its free tier includes an AI chatbot that can answer simple questions and handle common interactions, but the number of chatbot conversations is capped. This makes Tidio suitable for testing chatbot automation on low traffic, rather than running AI-driven conversations at scale.

The platform is popular with ecommerce websites because it integrates easily with online stores and product catalogs. These integrations allow the chatbot to respond to common ecommerce questions, such as order status or shipping details, which reduces repetitive support requests.

Tidio works best for handling FAQs and simple customer questions on a budget. It combines live chat with chatbot automation, allowing humans to step in when the bot reaches its limits.

Best for
Tidio is best for small businesses and ecommerce sites that want to automate repetitive FAQs using an AI chatbot, without committing to a paid plan yet.

Limitations
The free plan includes strict caps on AI chatbot conversations and keeps branding visible. Advanced automation, deeper chatbot logic, and higher usage limits are locked behind paid plans.

4. HubSpot Live Chat

HubSpot Live Chat is a live chat widget built for users who want free chat primarily for lead capture and follow-up, not complex chat operations. Every chat conversation is automatically logged inside HubSpot’s CRM, which makes it easy to track contacts, conversations, and follow-ups in one place.

The chat widget connects directly with HubSpot’s marketing and sales tools. When a visitor starts a chat, their details and chat history are stored in the CRM, allowing teams to continue conversations through email or sales pipelines without losing context. This makes the widget useful beyond customer support by turning chat conversations directly into CRM-tracked leads.

HubSpot Chat works best when chat is part of a broader marketing or sales process rather than a standalone support channel. The focus is on capturing visitor intent and moving conversations into sales or follow-up workflows.

Best for
HubSpot Chat is best for marketing and sales teams that want free live chat tightly connected to CRM pipelines, contact records, and follow-up workflows.

Limitations
The free chat widget offers basic chatbot flows and limited chat logic. Advanced automation, customization, and more complex conversation handling require higher-tier HubSpot plans.

5. Crisp

Crisp is a tool designed for teams that value speed, clarity, and a clean interface over complex workflows. The free chat widget centers on a shared inbox where team members can see and reply to conversations together, making it easy to collaborate without learning new systems.

The widget supports real-time chat between agents and website visitors, with conversations visible to the whole team. This shared inbox approach helps prevent duplicate replies and keeps customer conversations organized, even when multiple team members are online.

Crisp is quick to install and requires very little configuration. The interface is modern and easy to use, which makes it appealing to early-stage teams that want live chat running quickly without managing routing rules or automation logic.

Best for
Crisp is best for startups and small teams that want a clean, shared inbox for live chat and internal collaboration, with minimal setup and maintenance.

Limitations
On the free tier, automation features and integrations are limited. Teams that later need advanced workflows, triggers, or deeper integrations may need to upgrade.

6. JivoChat

JivoChat is a tool built for websites that receive traffic from different countries and need to communicate with visitors in multiple languages. Its chat widget supports multilingual interfaces and translation features, which help teams respond to international visitors without switching tools.

The platform also positions itself as a multichannel inbox, allowing teams to manage conversations from live chat alongside other messaging channels. This helps businesses keep international conversations centralized instead of switching between tools or inboxes.

JivoChat works best when supporting visitors across multiple languages matters more than automation depth or routing complexity. It provides the essentials needed to support international audiences without complex setup.

Best for
JivoChat is best for businesses with global audiences that need multilingual chat support and simple multichannel communication.

Limitations
Free-tier constraints apply to advanced features and deeper workflows. Teams that later need more automation or customization may need to upgrade as volume grows.

7. LiveAgent

LiveAgent is a chat widget built for users who search for a chat widget but actually need a structured support workflow behind it. The free chat widget connects live conversations with a ticketing system, allowing teams to manage chats, emails, and follow-ups in one place.

When a chat becomes complex or requires tracking, it can be converted into a ticket with status, priority, and ownership. This makes LiveAgent suitable for support-heavy websites where conversations must be tracked, escalated, and resolved over time.

LiveAgent works best when live chat is part of a broader help desk setup. The focus is on continuity and accountability, not just instant replies.

Best for
LiveAgent is best for support-focused teams that need live chat connected to ticketing, case tracking, and ongoing issue management.

Limitations
The free plan includes constraints such as limited chat buttons or inactivity rules. Teams that require higher volume or more flexibility may need to adjust settings or upgrade as usage grows.

Start Chatboq Live Chat : Respond to visitors instantly, automate FAQs, and manage chats across channels with ease.

The key capabilities of a modern chat widget are real-time messaging, conversation management, team coordination, visitor context, and follow-up support. These capabilities determine whether a chat widget can reliably support customer conversations beyond a simple chat bubble.

1. Real-Time Message Handling

A chat widget should support two-way messaging between visitors and agents with reliable delivery. Seen status and typing indicators reduce uncertainty during active chats, while stability during concurrent conversations prevents dropped or delayed messages. This matters because slow or unclear replies often lead visitors to leave before getting help.

2. Conversation Management

The widget should allow conversations to be marked as resolved or unresolved and stored as chat history. Basic spam handling and tagging help teams organize follow-ups and avoid losing important conversations. Without these controls, chats become disconnected messages instead of manageable support threads.

3. Team and Agent Support

A modern chat widget should support multiple agents handling chats at the same time, with clear roles for agents and admins. Agent assignment and availability status help teams avoid duplicate replies and ensure someone owns each conversation. This is essential once more than one person handles support.

4. Visitor Context and Tracking

The widget should provide basic context such as when a visitor lands on the site, their location, and which page they are viewing. The ability to start chats based on visitor behavior helps agents respond with relevance instead of asking repeated questions. Context improves response quality by reducing repeated questions and speeds up replies by showing agents what the visitor is viewing.

5. Customization and Behavior Control

Chat widgets should be customizable to match the website’s look and communication style. This includes control over colors, text, greeting messages, required fields like email or phone, and sound notifications. These settings help the chat feel intentional rather than intrusive.

6. Proactive Engagement

Proactive chat features allow conversations to start based on time on page or page visits instead of waiting for the visitor to click. Frequency caps and delay controls are important to prevent over-messaging. Used correctly, proactive engagement helps start conversations at high-intent moments.

7. Integrations and Workflow Compatibility

A chat widget should connect with other tools such as messaging platforms, CRMs, or lead systems. The ability to export or reuse conversation data prevents information silos and supports follow-up workflows. Integrations turn chat from a standalone tool into part of a larger process.

8. Offline Capture and Follow-Up

When agents are offline, the widget should capture messages instead of disappearing. Clear expectations for response time, contact field collection, and agent notifications help maintain continuity outside business hours. This prevents missed leads and unanswered questions.

9. Basic Reporting and Visibility

A modern chat widget should provide basic visibility into chat volume, response time, missed chats, and conversation transcripts. These insights help teams identify gaps, adjust staffing, and improve support quality over time using a measurement framework for chat performance.

The benefits of using a free chat widget for websites include faster responses, continuous availability, lead capture, higher conversions, and improved support efficiency. These benefits explain why chat widgets are widely used for customer support and engagement.

Faster Answers → Fewer Drop-Offs

A free chat widget lets visitors ask questions and get answers immediately. Faster responses reduce hesitation, especially on pricing and product pages, where delays often lead users to leave without taking action.

24/7 Availability

Even when agents are offline, a chat widget keeps communication open. Visitors can leave messages or contact details at any time, allowing teams to follow up later instead of losing the opportunity completely.

Automated Support for Common Questions

Basic automation or chatbot replies help handle repetitive questions such as shipping, pricing, or availability, helping teams scale by reducing manual chat workload. 

Improved Conversion Rates

Live chat reduces friction during decision moments by answering questions before hesitation turns into exit. When visitors can clarify doubts in real time, they are more likely to complete sign-ups, inquiries, or purchases instead of abandoning the page.

Valuable Insights and Feedback

Chat conversations reveal what visitors are confused about, what they ask most often, and where content falls short. Chat transcripts provide direct feedback that teams can use to improve pages, messaging, and support workflows.

Reduced Ticket Volume Through Self-Service

By answering simple questions through chat or automation, fewer issues need to be escalated into tickets. This keeps support queues smaller and helps teams respond faster to real problems.

Increased Human Productivity

Unlike phone or email, live chat allows one agent to handle multiple conversations at the same time. This improves customer support efficiency by allowing one agent to manage several conversations simultaneously.

Lead Capture While Intent Is High

Chat widgets capture leads while visitors are actively interested. Collecting contact details during live conversations increases the chances of meaningful follow-ups compared to passive forms.

Checkout Support → Reduced Abandonment

Live chat helps resolve last-minute questions during checkout, such as payment issues or delivery concerns. Quick answers at this stage can prevent abandoned carts and lost revenue.

Trust Signal for Website Visitors

Seeing a chat widget reassures visitors that help is available. This visible support option builds confidence, especially for first-time visitors who may hesitate to trust a new brand.

Operational Efficiency at Scale

A free chat widget helps teams support more visitors without increasing costs. When one agent can manage multiple chats efficiently, support scales better as traffic grows.

The criteria for choosing the best free chat widget include understanding usage limits, team capacity, branding requirements, integrations, setup effort, and upgrade paths. These criteria help determine whether a free chat widget will remain usable as traffic and workflows grow.

Truly Free vs. Freemium Limits

Some tools are fully free, while others offer a free tier with strict caps. Understanding whether limits apply to chats, messages, agents, or automation helps avoid surprises after installation.

Agent Seats and Chat Volume Limits

Check how many agents can actively reply and whether chat volume is capped. Free plans often break when team size or traffic increases, even if chats appear unlimited at first.

Branding Removal Requirements

Many free chat widgets require visible vendor branding. If branding removal is paid-only, teams may be forced to upgrade sooner than expected, especially on commercial or client-facing sites.

Visitor Tracking and Proactive Triggers

Basic visitor context and proactive chat triggers help teams respond at the right time. If these are locked behind paid plans, free chat may remain reactive and less effective.

Routing and Missed-Chat Notifications

Look for agent assignments and missed-chat alerts. Without them, conversations can be silently lost, especially when multiple people handle support.

Integrations with CRM and Messaging Tools

Free chat widgets vary widely in integration support. If CRM, email, or messaging integrations are paid-only, manual follow-ups may become unsustainable.

Setup Time and Installation Options

A good free chat widget should be easy to install using a plugin, code snippet, or Google Tag Manager. Complex setup increases friction and delays value for teams managing a chat widget implementation workflow.

Upgrade Path Clarityvalue 

Clear pricing and upgrade paths reduce the risk of forced upgrades or unexpected migrations. Knowing what changes when you move from free to paid helps teams plan growth without forced migrations.

Free plan limits that force migration usually involve branding restrictions, agent caps, chat history retention, automation access, integrations, or usage limits. Identifying these limits early helps teams avoid unexpected upgrades or tool changes as traffic and workflows grow.

Most free chat widgets include limits that only become obvious after traffic, team size, or workflow complexity increases. The goal of this section is not to discourage free tools, but to help you spot early signals that a “free” setup may eventually force an upgrade or migration.

Branding Removal Paywalls

Many free plans require the vendor’s logo to appear on the chat widget, often in the bubble, footer, or pre-chat screen. While this may seem minor at first, branding can affect trust and conversions on commercial pages or client websites. Teams often upgrade solely to remove branding. 

How to spot: You can spot this early by checking whether branding removal is listed as a paid-only feature or if “powered by” labels appear in free plan screenshots.

Agent Seat Caps

Free chat widgets often limit how many agents can actively reply to chats. Some tools allow unlimited viewers but restrict responders to one or two agents. This becomes a problem as soon as teams grow or need handoffs. 

How to spot: Look for pricing language that mentions “per agent” limits and check whether adding users requires upgrading, even without higher chat volume.

Chat History Limits

Many free plans restrict how long chat history is stored. Limits may be time-based, such as 7 or 30 days, or volume-based. Older conversations may be deleted or locked behind a paywall, which affects follow-ups and audits. 

How to spot: To spot this early, check chat history retention details and whether transcript exports are available on free plans.

Automation Locked Behind Paid Tiers

Some tools advertise automation on free plans but limit it to basic greetings or trial usage. Conditional logic, workflows, and AI chatbot depth are often restricted. As chat volume grows, manual handling becomes inefficient, pushing teams to upgrade. 

How to spot: Look for caps on bot interactions, rules, or AI message counts to understand real automation limits.

Integrations Blocked on Free Plans

Integrations with CRM, email, messaging apps, or internal tools are frequently locked behind paid tiers. Without integrations, teams rely on manual data transfer, which does not scale. 

How to spot: Check whether integrations are listed as “paid-only” and whether API or webhook access is restricted on free plans.

Monthly Chat or Conversation Caps

Freemium tools often cap chats, messages, or conversations per month. When the limit is reached, the widget may pause, downgrade, or push an upgrade prompt mid-month. This can interrupt active conversations and force upgrade decisions mid-session, especially when teams depend on AI + live chat integration tooling.

How to spot: Look for clear explanations of what happens when limits are exceeded and whether caps reset monthly or block the widget entirely.

Our recommendations for the best free chat widget are based on the specific problem you’re trying to solve, such as unlimited availability, automation, lead capture, team collaboration, multilingual support, or ticket-based workflows. Choosing based on use case helps avoid unnecessary upgrades and forced migrations.

• Need scalable routing, triggers, and integrations → Chatboq
  Best when missed chats, proactive engagement, and operational control matter more than simplicity.

• Need unlimited free live chat → Tawk.to
  Best when cost certainty matters most and you want unlimited agents and conversations without caps.

• Need basic AI automation to handle FAQs → Tidio
  Best for trying AI chatbots on a budget with clear usage limits.

• Need CRM-first lead capture and follow-up → HubSpot Live Chat
  Best when chat exists to feed marketing and sales pipelines.

• Need a clean shared inbox for a small team → Crisp
  Best for startups that want fast setup and simple team collaboration.

• Need multilingual support for global visitors → JivoChat
  Best for businesses serving international audiences across languages.

• Need chat connected to ticketing → LiveAgent
  Best when conversations must turn into tracked support cases.

The biggest trade-off when choosing a free chat widget is between unlimited access and operational capability. Some tools stay fully free by keeping features simple, while others offer stronger workflows on a freemium model with clear limits.

The right choice depends on how your website operates today, and how it will grow. If your priority is staying available without caps, a fully free live chat tool makes sense. If missed chats, routing, proactive engagement, or integrations matter, a more structured free plan is usually a better long-term fit.

Before installing any chat widget, consider three things: your traffic volume, how many people handle conversations, and whether chat needs to connect with your existing tools. Choosing based on workflow, not hype, helps you avoid forced upgrades and unnecessary migrations later, while still building baseline live chat foundations for the long term.

Use this guide to match the tool to the problem you’re actually trying to solve, so your free chat widget continues to work as your traffic and workflows grow.

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