Pick a replacement by where your customers already message you and how your team shares the work. Sales-focused chat suits online shops, full support suites suit teams handling tickets across many channels, and shared inboxes suit small teams that just need everything in one view. Test how each one routes and tracks conversations.
A customer messages you on your website at lunchtime, follows up by email in the afternoon and pings your social page that evening. If those three messages land in three different places, someone on your team will answer twice and someone else won't answer at all. That's the problem a support tool has to solve, and it's the lens for this list of eight live chat and customer support tools, in no particular order.
One inbox for every channel
Chaport's own homepage describes all-in-one customer messaging software with multichannel live chat, chatbots and a knowledge base. Most of the tools below promise something similar, so the word multichannel won't separate them. Two practical questions will.
First, do conversations from every channel land in one place, as one thread per customer? A tool can connect to email, social and chat and still show them as separate queues. Send yourself a message on each channel during a trial and see whether they join up.
Second, how does a team share and track the work? Look for clear assignment, internal notes, a way to see who's replying right now and some record of how long customers waited. Without those, a busy afternoon turns into guesswork, however clever the chatbot is.
The eight tools, alphabetically
A to Z and in no particular order. Each line reflects the vendor's description of its own product.
Chatra
Best for: Businesses of any size that want to talk with website visitors and handle support across several channels; the vendor names a free plan.
Comm100
Best for: Support teams that want AI to automate replies and workflows across a wide spread of channels, from a vendor that calls itself people-first.
Crisp
Best for: Businesses that want an all-in-one, AI-assisted messaging platform for reaching customers and leads quickly while they wait for help, per the vendor.
HelpCrunch
Best for: Small teams that want live chat, a chatbot, a knowledge base, popups and email marketing under one login, as the vendor describes it.
JivoChat
Best for: Online sellers who want quick live chat on their site to turn visitors into buyers, with the vendor stressing how easy setup is.
LiveChat
Best for: Sales-minded teams that want website chat with an AI agent answering out of hours, plus lead qualifying and sales tracking from chats.
Smartsupp
Best for: Online shops that treat chat as a sales channel, with the vendor's pitch built around turning visitors into loyal customers through conversations.
tawk.to
Best for: Teams wanting one inbox for every customer channel, with live chat, ticketing, a knowledge base, AI assist and a CRM included, per the vendor.
Chat and support tools side by side
| Tool | Kind of tool | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Chatra | Multichannel live chat | Chatting with website visitors across channels |
| Comm100 | Omnichannel service platform | Support teams automating replies across many channels |
| Crisp | AI messaging platform | Reaching customers and leads who are waiting |
| HelpCrunch | Chat plus email marketing | Chat, knowledge base, popups and email together |
| JivoChat | Website live chat | Quick chat setup for online sales |
| LiveChat | Live chat with an AI agent | Qualifying leads and tracking sales from chats |
| Smartsupp | Sales chat for online stores | Turning shop conversations into orders |
| tawk.to | Shared customer inbox | One inbox for chat, tickets and a CRM |
Sales chat, support suites and shared inboxes
Chat that sells
Smartsupp, JivoChat and LiveChat all frame chat as a way to win sales. They suit online shops and service businesses where the chat window is often the last step before someone buys, and where qualifying a lead matters as much as answering a question.
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Full support suites
Comm100, Crisp and HelpCrunch go wider, adding chatbots, knowledge bases, automation and, in one case, popups and email marketing. These suit teams that handle a steady flow of support requests across several channels and want fewer tools to log into.
Simple shared inboxes
Chatra and tawk.to keep the focus on one inbox for website chat and other channels. They're a natural first look for small businesses and solo founders who want to answer customers without setting up a full help desk.
Advice for support teams switching chat tools
List the channels your customers have used most in recent weeks, not the ones you'd like them to use. Your chat history and inbox will tell you, and the answer often surprises people: a channel you barely staff can turn out to be the one customers reach for first. Then shortlist tools that handle those channels in one thread per customer. A tool that covers twelve channels you don't need is no help if it splits your two busiest ones into separate queues.
Keep your saved replies and knowledge base articles somewhere you can copy them from, because they rarely move across cleanly. For more options, see my roundup of the best live chat software, or my list of the best customer service software if you need full ticketing as well.
A one-week trial plan
- Day one: connect your website chat and one other channel your customers use most.
- Day two: add your team, set who answers what and write your top ten saved replies.
- Day three: send test messages from each channel and check they join one customer thread.
- Days four and five: run real conversations through the tool during your busiest hours.
- Day six: review the reports and see whether waiting times and missed chats are clear.
- Day seven: ask the team which tool they'd keep, and go with the answer.
Do you make live chat or customer support software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
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Frequently asked questions
What is multichannel customer support?
It means answering customers on several channels, such as website chat, email and social messages, from one tool. Good tools join each customer's messages into a single thread.
Do I need a chatbot on my website?
Not always. A chatbot helps when you get the same questions many times a day or need cover out of hours. If your volume is low, fast human replies often work better.
Can small businesses run live chat without a big team?
Yes. Set office hours, use saved replies and switch the chat to a message form when nobody's online, so customers know when to expect an answer.
How do I move my chat history to a new tool?
Most tools let you export past conversations, but few import them. Download what you need for records, then start fresh in the new tool.
Do live chat tools work with online stores?
Many connect to popular store platforms, so agents can see orders while they chat. Check the integrations list on each vendor's site for your platform.
Are there rules about storing chat data?
Yes. Data protection rules vary by country, so check where each vendor stores data and confirm the requirements with your local data regulator.
