LiveChat versus OpenWidget

LiveChat, originally from Poland, has been in the online customer service software business since 2002, being one the first companies to provide a live chat function to websites.

As one of the largest providers they offer a large number of app integrations and customization possibilties, ranging from CRM to e-commerce and help-desk software.

Their cheapest plan starts at $16 per month for one agent. A lot of features, analytics, and plugins are paid options or only available in their more expensive plans. They don’t offer a free plan. However, a 14 days free trial is available.

LiveChat has a substantial customer base consisting of over 35,000 companies worldwide. Among their customers are titans of industry like Adobe, Atlassian, PayPal, and Unilever.

OpenWidget is a free eCommerce widget launched in November 2022 by LiveChat.inc. It is not a real-time live chat but has 4 important features.

• Contact form (email)
• Product cards to promote deals
• FAQ section
• Widget customization

It is easy to set up but offers limited customization options, as can be expected for such a free tool. There is no option to upload images, they have to be linked to a URL. All changes are applied to the widget on your website in real time without the need to replace the script.

It has plugins for popular eCommerce platforms like:

• BigCommerce
• Google Tag Manager
• OpenCart
• Shopify
• Squarespace
• Woocommerce
• WordPress