Top live chat tools revealed: WhatsApp Business takes the crown
- 8 days ago
- 3 min read
“Hi! How can we help you today?” Not just limited to physical stores anymore, live chat tools on websites provide quick and helpful customer service to online visitors. But with so many options, who are the leading live chat software providers, and what makes them different? Join us as we dive into the details about Meta’s market share and competitors’ distinctions.
Live chat tools have become indispensable for businesses aiming to enhance customer support, sales, and marketing efforts. Despite their advantages, the adoption of live chat software remains relatively low, with only around 16% of business websites globally implementing such tools.
What are the top live chat solutions used on the web today?
Among the various live chat solutions available, WhatsApp Business has emerged as the dominant player, capturing 56.2% of the market share among websites utilizing live chat software. WhatsApp Business’s popularity stems from its wide adoption globally (Figure 2), easy integration with existing business processes, and, important for privacy, end-to-end encryption. Owned by Meta Platforms Inc., WhatsApp Business benefits from the global familiarity many users have with the WhatsApp messaging app, which further solidifies its position as a leader in the live chat market.
In the competitive landscape of live chat tools, Tawk.to holds the second position with 6.3% market share, followed closely by Facebook Messenger at 6.0%. Other notable players include giosg (5.5%), Live Chat Inc (5.0%), Zoho SalesIQ (2.6%), Tidio (2.6%), JivoChat (2.1%), and Crisp (2.1%). These solutions, while holding smaller shares, cater to specific business needs with unique features like multilingual support, AI-driven automation, real-time visitor tracking, lead scoring, and seamless CRM integrations. Meanwhile, the tools in the “Other” category accounts for 11.6% of the market and comprises another 56 unique live chat software.
Meta-owned tools dominate on e-commerce websites
When focusing specifically on online stores, the market share of WhatsApp Business remains comparably high, with 55.7% of online stores using it as their preferred live chat tool. Facebook Messenger follows second at 11.3%. Both of the Meta-owned platforms are free to use, reducing barriers to entry for micro, small and medium-sized businesses. Additionally, the familiarity of these platforms among users and business owners alike makes them accessible and easy to adopt, allowing businesses to connect with customers in a way that feels natural and intuitive.
The fastest growing newcomers
The fastest growing live chat tools based on installation numbers in Q4 of 2024 were giosg, Chatilo, and Alive5 with 87%, 18% and 10% growth, respectively. Giosg’s AI Copilot integrates GPT-3.5 generated answers into their live chat solution and promises high security and data protection, which may be a major selling-point for businesses with complex products where an FAQ page doesn’t cut it. Chatilo is a live chat app that can be integrated with Slack; this integration makes it a useful tool to handle client and customer interactions within a company’s existing chat platform and without the need for separate software. Alive5 combines automation, AI, and human agents to assist website visitors and supports business-class SMS texting and web chat, offering a comprehensive communication solution for businesses.
Geographical adoption of WhatsApp Business
Geographically, WhatsApp Business live chat has seen widespread adoption—particularly in Asia, Europe, and Latin America—with significant usage in emerging markets like Brazil, Russia, India, and Indonesia. This global reach has contributed to its dominance in the live chat market.
Integrating live chat functionality on a website both enhances customer engagement and contributes positively to SEO performance. Features like real-time assistance, proactive engagement, and AI-driven chatbots can lead to longer site visits and improved conversion rates. These factors signal to search engines that a website provides valuable content and a positive user experience, potentially boosting its search engine rankings and, ultimately, a company’s online success.
While the adoption of live chat tools is still limited, platforms like WhatsApp Business have demonstrated significant market penetration due to their robust and accessible offerings. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the integration of live chat and AI-driven communication tools is poised to play a crucial role in shaping customer service strategies and enhancing online user experiences.
