11 In-App Chat Solutions to Supercharge Your User Engagement

Hey there! Are you looking to step up your app‘s user engagement and support? Well you‘ve come to the right place, my friend.

Integrating a slick in-app chat feature can work wonders for connecting with customers in real-time. But building one from scratch can be a major pain, requiring months of development work.

Luckily, there are some amazing ready-made in-app chat solutions that can get you up and running quickly and easily. In this guide, I‘ll share my insights as an app developer on the top options worth considering.

Based on extensive research and hands-on testing, these picks provide the best combination of features, customization, and value in the market today. I‘ll break down what makes each one great, so you can determine which is the best fit.

Let‘s dive in!

Why In-App Chat is So Crucial These Days

Before we get to the solutions, it‘s worth covering why real-time in-app chat has become practically a requirement for modern mobile and web apps.

According to Forrester research, 77% of adult internet users now expect real-time support via chat or messaging. And HubSpot found that over 40% of website visitors prefer live chat as a contact method.

The reasons behind this trend are clear:

Convenience: Chat provides instant answers without forcing users to switch contexts or open another app.
Personal Connection: Real-time communication creates a warmer, more human engagement.
Faster Problem Solving: Agents can immediately diagnose issues and walk users through solutions in the app interface.
Improved Conversion Rates: Chat provides sales teams with more touchpoints to answer questions and nurture leads. One study showed live chat boosts conversion rates by up to 20%.

With chat, brands can differentiate themselves by providing proactive, contextual support at the exact moment users need help. Instead of reacting to complaints after the fact.

For example, if a user gets stuck at a certain step, chatbots can automatically trigger assistance right then and there. Creating a smooth, frustration-free experience.

Let‘s look at some hard numbers that speak to chat‘s ability to supercharge app engagement:

Olark found that chat users spend 65% more time on sites than non-chat users.
Kayako reported that live chat has over 3x the response rate of email support.
Comm100 shared that chat responses have 97% satisfaction levels compared to 61% for email.
Bold360 noted that their customers see up to 5x higher agent productivity with chat versus calls.

With impressive stats like these, it‘s evident that integrating in-app chat should be a priority for any scaled customer engagement strategy.

Now let‘s explore some stellar solutions to make it happen!

Top 11 In-App Chat Providers to Boost Real-Time Engagement

Based on my evaluations as an app developer, these are my top picks for in-app chat solutions:

Provider	Key Features	Starting Price
Intercom	Chatbots, custom widgets, behavioral targeting, analytics	Custom quote
Drift	Chatbots with NLP, lead scoring, proactive messaging	$50/month
Olark	Custom themes, visitor monitoring, team collaboration	$17/month
LiveChat	Chatbots, customizable widgets, CRM integrations	$16/agent/month
tawk.to	Free live chat widgets, email automation, visitor tracking	Free plan available
PureChat	Triggered messaging, offline forms, team inbox	$39/month
Crisp	Omnichannel support, chatbots with NLP, integration apps	$49/month
SmartSupp	Real-time visitor tracking, customized widgets, third-party integrations	$10/month
Chatwoot	Open source, conversational bots, CRM data integration	Free open source
Smooch	Omnichannel messaging, conversation automation, analytics	Custom quote
Chatfuel	No-code bot builder, lead gen forms, broadcast messaging	$15/month

As you can see, there are stellar options for every budget and use case. Let‘s dig deeper into the key pros of my top overall picks:

LiveChat – Robust Feature Set for Custom Bots and Engagement

In my experience, LiveChat provides one of the most well-rounded in-app chat platforms on the market.

Some key advantages:

Their chatbot builder makes it easy to automate conversations with no coding required.
Agents can seamlessly take over bot interactions when needed.
Customizable widgets fit your brand identity.
Chat history and metrics provide valuable engagement insights.
CRM integrations centralize the customer profile.
Translations available in 40+ languages to support global users.

With over 38,000 customers, LiveChat is a mature solution perfect for driving more personalized connections at scale. Their recently launched chatbot builder provides a simple way to take automation to the next level.

Pricing is competitive at $16 per month per agent on the Starter plan. More advanced enterprise options are available too.

Intercom – A Powerful All-in-One Customer Engagement Platform

Intercom goes beyond just chat to provide an integrated solution for conversational business. Their robust platform enables personalized messaging across the entire customer lifecycle.

Key strengths:

Chatbots leverage natural language processing (NLP) to handle common queries.
Custom messaging workflows can be tailored to your sales and support processes.
Real-time behavior tracking provides insights to improve conversion.
Segment users based on attributes to deliver targeted messaging.
Integrations with marketing automation platforms like HubSpot and Adroll.
Powerful reporting capabilities to demonstrate chat ROI.

While Intercom has a steeper learning curve, their platform is perfect for large enterprises looking to unify messaging channels. And the ability to track on-site behaviors makes for highly contextual chat engagements.

Pricing is customized based on specific needs, but expect significant value from their enterprise-level capabilities.

Olark – Excellent for Website Chat Widgets

Olark excels at providing customizable live chat widgets for your website. Their platform makes it easy to engage visitors in real-time with critical brand messages.

Some notable highlights:

Chat box design is fully customizable with themes and branding options.
Intelligent rules can trigger proactive pop-up messages based on visitor behavior.
Third-party integrations allow piping chat conversations into your help desk and CRM.
Agent status indicators show users when reps are actively available to chat.
Offline forms provide contact options even when agents are not online.

Olark offers one of the most intuitive widget-based chat experiences that can complement your website or web app perfectly. With plans starting at an affordable $17/month, it‘s easy to try them out.

tawk.to – Excellent Free Tier for Basic Chat

If you‘re looking for basic chat capabilities on the tightest budget, tawk.to is a fantastic free option to consider.

They provide the following solid features without spending a dime:

Customizable chat widget designs to match your brand.
Visitor tracking to understand how people engage with your site.
Email automation tied to chat interactions.
Integration support to connect with popular apps.
Chat history transcripts and reporting.

tawk.to is likely the most fully-featured free live chat tool available today. For low to medium traffic sites, you can likely get by with their free plan rather than paying monthly fees.

The paid tawk.to plans also offer good value starting at $15/month. But the free tier is an unbeatable option for cost-conscious businesses.

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Provider

Here are some key criteria to evaluate when selecting the right in-app chat provider:

Integrations – Look for platforms with APIs and integrations with marketing, sales, support, and CRM systems you already use. This avoids siloed data and messaging workflows.

Customization – Pick a highly customizable solution that allows tailoring chat experiences to match your brand identity and voice.

Automation – Evaluate the artificial intelligence and bot capabilities for automating conversations when possible to improve scale and efficiency.

Analytics – Robust chat data, behavior tracking, and reporting features help maximize engagement and demonstrate ROI.

Platform Support – Ensure the provider has SDKs and APIs that fully support all mobile and web platforms your product runs on.

Scalability – Choose an enterprise-level solution capable of handling your customer messaging volumes as you grow.

Budget – Factor in all long-term costs, not just monthly fees. Getting locked into an inflexible pricing model can be risky.

Prioritizing these factors will help ensure you choose a chat provider that aligns both with your current needs and future ambitions.

Tips for Rolling Out In-App Chat Successfully

Once you‘ve picked a chat solution, here are some pro tips to ensure your rollout improves customer experiences:

Make Chat Easy to Discover

Place chat initiation buttons prominently within your app interface for easy discovery. Having it buried or hidden can severely limit adoption. Test different locations during development to optimize visibility and convenience.

Promote the New Capability

Let users know about your new chat feature through in-app messaging, push notifications, website banners, and other channels. Train customers to leverage chat so it becomes a habit.

Set Expectations

Be transparent about average response times and when agents are actively available. This avoids confusion by setting proper expectations upfront. Clarify your support hours and chat SLA.

Closely Monitor Performance

Analyze chat metrics like opt-in rates, wait times, CSAT, resolutions, agent workload and more. Rapidly identify areas for improvement. Double down on what‘s working.

Gather Feedback

Proactively ask chat users to rate interactions and provide feedback. Surveys allow capturing subjective satisfaction levels beyond hard metrics alone.

Refine Over Time

Don‘t settle for good enough. Continually fine-tune your chat experience based on data insights and user input. Superior chat engagement requires persistence.

With the right solution and optimization strategies, you can connect with customers in completely new ways through real-time conversations in your app.

So give one of these top-rated in-app chat platforms a look today. I‘m confident you‘ll see tangible benefits in engagement, support, and user loyalty over time.

Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to chat more about strategic ways to improve app experiences.