Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots vs JotCast Live Chats

Better Messages is the most feature-rich realtime private messaging system for WordPress, with native integrations for BuddyPress, BuddyBoss Platform, Ultimate Member, PeepSo and any other WordPress powered websites. Transform your WordPress site into a powerful communication platform with private messaging, chat rooms, video and audio calls, group video chats, AI chat bots, and native mobile apps. Whether you’re building a private or public community, social network, intranet, chat-rooms site, marketplace, membership site, dating platform, or creator economy site – Better Messages provides enterprise-level messaging features with an easy-to-use interface. Try Better Messages: Live Demo — fully functional demo site Documentation & Knowledge Base — setup guides, features, FAQ All Integrations — every supported plugin and theme Pricing — free vs WebSocket version comparison Blog & Tutorials — guides, walkthroughs, integration deep-dives For developers: REST API Reference — every endpoint and parameter PHP Hooks — actions, filters, helper functions JavaScript Hooks — frontend events and customization API Changelog — every release and bug fix Roadmap — upcoming features and votes Popular use cases: Better Messages is widely used to power messaging for: Private communities — paid and members-only community platforms, mastermind groups, alumni networks, course cohorts, coaching circles, role-restricted messaging, group chats, AI Chat Bots for onboarding and FAQs, end-to-end encryption for sensitive conversations Public communities and social networks — open social platforms, hobby and interest communities, BuddyPress / BuddyBoss / PeepSo / FluentCommunity-powered sites, private messaging, group conversations, chat rooms, mini chat widgets that follow users across the site Intranet and corporate websites — internal employee communication, team and department channels, role-restricted access by WordPress role, file sharing, voice and video calls for remote teams, self-hosted plan for sites with data-sovereignty requirements Chat rooms websites — sites built around real-time chat rooms as the primary feature, public and private rooms, topic-based discussion, guest access for unregistered visitors, AJAX or WebSocket delivery Dating and matchmaking sites — private 1-on-1 chat, photo and video attachments, voice and video calls, profile-to-profile chat buttons on member directories, guest chat for browsing visitors, end-to-end encryption for private conversations Creator economy and fan platforms — paid messaging with per-message and per-call billing via GamiPress or MyCRED, private video calls, mass messaging to fans, always-on mini chat widgets Premium and monetized DM platforms — charge per direct message or per call with per-role pricing, balance display, role-restricted messaging, AI Content Moderation to filter spam and scam attempts Coaching and mentorship platforms — client-to-coach DMs, scheduled video calls, voice messages, file sharing, course chat rooms via LMS integrations Online stores (WooCommerce) — pre-sales chat on product pages, post-purchase order support, cart-context-aware messages, embedded inbox in My Account Multi-vendor marketplaces and classifieds — buyer-to-seller chat on every listing, per-listing threads, guest chat for unregistered visitors Online courses (LMS) — course chat rooms, instructor-to-student DMs, group conversations for cohort-based courses Forums and Q&A communities — Private Message link on every reply, follow-up chat for thread participants Real estate and listings sites — agent inquiry messaging, property-context chat threads, guest chat for browsing visitors Live events and webinars — event lobby chat rooms, guest access for non-registered attendees, group voice and video calls for AMAs, pinned messages with event agendas Booking and appointment platforms — guest-to-host messaging on listings and bookings, file sharing for documents, voice and video calls before check-in Crypto and Web3 communities — token-gated chat rooms via membership plugin and WordPress roles, AMA group calls, AI knowledge bots for whitepaper questions, mobile apps for on-the-go engagement “Better Messages” plugin is formerly called “BP Better Messages“. Translate Better Messages to your language Core Messaging Features: AJAX or WebSocket powered realtime conversations Private one-to-one conversations Group conversations with unlimited participants Chat Rooms with guest access support Messages for BuddyPress Groups, PeepSo Groups, Ultimate Member Groups, FluentCommunity Groups Subjects for conversations Search across all messages Mark messages as favorite Pin important messages to conversation top Pin favorite conversations to list top Filter conversations list to show only unread conversations Reply to specific messages Edit sent messages (with edit indicator) Delete messages Forward messages to other conversations Mute conversation notifications Message draft autosave with recovery AI & Automation: AI Chat Bots powered by OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude) and Google Gemini AI Chat Bots in group conversations with mention-based responses Conversation summarization and scheduled digests with AI Token usage tracking with cost estimation Voice message transcription powered by Better Messages Cloud AI or OpenAI Web Search capability for AI bots File Search tool for AI bots Image generation with AI PDF file support for AI conversations Media & Content: File sharing with resumable uploads and ability to protect files from direct access (images, videos, documents) Client-side image and video optimization for cross-browser compatibility and saving storage space (format conversion, quality control, metadata stripping) Voice Messages (available as addon) Embedded links with thumbnails and descriptions oEmbed support for YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, SoundCloud, Flickr and 20+ services Emoji selector Built-in sticker packs with role-based access and per-locale support GIF integration with GIPHY and Klipy providers Inline sticker suggestions while typing Markdown text formatting support Notifications: Email notifications for unread messages (customizable templates) Unsubscribe link support in emails Sound notifications for new messages On-site toast notifications anywhere on your website Moderation & Security: AI Content Moderation with two providers: Better Messages Moderation AI — included with WebSocket license at no additional cost, no third-party API keys required. Powered by Better Messages Cloud with extended categories, custom rules, and conversation context awareness OpenAI Moderation API — free to use, requires an OpenAI API key Custom moderation rules — define your own rules in plain text Conversation context awareness — detect patterns split across multiple messages Choose between “Flag Only” (recommended) or “Hold for Review” moderation actions Pre-Moderated Messages – review messages before delivery Report messages feature Bad words filter with customizable blacklist Block user feature Role-based access control User whitelist/blacklist for moderation Engagement Features: Reactions to messages Mentions (@username) Mass messaging from WP Admin with scheduling, file attachments, and background processing Suggested conversations for new users Mini Widgets: Embed conversation entry points anywhere on your site without using shortcodes Five widgets: Friends, Groups, Users, AI Bots, Chat Rooms Two display styles: Classic Bar or Floating Bubble (with chat heads) Three placement surfaces: bottom bar, side panel, mobile tab bar Per-widget icon picker, search box, role restrictions, and “Hide Tab When Empty” toggle Users widget with three display modes (all / by role / hand-picked) and sorting by last activity or registration date Customizable order of tabs in mini widgets, side panel and mobile view Customization: Modern, fully customizable design Easy color customization via WP Customizer Custom notification sounds RTL layout support White label solution Fully translatable Auto-delete old messages option Privacy & GDPR: Dedicated Privacy & GDPR settings page All message data stored on your own server AI moderation (when enabled) sends message content for analysis — Better Messages Cloud does not store any data, review OpenAI’s data policy if using OpenAI provider WordPress personal data export and erasure support (Tools → Export/Erase Personal Data) Suggested privacy policy text that adapts based on enabled features Self-hosted emoji images option — no external CDN requests Privacy-friendly video embeds — YouTube, Vimeo load only after user clicks No cookies set, no analytics or tracking scripts Privacy & GDPR documentation This is not a complete list of features – Better Messages has many more small features and options that are not listed here. We are constantly adding new features and improvements based on user feedback. Compatible plugins & themes — 35+ native integrations: Better Messages works on any WordPress site out of the box. If your site already runs a community plugin, an LMS, a marketplace, or a directory, Better Messages plugs into it directly — inheriting members, profiles, groups, courses, listings, and posts so chat surfaces appear in the right places without setup. Community & Membership Platforms — replaces the built-in messenger and inherits members, profiles, friends, and groups: BuddyPress BuddyBoss Platform — including BuddyBoss Theme and ReadyLaunch PeepSo Ultimate Member FluentCommunity — including Spaces and Courses SureDash ProfileGrid UsersWP WP User Manager Learning Management Systems (LMS) — course chat rooms, instructor messaging, and student-to-student conversations: LearnDash — including Instructor Role add-on LearnPress Tutor LMS MasterStudy LMS FluentCommunity Courses E-commerce — WooCommerce — pre-sales and order support chat for online stores: WooCommerce — Contact buttons on product, cart, checkout, and order pages. Cart contents are auto-posted into the conversation as a rich message so your support agent immediately sees what the customer is looking at, order pages post a structured order context card. Plain product URLs pasted into any chat are expanded into rich product cards. Embedded inbox lives inside WooCommerce My Account. HPOS-compatible, block-theme-compatible, works with guest checkout. Available on both the free and WebSocket versions — the WebSocket version opens chats as a popup mini-widget overlay instead of navigating away. Marketplaces & Multi-Vendor — buyer-to-vendor chat on top of WooCommerce, with per-vendor opt-in and contact buttons on vendor stores, product pages, and order details: Dokan Marketplace MultiVendorX WCFM WC Vendors Listings, Directories & Classifieds — contact buttons on every listing, with per-listing threads: HivePress Directorist GeoDirectory Classified Listing Motors – Car Dealer, Classifieds & Listing WP Job Manager Real Estate Themes — agent and inquiry messaging on property listings: Houzez RealHomes Forums — Private Message link on every reply: wpForo bbPress Gamification, Points & Paid Access — charge per message or call with per-role pricing and balance display: GamiPress MyCRED Automation & Page Builders: Uncanny Automator — triggers and actions for chat events AutomatorWP — triggers and actions for chat events Crocoblock JetEngine Profile Builder — profile and chat shortcodes for JetEngine listings Push & PWA: OneSignal — web push notifications Progressify PWA — install-to-home-screen prompts on the messenger Universal Shortcode Builder — add chat to anything else: Don’t see your plugin or theme in the list? Better Messages ships a visual Shortcode Builder at WP Admin → Better Messages → Shortcodes that lets you drop a Live Chat Button onto any custom post type, directory, marketplace listing, agent profile, or page builder block — without writing PHP. Point it at a sample post, choose how the target user is resolved (post author, postmeta-stored user ID, or a fixed inbox), set a thread strategy and label, and copy the generated shortcode. The same shortcode then works for every post of the same shape, with automatic per-post threading and an optional in-chat banner. Paste it into Gutenberg, Elementor, Bricks, Divi, or directly into a theme template. Full list of integrations Feel free to report any incompatibility or request more integrations — that is very important and helps improve Better Messages! WebSocket version: WebSocket version is a paid option, you can get license key on our website. We use our dedicated servers to implement WebSocket communications between your site and users. Our servers are completely private and do not store or track any private data — all messages remain in your database. Performance & Reliability: Significantly reduces the load on your server (up to 200x fewer requests) Instant message delivery in realtime Works with any hosting including shared hosting No limits on concurrent connections or monthly active users Video & Audio Calls: HD Video Calls (1-to-1) HD Audio Calls (1-to-1) Group Video Chats (up to 32 participants) Group Audio Chats (up to 50 participants) Screen Sharing in calls and group chats Mobile Apps (Alpha): iOS Mobile App (build your own branded app) – Alpha Android Mobile App (build your own branded app) – Alpha Push notifications for calls and messages VoIP notifications for incoming calls Note: Mobile apps are currently in alpha stage. Core functionality works, but some features may be limited or under development. Realtime Features: Messages Delivery Status (sent, delivered, seen) Typing, voice recording and file uploading activity indicators Online/Offline presence indicator User statuses (Online, Away, Do Not Disturb) Mini Chats – chat windows anywhere on your site Mini Conversations widget – list and continue recent threads from any page Online-only filter and online-first ordering for the Users mini widget Better Messages Cloud AI: Automatic message translation in 1-to-1 conversations — 53 languages, auto-detection AI Content Moderation — 23 categories, custom rules, conversation context awareness Voice message transcription — 99+ languages with auto-detection No third-party API keys required — included with WebSocket license at no additional cost Security & Encryption: Optional End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) — can be enabled at the website level and per conversation, messages and files encrypted in users’ browsers with AES-256-GCM, server never sees plaintext Local browser encryption (AES256) for offline message storage Web Push Notifications (works even when the browser is closed) All data encrypted in transit, so we can’t read it on our servers Support: Priority email support Regular updates and new features Why WebSockets are a game-changer? Get WebSocket version license key | Terms of Use Languages RTL layout is built into the plugin. You can translate plugin to your language with LocoTranslate or participate in plugin translation.

JotCast Live Chats connects your WordPress site to JotCast live chat, enabling zero-click single sign-on for your users. When a logged-in WordPress user visits a page with a JotCast chat embed, they are automatically signed in using their WordPress display name. No extra accounts, no login buttons, no redirects. Features: Zero-click SSO — WordPress users are automatically authenticated in JotCast chats with no additional steps. Chat visibility control — Restrict who can see chats on your site based on WordPress role: everyone, logged-in users only, subscribers and above, or administrators only. Membership gating — Use the jotcast_user_is_member filter hook to define your own membership criteria. Works with any membership plugin including Groups, MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, WooCommerce Memberships, and custom solutions. Secure token exchange — SSO keys are exchanged server-to-server using short-lived, single-use authorization codes. Your encryption key never touches the browser. AES-256-CBC encryption — User data is encrypted before being passed to JotCast, ensuring secure transmission. How it works: Install and activate the plugin. Go to Settings → JotCast Live Chats and click “Connect to JotCast.” Authorize the connection with your JotCast account. That’s it. Your existing JotCast chat embeds will automatically log in your WordPress users. Membership gating with custom filters: If you want to restrict certain JotCast chats to paying members, you can define your own membership logic using the jotcast_user_is_member filter. Add this to your theme’s functions.php or a custom plugin: add_filter('jotcast_user_is_member', function($is_member, $user) { // Your custom membership check here // Return true if the user is a paying member, false otherwise return $is_member; }, 10, 2); The result is included in the SSO token, and you can mark individual chats as “Members Only” in JotCast’s chat creation form. Requirements: A JotCast account (sign up at jotcast.com) One or more JotCast chat embeds on your WordPress site PHP 7.4 or higher with the OpenSSL extension External services This plugin connects to the JotCast service (https://www.jotcast.com) to provide live chat functionality with automatic single sign-on for your WordPress users. When the plugin is first connected: A one-time server-to-server request is made to JotCast to exchange a short-lived authorization code for an SSO encryption key. Your site URL and site name are sent during this process. On every page load that contains a JotCast chat embed: The plugin encrypts the logged-in user’s display name, email address, profile picture URL, and membership status using AES-256-CBC, and appends the encrypted token to the JotCast embed script URL. This data is sent to JotCast so the user can be automatically signed into the chat. No data is sent for users who are not logged in. Service: JotCast Terms of Service: https://www.jotcast.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://www.jotcast.com/privacy.html