Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box vs Agentic Help Desk Plugin for WordPress – Live Chat, AI Chatbot & Ticketing – ThriveDesk

⭐ Lightweight and fast, persistent chat solution! ⭐ Fully self-hosted: No 3rd-party account required 🙂 Simple Ajax Chat makes it easy for your visitors to chat with each other on your website. Simply add a shortcode to any post or page and done! Instant chat forum anywhere. The chat form is fully customizable with many options, so you can create the perfect chat box for your visitors. 👉 Check out a Live Demo of Simple Ajax Chat at WP-Mix » 👉 Pro version supports unlimited chat forms! Simple Ajax Chat is fully self-hosted with NO 3rd-party service required. Many (if not all) of the other free chat plugins require registration and monthly service from a 3rd-party provider. With Simple Ajax Chat, there is no 3rd-party: WordPress is all that’s required. Own your chats! Difference between SAC free and SAC Pro The main difference between SAC free and SAC Pro? Easy: SAC free supports 1 chat form SAC Pro supports unlimited chat forms Pro can do everything free can do and SO much more. Customize each chat form with unique features. SAC Pro is an all new plugin written with smarter, faster code and all the latest techniques. Get SAC Pro » SAC Features The simplest possible persistent chat Fully self-hosted: No 3rd-party account required Ajax goodness loads new chats without page refresh Smart chat processing optimizes for performance Works with all browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) Works with all mobile devices (iPhone, Android, etc.) Display easily via shortcode or template tag Display chat box in multiple locations Regularly updated & “future proof” Supports custom CSS styles Strong anti-spam security Clean HTML markup More Features Plug-&-play: no configuration required Built-in control panel to edit and delete chats Define your own list of banned words and phrases Display chat messages in ascending or descending order Display custom content before/after the chat form Option to play sound alert for chat messages Option to restrict chat to logged-in users Option to restore default plugin settings Option to enable browser notifications Export all chat messages via CSV file Supports emoticons and emojis 🙂 Customize Everything Limit maximum number of chat messages Limit maximum length of each chat message Advanced customization via filter hooks Option to use textarea for larger input field Option to use logged-in username as the chat name Option to enable/disable URL field for chat names Load JavaScript only when chat box is displayed Customize the update interval for Ajax requests Customize the fade-in colors for new chats Customize the fade-duration for new chats Plus much more! 👉 That’s a LOT of features, but the Pro version has WAY more. Compare features (free vs. pro) » Exclusive Pro Features Enable Google reCaptcha (invisible) for all chat forms Choose from six form styles, or use custom styles Advanced chat management tools and user statistics Mute any user so they are not allowed to chat Ban any non-admin users from any chat session Enable customizable emoji picker for any chat form Display user avatars next to chat messages Display the user role next to chat messages Define your own Bang (!bang) shortcuts Email notifications for new chat messages Limit number of users for any chat form Create private chat boxes between users Banned phrases in text messages and user names Fine-grain control over allowed chat content Built with vanilla JavaScript (jQuery not required) Optionally display inline images in chat messages Automatically clear chat messages and send email alert Display a “current online users” widget for any form Displays a max-character counter for messages Display a role-based chat box on the WP Dashboard Choose from six sound alerts for new chat messages Option to include your own CSS and JavaScript 👉 Learn more and get SAC Pro » Privacy This plugin collects voluntary user chat data (i.e., Name, Chat Message, and optional URL field). It also gives the administrator the option to collect or not collect user IP information. Aside from those two things, this plugin does not collect or store any user data. This plugin uses a few cookies for the chat functionality. It does not connect to any third-party locations. Minimal impact on privacy. Translations This plugin supports translation into any language » Developer Simple Ajax Chat is developed and maintained by Jeff Starr, 15-year WordPress developer and book author. Support development I develop and maintain this free plugin with love for the WordPress community. To show support, you can make a donation or purchase one of my books: The Tao of WordPress Digging into WordPress .htaccess made easy WordPress Themes In Depth Wizard’s SQL Recipes for WordPress And/or purchase one of my premium WordPress plugins: BBQ Pro – Blazing fast WordPress firewall Blackhole Pro – Automatically block bad bots Banhammer Pro – Monitor traffic and ban the bad guys GA Google Analytics Pro – Connect WordPress to Google Analytics Head Meta Pro – Ultimate Meta Tags for WordPress REST Pro Tools – Awesome tools for managing the WP REST API Simple Ajax Chat Pro – Unlimited chat rooms USP Pro – Unlimited front-end forms Links, tweets and likes also appreciated. Thank you! 🙂

The ridiculously simple, and remarkably productive, customer support software for WordPress — a complete help desk with shared inbox, ticketing system, live chat, and AI customer support, built for WooCommerce and ecommerce businesses. ThriveDesk puts all your customer conversations in one place — email, live chat, and support tickets. Your team replies faster. Nothing gets missed. For WooCommerce stores, it goes further. Agents can view order history, check shipping status, issue refunds, and manage subscriptions — all from inside the support ticket. No tab switching. No extra plugins. Trusted by 2,000+ startups and growing businesses worldwide. Start your 7-day free trial — no credit card required. 🤔 Why WordPress Businesses Choose ThriveDesk Most help desk tools are built for big SaaS companies. WordPress support is an afterthought for them. ThriveDesk is different — we built native WordPress and WooCommerce support from day one. When a customer asks “where is my order?”, your agent sees everything: order details, shipping status, payment method, and purchase history — right inside the ticket. No switching to WooCommerce admin. No copying order IDs. Just instant context. ThriveDesk is more than a WooCommerce help desk. It’s a full customer support platform for WordPress — with a shared inbox, ticketing system, live chat, AI customer support, knowledge base, automation, reporting, and mobile apps. Everything in one place, without the enterprise price tag. 🛒 WooCommerce Support, Done Right – Built-In, Not Bolted On ThriveDesk’s WooCommerce integration was built by our own engineers. It’s not a third-party connector. That means it’s fast, reliable, and built into how your team works every day. Add AI customer support, a WordPress ticketing system, and a WooCommerce help desk — and you have a complete ecommerce support setup in one tool. What your agents can do from inside every support ticket: 📦 View complete order history — see every order the customer has placed 🚚 Check real-time shipping status — no need to open a tracking link 💸 Cancel or refund orders — process refunds without leaving ThriveDesk ✏️ Add, edit, or remove order items — modify orders from the ticket view 🔄 Manage subscriptions — add, change, or cancel plans on the spot 👤 View customer lifetime value — know who you’re talking to before you reply No customer data is stored on ThriveDesk servers. Everything syncs via API and is cached locally. Your data stays yours. WooCommerce My Account — Embedded Support Portal With WPPortal, you can embed a full support portal inside your WooCommerce My Account page. Customers can view their tickets, read your knowledge base, and start new conversations — without leaving your store. No external links. No confusion. Granular Agent Permissions Not every agent should be able to refund orders or cancel subscriptions. ThriveDesk lets you control exactly what each agent can do. Your operations stay protected. Your team stays empowered. Works with WooCommerce Subscriptions Running a subscription store? ThriveDesk handles it natively. Agents can view subscription status, upcoming billing dates, and plan details — and modify or cancel subscriptions right from the ticket. No extra steps. ⚡ A Complete Help Desk — Not Just a WooCommerce Plugin ThriveDesk gives your support team everything they need in one clean, fast, affordable platform. 📬 Shared Inbox & Ticketing System Stop losing emails in personal inboxes. ThriveDesk’s shared inbox for WordPress pulls all your support channels — email, live chat, and more — into one support ticket system. Every message becomes a trackable ticket. Nothing slips through. Key features: Collision detection — stops two agents from replying to the same ticket @Mentions — tag a teammate inside any conversation Private Notes — internal comments that customers never see Canned Responses — save your best replies and reuse them in seconds Tags and Labels — organize tickets for routing and reporting Custom Fields — collect structured info per ticket: dropdowns, text, toggles Snooze Conversations — set a reminder: “follow up tomorrow at 3pm” Schedule Reply — write now, send later Undo Send — 5–30 second window to cancel a reply before it goes out Split Conversations — break one ticket into two when topics diverge Merge and Bulk Actions — merge duplicates, bulk-assign, bulk-close Each inbox is fully independent. Keep sales, billing, and technical support completely separate. 💬 Live Chat for WordPress & WooCommerce ThriveDesk’s live chat widget installs on any WordPress site or WooCommerce store in minutes. No coding needed. Multiple agents can help one customer at the same time Shareable chat links — hand off a conversation without starting over Custom contact form fields — collect the right info before chat begins Audio notifications — agents never miss a new chat Firebase push notifications — reliable alerts across multiple agents Works on all devices — fully mobile-responsive Drag-and-drop file attachments — customers can share screenshots in chat Agents see full conversation history and customer details in the chat panel. WooCommerce stores also see the customer’s order history — right there. 📚 Knowledge Base — Help Customers Help Themselves A good knowledge base reduces support tickets by up to 70%. ThriveDesk’s knowledge base is fast to build and easy to keep current. What you can build: A public help center with your own domain and branding Internal docs for your support team In-app help embedded in your live chat widget WPPortal — a full help center on any WordPress page The editor makes writing fast: AI-assisted editing — write docs 3x faster Toggle blocks — collapsible sections for long articles Stepper blocks — numbered steps for tutorials Media manager — add images and videos to any article Drag-and-drop ordering and nested categories Autosave with version history — never lose your work The search is AI-powered. It understands what a customer means, not just what they typed. Someone searching “can’t log in” finds your password reset article — even if it’s not titled that way. 🤖 AI Customer Support — Honest and Effective ThriveDesk’s AI assistant, NEO, learns from your own knowledge base, documents, and website. It handles common questions automatically so your team can focus on harder ones. NEO can: Auto-reply to customer questions on its own Suggest draft replies for agents to review Tag and prioritize incoming tickets automatically Hand off to a human agent with full context preserved Update instantly when you add new training content AI Copilot helps your human agents too: Summarizes long threads in seconds Generates a full draft reply from conversation history Suggests next steps without being asked We’re upfront about AI performance. In the first few months, resolution rates are typically 20–45%. With a well-trained setup, ThriveDesk AI can handle up to 90% of first-tier requests. But we’ll never claim AI solves everything — it supports your team, it doesn’t replace them. Powered By AI, Support By Human. That’s the right balance. ⚙️ Automation — Let the Routine Run Itself Set up simple rules and let ThriveDesk handle the repetitive work. No code. Just if/then logic. It’s especially useful for ecommerce support — where refund requests, shipping questions, and order emails follow the same patterns every day. What you can automate: Routing — send tickets to the right team based on content or custom fields Tagging — auto-tag refund, billing, and shipping tickets by keyword Assignment — assign tickets by rules or round-robin Escalation — flag tickets that haven’t been answered after a set time Notifications — alert a senior agent when a VIP customer writes in SLA tracking — set and enforce response time targets Examples your team can use today: Subject contains “refund” → tag Billing → assign to Billing team Email matches VIP list → add note → assign to senior agent No reply in 4 hours → tag Urgent → notify team lead Contact form = “Subscription” → route to Subscription team Order status email detected → tag → move to Order Updates folder 📊 Reporting — See What’s Actually Happening Stop guessing. ThriveDesk’s dashboards show you how your support team is doing. Four dashboards: Conversations Dashboard — volume, open vs. closed, trends over time Happiness Dashboard — CSAT scores and satisfaction trends Leaderboard Dashboard — agent performance, response times, resolution rates Company Dashboard — team results measured against your goals Your CSAT score is shareable. Display it as a badge on your website to build trust with new customers. 🔌 SmartApp — Bring Your Own Data Every business has unique data. SmartApp is a no-code drag-and-drop builder that connects ThriveDesk to any external API. Pull in CRM records, subscription data, billing history — whatever your agents need — right into the ticket view. No more switching tools. 📱 Mobile Apps — Support from Anywhere iOS App (v2.0): Redesigned ticket list for fast triage Quick Action Bar — assign, tag, change status, or reply in one tap Full conversation history while you compose Android App: View, reply, and forward tickets @Mention teammates in notes Swipe actions for quick ticket management Live chat support Dark mode Real-time updates via WebSocket 🔗 Integrations Built for WordPress ThriveDesk connects with the tools WordPress and WooCommerce businesses already use. E-Commerce & Payments WooCommerce — Orders, refunds, subscriptions, and customer history — all inside tickets Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) — Digital product purchase history in every ticket SureCart — All-in-one digital product platform data Freemius — Real-time customer and license data Stripe — Customer billing details and transaction history Paddle — Subscription status, billing dates, and payment methods Developer Integrations API & Webhooks — Build custom integrations (Plus plan and above) SmartApp — Connect any external API via drag-and-drop — no code needed GitHub — See repo names, issue titles, and status inside tickets WordPress Forms — Works with any WordPress form builder for ticket creation 🔒 The WordPress Plugin — Fast, Lightweight, GDPR-Ready The ThriveDesk plugin is small and fast. It adds no extra database queries and won’t slow down your site. Setup takes under 5 minutes. What’s included: WPPortal — embed your help center on any WordPress page or WooCommerce My Account page using a shortcode Live chat widget — add chat to your site in minutes Form builder support — connect any WordPress contact form to create tickets automatically GDPR-compliant — nonce verification and secure form handling built in Auto-cache clearing — settings updates clear the cache on their own Works with any WordPress theme. No page builder required. 🚚 Free Migration — Switching Is Easy Already on Zendesk or Help Scout? We’ll move everything over for free. From Zendesk — all conversations, contacts, and history fully preserved From Help Scout — full 1:1 migration with conditions matched Zero data loss. Our team handles it. No extra charge. 💬 What ThriveDesk Customers Say “Many businesses think only big companies offer premium support tools. We found ThriveDesk and it’s been a game changer.” — Mohammad Zannatun Nime, Support Executive, Themesgrove Switched from Help Scout. Saved $4,200 per year. “We needed to serve our premium customers first. ThriveDesk made that possible.” — Mehedi Hasan, CEO, Themefisher Switched from Zendesk. Increased sales with customer prioritization. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions Does ThriveDesk slow down my WordPress site? No. The plugin is lightweight — no extra database queries, no render-blocking scripts. Your site speed stays the same. Does ThriveDesk store WooCommerce customer data? No. WooCommerce data syncs via API and is cached locally. It’s never stored permanently on ThriveDesk servers. Can I manage WooCommerce subscriptions from ThriveDesk? Yes. Agents can view subscription status, billing dates, and plan details — and modify or cancel subscriptions right from the ticket. Can I embed a support portal in my WooCommerce My Account page? Yes. WPPortal adds a full support portal — ticket history, knowledge base, and new ticket form — to any WordPress page. No coding needed. Can I use ThriveDesk with Easy Digital Downloads? Yes. ThriveDesk shows EDD purchase history in real-time inside every ticket. Your agents know what the customer bought before they reply. What happens to my data when I migrate from Help Scout or Zendesk? Nothing is lost. All conversations, contacts, and ticket history are fully preserved. Migration is free and our team handles it. Does ThriveDesk work with other tools? Yes. ThriveDesk connects with Stripe, Paddle, SureCart, Freemius, EDD, and GitHub. Plus plan and above includes full API and webhook access. How does the AI work? NEO is trained on your knowledge base, documents, and website. It can auto-reply, suggest drafts, and classify tickets. New content takes effect instantly — no delay. What is the realistic AI resolution rate? In the first months: 20–45%. Fully trained, ThriveDesk AI can handle up to 90% of first-tier requests. Deflected by AI is not the same as resolved by AI — and we’ll always be honest about that. Is ThriveDesk GDPR-compliant? Yes. The plugin uses nonce verification and secure form handling. ThriveDesk is GDPR-ready. Do you offer a free trial? Yes — 7 days, no credit card required. Can I test the AI before going live? Yes. The AI Playground lets you test NEO’s replies and refine them before turning on auto-reply for customers. Does ThriveDesk work with my WordPress theme? Yes. ThriveDesk works with any theme that follows WordPress standards. No page builder needed. What is the best help desk plugin for WordPress? ThriveDesk is built specifically for WordPress and WooCommerce — not ported from a generic tool. It combines a shared inbox, ticketing system, live chat, AI support, and a knowledge base in one plugin. For WooCommerce stores, it’s the only help desk with native order management, refunds, and subscriptions built directly into the ticket view. Can I use ThriveDesk as a ticketing system? Yes. Every email, live chat, or contact form creates a trackable support ticket. Agents can assign, tag, prioritize, snooze, and resolve tickets. Automation routes them to the right team automatically. Does ThriveDesk support email ticketing? Yes. Connect your support email and every message becomes a ticket in your shared inbox. Canned responses speed up replies. Automation handles routing. No manual forwarding needed. Is ThriveDesk a good Zendesk alternative for WordPress? Yes — and it’s 45% cheaper. Migration from Zendesk is free and preserves everything. ThriveDesk is built for WordPress and WooCommerce, so you get ecommerce features that Zendesk can’t match without expensive add-ons. Is ThriveDesk a Help Scout alternative? Yes. Customers save up to $4,200 per year switching from Help Scout. …