Top 10 Website Chat Software in Australia (2025 Edition)
Great communication has always been important for your business. However, customers now expect real‑time communication on top of that. Australian businesses across retail, healthcare, finance, and services use website chats to connect with customers. Not only this it improves engagement, increases conversion rates, and supports your workflows. Research shows that live chats play a big part in higher satisfaction and faster issue resolutions.
Getting the right chat tool means picking the features that work for you. It’s also about data compliance, local support, performance across Australian networks, and pain-free integration with the domestic platforms you use on a daily basis.
This guide presents the top 10 website chat software solutions in Australia today. We’ll pinpoint strengths, challenges, and the suitability to your business or industry. Find the right chat software today, and take your business communication to the next level.
#1 Podium Australia
Starting us off is Podium Web Chat. This is a hugely powerful tool with locally supported AI-enhanced technology that’s made for Australian businesses.
Podium is the perfect combination of live chat, AI chatbots, and two-way text messaging; all in one unified, mobile‑first communication platform. This gives you the power to engage website visitors like never before, helping to drive meaningful conversations and convert as many leads as possible.
Key Features
- Text-Based Communication – Turns website chats into ongoing SMS conversations.
- AI-Powered Automation – Provides 24/7 AI-driven, human-like responses.
- Customisable Widget – Matches webchat design to your brand.
- Unified Messaging Platform – Integrates webchat with SMS, email, and social media into a single inbox.
- Lead Generation & Conversion Tools – Captures leads and enables payments via text.
Why It’s Great for Australian Businesses
Podium has been created with Australian compliance firmly as the focus. It brings fast local server responses and support teams within the region. It’s also purpose-built to serve industries like healthcare, retail, home services and automotive, delivering functionality that resonates with local workflows and customer preferences.
The Good and the Bad
Pros: Quick to implement, mobile‑ready, strong local support
Cons: Pricing may escalate with large messaging volumes
Best For: Service providers, clinics, and retail businesses aiming to convert web traffic into conversations while managing all messaging channels from one dashboard.
#2 Tidio
Tidio offers a hybrid live chat and AI‑chatbot platform that comes complete with conversational UI, analytics, and multichannel support. This makes it a great fit for ecommerce and small businesses.
Key Features
- Live chat plus NLP‑powered chatbot builder.
- Collects data from visitors in real time.
- Native integrations with Shopify, WordPress, and Instagram.
- Available on both mobile and desktop.
Why It’s Great for Australian Businesses
Tidio offers a free plan as well as pricing that’s competitive pricing, all while Australian ecommerce operations provide the support they need for an integration that’s quick and totally pain-free. This is a lightweight and user-friendly option for teams that lack a dedicated IT support team.
The Good and the Bad
Pros: There’s flexible automation, ecommerce integrations, and even a free option.
Cons: Analytics are limited in lower tiers.
Best For: Online stores, startups, and small businesses seeking lead capture and chatbot automation without heavy tech overhead.
#3 LiveChat
LiveChat is a mature platform that promises real‑time chat, visitor tracking, agent routing, and detailed reporting to back your sales and support teams.
Key Features
- Live chat with entry and exit triggers.
- Integration with over 200 tools, including CRMs.
- Performance reporting and agent analytics.
Why It’s Great for Australian Businesses
LiveChat is a trusted choice by many local brands, all because it’s quick to deploy, brand customisable, and easy to manage. The last part is especially true for teams already using common web frameworks and CMS tools.
The Good and the Bad
Pros: Robust feature set, seamless integrations, excellent UX.
Cons: Chatbot requires additional subscription.
Best For: Support teams looking for some more structure to their workflows and performance insights.
#4 Intercom
Intercom unites live support, proactive messaging, and AI‑driven chatbots all in one platform. It’s designed with two main goals in mind; to maximise conversions and make truly seamless customer journeys.
Key Features
- Custom chatbot flows and resolutions.
- Targeted messaging in real time.
- Integration with CRM, email and helpdesk systems.
Why It’s Great for Australian Businesses
Although more on the pricey side, Intercom is popular among Australian SaaS and tech-focused companies looking for automation that’s more on the conversational side. It also comes with deep lead qualification capabilities.
The Good and the Bad
Pros: Advanced automation and proactive outreach
Cons: Expensive and steeper learning curve
Best For: Tech firms, SaaS providers, and high‑volume site operators.
#5 Zendesk Chat
Zendesk Chat is part of a wider CX suite that encompasses live chat, AI‑assist, ticketing, and knowledge base integration.
Key Features
- Chat-to-ticket creation.
- Agent routing and AI suggestions.
- Unified view of chat and support history.
Why It’s Great for Australian Businesses
This solution is ideal for companies already using Zendesk Support, whilst also ensuring compliance and offering rapid escalation from chat to ticket across local teams.
The Good and the Bad
Pros: Experience a completely unified customer support experience.
Cons: Overkill for very small teams.
Best For: Businesses already using Zendesk or requiring structured support workflows.
#6 Olark
Olark provides simple, reliable live chat functionality with essential tools for visitor access and team routing.
Key Features
- Pre‑chat surveys and routing.
- Live visitor insights and transcripts.
- Integrations with email and CRMs.
Why It’s Great for Australian Businesses
This really is a reliable, no‑frills tool that’s all about fast setup and transparent pricing. This makes it perfect for Australian SMEs and sole operators who lack the time and resources for more complex systems.
The Good and the Bad
Pros: It’s easy to use and always budget friendly.
Cons: No AI or automation capabilities.
Best For: Small support teams and local service providers.
#7 HubSpot Live Chat
Many businesses don’t know that HubSpot Live Chat is included in the free version of HubSpot CRM. Use it to enable conversations that feed directly into your CRM and marketing workflows.
Key Features
- Chat tied to CRM contacts.
- Drag‑and‑drop bot workflows.
- Email automation after chat.
Why It’s Great for Australian Businesses
This is a great solution for teams already familiar with HubSpot. It complies with GDPR and Australian data regulations while keeping your marketing and chat data centralised.
The Good and the Bad
Pros: Free to start, CRM integration.
Cons: Advanced features require paid plans.
Best For: Marketing teams using HubSpot looking for a smooth chat-to-marketing pipeline.
#8 Drift
Drift focuses on conversational marketing and sales, using AI chatbots to qualify leads and book meetings directly inside chat.
Key Features
- Playbook-driven chatbots.
- Targeted messaging by account.
- Meeting scheduling and CRM integration.
Why It’s Great for Australian Businesses
Ideal for B2B companies and sales teams in Australia that want to automate funnel building and lead engagement.
The Good and Bad
Pros: Sales‑oriented, strong lead focus.
Cons: High cost for premium features.
Best For: Mid-sized B2B and SaaS businesses focused on inbound lead generation.
#9 Freshchat
Freshchat is part of Freshworks. It brings multichannel chat, smart bots, and team inbox features for support-heavy teams.
Key Features
- Bots in multiple languages.
- Supported channels include WhatsApp and SMS.
- Team inbox and chat history.
- AI intent detection and workflows.
Why It’s Great for Australian Businesses
Growing in popularity locally, Freshchat offers compliance-friendly hosting and rich automation, great for customer support and ecommerce in Australia.
Pros and Cons
Pros: Multichannel support with automation
Cons: Premium features locked behind higher tiers
Best For : Ecommerce sites, support teams, and multilingual businesses.
#10 Chaport
Chaport is a cost-effective live chat platform built for simplicity, combining basic automation with secure messaging.
Key Features
- Chatbot that answers FAQ.
- Visitor notes and chat history.
- Mobile and desktop clients.
Why It’s Great for Australian Businesses
Chaport supports regional languages and currencies, and is ideal for startups and micro-businesses needing a reliable chat presence.
The Good and the Bad
Pros: Affordable, easy installation.
Cons: Basic automation only.
Best For: Startups, sole traders, and low-budget operations.
Get Ready to Revamp Your Customer Chat Software
Many tools are packed full of great features, but it’s Podium Australia that stands out with its AI-enhanced chat, unified messaging, mobile-first interface, and local compliance. This is why it’s the top choice for Australian businesses, no matter the industry and no matter the size. Choose Podium, and change the way you communicate with customers for good.
