INSIGHTS
- Our top 10 tools, platforms, startups, software development kit's, and application programming interfaces that are available for purchase, or partnership, for a two-way chat feature are Twilio, Smooch, SendBird, Embedded Chat, Tawk, TalkJS, PubNub, ZenDesk, TokBox, and Applozic.
- PubNub is one of the most revered tools in the industry with APIs and infrastructure delivering over 30 billion chat messages a month for 1000s of chat apps.
OVERVIEW
The findings presented below are based on an extensive research conducted across various relevant and reliable sources, including industry reports and company websites. On the basis of that research, here are our top 10 tools, platforms, startups, software development kit's, and application programming interfaces that are available for purchase, or partnership, for a two-way chat feature: Twilio, Smooch, SendBird, Embedded Chat, Tawk, TalkJS, PubNub, ZenDesk, TokBox, and Applozic. These 10 tools were selected on the account of factors like user satisfaction, ease-to-use, customizability, unique features, and strong industry ratings. Please find a deep dive of our findings detailed below.
1. TWILIO
This is a platform that gives mobile and web apps the ability to exchange a wide variety of messages, including from chat to SMS. Some of Twilio’s key features include:
- Multiparty: Allows both one-on-one and group chats. You can dynamically tweak the settings to add or remove participants for chats of any size.
- Rich messaging: Allows users to chat naturally rather than talking over each other. Also, rich messaging comes with a typing indicator and “message read status” that provide real-time feedback to the users.
- Push notifications: Immediately notifies users of new messages whenever the app is running in the background on Android using GCM or on iOS using APNS.
- Roles and permissions: Allows users to set and update access rights, meaning administrative control is restricted to the authorized users only.
2. SMOOCH
A revolutionary embeddable chat SDK that allows users to engage in rich, persistent and asynchronous conversations. Some of its key features include:
- Fast Launch of chat products: Smooch SDKs are reportedly packed with best-in-class features to help speeding up development time and reduce costs, which allows you to market your products more quickly and in a cost-effective way.
- Deliver rich experiences across various channels: By supporting the richest types of messages and enabling businesses to transfer conversations easily and privately, Smooch not only guarantees safety but it also allows for a rich experience on social chat apps or SMS while ensuring that the messages do not lose context or history.
- Repackage and distribute in your software: Thanks to its full source access and distribution rights and, users can seamlessly distribute Smooch embeddables as their own “with code-level branding and even modify them to include additional features” that can be tailored to match their specific product needs.
3. SENDBIRD
This is a messaging SDK and chat API for mobile apps and websites. Through the simple platform, you can easily enable in-app messaging for your mobile apps and websites from the front-end UI to the back-end. SendBird’s key features include:
- Scalability for massive audiences: You can seamlessly host more than 100,000 concurrent viewers per live video stream thus allowing for maximum engagement.
- Spam flood protection: Prevent spam flooding in your chat rooms at the click of an icon
- Auto translation: Supports 20+ languages thus allowing for easy translation across various global audiences.
- Structured messages: Customize your rich content (like coupons and product information) with ease.
- Read receipts: Track and read status of the messages and chats between you and other users.
- Bot interface: Tailor your bots to assist you with details such as product recommendations and customer support.
- Moderation tools: Moderate and monitor chat rooms using Sendbird’s wide variety of proactive moderation tools.
4. EMBEDDED CHAT
This is a highly social tool that allows your visitors to communicate with you and each other in a very comfortable way using group chat rooms. According to the company website, “having Embedded Chat in your site will provide you a real time feedback from your visitors. This will allow you to know what they think and what they like of your site.” Embedded Chat’s key features include:
- Fully customizable: Not only can you choose or create themes you like, but you can also customize the widget html and CSS if you want.
- Social networking: Allows users to log in using a variety of social media channels (like Facebook and Twitter) or by simply picking a nickname.
- Multiple chat rooms: You can create as many groups and chat channels as you want while using different channels based on their links.
- Chat admin panel: Manage visitors, moderate groups, customize your profile and even block annoying users using the chat admin panel.
- Simple install: Simply paste the javascript integration code once you are on your site header and you’ll be good to go.
- Javascript API access: Use Embedded Chat’s Javascript API to login users with your own authentication mechanism or send message from outside the chat.
5. TAWK
This is a free and simple-to-use messaging app that allows you to monitor and chat with visitors on your mobile app, website or from a free customizable page. Tawk’s key features include:
- Allows you to monitor website or blog visitors in real time.
- Allows you to answer chats from your mobile device (like tablet or smartphone).
- Allows you to engage actively with visitors through triggers.
- Allows you to respond quickly with predefined shortcuts.
- You can customize your visitor widget to suit your site’s needs.
- You can localize messages and greetings in your preferred language.
- You can integrate the app with tools such as Wordpress, Joomla, and Magento, among others.
6. TALKJS
A beloved app enabled with chat API + SDK that allow developers to easily add chats between users on various platforms in a matter of hours instead of months. Through TalkJs, you can also seamlessly integrate two-way chat, complemented with real-time messaging infrastructure and a great UI. (source 6). Some key features for TalkJS include (but aren’t limited to):
- Email and SMS fallback: If you send a message while offline, TalkJS can send an email or SMS (or both, depending on your settings) to your target user, meaning users are always notified and kept on the loop.
- Full conversation history: TalkJS stores all messages safely and securely so you can always get back to a conversation whenever you want.
- Responsive cross-browser UX: The platform comes with a fast, fun, and easy to use messaging UI that is fully responsive on nearly all mobile devices and computers.
- Multi-Language User Interface: Has a variety of “built-in localization features that allow you to display the text (e.g. "Send") of the interfaces to the user in their own language.”
- Customizable design: Enjoy a variety of expertly designed TalkJS themes and customize them as you see fit to perfectly fit your brand.
- Developer-friendly API: TalkJS has a great JavaScript API that allows you to connect your own UI elements or analytics with ease.
7. PUBNUB
A highly reputed platform with “APIs and infrastructure delivering over 30 billion chat messages a month for 1000s of chat apps.” PubNub’s key features include:
- Messaging: Allows for push notifications, emojis and you can customize private and group messages.
- Indicators: Has indicators for online/offline status. Also has a typing indicator.
- Security: You can access, manage and control various security features (including encryption of messages) through the security panel.
- Integrations: You can integrate program functions like service chats, bots, chat API and extensible plugins, among others.
8. ZENDESK
ZenDesk is mainly a mobile-centered tool that has made it seamless to bring ticketing and help center elements into any Android or iOS app. And thanks to its recently released public package of a chat SDK for mobile users, its customers couldn’t be happier. Some key features of ZenDesk include:
- Embeddable live chat: Allows real-time communication between agents and customers.
- Offline messaging: allows customers to leave messages when agents are busy or unavailable.
- File sending: You can receive and send files faster for quicker pro-enhanced support.
- Chat ratings: Users have the option of rating their chat experience.
- Transcripts: Users can received an emailed copy of their chats with agents.
- Device information: Allows users to view their device information from the dashboard.
9. TOKBOX
A great tool that helps customers build a custom video experience using the company’s robust APIs, or even add the plug-and-play video option to their websites in a few minutes using video chat embeds. Some key features for TokBox include:
- Great customer service: Fast resolution times for issues
- Education: Improved outcomes through the tools and features
- Media and entertainment: Allows for increased fan engagement
- Financial services: Cost effective and improved satisfaction rates
- Healthcare: Great reach through its many features.
- Field services: Reduced administrative and operational costs
10. APPLOZIC
Designed for customers seeking to embed custom messages in their applications and allow users to chat with fellow users in a secure manner within the app. Applozic’s key features include:
- Has a variety of chat UI components for a delightful messaging experience
- Allows for embedding of custom messages and for secure chatting within the app
- Allow users to track the delivery of their messages through message delivery time stamps
- Has a provision to display read message receipts
- Has a real-time typing indicator to increase engagement
- Display the user's “last seen at” time as well as online/offline status
- Designed with end-to-end encryption to ensure privacy and security
CONCLUSION
Our top 10 tools, platforms, startups, software development kit's, and application programming interfaces that are available for purchase, or partnership, for a two-way chat feature are Twilio, Smooch, SendBird, Embedded Chat, Tawk, TalkJS, PubNub, ZenDesk, TokBox, and Applozic. All these tools enjoy a great deal of user satisfaction, ease-to-use, customizability, unique features, and strong industry ratings.