Tag: Best Website Tools

9 Best AI Design Tools in 2023 (Reviewed & Compared)

If you’re not up-to-date with the latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) tools, you might have been living under a rock. AI has taken the world by storm. With countless tools available, it can assist you in various tasks, from content writing and mathematics to code generation and image creation. With AI technology constantly improving, it’s hard to imagine where it will take us next. Nonetheless, we’re all in, and in this post, we’ll focus on the best AI design tools. Whether you’re a designer, developer, or just looking to streamline your workload, we’ve got you covered. So, let’s dive in and explore the possibilities with valuable tools to get those creative juices flowing.

What is an AI Design Tool and Why Do You Need One?

As a creative professional, you’ve likely experienced those moments when you feel like you’re in a design rut. Thankfully, AI is revolutionizing the way designers find inspiration. Using a good AI design tool can ignite a new wave of creativity and explore new ways to approach your designs. These tools provide fresh ideas and allow designers of all skill levels to generate custom color palettes, build web pages, enhance photos, and develop creative assets. They can even provide insight into your existing designs. With AI, the possibilities are endless.

9 Best AI Design Tools in 2023

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We considered a few things when we set out to find the best AI design tools for this post. First, the tools chosen need to be easy to use. After all, AI tools are supposed to make your life easier, not harder. Secondly, we looked for variety. We wanted to find text-to-image generators and tools for the entire creative process. That’s whether you need a logo, want to design a web page, or build a custom color palette.

1. Canva

Canva is one of the most popular design tools available. It is a good alternative to Adobe Creative Cloud, appealing to designers of any skill level. You can create social media posts, videos, presentations, brochures, drawings, and more, thanks to a wide range of pre-designed templates, an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, and royalty-free images. What you might not know about Canva is how many AI design tools they include with their product.

Key Features of Canva:

Create graphics for multiple platforms
Tons of pre-made templates
Several AI design tools onboard
Drag-and-drop visual editor

Canva Magic Design tool

One of Canva’s new AI design tools is the Magic Design feature, which enables you to use a text prompt to create templates for your design based on the images and text you add. Like all other AI models, what you get depends on what you put into it. What’s great about the Magic Design tool is that it gives you design inspiration faster than sifting through thousands of pre-made templates. While most results need tweaking, it’s a good way to get those creative juices flowing.

Canva Magic Edit AI design tool

Another cool feature of Canva is the Magic Edit tool, which lets you erase a part of an image, then replace it with a different one based on a text prompt. In our example, we used the Magic Edit brush to remove a flower and replace it with a bouquet of roses. It did a decent job of swapping out the flowers and completed the requested task in only a few seconds.

Magic edit results

There are other AI design tools, too. For instance, there’s Magic Erase, which functions much like the Magic Edit tool, except you can remove an item in a photo rather than replace it. There’s even an AI-powered copywriting assistant that aids in generating written content from a text prompt. Finally, there’s Translate, which enables you to swap the text in your designs with more than 100 other languages on the fly.

Canva is Best For:

For people with limited design skills, Canva is a great option. You can create, edit, download, and publish your designs on social media and other platforms. Combined with the new AI design tools in its arsenal, that makes Canva worth a look.

Pricing: Free, with pro plans starting at $119.99 per year, per person.

Try Canva

2. MidJourney

MidJourney AI design tool

Our next AI design tool, MidJourney, utilizes a somewhat frenzied approach to produce AI-generated images. Developed via Discord, MidJourney has gained a reputation for being the premier AI image generator. Nonetheless, the tool can be messy, somewhat frustrating, and flooded with countless other users generating images simultaneously. Despite this, MidJourney deserves a place on our list because of the realism it produces in its images.

Key Features of MidJourney:

Runs on the Discord server
Requires subscription for best results
Creates all types of images

Midjourney image creation

MidJourney has the AI chops to create almost any image you can think of – in a stunning way. That said, working with it does require a bit of patience. In our experience, MidJourney was so busy that they would only allow us to create images with a subscription. That makes perfect sense, considering how many people use it. However, once you get over the panic of being a newbie, MidJourney is quite simple to use. Simply type in /imagine to access the prompt, where you can provide as much detail as you desire to generate your image. The end results are often so realistic that it’s difficult to distinguish them from images created by humans. The best part? You can use the photos for commercial purposes only if you’re a subscriber.

MidJourney is Best For:

If you need assets for creative projects that require a lot of flair, MidJourney is an excellent option. All you need is patience and a vivid imagination to be blown away by what it can do.

Pricing: Free, with plans starting at $8 per month (billed annually).

Try MidJourney

3. Khroma

Khroma best ai design tool

Our next best AI design tool is Khroma, a good solution for designers who often struggle to find the perfect color scheme for their projects. With Khroma, the guesswork of color theory is taken off your plate. The process begins by asking you to select fifty colors you’re attracted to, which Khroma uses to generate color combinations, complete color palettes, and even images containing those colors. By marking your favorites, Khroma gains further insights into your preferences and offers more options. The more you favorite, the more options you’ll have.

Key Features of Khroma:

Generate endless color palettes
Copy hex codes for easy color implementation
AI-generated images with your colors
Upload your own images and apply colors to them

Khroma image generator

Khroma has several noteworthy features that make it an excellent AI design tool for designers looking to streamline their color selection process. One of the standout features is the SVG generator, which allows you to see how your selected colors can enhance images. You can copy the SVG code to implement in your web projects when you find one you like. Additionally, by clicking on the i icon in the top-right corner of a color palette, you’re provided with the hex codes for each color, which can be copied and used in your designs. This feature lets you quickly implement your chosen color scheme in your projects.

Khroma is Best For:

People needing little assistance picking colors for their next design project will love Khroma. The AI tool generates color combinations and palettes based on your preference, making it simple for even the most color-challenged people to create beautiful designs.

Pricing: Free

Try Khroma

4. DreamStudio

DreamStudio AI design tool

Our next AI design tool, DreamStudio, is built upon Stable Diffusion, which is an energy-based text-to-image model that learns how to create images while minimizing the amount of energy required. The result is AI-generated images that range from photo-realism to art deco to anything in between. What sets DreamStudio apart from other text-to-image generators is the ability to edit pictures and upscale them using various photo-enhancing methods, including preserving fine details and sharpness and minimizing visual artifacts and distortion.

Key Features of DreamStudio:

Utilizes stable diffusion
Generate, edit, and download photos
Generates high-quality images in less than 2 seconds

DreamStudio generated images

DreamStudio has several style presets that allow you to generate different images, such as enhanced, photographic, comic book, etc. Like other text-to-image models, you start with a good prompt. You can add a negative prompt, which lets DreamStudio know what to avoid. You can also upload your own images and then enhance them with your prompts, which is a great feature. There are various image size formats, and you can choose how many versions to generate. For more detailed photos, you can adjust the generation steps required and choose from three different models, each with varying levels of realism.

DreamStudio is Best For:

DreamStudio is a great tool for artistic inspiration. While most images are relatively outlandish, you can achieve some incredible results that can inspire you beyond what your imagination can provide.

Pricing: Free, with 1000 credits for $10.

Try DreamStudio

5. Adobe Firefly

Adobe Firefly

Creative professionals are undoubtedly familiar with Adobe and its suite of innovative products. However, you may not have heard about their latest, Adobe Firefly. This cutting-edge software comprises a collection of AI design tools capable of generating stunning text effects, transforming text into images, and recoloring vectors to create a wide range of color variations. Although Firefly is still in beta, it’s already available to subscribers of Adobe’s cloud programs like Illustrator or Photoshop. Being accepted into the beta generally takes a few days, which is okay considering its current popularity.

Key Features of Adobe Firefly:

Text to image
Text effects
Recolor SVGs

Firefly text effects

The text effect generator offered by Adobe Firefly is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable features. With this tool, you can create a broad range of text effects by simply entering a text prompt into the generator. However, to achieve the best results, it’s essential to consider your prompt carefully before inputting it. For instance, the generator produced a multi-colored, cartoonish effect when we tried to create a text effect with cats. However, it did a much better job when we provided a more specific prompt. Similarly, the text-to-image feature operates under the same principles, where the output quality largely depends on the input prompt.

Firefly text to speech output

Adobe’s text-to-speech generator offers users a variety of options to customize their output. You can tweak every aspect of your generated output to meet your creative vision, from content type to style, color, tone, lighting, and composition. With the right input prompt, Firefly can be a fantastic addition to your creative project. Furthermore, the generated images can be easily downloaded and used in your design projects. However, it’s essential to note that Adobe sternly reminds users not to use these images for commercial purposes and watermarks them accordingly.

Adobe Firefly is Best For:

For avid Adobe users, keeping an eye on Firefly would be a good choice. Despite being in beta, Adobe is making daily improvements to the software before releasing it to the masses. Although you can’t currently use output images in commercial projects, we anticipate this will change once it’s officially released.

Pricing: Starting at $20.99 per month

Try Adobe Firefly

6. AutoDraw

AutoDraw best AI design tools

Google’s AutoDraw has been around since 2017. Still, it is getting more attention now that AI design tools are literally…everywhere. AutoDraw enables anyone to be an illustrator thanks to machine learning and the generous artists that provide their artwork free of charge. It works by users doing their best to draw anything, from a cat to a house to whatever, then does its best to guess what you are trying to draw. It then matches your doodle to a series of closely related drawings you can choose from. AutoDraw works on any platform and will even let you download your creations as PNGs for your creative projects.

Key Features of AutoDraw:

Extensive drawing tools
Turns your doodle into a work of art
Download art as a png

AutoDraw generates icons

Even if your drawing abilities are limited (like ours, yikes), you can start with a basic design and let the AI design tool do the rest. For instance, when we attempted to draw a mobile phone, AutoDraw could easily decipher our intent, despite our amateurish attempt. AutoDraw is versatile and can be used for various purposes. Still, it really shines as an AI design tool for web projects. AutoDraw’s output can be used to create icons, which easily add visual appeal to otherwise unremarkable content, saving you time and effort.

AutoDraw is Best For:

Web developers and designers who aren’t the best with illustrations can get a lot of use out of AutoDraw. It’s an excellent AI design tool to create icons and other image assets to use as accents in your web design projects. However, there is a downside. Output is limited to a png file, and there are some questions on whether you can use them in commercial projects. In this case, it’s best to air on the side of caution and only use generated files on informational websites or personal blogs.

Pricing: Free

Try AutoDraw

7. Let’s Enhance

Let's Enhance AI design tool

Up next on our list of best AI design tools is Let’s Enhance. This is a great tool for people who struggle to get good image assets from clients. It uses artificial intelligence to enhance your images in a few clicks. You can remove noise, sharpen blurry images, and upscale smaller images to use in print, real estate, and ecommerce settings.

Key Features of Let’s Enhance:

Upscale photos up to 16x
Remove imperfections
One-click presets
Text to image generator

Lets enhance in action

The best feature of Let’s Enhance is its bread and butter – the image enhancement tool. You can generate images up to 16 times their original size by adjusting light, tone enhancement, and color settings. Alternatively, choose a pre-defined preset to scale and perfect your image based on how you plan to use it. There are presets for printing, which will enlarge your photo up to the size of a poster. The ecommerce preset also provides upscaling, Light AI, and background removal to showcase products on your website. Finally, there’s the real estate preset, which adjusts photos of houses and other properties.

The image generation tool uses AI to generate images from a text prompt along with photo enhancement. However, this feature is still in beta, and from the looks of the photos generated with it, they need a bit more time to perfect it. That said, the image enhancement feature is worth it because it was easy for us to take a 400×400 image and enlarge it to 4 times its size with incredible results.

Let’s Enhance is Best For

Let’s Enhance is an excellent option if you are a designer or developer who needs help editing poor client-provided photos. The software is free for up to 10 image enhancements a month but offers pro plans at a very reasonable rate.

Pricing: Free, with plans starting at $9 per month.

Try Let’s Enhance

8. Looka Logo Maker

Looka Logo Maker is an innovative tool that utilizes the power of artificial intelligence to help you easily create a logo for your brand. The software provides a user-friendly configuration wizard, which presents you with a selection of pre-made logos, giving the software a better understanding of your design preferences. Afterward, the wizard prompts you to select your preferred colors, add a catchy slogan, and pick from various symbol types that best represent your business. Once you complete the wizard, Looka Logo Maker generates multiple logo options based on your prompts, enabling you to choose one that resonates with you and make edits to suit your taste.

Key Features of Looka Logo Maker:

Choose from dozens of logo concepts
Specify custom colors and fonts
Pick from hundreds of icons

Once you have selected the logo concept that resonates with you the most, Looka Logo Maker takes you to a user-friendly logo editor where you can unleash your creativity by tweaking the layout, color palette, fonts, symbol, and other aspects to fine-tune the final design. If you prefer, you can also rearrange all the elements, add a background, or include a container to give your logo a more polished look. One of the best things about Looka Logo Maker is its affordability, as you only pay $20 for a high-resolution JPG of your logo. However, if you want complete control over your logo, you can upgrade to the premium logo package for $65, which provides multiple high-resolution file types, such as EPS and PDF.

Looka Logo Maker is Best For:

If you love being creative or running a small business but find it challenging to create a logo on your own, then Looka is definitely worth checking out. With Looka, you’ll get access to dozens of logos generated on the fly, making it highly likely that you’ll find a logo you absolutely love.

Pricing: starting at $20 (one-time fee).

Try Looka Logo Maker

9. Uizard

Uizard AI design tool

Last but not least, we have Uizard, an AI design tool you can use to create web apps, mobile apps, websites, and desktop software with a simple drag-and-drop editor. Uizard has hundreds of templates to choose from. It will even let you upload a hand-drawn sketch, then convert it to a functional wireframe (insert mind-blown emoji).

Key Features of Uizard:

Hundreds of templates to choose from
Create webpages, web apps, and more
Create a functional wireframe from a sketch or screenshot
Countless design elements
Easy drag-and-drop interface

Uizard magic AI tools

Uizard’s intuitive interface is one of its standout features, making it a breeze to navigate. Figma or Adobe XD users will find it laid out similarly, yet easier to use. You can choose from hundreds of design elements or create your designs from scratch. Either way, Uizard has you covered.

But the most impressive feature is its UI design tools, which include a wireframe and screenshot scanner that can quickly turn your sketches or screenshots into editable mockups. With the theme generator tool, you can create design themes, complete with colors and fonts, based on an uploaded image or URL. There’s also a text-to-image generator, text assistant, and focus predictor, which provides insight into where you should focus the most attention on your design.

Uizard is Best For:

With wizard, you can create a stunning website or application, even with little to no design skills. There are many templates, useful AI design tools, and a reasonable price point that rivals other popular design software.

Pricing: Free, with plans starting at $19 per month.

Try Uizard

What is the Best AI Design Tool?

Out of all of the AI design tools we’ve discussed in this post, we feel that Canva, MidJourney, and Khroma have the most to offer.

	Plugin	Price	Free Option
ðŸ¥‡	Canva	$119.99/year	âœ”ï¸	Visit
ðŸ¥ˆ	MidJourney	$8/month (billed annually)	âœ”ï¸	Visit
ðŸ¥‰	Khroma	Free	âœ”ï¸	Visit
4	DreamStudio	$10/1000 credits	âœ”ï¸	Visit
5	Adobe Firefly	$20.99/month	âŒ	Visit
6	AutoDraw	Free	âœ”ï¸	Visit
7	Letâ€™s Enhance	$9/month	âœ”ï¸	Visit
8	Looka Logo Maker	$20/one-time fee	âŒ	Visit
9	Uizard	$19/month	âœ”ï¸	Visit

Let’s give credit where credit is due, folks. If we have to pick one winner, Canva deserves the top spot. It’s a great alternative to Adobe Creative Cloud (don’t hate on us, Adobe fans). It has serious design chops to help you whip up some seriously cool graphics and presentations, all with a little boost from their friendly neighborhood AI. With features like the magic eraser tool, text-to-image generator, magic design, and magic edit, you’ll have all the help you need to create awesome projects, even if you struggle in the design department.

Need more AI tools? Check out our posts for the 16 Best AI Chatbots in 2023 and the 13 Best AI Writing Software in 2023.

The post 9 Best AI Design Tools in 2023 (Reviewed & Compared) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

12.05.2023

7 Best CRM Software Options for Your Business in 2023 (Compared)

Online marketing can be a pretty cutthroat world, so developing a good marketing strategy is crucial. There are just so many data points, metrics, analytics, and hard numbers that you have to deal with that it’s hard to keep them all straight and remember that data isn’t just data. With so many choices available, it can be hard to determine what tools to use. In this post, we’ll outline the best CRM software to keep you ahead of the curve.

Let’s get to it.

What is CRM Software, and Why Do You Need It?

Okay, so in its most basic, most fundamental, most simplistic form, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is an address book with detailed fields about each entry. In practice, however, it’s a whole lot more than that. The best CRM software has contact storage, lead tracking, email templating, lead generation, message coordination, team integrations, Omnichannel Marketing, and ways to keep them all separate but connected.

CRM software gives you a cheat sheet for everyone your business has ever run into. Let’s say you get an email from Jimmy Whizbang asking about your cheapest web design packages. You go into your nifty CRM dashboard, type in his name, and you get a complete rundown of everything you know about him, from the time he called your team about how his WordPress installation wasn’t working right, what social media platforms he uses, down to the notes on the account that say “give him what he wants just to get him off the phone.”

And then there are the automation tools that come with the best CRM software suites, where you can track folks who halfway complete purchases and send out reminder emails their shopping cart is still full and waiting on them. You can also use conditional logic workflows for internal task delegation, and your team can track entire histories of their interactions with clients or potential customers of certain products. You can also generally funnel leads using variable split testing.

The 7 Best CRM Software Tools

If you’re running a business online today, you need a CRM to help organize your stuff. But there are many options out there for different business models, so we’ve sorted through a bunch of them to help you figure out which is the best CRM software for you. You’re welcome.

1.HubSpot

HubSpot is just about as ubiquitous in the CRM world as Salesforce. There’s a reason for that, too. It’s good stuff. Not to mention that it’s free. Well, the base CRM is free. You have to pay for additional tools and features, but you do get a pretty good set of features to start with.

More than anything, the free integration extensions are a great way to see if something like HubSpot is the best CRM software for you and your business. You can connect everything from Eventbrite to Zapier to WordPress to even Salesforce itself to your account. While the free tier doesn’t give you access to any of the automation tools that make HubSpot shine, but you do get all the cross-indexed lead generation and user tracking that can set your business up for success.

HubSpot Divi Integration

If you’re a Divi user, you’re in luck â€“ HubSpot’s powerful feature set is now available right inside the Divi Builder. With just a few clicks, you can integrate your HubSpot account using either the email opt-in module or the user-friendly Bloom plugin, and start building your email list with a range of customizable popups, fly-ins, and other triggerable elements.

But that’s not all â€“ the HubSpot CRM WordPress plugin integrates seamlessly with Divi to give you full control over your HubSpot account, so you can manage every aspect of your customer interactions with ease. It’s a match made in heaven for Divi users looking to take their email marketing and customer management to the next level.

Pricing: Starting at $18 per month for individual and small teams.

Get HubSpot

2. Zoho

Not only does Zoho have a logo that makes you happier when you see it, the CRM has pretty much that effect on you when you use it. Zoho stands out for many reasons, but primarily for theÂ Zia AI that powers its data processing. It is unique among CRMs. Zia will point out data anomalies to you that you might miss on your own or take some time to see, such as sales spikes or slumps that are not within your company’s typical flow (if you get a Black Friday-style bump on a Sunday afternoon, for instance).

There are also automations within Zoho CRM that keep the sales pipeline clear, email and phone tracking through telephony, and honestly what I think is a huge feature, social media tracking for campaign analytics (plus in-CRM interaction with leads). These automations are pre-set up through the Zia feature. You can always set your own.

Pricing: Starting at $14 per month.

Get Zoho

3. Keap

Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is designed specifically around email marketing for small businesses. That means it handles segmentation, contact organization, lead generation, and managing/reporting on our data. One of the more notable features that make Keap one of the best CRM software choices is what they call lead scoring. The feature takes a look at all the leads you get, and it rates them for you based on behavior, demographics, and interactions (with your team and your site) to give you a score on the likelihood of you being able to close a deal with them. It’s a nice way to help you and your team prioritize where to focus your efforts.

Pricing: Starting at $189 per user per month.

Get Keap

4. Freshsales CRM

Freshsales CRM is a cloud-based CRM that specializes in contact management. It offers a range of features to streamline and automate sales processes, including lead and deal management, contact management, email tracking, pipeline management, and reporting.

Freshsales CRM also integrates with other business tools, such as email, phone, and social media, to provide a comprehensive view of customer interactions. It uses Predictive Contact Scoring – a method to identify your company’s hottest leads based on how much a person engages with your business. As an added bonus, Freshsales offers a risk-free 21-day free trial, so you can decide if it’s right for you. Plus, their pricing isn’t bad, either.

Pricing: Starting at $15 per user per month.

Get Freshsales CRM

5. Less Annoying CRM

Less Annoying CRM offers a refreshing alternative to the complicated and cluttered customer management platforms out there. With its simple and intuitive interface, the platform helps small businesses easily manage their customer interactions, from tracking leads and managing tasks to scheduling events and tracking emails. And for those on the go, Less Annoying CRM offers a convenient mobile app for iOS and Android, making it easy to keep track of customers no matter where you are.

Less Annoying CRM offers a standout feature that sets it apart from other CRM platforms: the ability to create unlimited custom fields. This means that you’re not limited to standard fields for customer management, and can tailor the CRM specifically to your business model. Additionally, the platform fosters transparency among team members, allowing everyone to see what others are working on and making collaborating easier. And to make task and event scheduling a breeze, Less Annoying CRM comes equipped with a handy appointment scheduler that lets you assign tasks, set up events, and even sync them with your Google or Outlook calendar.

Pricing: Starting at $15 per user per month.

Get Less Annoying CRM

6. SuiteCRM

Next on our list is SuiteCRM, the open-source option I’m sure some of you crave. (Here’s the GitHub page for you, too.) First off, the product is completely free. It’s open-source, after all. SalesAgility, the company that maintains the project, does offer premium support and onboarding for it. There is a store for add-ons if you need just a little extra functionality.

You should know, however, that SuiteCRM is not cloud-based. You will need to download it and install it locally before sending your data around and connecting all your services. That’s a big difference from other CRMs, and it could be a deal-breaker for some people. Also, because it’s free, open-source software, you can set up an unlimited number of folks on your team. That’s awesome.

Because it’s also open-source, the CRM is ridiculously extensible. It does pretty much everything that the biggest CRMs do – track leads, provide customer support, and automate your data tracking and workflow delegation. And if it’s not built into the primary software, there’s a module or add-on for it (or you can write your own). If you’re not sure if this is the best CRM software to integrate with your company or workflow, you can’t go wrong with trying it since it’s free.

Pricing: FREE! (paid add-ons available)

Get SuiteCRM

7. Salesforce

Salesforce CRM software

Salesforce is the grandpappy of all CRM software. Launched in 1999, it’s hard to go wrong with a product that has nearly twenty years of history, updates, and satisfied customers. Now, over two decades later, Salesforce has so many options that it’s impossible to list every one of them here. Their services are split across different individualized products, rather than trying to be the best CRM software for everyone all the time.

If you’re in sales, you get B2B marketing integration, price configuration tools, and personalized customer quoting software.Â Marketers get customer journey tracking, messaging across multiple platforms (social, mobile, email), and data analytics and sharing platforms. And the service also has a knowledge base, live chat, video calling, and remote issue monitoring.

Pricing: Starting at $25 per month for standalone products.

Get Salesforce

Which is the Best CRM Software for You?

There are many CRM options available, and this list only covers a few. However, we’ve done the research and selected the top 7 CRM software tools.

	CRM Software	Price	Free Option
ðŸ¥‡	HubSpot	Starting at $18 per month	âœ”ï¸	Visit
ðŸ¥ˆ	Zoho	Starting at $14 per month	âŒ	Visit
ðŸ¥‰	Keap	Starting at $189 per user per month	âŒ	Visit
4	Freshsales CRM	Starting at $15 per user per month	âŒ	Visit
5	Less Annoying CRM	Starting at $15 per user per month	âŒ	Visit
6	SuiteCRM	Free (with paid add-ons)	âœ”ï¸	Visit
7	Salesforce	Starting at $25 per month for standalone products	âŒ	Visit

Our top pick is HubSpot, which is a comprehensive and easily integrated solution, despite its high price tag. It offers the most features and even has a free option for managing smaller contact lists. Plus, if you’re a Divi user, you’ll be able to easily integrate your WordPress website with HubSpot to build your email list.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Before we wrap up, let’s answer some of your most common questions regarding CRM software. Did we miss one? Leave a question below and we will respond!

Article featured image by TaErma / Shutterstock.com

The post 7 Best CRM Software Options for Your Business in 2023 (Compared) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

10.05.2023

9 Best WordPress Site Management Tools To Manage Multiple Websites in 2023

WordPress site owners know the importance of keeping their websites up to date. Plugins, themes, and the WordPress core require the latest versions to ensure a safe browsing experience for site visitors. In addition, when you keep your sites up to date, security risks drop dramatically. Although updating plugins and themes isn’t difficult, it can be overwhelming when you have to keep up with dozens or even hundreds of websites. In this post, we’ll give you our top nine picks for the best WordPress site management tools to help you quickly lessen the burden of keeping multiple websites up to date.

Let’s get started.

What are WordPress Site Management Tools?

Before we get to the best of the best, let’s delve into what WordPress site management tools are. These tools simplify managing, monitoring, and maintaining multiple WordPress websites. With features such as updating WordPress core, themes, and plugins, performing backups, managing security, and monitoring site performance, WordPress site management tools are a massive time saver. By automating mundane tasks and providing a central location to view and manage your websites, you can reduce the risk of common site errors and make site management a breeze.

9 Best WordPress Site Management Tools

We considered a few factors when we set out to find the best WordPress site management tools. We thoroughly tested numerous platforms to determine which had the most features, the most reasonable pricing, and the most accessible interfaces to work with. With that in mind, let’s review our top nine best WordPress site management tools.

1. MainWP: The Best Overall WordPress Site Management Tool

Our top pick for the best WordPress site management tool is MainWP, and with good reason. It offers an extensive range of free features, such as an uptime monitor, scheduled backups, Jetpack, Sucuri security scanning, and a site vulnerability checker. MainWP allows you to easily update plugins and themes, manage users, and easily import and export websites.

Key Features of MainWP:

One-click access to each website (no password required)
Security scans
Import/Export sites
Health check
Bulk updates

MainWP dashboard

One of MainWP’s standout features is its user-friendly interface. With an intuitive dashboard, managing multiple plugin or theme updates can be done with just one click. Organizing sites using tags, keeping notes for better organization, and effortlessly managing clients and users are also made possible with MainWP. Additionally, publishing, editing, unpublishing, or deleting posts and pages is a breeze, making post and page management fast and effective.

MainWP’s setup involves creating a new WordPress install and installing the MainWP Dashboard plugin. Afterward, the MainWP Child plugin is installed on each site you want to manage. MainWP ensures security by utilizing OpenSSL encryption, which means that once a child site is connected, it will only accept requests from that dashboard, making it a secure way to manage all your sites. Although the initial setup takes time and effort, the time-saving benefits make it well worth it in the long run.

MainWP is Best For:

For those seeking a top-of-the-line WordPress site management tool, MainWP is an excellent choice, offering many features and options. The best part? Most of these tools are free, with a premium package featuring 32 extensions for just $29 monthly. Whether you’re managing just a few sites or hundreds, MainWP’s intuitive dashboard and outstanding features make it the top tool on our list, perfect for any WordPress user.

Pricing: $29 per month.

Get MainWP

2. ManageWP

ManageWP WordPress iste management tool

Next up on our list of best WordPress site management tools is ManageWP, and for a good reason. It offers the most free features on our list, making it a top choice for budget-conscious users. With ManageWP’s free version, you’ll get access to many helpful tools, including the ability to add unlimited websites, manage updates for plugins and themes, enjoy a monthly cloud backup, and easily access your admin dashboard with just one click. You’ll also be able to clean up post revisions and spam comments, helping keep your site running smoothly.

Key Features of ManageWP:

Manage unlimited websites for free
One-click admin access
Team & client collaboration
Backup, clone, and migrate sites with one click (pro)
Maintenance mode

ManageWP dashboard

With ManageWP, you can streamline your workflow by adding tags, assigning sites to clients, and using filters to search through them. But that’s not all ManageWP has to offer. It also includes features like maintenance mode, which allows you to update your site without losing visitors. You can also access client reporting and analytics to gauge your site’s performance and run performance checks to ensure your sites are always healthy.

To take things to the next level, you can purchase premium add-ons to access even more features. These include the ability to back up, restore, or clone your websites, perform safe updates, gain valuable SEO insights, monitor uptime and links, and more.

ManageWP is Best For:

If you’re looking for a free site management tool to manage your websites, ManageWP is an excellent choice. However, there are some caveats. While the basic features are free, you’ll likely need to purchase their all-in-one package if you want all the bells and whistles. Unfortunately, that comes with a hefty price tag of $150 per month. That said, that cost is completely justified considering you can monitor as many websites as you like.

Pricing: Free, with monthly add-ons starting at $25.

Get ManageWP

3. GoDaddy Pro

Our following site management tool is GoDaddy Pro, an efficient and free option for anyone seeking to manage multiple websites with ease. GoDaddy Pro’s interface is similar to ManageWP, which offers effortless plugin management, WordPress core updates, post revisions, spam comment control, uptime monitoring, and much more. With GoDaddy Pro, you can add as many websites as you want, regardless of where they are hosted.

Key Features of GoDaddy Pro:

Bulk WordPress and plugin updates
Link monitor
Automatic backups
Performance check
Analytics reporting
Assign site tags for grouping sites

GoDaddy Pro dashboard

The dashboard is easy to navigate, allowing you to manage every site individually or collectively. You can assign sites to different groups, making it easy to manage sites by client or tags. Furthermore, you can perform various tasks such as checking broken links, monitoring individual site performance, approving comments, and making safe updates by creating a backup of your site’s software before updates occur. Additionally, GoDaddy Pro provides client management features but is limited to adding clients with GoDaddy products.

GoDaddy Pro is Best For:

While GoDaddy Pro is an excellent choice for those on a budget due to its free pricing, it may not be the best option for those seeking comprehensive client management tools, especially if their clients are not exclusively on GoDaddy.

Pricing: Free

Get GoDaddy Pro

4. WPMU DEV

WPMU DEV

Our next entry, WPMU DEV, offers site management for an unlimited number of WordPress websites. Unlike other platforms on our list, WPMU DEV uses dedicated plugins for all site performance enhancements. These plugins are installed on every site within the dashboard and are designed to help with security, performance, SEO, backups, image optimization, and uptime monitoring.

Key Features of WPMU DEV:

Automated updates
Optimize site performance
Broken link checker
Uptime monitor
Client billing
Add team members

WPMU DEV Hub plugins

WPMU DEV has several tabs to manage different aspects of your websites. By accessing the plugin tab, you can effortlessly view required updates for individual websites and proceed to update them one by one or collectively. But that’s not all; WPMU DEV goes a step further by providing the option to add team members to aid in site management. This feature is beneficial for those monitoring a significant number of websites. You can reduce your workload and receive much-needed assistance by delegating tasks to team members. Plus, you can enable client billing through an integrated payment system where you can create and send invoices and set up automatic payments, all through a customized white-label payment portal.

WPMU DEV is Best For:

If you want to manage your websites using plugins that enable you to control updates, image optimization, and more, then WPMU DEV can be a good option. However, if you prefer not to overload your website with more plugins, you might want to consider exploring ManageWP or MainWP as viable solutions.

Pricing: $7.50 per month.

Get WPMU DEV

5. WP Remote

WP Remote is another excellent site management tool that allows you to control multiple websites with a single click. Built on BlogVault, WP Remote offers features such as plugin, theme, and WordPress core updates, performance enhancements, uptime monitoring, team and client collaboration, and scheduled updates for free.

Key Features of WP Remote:

Activity log (pro)
One-click backups and restores (pro)
Daily automatic security scans (pro)
One-click staging sites (pro)
Safe updates for WordPress core, themes, and plugins

WP Remote dashboard

Upgrading to a paid plan unlocks additional features that will take your website management to the next level. You can easily back up and restore your website and create staging environments with a single click. WP Remote also provides one of the most comprehensive security scans with any site management tool. WP Remote’s powerful firewall immediately blocks any brute force attacks or bad actors while notifying you of vulnerable plugins or themes. And with excellent malware detection, any malware concerns will become a thing of the past, as you can stop threats in their tracks with just one click.

WP Remote is Best For:

If you’re seeking an effective solution to tackle security threats across multiple websites, look no further than WP Remote. This powerful tool offers a comprehensive suite of security features, including malware detection and removal and brute force attack prevention, ensuring your websites are safe and secure. The cost is reasonable, with premium plans starting at just $29 monthly for a 5-site license.

Pricing: $29 per month.

Get WP Remote

6. CMS Commander

CMS Commander stands out as a site management tool with its user-friendly interface. Users can effortlessly manage updates, add and control WordPress user accounts, and even perform automatic backups and restorations with just one click, all within a simplified dashboard. But that’s not all; CMS Commander has gone above and beyond by providing additional features that surpass most other site management tools on our list. These features include bulk installation of plugins, the ability to copy site settings and apply them to other sites, bulk post-editing, content import, and much more.

Key Features of CMS Commander:

One-click updates
Bulk posting
Bulk plugin installation
Copy settings from one site to another
Manager user accounts
Automatic backup & restore
Easily deploy new WordPress sites

CMS Commander dashboard

Although CMS Commander’s user interface may not be the most visually appealing, its functionality is unmatched. It is designed to provide a seamless experience, allowing you to manage every aspect of your websites effortlessly. The intuitive layout, complete with well-designed tabs and icons, makes identifying and navigating the features you need easy. You can quickly determine which of your sites require updates, view critical analytics, clean up comments, access post drafts and revisions, and utilize other essential tools, such as security features, all in one place.

CMS Commander is Best For:

CMS Commander is a great choice if you’re looking for advanced features beyond traditional site management tools. With an intuitive dashboard and all tools accessible on a single screen, you’ll have easy access to everything you need. Their starter plan is affordable, offering ten websites for just $12 monthly. However, if you have hundreds of sites, CMS Commander offers higher-tiered plans to accommodate your needs.

Pricing: $12 per month.

Get CMS Commander

7. InfiniteWP

Our next recommended WordPress site management tool is InfiniteWP, which stands out from the other entries on our list by not offering a free tier. Despite this, it’s still worth considering due to the range of impressive features it provides. In addition to the standard site management tools like updates, malware scanning, and one-click admin access, InfiniteWP offers much more. You can install, manage, and migrate WordPress, monitor your site’s uptime, and back up and restore sites with just one click. Moreover, it offers extensive client reporting tools that you can use to keep your clients informed about their site’s performance.

Key Features of InfiniteWP:

One-click site access
Backup & restore
Install, migrate, and stage WordPress
Uptime monitor
Malware scanning

InfititeWP dashboard

To manage multiple websites with InfiniteWP, you must first create a blank WordPress install for the admin panel to be housed. It works as the hub to monitor all of your websites. Additionally, you must install the IWP Client plugin on each site you’d like to monitor. While this does take a bit of time to accomplish (especially if you have a ton of sites), once set up, you’ll save a lot of time moving forward. In our experience, using the Chrome browser to install the software is best, as Safari was quite buggy.

InfiniteWP is Best For:

With InfititeWP, you can sign up for free, but you’ll have to sign up for a premium account to take advantage of its services. You can monitor up to 10 sites on the starter plan for $147 annually, making it a better fit for those with only a few sites to manage. Also, due to its glitchiness on Safari, if you’re a Mac user who prefers using its native browser, you might want to consider another option, such as MainWP.

Pricing: $147 per year

Get InfiniteWP

8. WP Umbrella

WP Umbrella

WP Umbrella, our next entry on the list, offers a different approach to how you pay for its services. Its modular pricing approach allows you to pay per site instead of a fixed price for a certain number of sites. It offers a user-friendly interface that provides uptime and performance analytics, displays PHP errors, facilitates updating WordPress core, themes, and plugins, allows for scheduled backups, and even lets you create maintenance report templates for sharing site health information with clients.

Key Features of WP Umbrella:

White label feature
Uptime and performance monitoring
Schedule maintenance reports
Bulk WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates
Automated backups

WP Umbrella analytics

The uptime and performance tab allows you to view various analytics about your site’s Google PageSpeed test results, along with metrics for response time, uptime, and core web vitals, such as first contentful paint (FCP), speed index, total blocking time, and more. WP Umbrella offers a 14-day free trial without needing a credit card when signing up. This allows for plenty of time to test out the platform. One downside to WP Umbrella is the lack of comment, spam, and post-revision optimization offered by rival platforms. However, the ability to create custom site health report templates is a nice feature to offset this, which is great for keeping your clients informed about their site’s status.

WP Umbrella is Best For:

Those with a handful of websites will appreciate WP Umbrella’s pricing structure, which charges per site rather than an inflated price like other tools on the list. Plus, if you like the idea of creating custom client reports to reflect your branding, WP Umbrella is a must.

Pricing: $1.99 per site per month.

Get WP Umbrella

9. iThemes Sync

Closing out our list of best WordPress site management tools is iThemes Sync. This comprehensive tool offers a variety of features for managing multiple websites, including one-click updates for WordPress core, plugins, and themes, uptime and performance monitoring, and the ability to create backups remotely through its BackupBuddy integration. With iThemes Sync, you can also benefit from robust security options thanks to its integration with the iThemes security plugin. Additionally, the tool comes equipped with an SEO checker that seamlessly integrates with Yoast SEO, giving you real-time feedback on your SEO scores and readability.

Key Features of iThemes Sync:

One-click WordPress updates
Custom client dashboards
Remote WordPress backups
Theme and plugin manager
Yoast SEO integration
Uptime monitoring

iThemes sync dashboard

The iThemes Sync dashboard is a breeze to navigate. It offers several tabs that help you manage your sites effortlessly, such as updating plugins and themes, viewing site performance, and creating reports that can be automatically generated and sent to your clients. Furthermore, iThemes Sync includes a Stash tab that allows you to store all your site backups in one convenient location.

However, what truly sets iThemes Sync apart is its ability to create custom, user-friendly WordPress dashboards for your clients. With this feature, you can handpick which menu items and widgets your clients can see while hiding unnecessary and distracting admin notices. The Client Dashboard feature lets you control how your clients interact with their WordPress sites, providing a streamlined and less confusing interface.

iThemes Sync is Best For:

For those interested in creating custom WordPress dashboards or starting a WordPress maintenance business, iThemes Sync is worth trying out. With a free 30-day trial, you’ll have ample time to test its features. Although it may not be the most budget-friendly option, it offers exceptional tools for managing clients that can help to justify the cost.

Pricing: $69 per year for 5 sites.

Get iThemes Sync

What Are the Best WordPress Site Management Tools?

Among the site management tools highlighted in this post, MainWP and ManageWP truly stand out due to their exceptional free features, which include seamless WordPress core, plugin, and theme updates, instant WordPress access with just a single click, and the flexibility to add unlimited WordPress sites. MainWP is an ideal choice for those seeking a self-hosted solution. In contrast, ManageWP runs on cloud-based servers, eliminating the need for a separate WordPress installation for the dashboard.

	Plugin	Price	Free Option
ðŸ¥‡	MainWP	$29/month	âœ”ï¸	Start
ðŸ¥ˆ	ManageWP	$25/month	âœ”ï¸	Start
ðŸ¥‰	GoDaddy Pro	Free	âœ”ï¸	Start
4	WPMU DEV	$7.50/month	âœ”ï¸	Start
5	WP Remote	$29/month	âœ”ï¸	Start
6	CMS Commander	$12/month	âŒ	Start
7	InfiniteWP	$147/year	âŒ	Start
8	WP Umbrella	$1.99/month	âŒ	Start
9	iThemes Sync	$6.99/month	âŒ	Start

Ultimately, the ideal WordPress site management tool for you will depend on your preferences. However, since both MainWP and ManageWP offer free basic features, we strongly recommend trying both to determine which suits your needs the best.

Need more tools for WordPress? Check out all our articles featuring the best tools to use in WordPress.

The post 9 Best WordPress Site Management Tools To Manage Multiple Websites in 2023 appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

06.05.2023

10 Best AI Art Generators in 2023 (Reviewed and Ranked)

There are many places where you can find AI at work today. From your GPS to the recommendations of ads you receive, artificial intelligence is everywhere, including art. Whereas in the past, it would take years of training to create beautiful pieces, with the advent of AI art generators, you can create any type of digital art or image at the click of a button. The best AI art generators provide you with the ability to generate digital pieces from a few sentences, and some can do a lot more than that.

In our list, we want to showcase some of the best AI art generators you can use for work or fun today. But first, let’s look at what an AI art generator is.

What are AI Art Generators (And What Can They Do for You)?

AI art generators take simple lines of text or prompts and create digital images. They can create various types of art mediums, such as music, collages, digital art, and more. They use machine learning techniques to analyze existing art styles and compositions to generate new creations digitally. You can now use AI art generators to create logos, flyers, 3D renderings, and more. They can help you cut down time on the creation process. They also can save organizations money in personnel costs.

The 10 Best AI Art Generators

Let’s look at some of the top AI art generators and how they could benefit you in your next project.

1. Jasper Art

Jasper Art is a product of Jasper AI, the AI copywriting tool favored by marketing teams and professionals. With Jasper Art, you no longer need to spend hours looking for the perfect images for your blog posts. You can use its simple interface, simple text phrases, and easy interface to create pixel-perfect digital art. Jasper Art creates unique images with various styles, inspired by artists, moods, and art styles that you decide.

After being fed your prompts, Jasper Art will generate four samples of digitally inspired art based on those prompts. You can then rate, share, download, and use your images in moments. Furthermore, the images created by Jasper Art are copyright-free, meaning you no longer need to invest in expensive royalty-free image libraries. Jasper Art makes a great companion tool for those who want to use AI for their written work and their visual needs.

Key Features of Jasper Art:

Works in 29 languages
Choose medium, artist, and mood for art pieces
High-resolution 2k px images
Royalty-free commercial use
No watermark added
Unlimited image generations

Jasper Art templates

In addition to generating digital imagery from your text, you can use Jasper Art templates to save time when generating imagery. The templates are set styles that come with Jasper Art. You can use these preset templates to match the art style you need for your project quickly. From illustrations to photo-realistic generations, Jasper Art’s templates are just another way that the platform supports you in using AI to make content quickly for your brand.

Best For:
For teams looking for a central location for their AI writing and art needs, Jasper Art is the platform for you. Switching between different tools within one account is beneficial for larger teams. If you want to speed up your content creation process for written and visual content supported by AI, join Jasper.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $49 per month

Get Jasper Art

2. PhotoSonic

PhotoSonic is another AI art generator tool that is a member of a larger ecosystem of AI products. In this case, it’s WriteSonic, another AI writing tool. Like most AI generation tools for art, PhotoSonic uses a highly sophisticated text-to-image AI model to turn plain language descriptions into artistic and realistic images. PhotoSonic’s AI model is based on a type of diffusion. This means that based on the text you feed it, PhotoSonic will adjust a random noise image to match the provided content.

With PhotoSonic, you can control the quality and style of your generated images to get the images you need for your task. By optimizing your description and restarting the tool, you can create the perfect images for your next blog post, product shoot, and more. The interface is easy to understand PhotoSonic comes with a free trial that you can use to regenerate five images with a watermark.

Key Features of PhotoSonic:

10+ design and image styles
Choose the aspect ratio size of your creations
Remove the background from the images
Auto face restoration
Option to download high-definition versions of images generated

PhotoSonic image generation output

PhotoSonic’s “Autocomplete Prompt with AI” is a helpful way to further expand on simple phrases and text given to the generator. In the example above, the term “Toronto skyline” was used. However, with the autocomplete prompt’s help, we generated an image based on the illustration style of James Gilleard. This opens doors for those who may not have a clear idea of the style or specifics of the images to be created. Additionally, with PhotoSonic, you can download your generated images into a neat ZIP folder, making it easier to access your high-resolution images in one place.

Best For:
PhotoSonic will be a good fit for users who would like access to an AI art generation tool but don’t want one that is complex. PhotoSonic makes it easy to create images with AI with low barriers to entry in terms of ease of use and product understanding.

Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $10 per month

Get PhotoSonic

3. Shutterstock

A popular royalty-free site, Shutterstock’s AI tool is a simple way to generate images for commercial and personal use. It comes with a set number of image styles. But once you click on them, they open up more options for you to use to refine what you’re looking to create. While Shutterstock’s AI tool is backed by its vast library, it does take much longer to generate images than other tools on our list. This could be a downside if you need to batch images for your project quickly.

The Shutterstock AI tool has been used to create photos, digital art, and 3D art. It also claims to be an ethically designed AI tool, which is good news for those looking for a tool that uses AI for good.

Key Features of Shutterstock:

Input text prompts in 20+ languages
Five main image generation styles
Save images to public or private Shutterstock collections
Generate unlimited variations
Images available in 512 x 512 and 1024 x 1024 pixels

Shutterstock AI style tags

Shutterstock’s AI art generator does not have as many templates or styles as some competitors on our list. Nevertheless, the tool provides a list of tags you can browse through when you select your chosen style. These tags add further clarity to your submitted text prompts, helping you to get closer to creating your desired AI art creations.

Best For:
Users with a Shutterstock subscription will benefit from using this tool alongside other Shutterstock tools. When used in conjunction with Shutterstock’s Creative Flow Suite and Predict – Shutterstock’s AI-powered design assistant – you can easily add AI-generated image content to your workflow, speeding up your creative process.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $49 per month

Get Shutterstock

4. NightCafe

NightCafe AI Art Generator

A community-focused art generator, NightCafe is a powerful AI art generator that allows you to create beautiful digital art pieces in seconds. Like most generators, NightCafe allows you to generate up to 4 images from one prompt. You can then refine your prompt and regenerate your art piece until you get the image you’ve imagined. NightCafe is a community-driven platform with a large searchable library of images created by users of the generator worldwide. The platform posts daily challenges, which are competitions that encourage you to use NightCafe to create art for a prize.

The platform is available in a mobile app so that you can take this AI art generator on the go. In addition to its AI art generator, NightCafe Studio comes with an AI face generator tool and an AI art therapy tool that gives you tips on how to use NightCafe to relieve stress and foster creative expression.

Key Features of NightCafe:

40+ preset styles to choose from
Choice of 5 text-to-image algorithms
Choice of stable diffusion model
Upload images from your hard drive as starting image
Choose pictures from Pexels as starting image
An advanced public and private search of creations on NightCafe

NightCafe's advanced prompt editor

NightCafe’s advanced prompt editor allows you to create your unique style for your AI-generated creations. You can base your styles on one of many from NightCafe’s library. Then, you add modifiers like art movements, artists, genre, and more. Finally, you can save these prompts as your custom style, which you can then use within NightCafe to create unique art pieces custom-made for your use.

Best For:
NightCafe is a powerful tool for AI art aficionados. If you are looking for a powerful AI art generation tool with deep customization, NightCafe will be a good tool. Also, out of the tools on our list, it is one of the more affordable tools, especially when you compare its feature set to other generators on the market.

Pricing: Free, Paid plans start from $5.99 per month

Get NightCafe

5. CF Spark Art

The CF Spark Family is a collection of online AI generation tools that features a pattern generator, content writer, and the AI art generator CF Spark Art. CF Spark is a text-to-image generator that takes simple and complex statements and generates them into digital art. It has several presets that can be used with your text to make creating digital art easier. The interface is friendly and easy to use, especially for those who want to venture into digital art creation but may be dissuaded by more complex platforms.

CF Spark Art creates four image variations of your art which you can publish to the CF community, download or remix with the CF ImageMix tool. The CF Spark Art tool is a little slower than its competitors of similar feature sets. However, with paid credits, you can speed up your art creation time and get access to your art faster.

Key Features of CF Spark Art:

Eight art presets
Generate art in 6 aspect rations
Advanced prompt builder and prompt library
A searchable, personal library of generated creations
Expert-level, visual prompt builder

CF Spark Prompt Builder

CF Spark Art has a powerful prompt builder that allows you to create your own style using a vast library of options. You can choose the lighting, art medium, color, and so much more for your generated artwork. Each option comes with a description and a thumbnail so that even if you’re unfamiliar with the terminology, you can see a visual representation of what each term represents. When you add your selections, it builds a prompt directly into the textbox, to which you can then copy and add your text and content ideas.

Best For:
If you want to experience the full breadth and potential of AI-generated art but don’t want to get lost in the technicality of it all, give CF Spark Art a try. The complete Creative Fabrica (CF) suite is an excellent place for those who want to use more AI-generated art in their work. The powerful art generator makes it easy to create AI art irrespective of your understanding of AI or technology.

Pricing: $9 per month

Get CF Spark Art

6. MidJourney

MidJourney AI Art Generator

MidJourney is a Discord bot that allows you to use simple prompts to generate digital art with AI. We’ve also used the tool alongside ChatGPT to build a simple landing page with Divi. MidJourney has a vibrant community of creatives on its Discord server, where users share ideas, help each other with feedback, and more. You need a free Discord account to access the free trial credits used by the MidJourney bot to generate artwork. You interact with the MidJourney bot through Discord commands.

Unlike some tools on this list, there isn’t a set list of presets to help you on your creation journey. Instead, MidJourney works best with clear, concise sentences describing the end result you are looking for. Once you have generated your initial image, you can download your work, upscale it (to make it bigger) or create variations. MidJourney’s main prompt is /imagine. However, you can also use the /blend prompt to upload your own images and blend them together to make new digital art pieces.

Key Features of MidJourney:

Based on Discord, is a Discord bot
Can work in your Discord private messages
Has a strong community of digital artists
Can blend two uploaded images
Remix mode to change paraments used in variations

MidJourney command list

Though MidJourney is a Discord bot with less flair than its competitors, it still has a place on our list. MidJourney’s command list is a great place to learn how to interact with the bot. These commands can help make your experience using MidJourney easier and more fruitful.

Best For:
For those familiar with Discord servers and who want to join a growing and supportive community of AI artists, MidJourney is for you. While it doesn’t have a lot of the bells and whistles that others on our list have, it’s the community and consistent quality art made by MidJourney that make it stand out. It’s a good choice for those who want to plug into a solid digital art community.

Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $10 per month

Get MidJourney

7. DALL-E 2

DALL-E-2 AI Art Generator

DALL-E 2 is an image-generation tool from the ChatGPT family. Additionally, DALL-E 2 powers several tools found on our list as well as other AI image-generation tools available for use today. The tool allows you to create realistic images and digital art from text and descriptions. DALL-E 2 can intermingle concepts, art styles, and more. The first iteration of the project was released in 2021. DALL-E 2, the second version, now creates more lifelike art at higher resolutions than its predecessor.

You can save your favorite pieces and see a history of the prompts used to create your artwork. DALL-E 2 – like its sister product ChatGPT – has a simple interface. This makes it very easy for anyone to access this powerful tool.

Key Features of DALL-E 2:

Simple interface
Random prompt generator
Generated can in the history tab
Save collections of generated art in collections
Generates high-resolution art

DALL-E 2 edit images before image generation

While in beta, DALL-E 2 allows you to edit your image before you use it in the tool. Unlike other AI art generators, you can erase a section of the image or set an area where you would like image generation to occur within the image you uploaded. You can also expand or shrink the image. As this feature is in beta, it is advisable to remember to save it as you are editing your artwork, especially for more complex edits.

Best For:
DALL-E 2 is the simplest of tools on our list and, as such, can be used by anyone. However, it is best for those new to AI art generation, as DALL-E is the backbone of many AI art generation tools today.

Pricing: $15 per 115 credits

Get DALL-E 2

8. Bing Image Creator

Bing Image Creator

Bing Image Creator is an image generation tool powered by DALL-E. Using text commands and prompts, you can use Bing Image Creator to make digital creations. The generator is free. However, you do need a Microsoft account to access it. Currently, Bing Image Creator only supports English language prompts and text. As such, you will have an Image Creator profile created.

Bing Image Creator does not have fancy presets, editing tools, or the ability to upload images. However, for personal use, the tool can be fun to use. All the pictures are generated in a 1:1 ratio (square) and are 1024 x 1024 pixels. The interface is straightforward to use and move around, and you can look at what others have created in a tab on the homepage called Explore Ideas.

Key Features of Bing Image Creator:

Integrated with your Bing and Microsoft account
Saves the history of generated content
Download generated images without a watermark
Save generated images to custom collections
Share generated image via a link

Bing Image Creator Surprise Me Button

The Surprise Me button on the Bing Image Creator is an exciting way to see the generator’s power. The button randomly generates ideas and prompts you can use and create digital art with. This is also a good way to see how specific terms are translated with the generator so you can get ideas on structuring your prompts for future use.

Best For:
Bing Image Creator is there for you as a quick and easy AI generation tool. It has no bells or whistles, but if you want to have fun and create digital art for personal use, give Bing Image Creator a go.

Pricing: Free

Get Bing Image Creator

9. Dream by WOMBO

Dream by WOMBO

Dream by WOMBO is an online platform and mobile app for AI image generation. Both the app and the mobile interface are easy to use and come with an abundance of presets that you can take advantage of for your AI creation needs. Unlike many generators on our list, Dream’s free version only allows you to generate one image at a time. Also, generations can only be created on a premium plan.

Nevertheless, for non-professional users, Dream is a cool app to use. The platform understands common language prompts and generates decent-quality images. It has a vast array of presets, making it a joy to tinker around with. You can also upload your own image and use text prompts and presets to create new art for personal use.

Key Features of Dream by WOMBO:

40+ image styles and presets
Generate four image variations at once
View and download video of Dream image generation in action
Use text commands to make edits to uploaded images
Download creations in two formats: trading card or background image
Easily access and create will all previously used prompts

Dream Remix NFT

If you have NFTs, you’re in luck. Dream’s AI generation tool has a feature that allows you to use your current NFTs and turn them into something new with the power of AI image generation. You no longer need to go back to the drawing board when creating your NFTs. Hook up your wallet and use Dream’s AI tools to make new creations from your pre-existing artwork.

Best For:
Dream by WOMBO is a good AI image-generation tool for personal use. Some of its generations in testing were not as sharp as others on our list. Also, its free plan is quite restrictive when compared to other tools in the market.

Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $9 per month

Get Dream by WOMBO

10. Fotor AI Art Generator

Fotor Photo AI Art Generator

Fotor AI Art Generator rounds off our list but is a powerful tool for all your digital art needs. You have the choice to upload an image or to use simple text prompts to create your artwork. The size of your outputted image, as well as the number of images that are generated by the platform, can also be adjusted to your needs. You have a large selection of different presets that you can use for your art. Additionally, aspects like aperture, golden ratio, depth of details, and effects can all be customized from the sleek, dark-mode interface. You have a library where your generated art is saved. Also, your library lets you download past image generations and see what prompts, presets, and aspect ratios are used to create your digital art.

Key Features of Fotor AI Art Generator:

9+ style presets
Three aspect ratios
Adjust art styles, composition, light effects, and more
Generate up to 5 images per prompt
Upload your image to the platform for further customization with AI

Fotor Image Editor

A bonus to using Fotor’s AI Art Generator is that you can also use Fotor’s Photo Editing Suite to make additional edits to your generated images. Whether you want to add text, recolor, resize or retouch, you can take your generated images to the next level by using Fotor’s integrated suite of tools in your content creation process.

Best For:
Fotor AI Art Generator will be a good fit for those who want to customize their AI-generated art. It’s

Pricing: Paid plans start at $8.99 per year

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What is the Best AI Art Generator?

	Plugin	Price	Free Version
ðŸ¥‡	Jasper Art	$49/month	âŒ (Trial)	Visit
ðŸ¥ˆ	PhotoSonic	$10/month	âŒ (Trial)	Visit
ðŸ¥‰	Shutterstock	$49/month	âŒ	Visit
4	NightCafe	$5.99/month	âœ”ï¸	Visit
5	CF Spark	$9/month	âœ”ï¸	Visit
6	MidJourney	$10/month	âŒ (Trial)	Visit
7	DALL-E 2	$15/115 credits/month	âŒ	Visit
8	Bing Image Creator	$0/month	âœ”ï¸	Visit
9	Dream by WOMBO	$9/month	âœ”ï¸	Visit
10	Fotor AI Art Generator	$8.99/month	âŒ (Trial)	Visit

Jasper Art is the best AI art generator for marketing teams and business professionals. Paired with Jasper AI, you and your team can speed up time spent on content creation with the power of AI. If visual content isn’t at the forefront of your content strategy but is nice to have, consider adding PhotoSonic to your bag of marketing tools. Its simple interface makes embracing AI less daunting. Lastly, if you want to use a simple, professional tool for your AI art generation, the Shutterstock generator will help you simply create AI art for your needs.

Looking for more AI tools? Check out more of the best tools out there, including:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Before we wrap up, let’s answer some of your most common questions regarding AI art generators. Did we miss one? Leave a question below and we will respond!

What is the best AI art generator?

Jasper Art is an excellent AI art generator. It allows you to turn text-based prompts into original images. You can adjust the output by modifying the medium, artist, and mood. The AI supports 29 languages.

Is there a free AI art generator?

PhotoSonic offers a free plan to generate up to 20 free images. MidJourney is currently in beta and allows you to generate a limited amount of free images using their Discord integration. Itâ€™s not particularly intuitive, but the results are stunning.

How much do AI art generators cost?

Most AI art generators charge between $20 and $100 per month, with more expensive plans offering additional features or additional image generation tokens. Jasper Art starts at $39 per month and allows you to generate unlimited images at 2k resolution. PhotoSonic provides a similar plan for $25 per month.

Can you sell AI-generated art?

That depends on the terms of the AI art generator. Most AI art generators do not place many restrictions on the use of tour AI-generated images. Jasper Art, for example, states in its terms that you are permitted to â€œreprint and sell the images as your imagination permits.â€

Who owns AI-generated art?

Depending on the AI art generator, the ownership of the images you generate may be structured differently. PhotoSonic, for example, grants you and the rest of the community rights to use the images you generate. They own the copyright but give you (and everyone else) the rights to use images generated using its platform. There is also a broader and relatively unexplored debate as to whether AI art can be safely copyrighted when the AI model has learned from the works of real people.

Can you use AI-generated art commercially?

Most AI art generators permit you to use the images you generate commercially. Jasper Art, for example, doesnâ€™t restrict the types of commercial projects for which its images can be used. OpenAIâ€™s image generator, DALL-E (which also powers many commercial art generators), grants you full ownership of the images you generate.

How do AI art generators work?

AI art generators collect data (in this case, images), which are used to train the AI using a deep learning model. The model recognizes patterns, such as the style of certain types of art. The AI then applies these patterns in creating unique images based on a user’s prompt. An iterative process typically allows you to hone in on your desired result by creating multiple images.

Is it ethical to use AI art?

This is a complex question that will indeed be debated for some time. AI art models learn from the works of real people, just like real people learn from and are inspired by the works of others. This has led some people to perceive AI art as theft, equating AI art to the â€œcopying and pastingâ€ of protected art. However, AI engineers will point out that this is not precisely how AI art generators work. Is it ethical to use Ai art? The unsatisfying answer is that it depends on your perspective.

The post 10 Best AI Art Generators in 2023 (Reviewed and Ranked) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

05.05.2023

11 Best Text to Speech Tools in 2023 (Free and Paid)

Text to Speech tools are becoming commonplace on our computers and the applications we use daily. They’ve made their way into Operating Systems, AI production environments, and as a general utility for visually impaired users of computers. More and more text-to-speech (TTS) applications are hitting the market every month, making it hard to know which one to trust and commit to. Most TTS software can be used in a variety of ways. In this post, we’ll review and compare the best text-to-speech tools out there, so you can find the right one for your needs.

What is Text to Speech?

Text to speech is a type of technology that takes document text and converts it to an audio format. It is used as an assistive technology for speech synthesis, making text discernable through audio. For this reason, TTS is sometimes referred to as read-aloud technology. Artificial intelligence has made text-to-speech technology even better in recent years with the rise of AI voice generators. With some software, this audio output quality generated from ASCII text sounds remarkably close to human voices. Some software can even mimic (or clone) a particular voice.

This sort of change (from robotic-sounding TTS to natural-sounding speech) has massive implications for audio/video production, audiobooks, and accessibility. Below, we’ll show you the best TTS technology and how each can be used for your business. You can also see our article on the best text to speech plugins for WordPress if you need that technology directly on your WordPress website.

The Best Text to Speech Tools

1. Murf

Murf is a powerful AI-driven text-to-speech tool that helps you convert your text into natural-sounding audio with a wide range of voice options. It is an online SaaS that allows you to enter text and apply realistic AI voices to create audio. And it can also convert audio speech files to text files.

Key Features of Murf:

Over 120 natural-sounding voices (ranging from basic voices to premium)
Supports 20+ languages for text-to-audio conversion
Can transcribe spoken voices from audio or video formats
Full HD audio export quality
Collaborative editing environment, perfect for teams

Murf AI Project Editor

Best For:

Murf is one of the best TTS platforms for content creators, e-learning professionals, and businesses looking for a versatile, easy-to-use text-to-speech solution. Collaborative editing environments mean multiple users can edit and perfect your markdown text to generate the best possible speech.

Pricing: Free plan (up to 10 minutes of generated speech) with paid plans starting at $19/mo per account user

Get Murf

2. Descript

Descript is a comprehensive audio and video editing software with an integrated text-to-speech feature, offering a seamless workflow for content creators. The whole platform is built differently than your typical TTS platform. Descript works by importing audio files and then converting them into text. Sound basic, right? The power of Descript’s platform is that it allows users to edit the text (in a Google Doc-like environment), which also then edits the original audio file. This means you can edit your audio like you’d edit a document draft. Remove filler words, fix misspoken text, and fix other audio mishapsâ€”all without re-recording.

Key Features of Descript:

Remove filler words from audio files and videos like magic
Overdub voice cloning technology to create true TTS audio files
Automatic transcription of your videos and audio
Full-featured audio and video editor (more than TTS, it also helps creators create in every format)

Descript Remove TTS filler words

Best For:

Descript is perfect for podcasters, video creators, and professionals who require transcription and editing capabilities alongside text-to-speech features. Its Overdub voice cloning technology allows you to create realistic and customizable voiceovers using your own voice. You can also select pre-made voices to get started even more quickly. And it all works in a browser or desktop application.

Pricing: Free plans (1 hour a month) with paid plans starting at $15/mo per account user

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3. Speechify

Speechify is an intelligent text-to-speech tool designed to help users read faster and retain more information, making it ideal for multitaskers and those with reading difficulties. Unlike the previous two products, Speechify is an assistive TTS application meant to read text to personal usersâ€”not create marketing collateral for businesses (though they have a voiceover solution for creating audio/video voiceovers). Users love Speecify’s human and natural-sounding voices. It transforms how they interact with text on the web and on their computer.

Key Features of Speechify:

Works via Chrome extension, iOS/Android apps, desktop
Set a reading voice and speed for any text for optimal comprehension
Take pictures of text and have it read to you using optical character recognition (OCR)
Library for saving documents for cross-device listening
Have web pages read aloud to you while you sit back and soak it in
Support for 20+ languages

Speechify TTS Audio Player

Best For:

Speechify is great for students, professionals, and individuals. Whether you prefer audio over written text or you struggle with dyslexia or other reading difficulties, Speechify can help you improve your reading comprehension. Its integrations with popular apps and browsers ensure you can listen to any text anytime and anywhere with Speechify.

Pricing: Free plan with a paid plan at $139/yr. An Audiobook subscription starts at $199/yr

Get Speechify

4. Listnr

Listnr is an AI voice generator with a hearty text-to-speech platform that helps you turn your written content into engaging podcasts and audio files using high-quality AI-generated voices. Its text editor allows users to put in the text they want to be turned into audio and adjust things like voice, accent, speed, and add pauses.

Key Features of Listnr:

Wide range of realistic AI-generated voices (600+)
Supports multiple languages and accents (100+)
Audio file export and podcast hosting (with embeddable audio widget)

Listnr’s podcast hosting capability sets it apart, making creating, distributing, and managing your audio content easy.

Listnr Best Text to Speech tools

Best For:

Listnr is ideal for bloggers, marketers, and content creators looking to expand their audience reach through audio and podcasting. It’s one of the better-priced TTS software out there, and it allows 1,000 words with a free trial plan.

Pricing: Free plan, with paid plans starting at $19/mo

Get Listnr

5. Synthesia

Synthesia is an innovative AI video generation platform that allows you to create video content using text-to-video and virtual avatars. This goes beyond just outputting audio. It can turn text into a virtual talking head for more engaging videos.

Key Features of Synthesia:

Customizable virtual avatars to create realistic-looking “people” for your videos
Turns your text transcripts into videos with your avatar speaking your written words
Packaged as a Web app so that everything is computed in the cloud (saving you system resources)

Best For:

Synthesia is perfect for businesses and content creators who want to create engaging videos without needing professional actors or complex video production. This can dramatically increase efficiency since you do not need to rely on humans for every stage of development.

Pricing: Plans start for as cheap as $30/mo with custom enterprise pricing available

Get Synthesia

6. Speechelo

Speechelo - Homepage April 2023
Speechelo is another cloud-based text-to-speech app that provides lifelike human voices from written text. It’s an attractive option because it has a one-time purchase price that you can use for all your voiceover a TTS needs.

Key Features of Speechelo:

30 Realistic AI-generated voices
Support for multiple languages and accents
Low, one-time payment

Best For:

This tool is excellent for those looking for entry-level TTS software. It’s a low-cost solution that outputs better-than-expected speech.

Pricing: $100 one-time payment (with frequent sales lower than that)

Get Speechelo

7. Notevibes

Notevibes is an AI voice generator offering natural-sounding AI-generated voices, suitable for audiobooks, e-learning, and video narration. It is popular for hobbyists and commercial use if using the right plan.

Key Features of Notevibes:

Over 225+ natural-sounding voices
Supports 25 languages, dialects, and accents
Customizable audio settings and voice effects

Best For:

Notevibes is ideal for those who need high-quality audio for web courses, video narration, or audiobook production. But, for all of that, you will need the commercial plan. The individual plan lets you create text-based audio content for personal use only.

Pricing: Starting at $19/mo for personal use and $99/mo for commercial use

Get Notevibes

8. Fliki

Fliki is an AI-driven text-to-speech platform that generates realistic human-like voices, making it easy to convert written text into high-quality spoken content. It’s created by the makers of one of the best AI writing tools, Rytr. They’re known for creating functional, AI-driven products.

Key Features of Fliki:

AI-generated human-like voices based on inputted text
75 languages and 900 accents to choose from
Stock media library for creating visuals for overdubbed video content
Powerpoint to video and AI art

Best For:

Fliki is excellent for content creators who need realistic text-to-speech audio for simple video creation. They have some of the lowest prices around, making it a perfect first tool to try. Anyone needing commercial rights to audio and video material partially created with AI should check Fliki out.

Pricing: Limited free plan with premium plans starting at $8/mo

Get Fliki

9. FreeTTS

Freetts - Homepage April 2023
FreeTTS is a free text-to-speech converter that is great for generating natural-sounding voices in multiple languages and accents, perfect for those on a budget. It’s a simple website with a text box and a submit button (but you’ll have to put up with endless banner ads). When text is submitted, it’ll create a simple audio file for your use.

Key Features of FreeTTS:

Free to use
Supports multiple languages
Easy-to-use interface

Best For:

FreeTTS is ideal for students, educators, and individuals seeking a cost-effective text-to-speech solution. It won’t be profoundly useful, but it is something to try if you are interested and see what is possible.

Pricing: Free to use (Ad supported)

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10. Synthesys

Synthesys - Homepage April 2023
Synthesys is another AI video + text-to-speech platform using AI technology to generate human-like voices. It enables users to create engaging and natural-sounding audio content and virtual avatars created through Text to Video (TTV) technology. Virtual avatars on Synthesys are called “Humatars.”

Key Features of Synthesys:

Deep learning AI-generated voices
High-resolution video and audio output
API for creating workflows that use TTS and TTV at scale
140 languages and 374 voices, or upload your own voice

Best For:

Synthesys is perfect for anyone creating content (video or audio) and who wants to rely less on human narrators or actors. It is one of the more trusted platforms on the list and has a solid reputation (and a money-back guarantee).

Pricing: Starts at $35/mo for voiceovers and $45/mo for videos. Combining both starts at $65/mo

Get Synthesys

11. Lovo

Lovo - Homepage April 2023
Lovo is an AI-powered voice generator that offers realistic voices and customization options. Aside from languages and accents, it also provides users with tones that affect how the voice sounds (serious vs. amazed).

Key Features of Lovo:

Over 400+ AI-generated voices
Support for 100+ languages and accents
Easily control phoneme level, word emphasis, and pauses in natural places
25+ emotions for modulating the tone of the generated speech

Best For:

Lovo is excellent for content creators who need a streamlined way of making high-quality spoken audio. Especially if you need different voices, languages, and emotional ranges. The text editor also makes it easy to build more authentic-sounding voiceovers with simple commands.

Pricing: Free plan with paid plans starting at $25/mo

Get Lovo

Best TTS Tools FAQ

What is the best text-to-speech software?

Overall, Murf is the best text-to-speech tool on our list. It is reliable even for the most complicated voiceover creation environments with many voices and languages supported. The price is reasonable, and it scores good marks from reviewers.

What is the best text-to-speech software for YouTube?

Descript is excellent at removing filler words and other faux pas in post-production. Synthesia is great for creating life-like AI avatars through text to video technology.

What is the most realistic text to speech?

Lovo creates some of the most realistic text to speech audio on the market. Its editing interface lets users easily add realistic-sounding elements to the generated voices, such as natural pauses, word emphasis, and overall tone (excited or tired).

How Does Text to Speech Work?

Text-to-speech (TTS) is a technology that converts text into human-like speech. It is used in various applications, such as audiobooks, e-readers, and voice assistants. TTS technology has improved significantly in recent years. TTS systems are now able to produce speech that is very natural and human-like. This has made TTS a valuable tool for a variety of applications.

TTS breaks down the text into phonemes, which are just the building blocks of spoken language. From there, AI-trained models can apply things such as rhythm, stress, and pitch for the strung-together phonemes. Lastly, this is all converted to some form of audio file that a listener can play back.

What is Text-to-Speech Software?

TTS software is a tool that reads text aloud. It can be used to help people who have difficulty reading or to make content more accessible to everyone. It can also be used to create audiobooks and narrated videos (voiceovers).

What is the Best Text to Speech Tool?

Want to use only the best? Use this chart to compare the best text-to-speech tools. Then check our recommendations below.

	Text to Speech Tool	Starting Price	Free Option
ðŸ¥‡	Murf	$19/mo	âœ”ï¸	Visit
ðŸ¥ˆ	Descript	$15/mo	âœ”ï¸	Visit
ðŸ¥‰	Speechify	$139/yr	âœ”ï¸	Visit
4	Listnr	$19/mo	âœ”ï¸	Visit
5	Synthesia	$30/mo	âŒ	Visit
6	Speechelo	$100	âŒ	Visit
7	Notevibes	$19/mo	âŒ	Visit
8	Fliki	$8/mo	âœ”ï¸	Visit
9	FreeTTS	/	âœ”ï¸	Visit
10	Synthesys	$35/mo	âŒ	Visit
11	Lovo	$25/mo	âœ”ï¸	Visit

Overall, Murf is the best text-to-speech tool on our list. It has a large user base and is suitable for all types of speech creation. Descript is an unbelievable platform for teams that want to be able to edit their audio and video files by removing and adding words in a text document. It, by far, has the most innovative approach to TTS.

Speechify is a top text-to-speech software for personal productivity. It can turn text-based content into enjoyable audio by simply highlighting text and pressing play. It’ll change how you interact with written content online and dramatically increase your reading comprehension (especially if you read along with the generated voice).

Want to be amazed by other AI technology? Check out the best AI rewriting tools and our top selection of AI chatbots. Both types of tools could increase your business’ productivity for a low cost.

Feature image via mix_vector / shutterstock.com

The post 11 Best Text to Speech Tools in 2023 (Free and Paid) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

04.05.2023

13 Best Live Chat Software in 2023 (Free and Paid)

Giving exceptional support on a website has never been more crucial. As more websites become transactional, your visitors need more help to make the decisions you want them to make. That’s where live chat software can make all difference. In this post, we’ve compiled a list of the best live chat software solutions that cater to various business needs. Whether you’re a startup, small business, or large enterprise, discover the perfect live chat tools to elevate your customer support game and keep your visitors returning for more.

13 Best Live Chat Software

13 website chat platforms that can help you manage growing support demand and improve your brand through support.

1. LiveChat

LiveChat is a Poland-based live chat and help desk solution that allows businesses to communicate with customers in real time. It is the flagship product, but the same company also develops HelpDesk, KnowledgeBase, and Chatbot (one of the top AI chatbots).

Key Features of LiveChat:

Ticketing system for managing longer support queries
Advanced reporting and chat transcripts
Chat routing based on interaction intent and automatically segment new leads
Omnichannel messaging across many supported services
eCommerce integration to create a conversational shopping experience (watch that boost your chat ROI)

LiveChat Customer List

Best For:

Companies that could see themselves using the whole ecosystem of tools, from live chat and AI chatbots to a helpdesk and knowledgebase. These integrated tools can make larger eCommerce and SaaS operations more efficient while improving customer experience (CX). eCommerce stores stand to benefit from reduced churn and better retention rates.

Pricing: Plans starting for as little as $24/mo

Get LiveChat

2. HubSpot Live Chat

Hubspot Live Chat software - Homepage April 2023
HubSpot is a leading CRM platform for helping businesses grow. It is known for being one of the best platforms for marketing automation, with a suite of tools for managing sales, support, and more. But did you know it also offers a live chat solution?

HubSpot’s live chat is a tool that allows businesses to connect with website visitors in real time. It can answer questions, provide support, and generate leads. HubSpot’s live chat is easy to use and integrates with other HubSpot products, such as HubSpot CRM and marketing automation tools.

Key Features of HubSpot Live Chat:

CRM, CMS, and Marketing integrations
Qualify, and then route leads to the right team
Chat conversations are stored in CRM so future agents can get customer context fast
Slack integration so you can help customers where you work

HubSpot Best Live Chat Software

HubSpot’s seamless integration with its own CRM makes it an ideal solution for businesses already using HubSpot’s suite of tools. The CRM integration allows for better tracking of customer interactions and improved customer support.

Best For:

Businesses already using HubSpot for CRM should look no further for basic live chatâ€”though it does leave much to be desired in conversational AI. Those looking for a live chat solution and a CRM integration can solve two problems with one unified platform.

Pricing: Free live chat solution with paid CRM plans starting at $20/mo

Get HubSpot Live Chat

3. Tidio

Tidio is a live chat tool and AI chatbot that helps businesses turn passive visitors into active buyers. It’s a user-friendly live chat widget with impressive AI chatbot abilities.

Key Features of Tidio:

AI bot that classifies user intent, understands queries even if misspelled words are used, creates FAQ responses based on website content, and a writing assistant that is trained on your customer satisfaction data
eCommerce integration to automate offers, discounts, and recommendations based on store and visitor data
AI learns your business communication over time to be able to answer even more customer questions while you take a break
WordPress/WooCommerce plugin for easy integration and setup

Tidio is a user-friendly live chat solution with an impressive array of chatbot functionalities that cater to businesses of all sizes. The visual chatbot builder allows for easy customization of basic chatbots to suit specific business needs. Tidio+ comes with conversational AI (but at a much higher monthly price tag).

Best For:

Great for any business. They have plans that support any scale of business. Tidio can grow with you and provide you with the tools you need.

Pricing: Free, with paid plans starting at $20 per month

Get Tidio

4. LiveAgent

LiveAgent is a live customer chat software that helps businesses provide customer service to users and visitors. It is easy to use and can be customized to fit the needs of any business.

Key Features of LiveAgent:

Universal inboxes for chat, email, and even phone support support
Knowledgebase and forum solutions built-in
Workforce management tools like time tracking, call queueing, and interaction routing/transfer

LiveAgent’s universal inbox feature simplifies customer support by consolidating communications from various channels into one centralized location. This makes it easy for support agents to manage and respond to customer inquiries no matter how they come in.

Best For:

LiveAgent is for businesses that rely on a scaled and effective customer support operation. Large support teams handling complex queries over multiple channels can rely on LiveAgent.

Pricing: Free plan available, and business plans starting at $12/mo per agent

Get LiveAgent

5. Zendesk Chat

Zendesk - Homepage April 2023
Zendesk Chat is a live chat software solution that helps businesses provide 24/7 customer support. It is easy to set up and use and scales seamlessly with businesses of any size. People love it for its robust and scalable live chat solution with AI-powered chatbots and advanced analytics. Plus, Zendesk is a go-to provider for anything “customer support.”

Key Features of Zendesk Chat:

AI-powered chatbots (called Answer Bot)
Rule or Condition-based bots for routine conversations and answers
Conversation analytics, CSAT scoring, and customer journey views
Out-of-the-box integrations with 3rd party tools and a broader CX platform
Async web chat that works across channels (start a conversation in Facebook Messager, finish it on any supported channel)

Zendesk Chat is a robust and scalable solution that is especially beneficial for larger enterprises seeking advanced chatbot capabilities. AI-powered chatbots enable businesses to provide efficient and personalized customer support. It offers a variety of tools, including proactive chat, canned responses, offline forms, customizable branding, and integration abilities.

Best For:

Large enterprises seeking a live chat solution with advanced chatbot features and scalable functionality.

Pricing: Plans start at $49/mo per agent

Get Zendesk Chat

6. Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk Live Chat is a customer service tool that allows your chat support team to work on support tickets and chats efficiently. You probably know Zoho from its very popular CRM and dozens of connected tools, but it offers even more. Note that live chat is only available in their “Enterprise” plan, but smaller businesses stand to benefit from the standard plan’s help center, email ticketing, and social media connections.

Key Features of Zoho Desk:

Multichannel support (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat)
Workflow and Macros for automatic ticket management
Improve customer satisfaction by giving faster and more personalized support
Time-saving snippets for repeated phrases
Gather customer feedback to improve your processes

Best For:

Zoho Desk’s customer service and support approach is appropriate for different scaling needs. The lowest-priced plans omit reasonable things and focus on async communication channels. The higher plans assume more people-power and allow access to tools like live chat and telephone support. If you are a smaller business looking only for live chat, look at Olark (next up).

Pricing: Live chat plans start at $50/mo, but there are cheaper plans

Get Zoho Desk

7. Olark

Olark is a small but loved live chat software that helps businesses service their customers quickly. With Olark, you can chat with visitors on your website in real time, answer their questions, and so much more.

It enables you to organize the data you’ve collected from your users within Olark or your preferred CRM. It also has a WordPress plugin.

Key Features of Olark:

Customizable chatbox design with pre-chat forms for faster resolve times
Automatically trigger chat messages based on web events (location, referring URL, and browsing behavior)
Searchable chat transcripts to uncover trends
Live dashboards, analytics, and management tools
All plans have all the features (that’s worth looking at)
Co-browsing addon lets you control the customer’s screen

Best For:

Small to medium-sized teams seeking a no-nonsense, easy-to-use live chat solution for engaging with their customers.

Pricing: $29/mo per agent

Get Olark

8. Social Intents

Social Intents is a live chat solution for businesses using Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, and Webex. It helps companies interact with customers using a familiar collaborative tool that employees already know how to use.

Key Features of Social Intents:

Website chatbot with deep integration to other tools your team uses every hour of every day
Pre-qualify leads based on rules and data
Quick replies based on routine questions
No “per agent” pricing, so you just pay for the tech (Basic plan and up)
Pro and Business plans have access to ChatGPT API and Dialogflow chatbots

Best For:

Social Intents is a versatile live chat solution built for social teams. It’s not quite as feature-rich as customer support-oriented chat solutions, which makes Social Intents stand out. Colleges, government organizations, and clubs can use Social Intents to create a natural channel for communication with their members.

Pricing: Plans start at $49/mo

Get Social Intents

9. Tawk.to

Tawk.to is a free live chat tool with one of the most attractive pricing models on the market. It offers unlimited messaging, ticketing, and agent seats and includes iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac OSX apps for free. They are also expanding into CRM, chat payments, and phone support.

Key Features of Tawk.to:

100% free (they only make money through professional services and logo removal)
Live chat, knowledge base, and ticketing features are baked in
Mobile and desktop apps so you can help your customers no matter which device you’re at
WordPress plugin for easy integration

Tawk.to is an affordable, feature-rich live chat software ideal for small businesses and startups. The 100% free pricing structure makes it accessible to companies of all sizes, while the customizable chat widget ensures a seamless user experience.

Tawk.to best live chat features list

Best For:

Small businesses and startups seeking a cost-effective live chat solution with all the features.

Pricing: Free with professional services starting at $1/hr

Get Tawk.to

10. Botsify

Botsify is an AI live chat solution that aims to help you reduce your work so you can focus on growing a business. It works perfectly with WordPress via an official Botsify plugin or a JavaScript snippet you can manually add to your website.

Key Features of Botsify:

AI-driven chatbots to handle nuanced talks using natural language
Turn Botsify into a lead generation and booking agent that gets your customers to the next step
Website chatbot that connects with other live messaging services like WhatsApp
AI bot chat with agent fallback when a human touch is necessary

Botsify’s AI-driven chatbots are designed to provide efficient and personalized customer support. And because it works so well with other popular platforms, it is easy for businesses to use Botsify in their existing workflow.

Best For:

Businesses that seek an AI-driven live chat solution with powerful chatbot capabilities and seamless integrations. Agencies love using Botsify because of the Whitelabel abilities and the dedicated teams for chatbot development.

Pricing: Plans start at $49/mo for the DIYers

Get Botsify

11. Intercom

Intercom - Homepage April 2023

Intercom is a business messaging platform that helps companies connect with their customers across multiple channels, including website live chat. Intercom’s live chat service is easy to use and customizable, so you can create a chat experience that fits your specific needs. It’s what we use here at ET!

Key Features of Intercom:

Conversational AI bots
Real-time insights and outcome reporting
Gather context and customer intent by integrating with other data and enrichment tools in your tech stack
Workload management so your team stays busy but not overwhelmed

Intercom’s targeted messaging feature enables businesses to deliver personalized and relevant communication to their customers. Custom chatbots and real-time insights help companies to provide an efficient and seamless customer support experience.

Best For:

Businesses seeking an all-in-one customer messaging service with advanced chatbot abilities and powerful integrations. We started using Intercom quite a while ago, which helped our business. Watch this 2017 clip where Mitch Skolnik discussed how we first implemented Intercom. If you are interested in it, check out our introduction to Intercom.

Pricing: Plans start at $74/mo

Get Intercom

12. LivePerson

LivePerson Live Chat software - Homepage April 2023
LivePerson is a conversational AI platform that offers live chat, chatbots, and (soon) voice AI solutions to help businesses automate customer support and eCommerce chat sales. The service provides a unified workspace for agents and supervisors to manage all conversations, and it offers a variety of tools to improve customer engagement and agent performance.

Key Features of LivePerson:

Cutting-edge conversational AI that sounds as natural as a human
Omnichannel support to message customers wherever they are
Detailed analytics that gives you an understanding of every area of the platform’s running
Create intent-based conversational AI automations to give the bots some human genius

LivePerson’s AI-powered conversational commerce platform is designed to enhance customer experience and drive sales. Omnichannel support allows businesses to connect with customers on their choice channels, while advanced analytics provide valuable insights to optimize the customer experience.

Best For:

Enterprise companies looking to enhance customer experience and drive sales through an AI-powered conversational commerce platform.

Pricing: Contact LivePerson for pricing details

Get LivePerson

13. Podium

Podium - Homepage April 2023
Podium Webchat is a text-based live chat tool allowing you to connect with visitors in real-time. With Podium, you can answer questions, schedule appointments, and close deals with real, friendly interactions that are quick and convenient. It’s a unified messaging platform for businesses designed to simplify communication and improve online reputation.

Key Features of Podium:

Optimized for conversions so live agents can win more deals
Online review gathering and management
Webchat and texting combined for out-of-this-world conversions
Made to feel human and not like those bots you keep hearing about

Podium is a unified messaging service that simplifies communication and improves local businesses’ online reputation. It has centralized messaging and various communication channels, such as webchat and texting, to help companies to engage with customers more effectively.

Best For:

Businesses seeking a proven messaging platform to streamline communication and improve online reputation.

Pricing: Starting at $289/mo for 1000 contacts and 3 team members

Get Podium

Best of the Best Live Chat Software FAQ

What is live chat software?

Live chat software is a tool that allows businesses to communicate with their customers in real time. It is a popular way to provide customer support, answer questions, and resolve issues. Live chat software can be integrated with websites, so customers can easily contact a representative without having to leave the page they are on. It can also be used to send out surveys, collect feedback, and promote products or services.

What is the best live chat software for small businesses?

LiveChat.com is the best all-purpose live chat solution available today while being affordably priced for low to medium budgets. It boasts a ton of great features and has an extensive ecosystem of sister products that can easily accommodate even the most demanding businesses as they continue to grow and expand.

How do I choose a live chat software?

Define realistic live chat needs
Do product research
Read reviews from users
Try out demos and free trials
Compare prices and feature match
Make a decision and try to grow

Which is better between Live Chat and Conversational AI?

Live chat and conversational AI effectively provide customer support, but they have different strengths and weaknesses. Live chat is better for providing immediate assistance with complex issues, while conversational AI is better for handling simple inquiries quickly and efficiently.

Here is a more detailed comparison of live chat and conversational AI:

Live Chat

Pros:
- Real-time interaction with a human agent
- Ability to handle complex issues
- It provides a personal touch that customers appreciate
Cons:
- It can be expensive to staff live agents
- Agents can be busy, leading to long wait times
- Not always available 24/7

Conversational AI

Pros:
- Available 24/7
- Can handle a high volume of inquiries
- Inexpensive to operate
- Can learn and improve over time
Cons:
- Not as good at handling complex issues as live chat agents
- It can sometimes be difficult to understand
- Not as personal as live chat

What is the best free live chat software?

Tawk.to is the best free live chat software. It offers a wide range of features, including chat widgets, canned responses, and visitor tracking. Tawk.to is also easy to use and set up, making it an excellent option for businesses of all sizes.

What is the Best Live Chat Software?

Ranking	Product	Starting Price	Free Option
ðŸ¥‡	LiveChat	$24/mo	No	Visit
ðŸ¥ˆ	HubSpot Live Chat	Free	Yes	Visit
:ðŸ¥‰	Tidio	Free	Yes	Visit
4	LiveAgent	Free	Yes	Visit
5	Zendesk Chat	$49/mo	No	Visit
6	Zoho Desk	$50/mo	No	Visit
7	Olark	$29/mo	No	Visit
8	Social Intents	$49/mo	No	Visit
9	Tawk.to	Free	Yes	Visit
10	Botsify	$49/mo	No	Visit
11	Intercom	$74/mo	No	Visit
12	LivePerson	Custom	No	Visit
13	Podium	$249/mo	No	Visit

LiveChat.com is the best all-purpose live chat software at a small business price point. It has great tools and sister products supporting almost any business as they grow. Whether you only want live chat or want to look into bots and a help desk, it has you covered. If you are looking for a live chat solution that integrates with a more robust suite of tools for managing your business and customers online, Hubspot Live Chat is a great choice. For those who want live chat with impressive AI, Tidio will provide a great user experience for customers.

If you want something a little more advanced, look at the best AI chatbots on the market today.

Featured Image by semprong / shutterstock.com

The post 13 Best Live Chat Software in 2023 (Free and Paid) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

01.05.2023

8 Best Directory WordPress Themes in 2023

Believe it or not, directories are still found on the web. People look for products and services daily on popular directory sites like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and even Google My Business. Building your own directory website is an excellent way to drive traffic to your website and establish brand awareness. In this post, we’ll review the best directory WordPress themes to help you get the directory website you’ve always wanted without all the effort.

What Features Do the Best Directory WordPress Themes Have?

While everyone’s needs are different, there are some basics that your directory theme should cover. Firstly, it needs to be searchable. There is no use in having a directory without some form of search feature or plugin. Secondly, your theme should allow you to organize your listings into categories. This will help people navigate your site better. You should be able to edit your site with your branding and colors. That’s a third feature to look out for, customization. Lastly, SEO and extendability should also be considered in your quest for the best WordPress directory theme for your project.

The 8 Best Directory WordPress Themes

In our list, we’ve compared some of the best themes for building your own directory website. Look through our list and see if any of these products satisfy your project needs.

1. GeoDirectory Themes

GeoDirectory Directory Plugin

GeoDirectory is one of the best directory plugins for WordPress. The plugin also has dedicated GeoDirectory Themes that allow you to get a powerful directory site up and running with ease. While there is a free version of the plugin and some themes, you’ll get the full experience with the paid version. Firstly, you can access the paid Custom Post Types addon if you want to manage multiple listing types. With this addon, each listing type gets its own set of custom fields, layouts, and more. The Pricing Manager add-on makes it simple to monetize your directory. Give free trials, send payment reminders, and collect funds with over 30 payment processors.

Geo Directory, one of the best directory WordPress, ft. Supreme

Some GeoDirectory Themes are based on the Genesis framework (by StudioPress) to help those already familiar with the framework get a directory site underway. Furthermore, users of our very own Divi will be thrilled to know that Geo Directory integrates well with our theme and our powerful Theme Builder. This further expands the plugin’s features by giving you a powerful tool to create your custom online directory entirely.

Key Features of Geo Directory Themes:

40+ widgets, shortcodes & blocks
Works with any page builder like, Gutengery, Divi or Elementor
Drag and drop listings tab builder and custom fields
Advanced sorting and filtering options
Unique custom badge system to show listing identifiers
Integrations with Ninja Forms, Yoast SEO, RankMath, BuddyPress, and more

Geo Directory Plugin Addons

While the Geo Directory plugin and theme are free, you can amp up the power of your directory theme with the paid add-ons that GeoDirectory has available. The add-ons that GeoDirectory provides make it one of the best WordPress directory themes for users with grand plans for their websites. Extend the core theme by adding extras like a dedicated pricing manager, BuddyPress integration, and event management, to name a few.

Learn how to create a directory in WordPress with GeoDirectory.

Best For:

GeoDirectory is the ecosystem to plug into for an all-around good theme and plugin combo. With a powerful plugin at its foundation and a range of themes to make customization a breeze, the GeoDirectory family is a great starting point for building a directory on WordPress.

Pricing: Free core plugin and themes available. Paid add-ons and themes start at $19â€”memberships with all themes and add-ons for $199.

Get Geo Directory

2. Directory Theme

Directory Theme by PremiumPress is a theme that helps you build a site like Yelp or Yellow Pages on WordPress. It is a feature-rich theme that works effortlessly with Elementor. This means you have the power of its theme builder and modules to build a stellar directory site. Directory Theme lets you create categories to organize your listings. You can also add custom fields to each category, making it possible to have unique fields and content types per category.

Directory Theme is integrated with Google Maps, allowing users to share their location on their listings. This also allows for its powerful geolocation settings so that searchers can find listings via zip code and the distance from their current location. Users can create listings with YouTube videos, image galleries, music, and many more content types.

Key Features of Directory Theme:

150+ design blocks
Supports the free version of Elementor
Sell listings, membership, and more to monetize your site
Advanced Ajax filters and search functionality
Dedicated members portal complete with analytics and listing management
Advanced user feedback, comments, and review system

PremiumPress' monetization options

Directory Theme impressively handles monetization with flair. You can sell memberships to certain countries. You have customization options for invoices. The theme also integrates with over 30 payment processors, ensuring you can get paid. Handle shipping, store credit, payouts, and more.

Best For:

Directory Theme is the best WordPress directory theme for owners who want to build a sleek, clean directory that doesn’t sacrifice functionality. Also, builders who want the most flexibility in making money with their directory will benefit from using this theme.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $198 per year

Get Directory Theme

3. Listable

Listable is a WordPress directory theme for those who want to build a beautiful directory. The theme gives you an expansive range of customization options that will have you designing an attractive directory in minutes, with not a single line of code required! Apart from its design options, Listable has a vast range of features. For starters, its search and filtering system allows users to search by tag, category, region, or any other field that they choose.

Secondly, you can use its easy drag-and-drop builder to create custom single-listing page templates. You can do this easily if you want a different layout for different listings in various categories. You can also have a beautiful blog on your site and static pages like a contact page, shop page, and much more.

Key Features of Listable

Beautiful style and font presets that can be thoroughly customized
Powerful listing cards system for creating engaging listing grids
Monetize listings with a fee or revenue sharing
Multiple filtering options, including interactive filtering
Â Drag and drop builder for custom post types like listings, categories, etc.
Compatible with WPML, WPForms, WooCommerce

Listable design customizer

Listable’s style manager makes creating tailor-made color stories for your site painless. With color adjustment tools like color diversity, shuffle, and more, designing and changing the colors across your site is a breeze. Backgrounds, buttons, titles, and icons can all be instantly changed with a simple click of a button. No code or extra effort to make sitewide edits is necessary. Plus, the simple dark mode toggle adds a nice touch!

Best For:

For the most aesthetically pleasing directory, use Listable. Its modern design options make it one of the best-looking directory themes on our list. Additionally, you can easily customize the design of your site with its color swatches, making it uncomplicated to build a beautiful directory.

Pricing:Â Paid plans start at $85 per year

Get Listable

4. Listee

Listee is an uncomplicated directory theme that works well with the block editor and Elementor. Given that it is a simple theme, it has the standard functionality expected from a directory theme. For example, Listee uses Ajax to power its search and filtering system. You can search by keywords, location, or categories within your directory.

As Listee is compatible with both Elementor and the block editor, it comes with several blocks and custom modules that you can use to build custom layouts for the various pages of your directory. Listee is also translation ready and works with WPML, Polylang, and Weglot for translations. Finally, you can use the WordPress Customizer to edit page template layouts, colors, fonts, and more for your new directory.

Key Features of Listee

Easily create landing pages with Elementor or Gutenberg
Flexible search functions
Frontend user submissions
Create custom color schemes
Build and global sections with Elementor or Gutenberg
SEO and mobile optimized

Listee frontend submission

Listee has a simple frontend interface allowing users to submit listings without logging into the WordPress backend. The form will enable you to create your account and submit your listing simultaneously. The user backend interface also lets you see when a post has been approved. You can also edit your listing or delete it from the site quickly.

Best For:

Use Listee if you want to build a directory but don’t want it to be a complex process. The theme does not have as many eye-catching features as others on our list, but to build a stable site, this would be the best directory WordPress theme next project.

Pricing:Â Paid plans start at $49 per year

Get Listee

5. ExpertHive

ExpertHive is a unique directory WordPress theme by HivePress geared toward service providers. If you want to build a service marketplace, the ExpertHive theme is for you. Powered by HivePress, experts on your site can create a profile, list their services and communicate with potential leads through the in-built messaging system.

ExpertHive allows you to set custom criteria for each profile or listing type. Because of its deep integration with WooCommerce, payments are a breeze. The ExpertHive expert dashboard allows site users and experts to manage their listings accurately, track orders, and more. And seeing as ExpertHive is powered by HivePress, you can continue to extend your marketplace with its library of add-ons that connect well with each other.

Key Features of ExpertHive

Manage profile and service listings with a private frontend dashboard
Powerful private messaging system
Project bidding system
Accept payments and payouts for successful projects via WooCommerce
Monetize through percentage, a flat fee, or featured listings
Custom fields and search filters

Expertify's bid system

A unique feature of the ExpertHive directory theme is its bidding system. In addition to people being able to reach out to expert listings, site users can create services and receive offers from site experts. Like an auction or marketplace like Upwork, experts can bid on projects, users can accept offers, and a new order is created, which can be paid before work begins.

Best For:

ExpertHive is the best WordPress directory theme for those building an expert marketplace. If creating a site like Fiverr or Upwork is your goal, use ExpertPress to get your project off the ground.

Pricing:Â $89 per year

Get ExpertHive

6. Classipress

Classipress is a directory theme that covers all your bases for creating a WordPress website for listing classified ads. It has advanced search features making it easy for your site users to find what they’re looking for. It has various widgets, like its latest ads listing grid, for you to show the most recent listings on your site. Furthermore, Classipress also allows you to create a featured listings section for premium ad spots, which you can charge a premium for and create revenue for your directory.

Your customers can manage their listings from a dashboard where they can update their profiles and view their invoices. As an admin, you can also see which listings are performing the best on your site without relying on external analytics plugins like the popular MonsterInsights plugin. All in all, the Classipress directory theme gets you a directory website on WordPress with little hassle.

Key Features of Classipress

Multiple pricing models like fixed fees, a percentage of sales, or price per category listing.
Create and sell membership packages and bundles
Create custom forms with an in-built form builder
Choose and edit colors and fonts from the Theme Customizer
Email notification system for admins and users
Auto-complete & suggest search functionality

Classipress active homepage map with live listings

A cool feature of the Classipress theme is its homepage map. The map shows live listings from the site that can be clicked through. Showcase local listings to your site users as they search through your website. Additionally, you could also promote this as a package feature to listings owners.

Best For:

Those who want to get a classified listing website up and running quickly will like the ease of use that ClassiPress employs. Easily make your directory website with little fuss but lots of features and functionality.

Pricing:Â Paid plans start at $69 per year

Get Classipress

7. ListingPro

ListingPro is an impressive directory theme for those who want to build the ultimate directory. The search functionality of this theme is head and shoulders above the rest. It provides autosuggestions, can auto-locate via IP or location, and you can determine whether the search match is broad or precise.

ListingPro takes filtering seriously. Users can filter listings by myriad options, including opening hours, distance, custom amenities, etc. Thirdly, this is one of the best WordPress directory themes for those wanting genuinely custom listings. The native drag-and-drop form builder gives you a library of fields that you can use to build forms for your users and admins to submit and manage their listings.

Key Features of ListingPro

Expansive library of niche directory child themes
Powerful Ajax search and filtering with autocomplete
Powerful admin and user dashboards
Monetize with free and paid plans, one-time or monthly recurring services, and more.
Native drag-and-drop form builder
Internal messaging system for leads to connect with listing owners

Fill-O-Bot

Fill-O-Bot is a feature of ListingPro that allows your users to pull their Google My Business details to their listing. The Search by Google feature will match their Google listing fields with the signup form. This will provide a better user experience for posters, saving time and energy when creating their profile on your directory.

Best For:

To be a powerful, feature-rich, modern directory, choose to use ListingPro. It takes customizations seriously when it comes to the crucial features of a directory: monetization, search, filtering, and user interaction.

Pricing:Â Paid plans start at $138 per year

Get ListingPro

8. Listify

Listify provides a directory theme that is deeply integrated with Elementor. If you’re a fan of this page builder, you’ll like building your directory with Listify. Listify provides you with various ways to monetize your website’s features. The theme makes it easy to earn ad revenue from PPC with dedicated ad spaces across the site. You can also charge for access to the site, access to view listings, or access to features like appointment booking and reservations, amongst other monetization features.

Users of your site can bookmark their favorite listings and contact listings owners. Listing owners can then reply and manage these messages in their private inboxes. Users can also leave reviews, search your site by region and labels (set by you), and use social login to create their account easily on your site.

Key Features of Listify

Custom homepage and listings page with a native drag-and-drop builder
Extensive library of style kits for quick brand implementation
Message dashboard and system
Geolocation informed only to show relevant, nearby listings
SEO-friendly and optimized
Charge monthly fees for listings via WooCommerce

Set appointments within your directory

One of the unique features that you can offer users of your directory is the Appointify addon. Now, listing owners can set and book appointments through your website. They can rapidly create appointments, save events to their calendars, and preview upcoming meetings through a tooltip. Furthermore, all this can then be added to their Google Calendar!

Best For:

If you have plans to scale your website, Listify is the best directory WordPress theme for you. With its diverse collection of free add-ons, growing and adding features to your directory doesn’t need to be expensive. With Listify, you don’t need to worry about plugins potentially breaking your site. You can rely on their library of addons you can pull from as your directory expands.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $138 per year

Get Listify

What are the Best Directory WordPress Themes?

	Plugin	Price	Free Option
ðŸ¥‡	Geo Directory Themes	$199/year	âœ”ï¸	Visit
ðŸ¥ˆ	Directory Theme	$198/year	âŒ	Visit
ðŸ¥‰	Listable	$85/year	âŒ	Visit
4	Listee	$49/year	âŒ	Visit
5	ExpertHive	$89/year	âŒ	Visit
6	Classipress	$69/year	âŒ	Visit
7	ListingPro	$198/year	âŒ	Visit
8	Listify	$138/year	âŒ	Visit

In conclusion, we know that there is a WordPress directory theme out there for you. Geo Directory Themes are the best choice for the one who wants to have the most control over their site. A large feature set supports it and sits at the top of our list. PremiumPress’ Directory Theme comes in second. With its library of 100+ design blocks, you can build your custom directory website with this theme.

Lastly, Listable’s editing options set it in our top three. Your branding will shine through with this directory theme, from filters to colorization, color palettes, and its dark mode. Ultimately, the best WordPress directory theme is the one you choose to use and make your own. Which one will you choose for your next directory website? Was there a theme that you think we missed? Share it below in the comments section!

The post 8 Best Directory WordPress Themes in 2023 appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

30.04.2023

16 Best AI Chatbots in 2023 (Reviewed and Compared)

Artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbots are revolutionizing how we get work done. You’ve likely heard about ChatGPT, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Millions of people leverage all sorts of AI chat tools in their businesses and personal lives. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best AI chatbots and what they can do to enhance individual and business productivity.

What Types of AI Chatbots Are There?

AI Chatbot platforms are built on some fantastic technology. Large Language Models have a knack for following complex instructions without breaking a sweat. Most AI bots are text-based, but some can generate images, video, code, and audio or even solve complicated math. They’re used in all sorts of applications, like image generators and article rewriting tools.

They help humans with just about anything related to information gathering, pattern-making, and generally tedious tasks. Because of these unique features, they can fill many holes in business and personal productivity.

Popular Use Cases for Business Chatbots

Chatbots schedule appointments and meetings, reducing the effort needed for staff and increasing efficiency.
Businesses can utilize chatbots to engage with website visitors, collect contact information, and qualify leads, resulting in easier identification of potential customers.
Chatbots can be used on company websites as live customer service agents. By directing users to relevant documentation, guides, and frequently asked questions (FAQs), chatbots enable customers to find the answers they need quickly.
Employees benefit from chatbot assistance in locating information, completing tasks, and accessing company resources, which leads to improved productivity and efficiency.
Chatbots also gather customer feedback, conduct surveys, and collect valuable insights and even come in WordPress chat plugins.

How You Can Use a Personal Chatbot

Personal chatbots can be valuable research assistants, delving into topics of interest and providing suggestions for further exploration.
Chatbots can enhance the experience by offering conversation prompts, vocabulary lessons, and grammar tips when learning a new language.
Personal chatbots ensure you have various entertainment options by recommending movies, music, books, or events tailored to your interests and preferences.
Meal preparation becomes more enjoyable and efficient with chatbots that suggest recipes based on dietary preferences, provide cooking instructions, and assist in planning weekly meals.

The Best AI Chatbots

1. Writesonic (Botsonic + Chatsonic)

Writesonic is a leading AI-powered platform that performs many tasks to help businesses with efficiency and creativity. Backed by Y Combinator, it has gotten a lot of attention and development. It offers different products using the same underlying AI technology to save businesses money. We’ll focus on two AI chatbot tools by Writesonic: Chatsonic and Botsonic. We’ll go over the key features and then explain who the whole Writesonic platform is for.

Writesonic Library of Use Cases

Chatsonic is an AI-powered chatbot by Writesonic that is a powerful ChatGPT alternative. It is built on top of GPT-4 but introduces other proprietary technology to bring even more capabilities for those used to the text-only output of ChatGPT. Botsonic is another integrated product from Writesonic that can create conversation AI experiences for your website users. It can connect your sales and support data to develop AI automated conversations with your customers and leads.

Writesonic’s free plan includes 10,000 monthly words and access to nearly all of Writesonic’s features (including Botsonic and Writesonic)

Key Features of Chatsonic:

Connected to the internet using Google Search technology
Generate AI art and images in the same chat flow
“Personality Avatars” can be set to help with different tasks (math teacher, translator, general AI, etc.)
Chrome extension to bring AI to all the places you write
Enter prompts using a voice command (you speak, and it listens)
Can cite sources (but still need to verify)

Key Features of Writesonic:

No-code, website chatbot builder
Built leveraging GPT 4, arguably the most advanced AI model on the market
Brand customization is available and allows for changing chat window colors, logo, and avatar
Simple embed script + API that makes it usable on almost any website

Best For:

Chatsonic is ideal for businesses needing AI-powered personal assistants. Its personality avatars make it adept at performing specific tasks while still being able to do just about anything. As helpful as ChatGPT has been for teams, Chatsonic tries to be even more valuable by doing what it can’t. Botsonic is perfect for website owners who offer online customer support. Powered by GPT 4, Botsonic can leverage your customer support material and provide dedicated support to your customers 24/7.

Pricing: Free plan with paid plans starting at $19/mo (30% discount for non-profits and students)

Get Writesonic

2. Chat by Copy.ai

Chat by Copy.ai is a versatile chatbot that works like ChatGPT but has access to more data and is trained for marketing and sales tasks. But it is also great as an all-purpose AI that can help with creativity, solving problems, and any writing task. Chat by Copy.ai is built for the workplace, and paid plans can be used across teams, starting with five users per account.

Key Features of Chat by Copy.ai:

Access to the web so it can talk back with live information
Prebuilt prompts to save you time and get consistent results for routine queries
Go from a chat conversation to a long-form editor to create content with your AI assistant

Chat by Copy.ai Screenshot

Best For:

Chat by Copy.ai is perfect for businesses looking for an assistant-type chatbot for internal productivity. It is built for sales and marketing professionals but can do much more. Since it can access Live-data on the web (and through API), it can be used to personalize marketing materials and sales outreach.

Pricing: Free plan available with paid plans starting at $49/mo

Get Chat by Copy.ai

3. ChatBot

Chatbot by LiveChat is an AI chatbot provider focused on allowing businesses to provide excellent customer service using a live chat widget. It enables companies to create web chatbots and reduce dependencies on a 100% human support team. Its robust integration capabilities make it easy to incorporate into existing workflows and communication channels, including social media.

Key Features of ChatBot:

Integrates with several chat services (WhatsApp, SMS, Email, etc.) to create a unified support platform
Provides customer support based on the integrated HelpDesk and can create support tickets
Display product cards in chat to develop leads and even customers through Conversational AI
Tag visitors for powerful marketing and CRM segmentation campaigns
Ten high-powered SaaS integrations + Zapier

Best For:

ChatBot is an ideal solution for businesses that want a customer-facing virtual chatbot solution for sales and customer support. It integrates with LiveChat’s other products, LiveChat and HelpDesk, to offer a 306-degree support system for any business. If your business is poised to scale into the major leagues, the LiveChat ecosystem is something to consider.

Pricing: Starting at $65/mo

Get ChatBot

4. Jasper Chat

Jasper Chat is an AI chat platform built into one of the best AI writing software tools on the market. It is a prompt or command-based AI chat toolâ€”put in a query or prompt, and Jasper will get to work. Built into Jasper Chat is a refining experience where you can slightly modify your prompt to optimize for a preferable generated output. It’s an ideal AI assistant with an easy-to-use chat interface.

Jasper AI Chatbot

Key Features of Jasper Chat:

Jasper is trained on data from as late as 2021, so it is behind the ball compared to Chatsonic
Quickly transfer chat outputs into Jasper’s long-form editor
Built for business use cases like marketing, sales, and business writing

Best For:

Jasper Chat is a decent chat assistant that can help you with writing tasks. Not the most advanced AI chatbot on our list, but it will likely mature as the rest of the Jasper platform has.

Pricing: Starts at $24/mo for Jasper subscription, including Jasper Chat

Get Jasper Chat

5. Tidio+

Tidio is a customer service chatbot platform. Most of its plans help people build traditional chatbots based on workflows, but with their Tidio+ plan, users can get the power of AI incorporated into advanced chatbots that help reduce customer churn and improve retention.

Key Features of Jasper Chat:

Tidio+ comes with unlimited chat interactions
Chatbot can handle conversations with customers but fallback onto live agents for a human touch when needed
It comes with a ticketing system when solutions will take a little bit of time
Ran from the cloud allowing operators to interact with customers on mobile device apps or using desktop applications

Best For:

Tidio is great for any business that has either a chat-based customer support organization or an inbound sales team. It integrates with major website platforms, including WordPress, as well as several popular messaging channels so you can deploy high-level chat solutions where ever your customers are. The AI tool is best suited for customer support for any business and automated sales chat with connected eCommerce stores.

Pricing: Tidio+ starts at $329/mo, with non-AI chatbot plans starting Free

Get Tidio+

6. Liveperson

Liveperson Homepage April 2023
LivePerson is an advanced conversational AI chatbot platform. They built their platform to improve the old “rule-based” chatbot model that was limited to providing programmed responses based on keywords entered by the user. This was clunky and didn’t fit the nature of how language works. The new Conversational AI technology by LivePerson is much more powerful. It is based on natural language understanding (NLU) and natural language processing (NLP) to handle complex interactions and deliver natural-sounding responses. This allows companies to enhance customer experience, engagement, and support.

Key Features of LivePerson:

Conversational AI technology for natural responses
Past AI chat interactions power and inform future conversationsâ€”Liveperson is always learning your business needs
Understands user intents to craft the best possible responses
Can connect with eCommerce platforms for conversation commerce experiences powered by AI chat

Best For:

LivePerson is for enterprise-sized businesses that want to leverage conversational bots across their business. It can be used in customer and eCommerce sales support and provide a casual chat experience across multiple mainstream messaging platforms.

Pricing: Pricing not available; contact Liveperson for a custom quote

Get LivePerson

7. You.com

You.com is an AI-based search engine that also has a chatbot (YouChat) connected to it. Its powerful search algorithms enable it to understand conversational user queries and deliver accurate, context-aware answers. It can also interact with the prompter as it surfaces web results and creates custom answers in chat.

Key Features of You.com:

Advanced AI-powered search capabilities
Context-aware chat responses
A great alternative to Bard or Bing AI
Includes AI search tools for generating various types of content including images, videos, code, and more.

Best For:

You.com is excellent for anyone surfing the web, especially those trying to avoid the obvious search giants (Google, Bing) and use something else.

Pricing: Free search engine

Try You Chat

8. Ada

Ada Homepage April 2023
Ada is a customer experience-driven chatbot platform that streamlines support processes while delivering personalized interactions. The platform’s AI technology enables it to understand complex user requests and respond conversationally. It can connect with your operational technology to create a deep and relevant customer experience.

Key Features of Ada:

Cross-channel AI chat conversations
Measure performance and iterate on how your chatbot works over time
No-code chatbot builder that is easy to deploy on a website
Multilingual (50+ languages) so you can deliver customer support at scale more accessible than ever
Integrates with 28 platforms (from eCommerce to appointment booking and more)

Best For:

Ada is the perfect solution for businesses that want an integrated chat solution that can pull from multiple business-critical data sources. Have it connect with your order management solution, helpdesk, or booking software to automate business processes at scale.

Pricing: No public pricing; contact for a customized quote for your business

Get Ada

9. Laiye Conversational AI

Laiye AI Chat Homepage April 2023
Laiye Conversational AI is another cutting-edge AI chatbot solution that excels in automating customer service and sales processes. The platform offers comprehensive tools for designing, training, and deploying AI chatbots across multiple channels.

Key Features of Laiye Conversational AI:

The AI assistant can collect information and qualify a customer before sending them to a human agent
Multi-channel deployment and integration so you can help people on your website and beyond
Real-time analytics and performance tracking to see just how much time and money you are saving
Rates and learns from its conversations, so it gets better at supporting your unique customers over time
SaaS and On-site versions of Laiye are available to fit the most complicated use cases that enterprises have

Best For:

Laiye is an enterprise AI chatbot and automation platform for businesses delivering support at scale. This platform should only be considered for large companies with large budgets. These companies stand to benefit from a lot of cost savings once deployed.

Pricing: No public pricing is available; contact Laiye directly for a customized quote

Get Laiye Conversational AI

10. Botsify

Botsify AI Chatbot Homepage April 2023
Botsify is an easy-to-use chatbot platform that allows small-to-medium-sized businesses to create, deploy, and manage AI-powered chatbots for customer support and engagement. It is built to help automate sales processes and customer support and balance growing workforce needs with AI.

Key Features of Botsify:

Multilingual AI chatbot
Whitelabel platform for agencies to offer chatbot building services
Integration with popular messaging apps and platforms
Integrates with WooCommerce and other eCommerce platforms
Agent fallback for when AI has done its job, but it is time for a human to step in

Best For:

Botsify is an excellent option for smaller businesses. It has most of the tools they’d need at pricing that matches their budgets. They offer a do-it-for-you development team that can help build you an AI-automated chatbot for business and help deploy it.

Pricing: Starting at $49/mo for 5k chat interactions

Get Botsify

11. Bard

Bard Homepage April 2023
Bard is an innovative chatbot platform that leverages advanced natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) technologies to deliver engaging and intelligent conversations. Built by Google, Bard aims to be a helpful collaborator with whatever you bring to it. The platform focuses on providing human-like interactions and understanding complex user queries.

Key Features of Bard:

Advanced NLP and machine learning capabilities
It acts as a personal assistant where you can ask it to follow prompts
Trained with internet data newer than ChatGPT

Best For:

Bard is perfect for anyone wanting help with anything that comes to mind (that can be expressed in text, at least).

Pricing: Free to use

Try Bard

12. ChatGPT

OpenAI's ChatGPT Homepage April 2023
ChatGPT is the AI-driven chatbot of the hour. Created by OpenAI, it excels in providing contextual and meaningful conversations across various industries and topics. It is easy to use for countless personal and professional tasks like planning events, writing emails, and generating code. The paid version is based on GPT-4 which is trained on 45 gigabytes of data, making it one of the most prominent and valuable Large Language Models (LLMs). Paid users of ChatGPT have access to GPT-4 in its chat, but GPT 3.5 is available for all users (free and paid).

ChatGPT Code Output Example

Key Features of ChatGPT:

State-of-the-art AI models that are used as a base technology for many of the tools mentioned in this article
Context-aware conversationalist that remembers what has previously been stated to inform current responses
The gold standard of basic chat functions with very sophisticated responses
It can help write and fix multiple coding languages

Best For:

ChatGPT is a great companion assistant. This AI chatbot is great for fleshing out ideas and performing text-based tasks. It is usable in almost any domain with enough context and prompt engineering.

Pricing: Free to use with the paid plan at $20/mo; API access costs are separate

Try ChatGPT

13. Zendesk Answer Bot

Zendesk Answer Bot Homepage April 2023
Zendesk Answer Bot is an AI-powered chatbot solution built into the popular Zendesk ecosystem of products. As another customer support-focused AI, Zendesk Answer Bot is excellent at taking support materials in Zendesk and leveraging those in conversational live chats with customers.

Key Features of Zendesk Answer Bot:

AI-driven support automation that works 24/7
Bots can triage interactions and transfer customers without manual sorting
Multiple messaging channels such as Slack, website, and Facebook Messenger
Can collect personalized customer data for segmentation and issue tracking

Best For:

Zendesk Answer Bot is perfect for businesses already using Zendesk products and looking to enhance their customer support processes with an AI-powered chatbot solution.

Pricing: Pricing is based on chat resolutions starting at $1 per resolution

Get Zendesk + Answer Bot

14. Landbot

Landbot is a versatile chatbot platform that enables businesses to create engaging, interactive chatbots for customer support, lead generation, and more. Their core product is more of a traditional chatbot though they’ve launched Landbot AI as a beta experiment for their chatbot platform.

Key Features of Landbot:

No-code chatbot flow builder
Wide range of customization options and integrations
It can be used for customer support and lead generation

Best For:

Landbot is ideal for businesses with more minor chatbot needs. This can include wanting to automate your business’s most common customer interactions. Its intelligent chatbot features are in their infancy but will show a lot of promise once they are out of beta.

Pricing: Free plan with 100 monthly chats and paid plans starting at $39/mo

Get Landbot

15. Drift Conversational AI

Drift Homepage April 2023
Drift Conversational AI is an effective enterprise chatbot platform that delivers personalized, engaging interactions to drive customer engagement and generate leads. The platform uses advanced AI technology to understand user queries and respond based on connected data sources. It goes beyond a chatbot by providing advanced landing pages and engagement options that bring even more data into your business.

Key Features of Drift Conversational AI:

Real-time, AI-driven customer interactions via chat
Schedule meetings automatically by connecting Google or Microsoft calendars
Use conversational engagement to gather actionable data and to de-anonymize critical data
Conversational landing pages that sell and interact

Best For:

Drift Conversational AI is for enterprises wanting to bring conversational bots to live chat and marketing flows. It excels at filling a CRM with actionable data through automated conversations. It’s a high-growth platform for large-scale businesses.

Pricing: Starting at $2,500/mo

Get Drift Conversational AI

16. Socratic

Socratic - Homepage April 2023
Socratic is an AI chat app that helps students with their learning goals. It uses AI to understand questions submitted by a wondering student and matches that query with the best online resources to help find an answer or to dig further into the topic. Users will need to download the Android or iPhone app, type a question into the chat, and surf the supplied resources related to the question. It works like a specialized version of Google Search, only completely tailored toward common learning objectives.

Key Features of Socratic by Google:

Free chat app available on Android and iPhone platforms
Step-by-step help with math problems so you can break them down instead of giving the answers
Provides practice test questions so you are prepared for any subject with realistic questions
Surfaces helpful content and sources (including videos and diagrams) to help you learn complex concepts

Best For:

Socratic is for life-long learners and students. It’s best used for general academic subjects, and your mileage may vary when you get into graduate-level academics focusing on very narrow topics. If you are looking for a study partner, Socratic is always available and can even tutor you in a wide range of subjects. This is best for students who want to learn more efficiently and not just those who want to get the correct answers without putting in the work.

Pricing: Free

Get Socratic

Conversational AI Chatbot FAQ

What is the best AI chatbot?

Many other chatbot services use ChatGPT’s underlying technology (GPT 3.5 and GPT 4). ChatGPT itself is one of the best personal chatbots out there. If you are using an AI chatbot for business, Writesonic and Chat by Chat.ai are some of the best to consider.

Which AI chatbot is right for you?

If you need AI-powered writing software + chatbots, check out Writesonic. Small businesses can try Botisfy or Zendesk Answers Bot for customer support, while enterprises may prefer Drift or Ada. For personal chat AI, try Socratic for students or ChatGPT/Bard for general use.

What is an AI chatbot?

AI chatbots are software applications that use artificial intelligence to simulate human-like conversations via messaging applications. These chatbots can understand natural language and respond to user inquiries, making them valuable tools for providing customer support and sales assistance around the clock without human intervention. Whether integrated into a website or used as standalone applications, AI chatbots can help businesses engage with customers conversationally and interactively, improving customer satisfaction and overall experience. With the ability to handle a wide range of inquiries, from basic FAQs to complex product and service inquiries, AI chatbots can be a valuable addition to any customer support or sales team.

What is the Best AI Chatbot?

There are all types of AI chatbots available online. Here’s a quick overview of our top choices.

	Tool	Languages	Starting Price	Free Plan
ðŸ¥‡	Writesonic	24	$19/mo	âœ”ï¸ Yes	Visit
ðŸ¥ˆ	Chat by Copy.ai	27+	$49/mo	âœ”ï¸ Yes	Visit
ðŸ¥‰	ChatBot	48	$65/mo	âŒ Trial	Visit
4	Jasper Chat	30+	$29/mo	âŒ Trial	Visit
5	Tidio+	8	$329/mo	âŒ Not w/ AI	Visit
6	Liveperson	28+	Must Request Quote	âŒ Trial	Visit
7	You AI Search	English	Free	âœ”ï¸ Yes	Visit
8	Ada	100+	Must Request Quote	âŒ No Trial	Visit
9	Laiye Conversational AI	2	Must Request Quote	âŒ Trial	Visit
10	Botsify	100+	$49/mo	âŒ Trial	Visit
11	Bard	English	Free	âœ”ï¸ Yes	Visit
12	ChatGPT	100+	Free	âœ”ï¸ Yes	Visit
13	Zendesk W/ AI Bot	18+	$1/Resolution	âŒ Trial	Visit
14	Landbot	5+	$39/mo	âœ”ï¸ Yes	Visit
15	Drift Conversational AI	100+	$2,500/mo	âœ”ï¸ Yes	Visit
16	Socratic	6	Free	âœ”ï¸ Yes	Visit

Our Recommendations

Writesonic arguably has the most comprehensive AI chatbot solution. Not only is it a powerful AI writing software, but it also includes Chatsonic and Botsonicâ€”two different types of AI chatbots. All of these are available in its free plan.

For businesses wanting to bring conversational AI to their support and sales operations, Botisfy and Zendesk Answers Bot are both within reach for most small businesses. Enterprises will want to look atÂ Tidio+ or Drift/Ada.

There’s no doubt that personal Chat AI is helpful as well. We recommend Socratic for students and ChatGPT or Bard for general-purpose AI chatting.

Looking for other tools to increase productivity and achieve better business results? Check out all our recommended tools for website owners.

Featured Image by Irina Strelnikova / shutterstock.com

The post 16 Best AI Chatbots in 2023 (Reviewed and Compared) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

21.04.2023

10 Best Ecommerce Platforms in 2023 (Compared)

The best eCommerce platforms give you the power to sell your products and services online easily. If you’re selling services, physical products, or exclusive access to your content, there is an eCommerce platform that will meet your criteria. However, not every platform is built the same. The right platform for your business will depend on your industry and the products or services you offer. In this post, we’ve provided a list of the best eCommerce platforms you should consider before you start showcasing your talent and expertise in the digital marketplace.

What are Ecommerce platforms?

An eCommerce platform is software that allows you to sell physical or digital products online. They can come in the form of a website builder, a content management system (CMS), or a WordPress plugin specifically designed with tools to support online sales. They can help you build your storefront, manage your products, collect payments, and integrate with shipping providers.

Depending on the eCommerce platform that you choose, they may have third-party integrations that connect to POS systems, mobile devices, or apps, bringing your online store offline into the real world. No matter what you want to sell, there is an eCommerce platform that can handle the job.

The 10 Best eCommerce Platforms

The best eCommerce platform for you depends on important factors that you need to consider, including ease of use, features, and, of course, price. Most importantly, you will want a platform that can scale your business. Thankfully, we’ve done the research for you. Check out our list below to find the right platform for you and start building your online store today.

1. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is touted as being the top eCommerce plugin for WordPress. This mighty eCommerce platform works on any WordPress website and puts customization directly into the hands of the shop owner.

There are thousands of paid and free themes that you can use to use your online store. Scrolling through Creative Market alone will show you WooCommerce themes to match any brand, store, or style you could imagine. Using a powerful website builder like Divi also takes your store customization to a whole new level.

WoCommerce allows you to create digital and physical products right out of the box. Products can have galleries, descriptions, attributes, reviews, and categories. And its powerful CMS makes product management simple and efficient. To collect payments, WooCommerce integrates with PayPal, Stripe, and WooCommerce Payments. Or, you can find a payment plugin that can hook up with your chosen payment processor. WooCommerce also supports a variety of add-ons and other plugins to extend functionality beyond what is native to the platform.

WooCommerce connects with many third-party platforms for shipping, payment marketing, and more. As the platform is based on WordPress, you can trust that WooCommerce plays nicely with popular SEO plugins like Yoast and Rank Math to help boost your ranking in the SERPs.

Key Features of WooCommerce:

1000s of free and paid themes
1000s of plugins and integrations
130+ region-specific payment gateways
Strong focus on SEO-optimized product pages
Automated tax and shipping calculators
Sell in multiple currencies and languages

Divi and WooCommerce custom templates in the Theme Builder

With page builders like Divi, it’s possible to build custom checkout, cart, and other eCommerce-related pages on WooCommerce. Divi comes with over 30 native modules that can be customized and placed into any design template that you think to create in its powerful Theme Builder. This functionality isn’t just limited to Divi; many other page builder plugins can style WooCommerce to a high degree.

Best For:

If you want complete end-to-end control of your eCommerce platform, WooCommerce is your tool. Whether it’s design or integrations, with full access to its code, WooCommerce is an excellent choice for the store owner who values and welcomes customization over all else.

Pricing: Free, Paid add-ons are available

Get WooCommerce

2. Shopify

Shopify is a global leader in the eCommerce space. With more than 2 million stores built, it is considered one of the best all-in-one eCommerce solutions for many store owners. With Shopify, you can create an online store quickly with their simple and easy-to-use website builder. There are an array of paid themes for Shopify both on their platform, as well as on third-party marketplaces. Additionally, the Shopify app store allows you to integrate with apps for everything from shipping to order management and marketing to design tools.

Shopify is the best eCommerce platform for shop owners planning to scale their stores. Compared to WooCommerce, you won’t have the same degree of autonomy over your website. Nevertheless, you gain a level of peace knowing that all the technical heavy lifting is done for you. You will not need to worry about security, hosting, domains, etc. Plus, you’ll enjoy built-in tools for things like email marketing and SEO. The platform has built-in SEO fields for products and pages, but you may need to rely on an app for deeper insights and control.

Key Features of Shopify:

Clean and simple website builder
100s of mobile-responsive, editable themes
Integrates with a large number of shipping, marketing, and order management platforms
Extensive management for B2B and B2C customers
Native email marketing and payment processing (Shopify Payments)
Comprehensive analytics and reporting dashboard

Tracking profit margin and costs in Shopify

Ensure your store is profitable by seeing your profit and profit margin by entering your cost per item in Shopify. Tracking this information ensures you are seeing a return on your investment. Furthermore, tracking this type of information will grant you powerful business insights through Shopify’s analytics and reporting tools.

All in all, if you want to build a store that quickly grows with your business, consider choosing Shopify as your eCommerce platform.

Best For:

If you are a store owner with big dreams, Shopify is for you. With this platform, you don’t have to think about security, hacking, or hosting, as they take care of everything for you. Build big, scaleable eCommerce websites with Shopify.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $37 per month

Get Shopify

3. Squarespace

Squarespace is an eCommerce platform with a deep focus on aesthetics, making it a popular solution for artisans and creatives. It has a library of trendy and modern templates to make your store look amazing. While it does not have the most extensive integration library, Squarespace has apps available to extend functionality. Your Squarespace website can connect to third-party platforms like Printful, Aftership, and FreshBooks, to name a few.

The platform allows you to sell a wide variety of products. Memberships, video on demand, physical products, and more can all be sold easily with Squarespace. Regarding SEO, Squarespace allows you to customize page URLs and meta descriptions and connect to Google Analytics, but not much else. However, Squarespace has a directory of experts who can help you optimize your site for SEO and branding, paid ads, and more, should you need further assistance.

Key Features of Squarespace:

Feature-rich page and website builder
Flexible product types
Custom checkout forms
Sell products on Facebook, Google, and Instagram
Buy and print USPS shipping labels via the web or app
Native email marketing software

"Custom

Squarespace gives you the power to add custom fields to your checkout form. Additionally, the form field comes with various fields such as time and date, radio buttons, dropdowns, and much more.

Best For:

For the creative, Squarespace’s eCommerce platform will help you easily create a beautiful store. Also, if you are a service provider who relies on paid bookings (think consultants, stylists, technicians, etc.) Squarespace’s Acuity Scheduling is the perfect fit for your business.

Pricing: Paid plans start at$36 per month

Get Squarespace

4. Ecwid

With Ecwid, you can sell your products and services anywhere using a flexible eCommerce platform. If you want to have a multi-channel store, Ecwid will be a welcome solution for your business. Whether you want to sell on marketplaces like eBay or want to sell on your own website, Ecwid helps you manage all your sales channels from one powerful platform.

If you choose to build your website with Ecwid, you can use their themes to help design your online store. Their website builder isn’t as robust as others, but you can quickly build your site without code.

On Ecwid’s platform, you are equipped with a variety of marketing tools. You can offer promotional pricing, discount coupons, and volume discounts without additional plugins or apps. You can also send out email newsletters or generate ads for Google and Facebook. Taxes are automated with Ecwid, and you can show live shipping rates to your customers.

Key Features of Ecwid:

Build your website in minutes with no code
Sell products on multiple sales channels like eBay, Amazon, Google, and Facebook
Point-of-sale (POS) tools to sell offline
50+ payment options, including native payment process Lightspeed Payments
Offer and manage shipping, delivery, and pickup
Multilingual

Different shipping methods Ecwid

Ecwid provides you with many options when it comes to shipping, delivery, and pickup of your products. Like other platforms, it connects to shipping providers for live shipping rates. But it also has deeply customizable options for pickups and local delivery. You can set zones where local delivery is possible. You can set schedules for self-pickup. Additionally, you can add a calendar to your checkout page to request pick up dates and times from customers.

Best For:

If you manage multiple sales channels across social media and marketplaces, consider building your online store on Ecwid. You will enjoy organizing, managing, and tracking your sales, products, and customers from one platform.

Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $19 per month

Get Ecwid

5. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is an eCommerce platform that has a comprehensive suite of tools for businesses of any size. It can be used as flexible open source software or as an all-in-one SaaS platform for building your online store.

With BigCommerce Essentials, their hosted eCommerce platform, you can have full control over your building your online store. Firstly, their page builder comes with many widgets that you can use to create unique pages. Secondly, you can edit the code of the free and paid themes within their library or create and use your own theme if you know how to code.

BigCommerce’s collection of apps covers everything from design to shipping management, order fulfillment, and more. For SEO, BigCommerce allows you to set your page title, meta description, URL, and Open Graph sharing settings. You can create and manage promotional banners on BigCommerce that show at certain times and locations on your site. Additionally, it is easy to customize your transactional and abandoned cart emails for your customers to increase your average order value.

Key Features of BigCommerce:

Drag-and-drop page builder
Upload and use custom page templates and themes
Script manager for custom code snippets
Personalize B2B and B2C sales with price lists
Import customers, orders, products, and tracking numbers
Custom gift certificate templates

BigCommerce's product filters feature

BigCommerce’s Faceted Search improves your site’s search speed and accuracy (Something not native to other platforms like WooCommerce). Product filtering is available in all BigCommerce paid plans and is automatically generated from your product categories and custom product fields. You can add new categories and bring additional products to the forefront, all through drag-and-drop.

Best For:

If you don’t want the complete freedom that WooCommerce provides its users, BigCommerce is a good option. Having the opportunity to customize page templates as well as theme code is made easy with this platform.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $29 per month

Get BigCommerce

6. Square Online

Square Online is an online eCommerce platform by the payment processor Square. It is important to note that Square recently acquired Weebly to merge its platform with the powerful website builder. So, an account on Weebly or Square would lead you to the same interface, with different access rights, depending on the plan you decided to purchase from either Square or Weebly.

Square Online’s builder is simple to use but has fewer features, widgets, and customization options than the other eCommerce platforms in our list. While it does have an app marketplace, it is not as large as WooCommerce or Shopify. Nevertheless, you can connect with platforms like OpenTable, LinkTree, and GoDaddy.

With Square being a payment processor, it is at the forefront of equipping its customers with various ways to get paid. Vendors who want to give their customers options like buy now, pay later, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Cash App Pay will love Square Online’s flexibility in collecting payments.

Square Online provides you with the basics for SEO, like 301 redirects, search engine visibility, and the customary meta title and description for products and pages.

Key Features of Square Online:

Clean and minimalistic store builder
Sophisticated machine learning to spot and block payment fraud
Sell in-person with cutting-edge POS hardware and software
Email and text alerts
Quickly make a link, buy button, or QR code to take online payment
It can be integrated with other eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce, Ecwid, Wix, and more

Square popup maker

Square Online allows you to create and manage a variety of popups easily and quickly from its interface. Whether you want to offer a coupon code to clients or prevent minors from accessing your site, you can do all this without using additional plugins or code snippets on the Square Online platform.

Best For:

Brick-and-mortar stores looking to consolidate their online and offline presence will benefit from Square Online’s tools. With its simple setup and varied ways to capture payment, it is easy to integrate or replace outdated offline payment systems with Square Online’s platform.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $35 per month

Get Square Online

7. Wix

Wix is an all-encompassing eCommerce platform that covers many bases. For starters, it has a great visual website builder that allows you to design your online shop as you see fit. It has a theme library boasting over 500 designer-created themes that come with a set of pre-designed and editable sections and widgets.

Regarding external integrations, Wix’s app marketplace makes interconnecting with various platforms around the web simple. There are apps for design, marketing, and much more that can be added to your site with a click.

Wix takes SEO very seriously. You can edit and set custom URLs, meta titles, and descriptions, and you can add and set values for other meta tags of your choosing. You can add values to your robot.txt files with a click. Creating structured data markup is also supported.

Key Features of Wix:

Sell both physical and digital products
Powerful drag-and-drop builder for pages and products
Advanced SEO tools and features
Built-in loyalty program
Native tools for email marketing, Google & Facebook ads, Google Shopping, and more
Multi-channel management and selling through eBay, Facebook, Instagram, and more

Custom product page with Wix

Wix’s page builder is a standout point of the platform. It is powerful enough to allow you to customize not only standalone pages but product pages as well. You can determine where thumbnails show, what attributes are shown (think price, SKU, quantity, etc.), the text on buttons, and much more.

Best For:

Small business owners and users who want various advanced features while balancing the perks of having a hosted eCommerce platform can benefit from using Wix.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $21 per month

Get Wix

8. PrestaShop

Prestashop is an open-source eCommerce platform similar to both WordPress and WooCommerce. It comes packed with tools, modules, and features that many of its competitors provide as paid add-ons. Since Prestashop is open-source, you can edit its code, build your modules and design your templates. Apart from WooCommerce, this level of customization and flexibility is unseen among others on our list.

Prestashop’s page builder allows you to customize most of your site’s pages and hooks. However, it is not a visual builder. Therefore you will not get real-time feedback on the changes that you make to your site. You can install a page builder addon to the platform to add this functionality.

For SEO, Prestashop emphasizes helping your store get discovered in search. Robots.txt files, schema, and more can be configured and optimized easily.

Because Prestashop is open-source, you will be responsible for handling your store’s hosting, security, backups, and general maintenance. However, Prestashop does have a hosted option that you could consider if you would rather not deal with these things. It also has a directory of Prestashop Experts that you could reach out to if you would prefer to pay a professional to assist you with your shop.

Key Features of Prestashop:

Open source
Deep customization with code and templates
Import geolocation packs with regions, taxes, current, language, and units
Hande customer support requests and queries within the platform
Built-in cache addon
One-page checkout

Caching with Prestashop

Prestashop’s built-in performance system gives you the same features as some of the well-known optimization and caching plugins of WordPress. You can minify your code or connect to external media services. There’s the option to choose your caching type or disable the use of cache altogether. As with other open-source projects, the choice is yours.

Best For:

For shop owners who want an alternative to WooCommerce, consider Prestashop. The same code and platform freedom levels that WooCommerce provides can be found with Prestashop.

Pricing: Free, Paid addons are available

Get Prestashop

9. Big Cartel

Big Cartel is an eCommerce platform that (like Squarespace) is geared toward the needs of makers, artists, and creatives. Although Big Cartel’s theme library is the smallest on our list, all their themes are free. And you can make their themes your own with a little bit of CSS. Big Cartel natively supports payment processing by PayPal and Stripe. However, these are the only payment processors that they are connected with. Additionally, Big Cartel does not have an app store, so third-party integrations require more effort than other platforms.

Unfortunately, Big Cartel does not have many robust SEO features outside of allowing you to customize the slug for your products and pages. Despite being relatively lean compared to other eCommerce platforms, Big Cartel has a place on our list. You can still manage orders, view store insights, create discount codes, and more for your online shop. If you want to start selling quickly and don’t need too many features, Big Cartel makes setting up a functional online store easy.

Key Features of Big Cartel:

Clean and uncomplicated dashboard
Easy order, product, and back office management
Add custom code to header for Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, etc.
Add and edit theme CSS
Create flexible, zone-based shipping rates
Add individual and group product attributes

Big Cartel edit product page

The product screen of Big Cartel is clean and easy to understand. You can add your product descriptions, photos, pricing, and more from it. You can even set and create product attributes and groups from this screen.

Best For:

Artists and makers who want a simple online store and who want to support a smaller, niche eCommerce platform provider.

Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $9.99 per month

Get Big Cartel

10. Patreon

Patreon is an online platform that allows creators sell access to exclusive content. This is perfect for those wanting to create a membership-based business. For example, if you have a podcast, but want to share special episodes or content for a fee, you can use Patreon to do this.Â The platform provides your own hosted creator page where patrons can see your plans, subscribe and get access to your content. The Patreon dashboard is simple, making it very easy to create your content and build your community. You can create and upload content like posts, videos, audio, images, livestreams, etc.

Unlike the other platforms on our list, Patreon doesn’t charge a monthly fee but takes a percentage of your sales instead. Surprisingly, Patreon has a nimble app library that connects you to services like Converkit, Zapier, and even WordPress. Because Patreon allows you to only show your content to paying subscribers, SEO is not a highlighted feature. However, you can assign tags to your content to make it searchable for your patrons. All in all, to quickly create a membership site with no headache, use Patreon.

Key Features of Patreon:

Easy to setup unlimited recurring membership levels
Create or upload your content with ease
Create and manage promotions and limited-time offers
Communicate directly with subscribers via email, posts, or direct message
Track payments and analytics from the web or mobile app
Fraud protection

Easily create subscription and membership tiers with Patreon

Patreon’s interface for creating a membership program is simple and causes you to build your site quickly. You set your monthly price, add your content, and determine what benefits users will receive. No need for any additional plugins; the platform does all the heavy lifting for you, making it painless to monetize access to your content.

Best For:

Content creators who want to sell subscriptions and exclusive access to their video, text, or audio work would benefit most from Patreon. With strong brand recognition and a simple setup and implementation process, if you want to monetize your content as a creator quickly, consider adding Patreon to your arsenal of tools.

Pricing: 5% of the monthly income you earn on Patreon

Get Patreon

Who are the Best eCommerce Platforms?

Features	WooCommerce	Shopify	Squarespace	Ecwid
Pricing	Free	$37/month	$39/month	$19/month
Free Version Available	âœ”ï¸	âŒ (Trial)	âŒ (Trial)	âœ”ï¸
Free Themes and Templates	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸
Number of Paid Themes	2000+	2000+	200+	âŒ
Third Party Integration Library	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸(Limited)	âœ”ï¸
Drag-and-Drop Visual Builder	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âŒ
Custom Coding	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸ (Limited)	âœ”ï¸ (Limited)	âœ”ï¸ (Limited)
Shipping Calculator	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸
Automatic Tax Calculation	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸
Additional Sales Channels	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸
Native Payment Processor	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âŒ	âœ”ï¸
Native Email Marketing	âŒ	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸
Custom & Admin Customer Emails	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸
Order Management	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸
Custom Product Page Templates	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âŒ	âŒ
Sell on Social Media	âœ”ï¸ (Addon)	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸
Sell on Online Marketplaces (eBay, Amazon, etc.)	âœ”ï¸ (Addon)	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸	âœ”ï¸
	Get WooCommerce	Get Shopify	Get Squarespace	Get Ecwid

At a basic level, the best eCommerce platforms allow you to manage your products, beautify your store, track your hard work, and ultimately run a successful shop online. The degree to which your platform of choice does these things leaves the answer to the question, “Who are the best eCommerce platforms?” squarely in your hands.

Our Top 3 eCommerce Platforms

To begin, we’d be remiss if we didn’t start our list by talking about WooCommece. For shop owners who want to take charge of every aspect of their store, WooCommerce is for you. With a foundation laid on WordPress, the flexibility and freedom you experience building your shop are unmatched.

If you have big dreams for your online store, Shopify is for you. Consequently, you may need to give up some control in certain departments, like customization and data ownership, but it can be worth it. Shopify powers some of the largest and most popular online brands and stores, and you could join their ranks.

Lastly, for creatives and service providers who rely on appointment scheduling and bookings, Squarespace may be one of the best eCommerce platforms for you to use. With modern templates and a robust native booking calendar, Squarespace makes selling your time online easy, beautiful, and profitable.

What are your thoughts on the best eCommerce platforms?

In conclusion, the best eCommerce platforms are the ones that meet the needs of their user. Do you own an online store? If show, which eCommerce platform did you choose to use? Please share your thoughts in the comments, and let’s discuss!

The post 10 Best Ecommerce Platforms in 2023 (Compared) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

18.04.2023

8 Best ChatGPT Alternatives in 2023 (Free and Paid)

While ChatGPT is a highly advanced language model, there are other ChatGPT alternatives out there that offer similar and more advanced capabilities. Whether you are looking for AI writing software, virtual assistants, SEO tools, or code generators, there are many advanced AI-based alternatives to ChatGPT to help you achieve your goals. By exploring the options available, you can find the right solution for your business or personal needs.

With this post, we’ll discover some of the best ChatGPT alternatives, giving you the knowledge to make an informed decision for choosing an AI-powered tool for your distinctive needs and tailored requirements.

Why Use ChatGPT Alternatives?

ChatGPT is an AI-based chatbot platform by OpenAI designed to interact with people, providing helpful responses to queries. It uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to understand and respond to users. With ChatGPT, you can write code, plan an event, get homework help, and much more. However, if you’re looking for nuanced or specific uses of AI, ChatGPT may not be the right tool for you.

As such, there are several alternatives to ChatGPT. These platforms often use similar NLP and machine learning to provide highly customized and engaging conversational experiences for users. But some extend beyond the limited capabilities of ChatGPT, offering more powerful generative AI solutions.

Each platform has unique features and pricing plans, making it essential to research and compare different options to find the one that best fits your needs and budget. Ultimately, the suitable ChatGPT alternative for you will depend on factors such as the type of interactions you want to enable, the number of queries you may want to run, the kind of content you want to be generated, and your target audience.

8 Best ChatGPT Alternatives

If you’re looking for ChatGPT alternatives, the list of tools below should do the trick. They offer powerful AI solutions to fit a variety of needs. Hopefully, these will help you find the right one for your needs and budget.

1. ChatSonic

ChatSonic is a powerful feature by WriteSonic that is probably the best ChatGPT alternative. It is an AI-powered chatbot (and AI writing tool) that utilizes NLP and machine learning algorithms. Now powered by CPT-4, ChatSonic is able to understand context and nuances at a higher level than the free version of ChatGPT. Additionally, this platform provides users with suggestions for sentence structure, tone, and word choice to create high-quality content quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, Chatsonic can create digital artwork and use voice commands to send tasks to the chatbot.

ChatSonic is a part of WriteSonic’s suite of AI writing tools. The platform offers many templates and tools to help users streamline their writing process and get started quickly. This can be an invaluable asset for businesses and individuals looking to improve their writing skills and create engaging content with ease.

Chatsonic Dashboard

ChatSonic’s library of templates empowers you and your writing skills. You can use the Content Rephrase tool to rehash your content in a different tone or style. Additionally, the library provides AI-generated article ideas that can help you through the brainstorming portion of writing. Furthermore, ChatSonic’s template library can also help you with your ad writing, eCommerce content, social media, and website copy.

Key Features:

Offers a variety of templates for generating content quickly
Includes a built-in plagiarism checker to ensure content uniqueness
Provides suggestions for sentence structure, tone, and word choice
Has an easy-to-use interface for inputting ideas
Offers “language switching” to change content language in real-time
Integrates with other tools such as Google Docs and WordPress

Best For:

ChatSonic is best for those looking for a powerful ChatGPT alternative with a suit of AI writing tools. It extends the capabilities of ChatGPT in a variety of ways. If you write professional content like blog posts, articles, and technical documents, you will love ChatSonic.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $13 per month

Get ChatSonic

2. Jasper AI

Jasper AI is a ChatGPT alternative writing software that allows businesses, brands, and individuals to create SEO-friendly content quickly and accurately. Those familiar with ChatGPT will particularly enjoy Jasper Chat, which allows you to interact with AI and generate content using natural dialog.Â Jasper’s primary focus is helping those developing marketing pieces work effectively and accurately. You can use Jasper for ads, email, blogging, website content, social media, etc. Jasper comes with several AI-powered templates that you can use to start using their platform immediately.

A unique feature of Jasper AI is its generative AI platform. This platform allows users to quickly generate content tailored to their needs without manually inputting all the information. Additionally, Jasper Recipes are premade sets of text commands that can cause writing in a particular format. This makes it easy for users to create engaging and persuasive content.

Key Features of Jasper AI:

50+ AI-powered templates
20+ languages supported
Jasper Chat
Integrates with Sufer SEO to provide SEO-friendly content
Generates digital art
Create documents directly inside the platform
Share documents with team members for collaboration

Jasper AI dashboard

Jasper Workflows give you the power to create long-form content in one go. With Jasper Workflows, you can create your email marketing, social media campaign, and blog posts for multiple campaigns in one fell swoop. You can use Workflows to generate hashtags, create email campaigns, write blog posts, and generate Facebook ad ideas from one blank document.

Best For:

Jasper suits social media managers, copywriters, content publishers, marketers, bloggers, students, and small business owners.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $29 per month

Get Jasper AI

3. Bard

Google has developed Bard, a highly anticipated AI chatbot that harnesses NLP and machine learning to provide real-time responses to a diverse range of inquiries. Unlike ChatGPT’s dark mode, Bard sports a clean, sleek design consistent with Google’s signature Material design.

Along with a user-friendly interface, Bard offers numerous convenient features, including the ability to edit prior questions and restart conversations at any point. The chatbot can perform several functions, including generating text, translating languages, crafting creative content, and answering questions clearly and concisely. Additionally, Bard boasts of fast response times, making it an efficient tool for quickly obtaining information and insights on various topics.

Bard is available to a cross-section of US and UK-based customers. At this time, there is a short waiting list for those who are interested in using the chatbot. But many gain access within a few days or weeks.

Key Features of Bard:

Ability to clear your chat so you can ask a new question
Bard activity shows you previous requests
Ability to give thumbs-up or thumbs-down responses
“Google It” integration to search the web through the search engine
Has access to more updated information than ChatGPT
Alexa and Google Assistant integration

Bard AI results interface

Bard offers three alternative responses as suggested drafts at the top of the answer to your question, providing users with more options. In contrast, ChatGPT provides only one response to a user’s request. This makes Bard useful for those seeking multiple perspectives on a given topic.

Best For:

Bard can be used by anyone who seeks to engage with an AI chatbot for various purposes and is partial to Google’s interface design and suite of products.

Pricing: Free

Try Bard

4. The New Bing (Bing AI)

The new Bing (also called Bing AI) is a conversational AI-powered search engine by Microsoft. Users can enter questions, and Bing will provide answers as found on the web. When you search with Bing, it will provide you with deeply accurate results that are personalized to your queries. It is also possible to use your voice to issue commands to Bing. The search engine reviews and summarizes search results from across the web, so you get what you seek without multiple and sometimes overwhelming answers.

Bing AI works best with the Microsoft Edge browser and is also integrated with other Microsoft services and programs, such as Microsoft Office and Microsoft Teams, making it a valuable tool for businesses and individuals. If you need multilingual assistance in your search, Bing is helpful. The search engine can translate text and phrases and supports over 100 languages!

Bing AI video results

Since Bing is a search engine, it can provide your results in the form of videos and images. Whereas ChatGPT is strictly an AI language model and cannot browse the internet, with Bing AI, you can look up documents, videos, photos, and more that can be found on the world wide web.

Key Features of Bing AI:

Improved search accuracy
Personalized recommendations based on user data
Voice search capabilities
Select conversation style: creative, balanced, and precise
Provides insights into user behavior and search trends for businesses
Can be used natively on Apple and Android devices

Best For:

If you use Microsoft Edge and you’re looking for more profound, personalized search results, using the new Bing as your search engine would benefit you.

Pricing: Free

Try Bing

5. CoPilot

CoPilot is an AI-powered code completion tool by Github that helps developers write code more efficiently and effectively. The platform uses the OpenAI Codex and advanced NLP and machine learning (ML) technologies to understand and analyze code, providing real-time suggestions and predictions to help developers write code faster and with fewer errors.

CoPilot also autocompletes code based on contextual understanding, meaning it can try filling in the gaps in your work as you code. When a developer starts typing a code snippet, CoPilot can analyze the codebase and suggest relevant code completions that fit the current context. This can help to reduce errors and speed up the coding process significantly.

Copilot, favorite editor

CoPilot can easily be integrated into commonly used IDEs and editors as a plugin. Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, and Neovim can all have CoPilot assist you as you type your code.

Key Features of CoPilot:

AI-powered code completion
Supports many programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, Ruby, and more
Code context analysis
Integrates well with several popular IDEs and editors
Large codebase support
Realtime coding suggestions and predictions

Best For:

CoPilot can be helpful for developers of all levels of experience, from beginners to advanced coders.

Pricing: Free trial with paid plans starting at $10 per month

Get CoPilot

6. Elsa Speak

Elsa Speak is a useful mobile app for anyone looking to improve their English pronunciation and speaking skills, whether for personal or professional reasons. Available on both Apple and Android devices, with the help of AI, Elsa provides insight into users’ strengths and weaknesses when learning to speak English. The app uses advanced speech recognition technology to provide real-time feedback and corrections, helping users to identify and correct pronunciation errors.

When it comes to language learning and translation, Elsa is the best ChatGPT alternative. Elsa’s lessons are designed to be engaging and interactive, focusing on practical speaking skills for everyday situations. The app covers various topics, from basic vocabulary and grammar to more advanced topics like business English and public speaking.

Key Features of Elsa Speak:

7,100+ lessons and 22 essential skills to master English
AI algorithms analyze users’ speech patterns to provide personalized learning
Detailed analysis of users speaking through assessments and test
Daily customized coaching program
Tools to track progress and achievements
User-friendly interface for easy learning

Elsa Speaks ChatGPT alternative for language learning

Elsa Speak has over 7,100 lessons organized into the 22 critical skills needed to master English pronunciation. New classes are added daily. This sets it apart from ChatGPT, as Elsa Speak is a fully featured language learning platform that can provide much-needed structure and real-time feedback when learning English. You can build a profile and track your progress.

Best For:

Non-native English speakers who want to improve their knowledge and use of the language would benefit from using this ChatGPT alternative for language learning.

Pricing: Free, Paid plans from $11.99 per month

Get Elsa Speak

7. You.com (YouChat)

YouChat is an AI-powered chatbot search assistant feature by You.com that allows users to query the internet through messaging. Users can search using natural language input and receive results in a conversational format. YouChat can understand the intent behind user queries and provide relevant answers. It uses a combination of language models and search algorithms to generate accurate and informative responses.

Users can access YouChat through various platforms, including web and mobile. They can use it to perform multiple tasks, from finding information and making plans to purchasing products and services. Overall, YouChat offers a conversational and intuitive way for users to interact with the internet and get the necessary information.

Key Features of You.com’s YouChat:

Uses AI to understand user queries and provide accurate, informative results
Learns from user input to provide more personalized results over time
Accepts natural language input via voice or text
Presents results in a conversational format
Cross-platform compatibility for web and mobile
Integration with messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp

YouChat, You.com ChatGPT alternative

YouChat can provide citations for its answers, making it useful for research and fact-checking. This is done by incorporating information from reputable sources and providing links to those sources in response to user queries. Additionally, YouChat provides snippets of information and key facts to answer user queries, making it fast and efficient.

Best For:

YouChat is best suited for anyone looking for a conversational and intuitive way to search the internet and get information. It can benefit individuals who prefer a natural language input to traditional search engines.

Pricing: Free

Visit You.com

8. Poe by Quora

Poe by Quora is a unique ChatGPT alternative that gives users access to multiple AI chatbots using human language to generate answers to questions and other useful content. In addition to ChatGPT, users can access Sage, GTP-4, Claude, and Dragonfly (with limitations). This makes it useful for those looking to access various AI chatbots created by Open.ai and Anthropic.

Key Features of Poe by Quora:

User-friendly interface
Has access to Sage, GPT-4, Claude+, Claude-instant, Dragonfly and ChatGPT
Provides grammar, spelling, tone, and style recommendations
Integrates with writing tools like Google Docs
Provides personalized feedback on writing
One-click citation for sources referenced

Sage by Quora interface

You can use Sage as a writing assistant that uses artificial intelligence to help users improve their writing skills. It provides suggestions for improving grammar, syntax, and overall writing style. Unlike ChatGPT, Sage can highlight words or phrases in your text that you can expand upon within your writing. By activating Sage, you can quickly identify and improve specific words, phrases, or sentences in your text that may require adjustments for greater clarity, conciseness, or relevance to your target audience. Once highlighted, Sage provides helpful suggestions to help you refine your writing and effectively communicate your message.

Best For:
Poe is best for those who want access to multiple AI chatbots in one place. It is a great ChatGPT alternative for those looking for a more advanced writing tool without the extra cost.

Pricing: Free, Paid plans start at $13 per month

Try Poe

What are the best ChatGPT Alternatives?

	Tool	Starting Price	Free Version
ðŸ¥‡	ChatSonic	$13/mo	âŒ (Trial)	ChatSonic“>Visit
ðŸ¥ˆ	Jasper AI	$29/mo	âŒ (Trial)	Visit
ðŸ¥‰	Bard AI	N/A	âœ”ï¸	Visit
4	Bing	N/A	âœ”ï¸	Visit
5	CoPilot	$10/mo	âŒ (Trial)	Visit
6	Elsa Speak	$11.99/mo	âœ”ï¸	Visit
7	YouChat	N/A	âœ”ï¸	Visit
8	Poe by Quora	N/A	âœ”ï¸	Visit

If you are looking for the best overall alternative to ChatGPT, consider adding ChatSonic to your arsenal. It extends the limitations of ChatGPT and gives you access to a suite of AI Writing tools. For established content creators and marketing professionals, Jasper AI will help speed up your process while maintaining quality. And its Jasper Chat feature is a powerful conversational AI solution.

Overall, AI and machine learning are rapidly becoming commonplace. It’s good to know there are alternatives and new ways of working with well-established platforms like ChatGPT. Do you know if we missed any ChatGPT alternatives that we should highlight? Let us know in the comments section down below!

The post 8 Best ChatGPT Alternatives in 2023 (Free and Paid) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

16.04.2023