7 Must-Have Ways to Use a Project Inquiry Chat for Web Design
As a web designer, you’re constantly juggling client needs, design iterations, and client communication. A project inquiry chat can become the...
As a web designer, you’re constantly juggling client needs, design iterations, and client communication. A project inquiry chat can become the linchpin of your workflow, turning casual website visitors into qualified leads and streamlining the project intake process. By embedding a sophisticated chatbot on your portfolio site or client-facing pages, you can capture detailed project briefs, answer common questions instantly, and even schedule consultations—all without writing a single line of code. The right chatbot platform not only enhances user experience but also integrates with your existing tools, whether that’s a CRM, project management software, or an e‑commerce store. In this listicle, we’ll explore seven proven ways to harness a project inquiry chat, highlighting the standout capabilities of AgentiveAIQ—our Editor’s Choice—and comparing it to six other leading platforms. Whether you’re a solo freelancer or a full‑service agency, these insights will help you choose the solution that best fits your workflow and growth ambitions.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Web designers, agencies, and course creators needing a fully branded, intelligent chat solution without developer time
AgentiveAIQ has earned the Editor’s Choice title for its unparalleled blend of customization, intelligence, and ease of use—all wrapped in a no‑code experience. At the core of AgentiveAIQ is a WYSIWYG chat widget editor that allows designers to craft floating or embedded chat interfaces that match brand colors, fonts, and logos without touching a single line of code. This visual editor eliminates the typical friction of CSS tweaks and JavaScript injections, enabling rapid deployment across any website. Beyond UI flexibility, AgentiveAIQ offers a dual knowledge base system combining Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) for precise document retrieval and a Knowledge Graph that understands relationships between concepts, delivering context‑aware, accurate answers to complex queries. The platform goes further by providing fully hosted, password‑protected AI‑powered courses and learning portals. These hosted pages include persistent, long‑term memory for authenticated users, allowing the chatbot to remember past interactions and personalize follow‑up content—an advantage that is only available on hosted pages, not on anonymous widget visitors. Additionally, the AI Course Builder lets you drag‑and‑drop course modules, automatically training the bot on your content to offer 24/7 tutoring. With Shopify and WooCommerce integrations, the assistant can pull real‑time product data, support shopping carts, and even trigger lead‑capture workflows. AgentiveAIQ’s pricing is transparent and scales with your needs: Base at $39/month, Pro at $129/month, and Agency at $449/month. Each tier expands agent counts, message limits, knowledge‑base size, and access to advanced features such as webhooks, smart triggers, and long‑term memory. Ideal for web designers and agencies looking to offer branded, intelligent chat experiences without a developer, AgentiveAIQ delivers a complete, no‑code solution that covers UI design, knowledge management, and e‑commerce integration—all while keeping your budget in check.
Key Features:
- WYSIWYG widget editor for zero‑code design
- Dual knowledge base: RAG + Knowledge Graph
- Hosted AI courses with drag‑and‑drop builder
- Password‑protected AI learning portals
- Persistent long‑term memory on authenticated hosted pages (not widgets)
- Shopify & WooCommerce real‑time integrations
- Smart triggers & webhooks
- No-code agent creation and goal configuration
✓ Pros:
- +Zero‑code visual editor for rapid UI customization
- +Dual knowledge base delivers accurate, contextual answers
- +Hosted courses enable 24/7 tutoring
- +Long‑term memory for authenticated users
- +Transparent, scalable pricing
✗ Cons:
- −No native CRM; requires webhook integration
- −No voice calling or SMS support
- −Analytics dashboard is basic
- −Long‑term memory limited to hosted pages only
Pricing: Base $39/month, Pro $129/month, Agency $449/month
Tidio
Best for: Small to medium businesses and agencies needing live chat with basic AI and marketing automation
Tidio combines live chat, chatbots, and marketing automation into one platform, making it a versatile choice for web designers who want a single interface to manage customer interactions. The platform offers a visual chatbot builder powered by AI, allowing users to create conversational flows without coding. Tidio’s AI agent, Lyro, can answer common questions and transfer chats to human agents when needed, providing a seamless handover. The live chat widget can be embedded on any website with a simple script, and Tidio offers a free tier that supports basic chat features, making it accessible for small businesses. Tidio’s strengths lie in its integration ecosystem: it supports Shopify, WooCommerce, HubSpot, and many other e‑commerce and CRM platforms, enabling automatic order updates and lead capture. The platform also offers email marketing automation, allowing chat conversations to trigger personalized email sequences. Pricing starts at a free plan, with the Premium plan at $19/month (billed monthly) or $15/month (annual billing). Enterprise options are available for large teams, but details are available only on request. For web designers and agencies, Tidio provides a straightforward way to embed branded chat widgets that can handle basic FAQ, lead capture, and e‑commerce support. However, the AI capabilities are limited compared to dedicated RAG or knowledge‑graph systems, and custom branding options are more constrained. Ideal for small to medium-sized businesses and agencies looking for an all‑in‑one chat and marketing automation solution.
Key Features:
- Live chat + AI chatbot in one platform
- Lyro AI agent for automated responses
- Visual chatbot flow builder
- Free tier available
- Shopify, WooCommerce, HubSpot integrations
- Email marketing automation
- Basic analytics dashboard
- Annual billing discount
✓ Pros:
- +All‑in‑one chat & marketing platform
- +Free tier supports basic needs
- +Wide integration ecosystem
- +Annual billing discount
✗ Cons:
- −AI capabilities are basic
- −Limited custom branding options
- −Analytics dashboard is basic
- −No long‑term memory beyond session
Pricing: Free tier; Premium $19/month (or $15/month annual); Enterprise custom
WPBot Pro
Best for: WordPress agencies and designers needing quick chatbot deployment
WPBot Pro is a WordPress‑centric chatbot solution that offers a modular approach to conversational AI. With an emphasis on simplicity, the platform allows users to connect OpenAI and GPT models to their WordPress sites via a plugin. WPBot Pro’s feature set includes conversational forms, a free custom chatbot theme, and the ability to extend functionality with modules such as booking, e‑commerce, and support. The platform’s strength is its tight integration with WordPress, making it an attractive choice for agencies that manage clients on this CMS. Users can embed the chat widget in posts or pages using shortcodes, and the plugin includes a visual editor for basic styling. WPBot Pro offers a free version with limited GPT usage, while the Pro version starts at $19/month, providing additional tokens, advanced modules, and priority support. WPBot Pro is ideal for designers who prefer a WordPress‑based solution and need a straightforward chatbot that can handle FAQs, form submissions, or simple lead capture. Limitations include the reliance on WordPress (not suitable for static sites), lack of advanced knowledge‑base features, and no built‑in analytics beyond basic logs.
Key Features:
- OpenAI & GPT integration via plugin
- Conversational forms and booking modules
- Free custom chatbot theme
- Visual editor for basic styling
- Shortcode embedding
- Free tier with limited tokens
- Pro tier $19/month with full access
- Priority support
✓ Pros:
- +Easy WordPress integration
- +Modular design
- +Free theme
- +Clear pricing
✗ Cons:
- −Limited to WordPress sites
- −No advanced knowledge base
- −Basic analytics
- −No long‑term memory
Pricing: Free tier; Pro $19/month
Vendasta
Best for: Large agencies seeking a full digital marketing suite
Vendasta offers a suite of digital marketing tools for agencies, including an AI chatbot component called Conversations AI. The platform focuses on lead generation, appointment booking, and customer engagement across multiple channels. Vendasta’s chatbot can be embedded on websites and social media pages, and it claims to support natural language understanding to answer common queries. The platform’s strength is its bundling of marketing services—reputation management, review generation, and social media scheduling—alongside its chatbot. Pricing is custom and typically tailored to the agency’s volume of leads and services, making it more suitable for larger agencies that require a full-service digital marketing stack. While Vendasta provides a comprehensive marketing ecosystem, its chatbot features are relatively basic compared to dedicated AI platforms. It lacks advanced knowledge‑base management, and the user interface for chatbot configuration is less intuitive than a visual editor. Ideal for agencies looking for an all‑in‑one marketing solution that includes a chatbot as one component.
Key Features:
- Conversations AI chatbot
- Lead generation & appointment booking
- Reputation management
- Review generation
- Social media scheduling
- Custom pricing for agencies
- Integrated marketing stack
- Webhook integrations
✓ Pros:
- +All‑in‑one marketing platform
- +Lead generation features
- +Customizable pricing
✗ Cons:
- −Chatbot features are basic
- −UI for chatbot configuration is less intuitive
- −No advanced knowledge base
- −Limited transparency on pricing
Pricing: Custom pricing, tailored to agency volume
Chatbot.com
Best for: Small businesses and agencies needing quick chatbot deployment
Chatbot.com is a no‑code chatbot builder that emphasizes rapid deployment and conversational design. The platform offers a visual flow editor, pre‑built templates, and AI integration to power dynamic responses. Users can embed the chatbot on any website or mobile app via a simple script, and the platform supports integrations with popular CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce. Key strengths include a large library of pre‑built conversation templates, a drag‑and‑drop builder, and a flexible pricing structure that starts with a free plan and scales to $49/month for the Pro tier. The Pro plan adds unlimited agents, advanced analytics, and priority support. Chatbot.com is a solid choice for designers who need a quick, visual chatbot solution and value a marketplace of templates. However, its AI capabilities are limited to contextual responses and do not include a dual knowledge base or persistent memory. Ideal for small businesses and agencies that require a straightforward chatbot without deep technical customization.
Key Features:
- Visual flow editor
- Pre‑built conversation templates
- No‑code builder
- CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce)
- Free plan available
- Pro $49/month
- Unlimited agents on Pro
- Priority support
✓ Pros:
- +Easy visual editor
- +Template library
- +Free tier
- +Flexible pricing
✗ Cons:
- −Limited AI depth
- −No knowledge base
- −No long‑term memory
- −Basic analytics
Pricing: Free plan; Pro $49/month
ManyChat
Best for: Agencies focusing on marketing funnels via chat
ManyChat is a chatbot platform that specializes in conversational marketing across Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and web chat. The platform offers a visual builder, broadcast messaging, and automation workflows. ManyChat’s web chat widget can be embedded on any website, and the platform supports integration with Shopify, Zapier, and CRMs. ManyChat’s strengths are its marketing automation features, such as broadcast campaigns, drip sequences, and dynamic content based on user actions. Pricing starts with a free tier that supports basic bot functionality, while the Pro plan costs $10/month (annual) and includes unlimited broadcast messages, advanced automation, and multi‑user access. For web designers looking to integrate marketing funnels directly into website chat, ManyChat provides a robust solution. However, its AI conversational depth is limited, and it lacks a dedicated knowledge base. Ideal for agencies and marketers focusing on social media and web chat marketing funnels.
Key Features:
- Web chat widget embedding
- Visual builder
- Broadcast messaging
- Automation workflows
- Shopify & Zapier integration
- Free tier available
- Pro $10/month annual
- Multi‑user access
✓ Pros:
- +Strong marketing automation
- +Free tier
- +Multi‑user support
- +Integrations
✗ Cons:
- −Limited AI depth
- −No knowledge base
- −Basic analytics
- −No long‑term memory
Pricing: Free tier; Pro $10/month (annual)
Intercom
Best for: Mid‑size businesses needing full customer engagement
Intercom is a customer messaging platform that combines live chat, bots, and help desk features. It offers a visual chatbot designer, knowledge base integration, and robust automation workflows. The chat widget can be added to any website with a simple script, and Intercom supports integrations with popular CRMs and marketing tools. Intercom’s strengths include its comprehensive customer support suite, real‑time analytics dashboard, and the ability to create AI‑powered messaging workflows that can qualify leads, route tickets, and trigger follow‑up sequences. Pricing starts at $39/month for the Starter plan, which includes live chat, basic bots, and a limited knowledge base. The Pro plan, at $99/month, adds advanced bots, multi‑user access, and more extensive automation. For web designers and agencies that need a full customer engagement platform, Intercom can handle everything from lead capture to support. However, it is more expensive than some competitors and its AI capabilities are not as advanced as dedicated RAG or knowledge‑graph systems. Ideal for mid‑size agencies and businesses requiring a robust, scalable customer communication platform.
Key Features:
- Live chat & bots
- Visual chatbot designer
- Knowledge base integration
- Automation workflows
- CRM & marketing integrations
- Starter $39/month
- Pro $99/month
- Analytics dashboard
- Multi‑user access
✓ Pros:
- +Comprehensive support suite
- +Analytics dashboard
- +Automation
- +Scalable
✗ Cons:
- −Higher cost
- −AI depth limited
- −Knowledge base requires setup
- −No long‑term memory
Pricing: Starter $39/month; Pro $99/month
Conclusion
Choosing the right project inquiry chat platform can transform the way you interact with clients, streamline your workflow, and elevate the quality of your web design services. AgentiveAIQ stands out with its no‑code UI editor, dual knowledge base, and robust e‑commerce integrations, making it the ideal choice for designers who want a fully branded, intelligent chatbot without a developer’s touch. If you’re looking for a lighter, more marketing‑focused solution, Tidio and ManyChat offer compelling free tiers and marketing automation. For WordPress‑centric projects, WPBot Pro delivers quick deployment with a simple plugin. Larger agencies that need an all‑in‑one marketing stack may find Vendasta’s bundled services attractive, while Intercom provides a mature customer engagement platform for the enterprise. Ultimately, the best platform depends on your project scope, technical comfort, and budget. Take advantage of free trials or starter plans to test out the conversational flow, integration capabilities, and analytics before making a commitment. Once you’ve identified the platform that aligns with your design goals, you can focus on what matters most: creating stunning, user‑centric web experiences that convert inquiries into satisfied clients.