A faster Chatway alternative
GhostChat is lighter than Chatway, privacy-first by design, and lets you reply directly from Gmail. All the live chat essentials without slowing down your site.
Great Chat, light weight and very responsive dev!
We were using Chatway which was very heavy on our site and definitely slowed page load times. This chat is noticeably faster and the dev has been great to work with in getting everything set up.
GhostChat vs Chatway
| Feature | GhostChat | Chatway |
|---|---|---|
| Page speed impact | Minimal | Noticeable |
| Privacy (zero tracking) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cookie-free | ✓ | ✗ |
| Starting price | Free forever | Free (limited) |
| 5-agent team (total/mo) | $25/mo flat | $96 (Business $39 + 3 × $19 seats) |
| Gmail threading (reply from inbox) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi-site support | Unlimited sites (Team) | All plans — separate widgets on Plus ($199/mo) |
| Auto-translate | 133+ languages (Team) | ✗ |
| Setup time | 30 seconds | 5+ minutes |
| Mobile app (PWA) | ✓ (PWA) | ✓ |
| AI assistant | $0.10/conversation it answers — a fifth of Chatway's rate | $0.50/resolved chat |
Why switch from Chatway?
Chatway works, but it comes with tradeoffs. Here's why users are switching.
Noticeably faster
Our widget downloads 18.9KB in total, measured in our Lighthouse benchmark. Real users report noticeable page speed improvements after switching from Chatway.
Reply from Gmail
When a visitor messages your site, you get an email. Reply from Gmail and they see it instantly. No need to open a separate dashboard. Chatway doesn't support this.
Zero tracking
No cookies, no analytics scripts, no visitor fingerprinting. GDPR-friendly by default. No cookie banner needed. Chatway uses cookies and tracking scripts.
Cheaper at both tiers
Chatway is $39/mo for two seats (Business) and $199/mo for ten (Plus), with extra seats at $19 each and a monthly conversation cap on every plan. GhostChat paid plans start at $5/mo; Team covers up to 10 team members for $25/mo flat, no per-seat fees, and the AI assistant, when you switch it on, costs a fifth of Chatway's rate per AI conversation. A 5-person team runs $96 on Chatway vs $25/mo with us.
Everything you need, nothing you don't
Fast, focused live chat that stays out of your way.
Real-time messaging
Instant delivery via WebSocket. Works on any connection, anywhere in the world.
Email notifications
Get notified instantly. Reply from Gmail and continue the conversation seamlessly.
Mobile PWA
Install on your phone like an app. Push notifications, offline support, reply on the go.
Multi-site inbox
Manage conversations from all your sites in one dashboard. No switching between workspaces.
Contact management
Collect emails, add notes, export to CSV. Built-in CRM Lite for your contacts.
Simple dashboard
No feature overload. Just conversations, contacts, and settings. Get in, reply, get out.
When Chatway might be better
Chatway has some features we don't. If these matter to you, it might be worth the tradeoffs:
- •Native iOS app (GhostChat has an Android app on Google Play; iOS uses the PWA)
- •Facebook Messenger integration
- •Unlimited canned responses on all plans
If you want a faster, lighter widget that doesn't slow down your site and lets you reply from Gmail, GhostChat is the better choice.
Frequently asked questions
Is GhostChat faster than Chatway?
We could not measure Chatway fairly: in our August 2026 benchmark our own test account had been reclaimed, so its embed loaded only a 23.6KB stub, and we publish no comparison. GhostChat downloads 18.9KB in total, including opening the chat. One of our users switched from Chatway specifically because it was "very heavy" and "definitely slowed page load times."
Does Chatway work outside WordPress?
Chatway started as a WordPress plugin and works best in that ecosystem. GhostChat works on any platform — WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, React, Next.js, or plain HTML. Just paste one line of code. We also have a dedicated WordPress plugin for even easier setup.
What features does GhostChat have that Chatway doesn't?
GhostChat offers Gmail threading (reply to chats from your inbox), auto-translate in 133+ languages (Team), multi-site support (unlimited sites on Team), visitor context, and zero-cookie privacy by default.
Now with a built-in AI chatbot. GhostChat can auto-answer your visitors’ questions 24/7 from your FAQ knowledge base — and hand off to you when it doesn't know. See the AI chatbot →
Add live chat in 30 seconds.
One script tag. No configuration. No credit card required.
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