Starter
$29USD
/month
- 1,500 customer messages a month
- 1 website
- 14-day free trial
- Answers 24/7 from your own info
- "Owner will confirm" handoff by email
- Spam, abuse and prompt-trick filtering
- Cancel anytime
Home Install WordPress AI chatbot guide
WordPress guide
How to add an AI chatbot to your WordPress site. Step by step.
An AI chatbot answers your visitors' questions around the clock, even when you're closed. On WordPress you can add one with a free plugin or with one line of code, and none of it needs a developer. This guide covers three ways, what you need before you start, and how to check it works.
For any business of any size · Plans from $29/month (USD) · 14-day free trial
Before you start
- WordPress admin access. You need to be able to add plugins (an Administrator account). Self-hosted WordPress works on any host. On WordPress.com, plugins need a paid plan.
- WordPress 6.3 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer for the ChatBouncer plugin. Most hosts are well past this.
- A ChatBouncer account. Start the 14-day free trial, give it your website, and it builds your assistant from your own info: hours, prices, services and FAQs. You check it and fill any gaps.
Three ways to add it. Pick one.
All three put the same chat box on every page. Use only one, so the chat box doesn't load twice.
| Best for | What you do | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. ChatBouncer plugin | Most sites. Easiest. | Upload the plugin, click Connect your account. No code. |
| 2. Header & footer plugin | Sites that already use WPCode or a similar plugin | Paste one line in the Footer box and save. |
| 3. Your theme | Developers and custom themes | Add one line before </body> in a child theme, or a Custom HTML block in the footer. |
Way 1: the free ChatBouncer plugin
The plugin adds the chat box to your public pages the WordPress way, and you can switch it off with one checkbox. Full walkthrough: Add ChatBouncer to WordPress.
1 Set up your assistant
- Create your ChatBouncer account (14-day free trial) or log in, and give it your website. It builds your assistant from your own info.
2 Install the ChatBouncer plugin
- Download the plugin (.zip) from the WordPress install guide. Don't unzip it.
- In WordPress, go to Plugins > Add New and click Upload Plugin.
- Choose
chatbouncer-wordpress.zip, click Install Now, then Activate.
3 Connect your account
- Go to Settings > ChatBouncer and click Connect your account.
- Log in and pick the location. The chat turns on. You don't copy a key.
- Already have the code? Paste it in the box under the button and click Save changes.
4 Check it and go live
- Open your site in a new tab. The chat button shows in the bottom corner.
- In your ChatBouncer dashboard, press Go live so your assistant starts answering visitors.
Way 2: paste one line with a header & footer plugin
Already use a plugin like WPCode (Insert Headers and Footers)? Paste the ChatBouncer line there. It stays put when you change or update your theme.
1 Copy your ChatBouncer code
- In your ChatBouncer dashboard, open your assistant and go to the Widget & embed tab.
- Click Copy code. It's one line that looks like this (yours has your own key):
<script src="…/w.js" data-key="pk_…" async></script> - On the same tab, under Your website domains, add your site's address (for example
yourbusiness.com) and save. The chat box only runs on the addresses you list.
2 Paste it in the Footer box
- In WordPress, open your header and footer plugin. In WPCode it's Code Snippets > Header & Footer.
- Paste the line into the Footer box, not the Header box.
- Click Save Changes.
Using a caching plugin? Clear its cache after saving so visitors get the new page.
Way 3: add it to your theme
For developers. Theme updates replace a theme's own files, so put the line in a child theme or in a template part you control.
1 Classic themes
- Copy your ChatBouncer code from Widget & embed (see Way 2, step 1).
- In a child theme, paste it just above the closing
</body>tag infooter.php, afterwp_footer(). - Save, upload, and clear any cache.
2 Block themes
- Go to Appearance > Editor and open your Footer template part.
- Add a Custom HTML block, paste your ChatBouncer code, and click Save.
Google Tag Manager uses this same script line: one Custom HTML tag, trigger All Pages. That is not a separate product.
Check it works
- Open your site in a new tab. The chat button shows in the bottom corner. Ask it something your customers ask, like your opening hours.
- Press Go live in your ChatBouncer dashboard so your assistant answers visitors.
- Don't see the button? Check the address bar matches one of the addresses under Your website domains, make sure "Show the chat box" is ticked if you use the plugin, and clear your caching plugin's cache. Still stuck? Email [email protected] and we'll help.
What your WordPress chatbot does
- Answers only from your info. No made-up prices, discounts or policies.
- Hands off honestly. When it doesn't know, it says the owner will confirm, takes the customer's contact and emails you the question. You can reply from your dashboard, and the AI pauses in that chat while you take over.
- Bounces junk. Prompt tricks, spam, off-topic requests and abuse are refused, with message limits per visitor, per IP address and per business.
- Grows with you. Pro adds Slack alerts and Zapier webhooks, 3 team seats and up to 15 PDF or Word documents for it to learn from. Business adds 10 team seats, up to 50 documents and removes the "Powered by ChatBouncer" branding.
Want the bigger picture first? Read AI chatbot for your website or compare AI chat vs live chat.
Simple plans. Prices in US dollars.
Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial. Cancel before it ends and you won't be charged. Compare plans in detail.
Most popular
Pro
$59USD
/month
- 5,000 customer messages a month, shared
- Up to 3 websites
- 14-day free trial
- Everything in Starter
- Priority email support
- Cancel anytime
Business
$119USD
/month
- 15,000 customer messages a month, shared
- Up to 10 websites
- 14-day free trial
- Everything in Starter
- Priority email support
- Cancel anytime
Questions
Do I need a plugin to add an AI chatbot to WordPress?
No. The free ChatBouncer plugin is the easiest way, but the chat box is one line of code. You can also paste that line into a header and footer plugin such as WPCode, or into your theme's footer. All three give you the same chat box.
Will an AI chatbot slow down my WordPress site?
No. The ChatBouncer script is small and loads asynchronously at the end of the page, so your content shows first. The plugin adds it to your public pages only, never to wp-admin.
Does it work with WooCommerce, Elementor or Divi?
Yes. It works with any theme. Page builders like Elementor and Divi still load your theme's footer, so the chat box shows there too. WooCommerce stores use the same plugin; see the WooCommerce guide.
Can I use it on WordPress.com?
Yes, if your WordPress.com plan lets you install plugins. Free WordPress.com sites can't add plugins or custom scripts, so they need a paid plan first. Self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org) works on any host.
Will the chatbot make things up about my business?
It's built not to. It answers only from the info you saved: hours, prices, services and FAQs. When the answer isn't there, it tells the customer the owner will confirm, takes their contact details and emails you the question.
Can a person take over the chat?
Yes. You can reply to a conversation from your ChatBouncer dashboard, and the AI pauses in that chat while you take over.
How do I turn the chat box off for a while?
If you use the plugin, untick "Show the chat box" under Settings > ChatBouncer. Your key stays saved, so you can turn it back on with one click.
What does it cost?
Starter is $29 a month for 1 website and 1,500 customer messages. Pro is $59 for up to 3 websites and 5,000 messages. Business is $119 for up to 10 websites and 15,000 messages. Prices are in US dollars, and every plan starts with a 14-day free trial.
Something else? Email [email protected]. A real person answers.
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Hire the bouncer.
Put an AI chatbot on your WordPress site today. Plans from $29 a month (USD), 14-day free trial.