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What is Better Messages?

Better Messages is a real-time private messaging and chat room plugin for WordPress. It powers private one-to-one conversations, group chats, public and private chat rooms, voice messages, voice and video calls, AI chat bots, end-to-end encrypted threads, and native iOS / Android mobile apps — all on top of the standard WordPress stack you already run.

Whether you are building a social network, online community, marketplace, membership site, LMS, directory, or any other site where users need to talk to each other, Better Messages provides the messaging layer.

What it powers​

A short list of the major capabilities:

  • Private one-to-one conversations and group chats with shared history
  • Chat rooms — persistent public or members-only rooms with role-based or guest access
  • File sharing with EXIF / metadata stripping, resumable TUS uploads, and proxy-protected URLs
  • Voice messages (separate add-on, works on both versions)
  • Voice and video calls — one-on-one and group, inside any thread (WebSocket version)
  • AI chat bots powered by OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and Google Gemini (WebSocket version + AI add-on)
  • Better Messages Cloud AI — content moderation, message translation, voice transcription (WebSocket version)
  • End-to-end encryption — opt-in per thread (WebSocket version)
  • Web push and mobile app push notifications
  • 32+ native integrations with the major community, marketplace, LMS, directory, and creator-platform plugins
  • REST API and PHP / JavaScript hooks for developer customization
  • Fully translatable via standard WordPress tools (30+ community translations ship with the plugin)
  • White-label by default — no plugin branding shown to end users

Two versions​

Better Messages comes in two flavors that share the same plugin codebase. The mode is determined by which license you activate — no reinstall, no separate plugin.

Free (AJAX) version​

The free version, available on WordPress.org, uses AJAX polling for real-time messaging. The browser asks the server every few seconds for new messages — no separate server infrastructure required. Runs on any WordPress hosting, including shared hosts.

WebSocket version​

The WebSocket version is a paid license that switches real-time delivery from AJAX polling to instant WebSocket push on a hosted cloud relay. The relay is included with the license — no separate Node.js server to deploy, no third-party service (like Pusher) to configure or bill against, and no extra load on your WordPress hosting (the WebSocket connection talks to the cloud relay, not to your origin). Beyond instant delivery, the WebSocket version unlocks one-on-one and group voice / video calls, AI Chat Bots, Better Messages Cloud AI (content moderation, message translation, voice transcription), end-to-end encryption, web push notifications, mini-chat popups from profiles and members directories, mobile-app real-time delivery, and the white-label mobile app rebuild service.

Pricing for the WebSocket version is on www.better-messages.com.

Self-hosted plan​

For sites with strict data-sovereignty requirements (GDPR Article 9 regulated data, HIPAA-adjacent workloads, jurisdictional rules about which servers may transit data), consider upgrading to the self-hosted plan. The WebSocket layer runs on infrastructure you control instead of the Better Messages cloud relay. Talk to support for current pricing and deployment details.

For most sites the default cloud WebSocket version is GDPR-compatible by itself — the relay is blind to message content (no storage, no inspection), and all message data lives only in your WordPress database. See Privacy & GDPR for the full data-flow picture.

Get started​

  1. Install Better Messages from WordPress.org — it works immediately on any WordPress site.
  2. Open WP Admin → Better Messages → Settings → General and set your Messages Location (the WordPress page where the messenger lives) or use a community-plugin profile tab if you run BuddyPress / BuddyBoss / Ultimate Member / PeepSo.
  3. (Optional) Pick the integration for your community / marketplace / LMS / directory plugin under Better Messages → Settings → Integrations.
  4. (Optional) Activate the WebSocket version under Better Messages → Account for instant delivery, calls, AI features, and the rest of the paid feature set.

Where to go next​

Who builds Better Messages​

I'm Andrij Tkachenko, an indie developer from Ukraine. Better Messages is my full-time work — and has been since the first version shipped on WordPress.org on January 5, 2017. Nine years and counting, one developer, one continuous line of development.

Working independently is what makes the plugin move fast on what matters most. A feature ships when it is ready. A bug fix lands the same day it is reported. A security patch goes out the same hour. Roadmap priorities adjust to what real WordPress sites actually need — not to what fits a quarterly chart somewhere else.

Security and reliability are personal commitments. I investigate every reported vulnerability, write the disclosure, and ship the fix. I monitor the WebSocket cloud and debug incidents on the live infrastructure when something goes wrong. After nine years of running this plugin in the wild, I have a hands-on understanding of what makes a WordPress messenger dependable, and I take that seriously.

Most of Better Messages' functionality is free on WordPress.org, and stays that way. If you need WebSocket features — instant delivery, voice / video calls, AI features, end-to-end encryption — upgrading to the WebSocket version is also a great way to support continued development of the plugin, which I greatly appreciate.

If you have any questions or need help, reach out at support@better-messages.com.