Features

Everything Better Messages does

48 features in the free version, 21 more with WebSocket, and integrations with the plugins your site already runs.

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Free version

On WordPress.org, for any number of sites.

Realtime Messaging

AJAX or WebSocket powered realtime conversations

Modern Design

A clean, mobile-friendly messenger with a light or dark color scheme, several message designs and a full-screen mode

File Sharing

Share files, images, videos and documents with resumable uploads, client-side media optimization, and file access protection

Emoji Selector

An emoji picker with search and your most used emoji at the top

Sound Notifications

A sound plays for new messages and incoming calls

Site Notifications

A small notice pops up on any page of the site when a new message arrives

Email Notifications

Unread messages are grouped and emailed from time to time, never the ones already read

Group Conversations

Conversations with any number of participants, including AI chat bots

Favorite Messages

Mark messages as favorites and find them again later in one list

Subjects

Users can set subjects for each new conversation

Mass Messaging

Send a message to all your members in a few clicks

Search

Search all your messages

Formatting

Use formatting in your messages

Easy Customization

Set colors, corners, spacing and fonts in Settings → Appearance with a live preview, or go further with CSS

Stickers

Increase user engagement even more with stickers

Enhanced Mobile

Enhanced mobile layout to make mobile messages easy to use

Conversations Muting

Mute all notifications for a specific conversation

Group Messages

Enable group chats for BuddyPress, PeepSo, Ultimate Member and FluentCommunity groups

Animated GIFs

A GIF picker in the composer with trending GIFs, keyword search and content filtering, powered by GIPHY or KLIPY

Location Sharing

Send a place as a message from a map picker with search, nearby suggestions and your own position

Mini Widgets & Floating Bubble

Fixed-to-bottom widgets or floating bubble button with conversations, friends, groups, AI chat bots, chat rooms and users

Voice & Video Messages

Record voice messages and short video messages, with duration limits, auto-delete, role restrictions and optional AI transcription

Chat Rooms

Create independent chat rooms with any number of participants

Reply, Edit & Forward

Reply to messages, edit already sent messages, and forward messages to multiple conversations

White Label

No Better Messages branding, so the messenger looks like part of your own site

MyCred & GamiPress

Charge credits or points for messages and calls with MyCred or GamiPress, with per-role pricing and balance display

Mentions

Mention other users in private and group conversations

User to User Block

Allows users to block other users from sending them messages

Role Based Access Control

Restrict different user roles from sending or viewing messages

WordPress Native API

Built on WordPress actions and filters, so it is easy to extend for your own needs

Fully Translatable

Fully translatable through the standard WordPress translation system

AI Chat Bots

Create AI-powered chat bots using OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), or Google Gemini with web search, file search, and image generation capabilities

Pre-Moderated Messages

Moderate messages before they are delivered to recipients. Perfect for first-time senders or specific user roles

Message Reactions

Allow users to react to messages with emojis for quick feedback and engagement

Pinned Messages

Pin important messages to the top of group conversations for easy access

Report Messages

Allow users to report inappropriate messages for moderation review

Guest Access

Allow guest users to participate in chat rooms without registration

oEmbed Support

Embed YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, SoundCloud, Spotify and more directly in messages

Bad Words Filter

Automatically filter inappropriate content with customizable word blacklist

Markdown Support

Format messages with markdown syntax for bold, italic, links, code blocks and more

RTL Layout Support

Built-in right-to-left layout support for Arabic, Hebrew and other RTL languages

Verified Badges

Display verified badges for users integrated with BuddyPress, PeepSo and other plugins

Auto-Delete Old Messages

Automatically delete messages older than specified number of days to save database space

Privacy & GDPR Tools

Personal data export and erasure, a ready-made privacy policy text, no cookies or tracking and click-to-play video embeds

Message Drafts

Unsent messages are automatically saved and restored when returning to a conversation

Offline Sending

Messages written without a connection are queued and sent by themselves when the network returns

Unread Conversations Filter

Filter conversations list to show only unread conversations

AI Content Moderation

Automatically detect and hold harmful content, with your own OpenAI key or Better Messages Cloud AI on the WebSocket version

WebSocket version

Everything in the free version, plus these.

Instant Message Delivery

Messages reach every recipient the moment they are sent, up to 200x faster than AJAX

Private and Secure

Messages are AES-256 encrypted on your server, so the WebSocket servers cannot read them, over authenticated TLS connections

Load Optimization

Realtime traffic goes through the WebSocket servers instead of your hosting, so the site stays fast even on shared hosting

Your Data is Yours

Messages and files are stored only in your WordPress database. The WebSocket servers do not store them

End-to-End Encryption

Optional end-to-end encryption, enabled per conversation. Messages and files are encrypted in the members' browsers, so not even your server sees them

Local Browser Encryption

Encrypt local browser database with AES256 for enhanced security of offline message storage

No Limits

No caps or extra fees for concurrent connections, monthly active users or messages

Mini Chats

Chat windows that stay open while members browse the site, so conversations keep going on every page

Message Status

See whether each message was sent, delivered or seen, per person in group chats

Activity Indicators

See when another participant is typing, recording a voice message, or uploading a file

Mini Conversations List

A recent conversations list pinned to the bottom of every page, with live unread counts

Presence Indicator & User Statuses

See who is online, and let members set their status to Online, Away or Do Not Disturb

Web Push Notifications

Web push notifications reach members on desktop and mobile even when they are away from the site

Priority Support

Priority support with every WebSocket license

HD Video & Audio Calls

Unlimited 1-to-1 HD video and audio calls with screen sharing

Better Messages Cloud AI

AI message translation, content moderation, and voice transcription included. No third-party API keys required.

AI Message Translation

Each member reads the conversation in their own language, with messages translated into 69 languages by Better Messages Cloud AI

Screen Sharing

Allow to share screen with other users during video and audio calls, group video and audio chats

HD Group Video Chat

Allow users to start high definition group video chats up to 32 participants in conversations, group chats and chat rooms

HD Group Audio Chat

Allow users to start high definition group audio chats up to 50 participants in conversations, group chats and chat rooms

Mobile Apps

Build your own branded iOS and Android apps with push notifications and incoming voice / video call alerts

Integrations and partners

PeepSo Block ThemeOfficial PeepSo block theme with light and dark modes — Better Messages mirrors the active mode automatically

SocialVBuddyPress community theme on ThemeForest with built-in Better Messages support

BuddyBoss ThemeOfficial BuddyBoss Platform theme with live unread badge in the profile dropdown and call buttons across directories and groups

VikingerBuddyPress and GamiPress social community theme on ThemeForest with Better Messages integration

BuddyXFree social networking and community WordPress theme that pairs natively with Better Messages

AnestaIntranet, community and BuddyPress WordPress theme on ThemeForest with Better Messages support

Don't see what you need? Get in touch to request a new integration or suggest a feature.