TalkJS
Launch production-ready chat in minutes with a powerful API, feature-rich SDKs, and a fully customizable design.
Consider an alternative
TalkJS shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 50+ sites and was last updated 7 months ago, and scores 40/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (50+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.9 (latest is 7.1)
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where TalkJS stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| buyer seller chat | #9 |
| chat | >100 |
| customer support | >100 |
| Marketplace | >100 |
| messaging | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About TalkJS
From the official readme · v0.1.16Description
The TalkJS plugin allows you to add user-to-user chat to your marketplace, on-demand app, or social platform. You’ll have it up and running in 5 minutes. It integrates fully with WooCommerce and marketplace/multi-vendor plugins like WCVendors.
This plugin offers you shortcodes and template tags for our three basic views: The inbox, the chatbox and the chat pop-up. It also adds a chatbox widget and an inbox-page.
TalkJS is the messaging tool for platforms. Add buyer seller chat to your marketplace, on-demand app, or peer-to-peer chat to your social platform. Similar to what Airbnb, Upwork, or LinkedIn are offering in messaging.
By providing direct contact between your users, you’re saving on customer support time, increase user interaction and retention.
With this plugin, you can add TalkJS to your WordPress installation in just a few clicks and allow your users to chat with each other inside of your website or app right away!
NOTE: This plugin is free, but you’ll need a TalkJS subscription to be able to use it in a production environment. TalkJS offers unlimited testing and a 14 day free trial when you go live.
For developers
If you’re looking to integrate the TalkJS messaging platform to your WordPress site, this is the easiest way to do it.
You can use three methods of implementation:
- Shortcodes
- Widgets
- Template tags
Shortcodes
You can use shortcodes on a post-by-post basis. The following three shortcodes allows you to easily use any TalkJS UI:
[talkjs_chat][talkjs_inbox][talkjs_popup]
You can pass along the default conversation user for the chat and the popup. You do this by adding a user ID to the shortcode: [talkjs_chat user=”2″]
If you wish to get the author of the post as your conversation user you can use the following: [talkjs_chat userType=”author”]. You shouldn’t fill in the user ID in this case since it overwrites the userType.
With all three you can pass along a custom welcome message like this: [talkjs_chat welcomeMessage=”Hi there!”]
For Inbox and Chatbox, you can also customize the width and height of the shortcodes by passing width and height properties like this: [talkjs_chat height=”500px” width=”250px”]
There are some predefined styles to make integration easier, if you want full control over the style of the TalkJS UI container, you can pass style property to overwrite the default styles. width and height properties are ignored when style is used.
The popup also has an option to keep it open between pages by using the shortcode with the keepOpen property e.g. [talkjs_popup keepOpen=”true”]
Widgets
There’s currently only one widget available: The TalkJS Chatbox widget. In it you can set a title, a welcome message and the conversation user (the current post author if blank)
Template tags
You can use template tags if you want to display the chatbox, inbox or popup on certain templates. You use them in your code like so:
<?php talkjs_chat();?>
<?php talkjs_popup();?>
<?php talkjs_inbox();?>
You can pass along the same attributes as in the shortcode-version. You add them in an array, like this:
“Hi there, let\’s chat!”,
‘userType’ => ‘author’
]);
?>
Welcome Message customization
You can add custom variables to your welcome message. These variables are available:
- {{first_name}} -> logged in users’ first name.
- {{last_name}} -> logged in users’ last name.
- {{name}} -> logged in users’ full name.
Available filters
We currently have one filter available for developers. Feel free to contact us if you need any other filters.
talkjs_hidden_post_types_for_chat_popup
Hide your custom post-type as a viable chat option.
<?php
add_filter( 'talkjs_hidden_post_types_for_chat_popup', function( $postTypes ){
$postTypes[] = 'my-custom-post-type';
return $postTypes;
});
?>
Installation
Follow these simple steps to get started:
- Upload
talkjsto the/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to initiate the test version of the plugin.
- If you’re satisfied with the plugin in development mode, please consider updating to a paid account.
Changelog
0.1.16
- Patched XSS vulnerability in the admin settings page. (CVE-2026-1055)
0.1.15
- Updated PHP version.
0.1.14
- Minor SVN fix merged to git
- Fixes various minor issues in preperation of a big new version
0.1.13
- Tested the code with latest versions of WordPress.
- Fixes various minor issues in preperation of a big new version
0.1.12
- Fixed bug that caused to popup to remain open
- Renamed loadOpen property to keepOpen for the [talkjs_popup] shortcode
- Minor UX improvements
0.1.11
- Fixed a bug where the Popup could not be closed.
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
FAQ
TalkJS: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 1, 2026
Is TalkJS free?
Yes. TalkJS is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is TalkJS safe to use in 2026?
TalkJS shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 50+ sites and was last updated 7 months ago, and scores 40/100 on our health check.
How many websites use TalkJS?
TalkJS is active on 50+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 11,616 times since it launched in October 2017. It was downloaded 105 times in the last 30 days.
Does TalkJS work with WordPress 7.1?
TalkJS is officially tested up to WordPress 6.9.9, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does TalkJS need?
TalkJS requires PHP 5.3 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was TalkJS last updated?
The latest version, 0.1.16, was released on February 19, 2026 (7 months ago).
Who makes TalkJS?
TalkJS is developed and maintained by talkjs.
Powered by PageForge
Want thousands of pages that rank like these? Build them in an afternoon.
This directory runs on the same engine as PageForge. Turn any spreadsheet, CSV or API into thousands of fast, SEO-ready WordPress pages — with schema, internal links and AI-written copy baked in.
- CSV, Google Sheets & API data sources
- AI content, schema & internal links per page
- Works with Elementor, Gutenberg, Yoast & Rank Math
- Free on WordPress.org — no credit card
