How to Add an AI Chatbot to WordPress

Most “AI chatbot for WordPress” guides end with a generic support widget that answers FAQs. StudioUI does something different: it lets you build a chat companion — a persistent AI persona with its own name, personality and optional voice — and put it on your own site, on your own compute, under your own brand. This guide walks through the whole thing, from install to a live chat, including the choice between hosted compute and self-hosting on the Pro tier.

You do not need API keys or a GPU to start. The Free tier connects to hosted compute with a one-time code and bills per message in credits.

Before you start

A self-hosted WordPress site (StudioUI is a plugin; it doesn’t run on WordPress.com’s restricted plans).
Admin access to install a plugin and edit a page.
Nothing else for the hosted path. For self-hosting, a machine running LM Studio (covered at the end).

Step 1 — Install the plugin

Download StudioUI and upload it to your site under Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, then activate. On activation StudioUI creates a ready-to-use studio page for you automatically, so there’s nothing to build from scratch.

Step 2 — Connect compute

Open the StudioUI settings and connect compute. On the Free tier you paste a one-time connect code, which links your site to the hosted gateway. That’s the entire setup — generation, including chat, now runs on hosted GPUs and is billed per use in credits. Chat messages are 5 credits each on hosted compute, and the live cost is always shown in the interface.

Step 3 — Build your chat companion

This is where StudioUI differs from a plain support bot. In the chat studio you define a companion:

Persona — the name, personality and tone the assistant speaks with.
Look — an avatar image (you can generate one in the image studio).
Voice — optionally give the companion a spoken voice for replies.
Context — what the companion knows about and how it should behave.

You can build one assistant (for example a friendly guide for your site) or several distinct companions for different purposes — each keeps its own persistent conversation.

Step 4 — Place it on a page

The studio is rendered on a WordPress page, so you place it like any other content — on the auto-created studio page, or by adding the StudioUI shortcode to a page or post of your choosing. Use normal WordPress permissions to decide who can chat: the public on a freemium page, logged-in members only, or a specific role.

Step 5 — Test the exact path your users will take

Open the page as a visitor (not as admin), send a few messages, and confirm the companion responds in character and the credit counter ticks as expected. Testing the real visitor path — not just the admin preview — is the step people skip and regret.

Optional: self-host the chat on Pro

If you’d rather keep conversations entirely on your own infrastructure, the Pro tier ($149/yr) lets you point StudioUI at your own LM Studio instance. Chat then runs locally with no per-message fees, fully private. You can also bring your own API keys (OpenAI, Groq, Mistral and more) instead of, or alongside, hosted compute, with multi-key failover.

FAQ

Do I need an OpenAI or other API key?

Not on the Free tier — hosted compute needs no keys. Keys are a Pro feature for people who want to run on their own providers with no usage fees.

Is this a support bot or a character bot?

It can be either. The same companion system that powers a personality-driven character can be configured as an on-brand assistant that answers questions about your site. You set the persona and the context.

What does each message cost?

On hosted compute, a chat message is 5 credits, with credits starting at 0.1¢ each. On Pro self-hosted or your own keys, there are no per-message fees. Failed requests are refunded automatically on the hosted side.

Can the companion speak out loud?

Yes — companions support optional voice replies, so the assistant can talk as well as type.

Can I have more than one chatbot?

Yes. You can create multiple companions, each with its own persona, look, voice and persistent chat history.

Is it moderated?

Hosted compute is moderated and kept SFW by default. StudioUI is a general-purpose tool for over-18 audiences, and CSAM is never permitted on any tier.

Add a chat companion to your site

Install StudioUI free, paste a one-time connect code, build a companion, and you have a working AI chat on your own WordPress site in minutes.

Install free · Read the setup guide · See Pro — $149/yr