Adding a chat feature to your React app might seem straightforward - but real-time messaging, WebSocket management, message syncing, and user management can quickly spiral into weeks of development.
For most developers and teams on tight deadlines, building react chat from scratch isn’t realistic. That’s why more teams are turning to chat APIs and SDKs - tools that abstract the real-time complexity and give you full control over how chat looks and works in your app.
CometChat is one such platform. It offers three powerful ways to integrate chat into your React project - from low-code setup to full SDK freedom.
3 Ways to Add React Chat with CometChat
At the heart of CometChat is a scalable real-time infrastructure that handles the heavy lifting for you - from WebSocket connections and user presence to message sync, group chat logic, and more. No matter which integration method you choose, you're building on a foundation that's production-ready and designed to scale.
CometChat offers three distinct ways to integrate real-time chat into your React app, each tailored to different levels of control and development speed:
The Visual Builder is the fastest option - a low-code drag-and-drop tool that lets anyone design a chat UI and export React chat components in minutes.
The React UI Kit is for developers who want to go further, using prebuilt components that can be styled, extended, and slotted into any product experience.
And if you need full control, the JavaScript SDK lets you build your own UI from scratch while tapping into CometChat’s full feature set.
Each path is flexible, production-friendly, and powered by the same real-time engine - whether you’re shipping a quick MVP, testing a feature, or building a fully custom enterprise chat product.
Visual Builder - The Fastest Way to Launch React Chat | Integration Method 1
The Visual Builder is a low-code, drag-and-drop interface built on CometChat’s React UI Kit. It’s ideal for developers, PMs, or designers who want to quickly prototype or deploy chat features.
Design, Preview, and Export Code for React Chat in Minutes
A gist of what you can do with CometChat’s visual builder:
Design your chat layout visually.
Toggle features like reactions, mentions, attachments, and more.
Preview your UI live as you configure it.
Export clean, production-ready React chat components.
Why CometChat’s Visual Builder Stands Out
Visual configuration made simple: Toggle features like @mentions, reactions, attachments, polls, and typing indicators.
Live preview as you build: Instantly see what your chat UI will look like, before writing a single line of code.
Clean, modular code export: The builder generates production-grade React chat components that follow best practices and are easy to maintain.
Feature-rich output, no extra setup needed: State management and event handling are built-in - no need to manually wire up WebSocket events.
Mobile-ready layouts by default: All exported components are responsive and adapt to different screen sizes out of the box.
Customizable themes & layouts: Tweak colors, fonts, spacing, and layout structures right inside the builder.
Connected & pre-configured backend: The exported code is already wired to CometChat’s real-time engine - messaging, presence, login, and notifications work from day one.
When the Visual Builder is Right for You
Ideal for high-impact situations where speed is everything - and you need real chat functionality without wrestling with setup or sacrificing future flexibility.
When you’re prototyping or building an MVP: Need to showcase a working chat feature to a stakeholder, investor, or early customer? With the Visual Builder, you can have a prototype up and running in under 30 minutes, with real chat logic, not just a mock UI.
When you're validating chat or comparing solutions: Just want to evaluate how chat feels in your product or benchmark CometChat against alternatives? Use the builder to spin up a working integration quickly, without committing time to writing code.
When non-developers need to be involved: Designers or PMs can visually configure chat UIs and features, then export production-grade code - reducing developer time and back-and-forth between teams.
Get Started in 5 Quick Steps
Step 1: Open the Visual Builder
Sign up for a free developer account here and launch the Visual Builder from your dashboard.
Step 2: Configure your Chat Experience
The Visual Builder interface presents you with various configuration options:
Layout selection: Choose between different layout patterns (sidebar + chat, chat only, tabbed interface)
Theme customization: Adjust primary colors, fonts, border radius, and spacing
Component selection: Choose which UI elements to include (user list, conversation list, message composer variations)
Feature configuration: Enable/disable features like typing indicators, group chat, attachments, etc.
Step 3: Live preview and fine-tune
You’ll see your UI take shape instantly as you make changes. Test different states and layouts using the preview mode, no build or deploy needed.
Step 4: Export production-ready React code
Once you’re happy with your setup, export the full chat UI as native React chat code. You’ll receive:
Modular React components (ConversationList, ChatView, etc.)
A complete example project scaffold
Integration hooks to connect with CometChat’s backend services
The exported code follows standard React conventions and is ready to go live or to be plugged into an existing codebase.
And since the code is React-first and modular, it integrates well with both CRA and Next.js setups.
Step 5: Extend or Refactor Later
The exported code isn’t a black box, it’s yours to modify. You can:
Plug it into a larger React project
Refactor it using your design system
Pair it with the UI Kit or SDK to add more complex logic or UI layers
React Chat UI Kit - Prebuilt Components with Customization Flexibility | Integration Method 2
If the Visual Builder helps you move fast, the React UI Kit helps you go far.
It provides a suite of modular, prebuilt React components that you can customize, style, and extend to match your product's look and behavior.
A Practical Toolkit for React Chat Developers
What you get with CometChat’s React UI Kit:
Pick and choose modular components: Use only the parts you need and compose them as per your app’s layout.
Logic handled out of the box: Each component manages its own state, event subscriptions, real-time updates, and backend communication.
Customize themes & styles with ease: Override default styles, apply your brand’s themes, or even render completely custom message bubbles using configuration objects.
Built for performance: Virtualization, lazy loading, and fine-tuned re-renders are built-in, keeping things smooth, even with large message volumes.
Accessible by design: The components follow accessibility best practices (WCAG compliant), including keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility.
TypeScript ready: Comes with full type definitions for safer code and better IDE experience.
When the React Chat UI Kit is Right for You
Ideal when your chat experience needs to belong inside your product - not just exist alongside it - and evolve without friction as your app grows.
When you need your chat to look and feel like your product
The UI Kit components are clean and production-ready out of the box - but fully customizable as well. Tweak colors, fonts, spacing, icons, and behavior to align with your design system, whether you're building a sleek SaaS dashboard or a mobile-first social app.
When you want layout flexibility without starting from scratch
The modular architecture allows you to compose your UI however you like. Want a split-panel layout with a conversation list on the left and messages on the right? Need a floating chat drawer for user-to-user messaging? It’s easy to tailor the UI while still leveraging battle-tested components.
When you plan to extend chat functionality with custom logic
The components emit granular events - on message send, on typing start/stop, on user joined group, etc. - making it easy to integrate analytics, trigger notifications, or introduce custom message-level features like private replies or moderation actions.
When you're transitioning from Visual Builder to full control
If you’ve started with the Visual Builder and now want deeper control over how chat looks or behaves, the UI Kit lets you go further without rebuilding from scratch. It’s a natural progression that still saves dev time.
Get Started with CometChat’s React Chat UI Kit
Adding CometChat’s React UI Kit to your project is quick and developer-friendly. With just a few steps, you’ll have prebuilt chat components up and running - fully wired to real-time messaging, typing indicators, read receipts, and more.
Step 1: Install the required packages
Begin by installing the React UI Kit and, optionally, the CometChat Calls SDK if you want to support voice and video.
Step 2: Initialize CometChat
Set up the CometChat SDK in your app’s entry point using your APP_ID, REGION, and AUTH_KEY. Use UIKitSettingsBuilder to configure chat behavior before rendering any UI components.
Step 3: Compose your chat UI
Now bring in the chat components to your app. You can build your interface in three ways:
Conversation list: Render a list of conversations, with optional customization of layout, styles, and conversation metadata (like subtitles or timestamps).
Messages + composer: Pair this with a selected user or group to show messages, typing indicators, read receipts, and a customizable message composer. Configuration options allow you to define specifics like emoji support, voice notes, or attachment types.
All-in-one layout (Conversations + Messages): Use CometChatConversationsWithMessages to render a complete chat interface in a single component - perfect for faster development with room for deep customization.
Step 4: Go beyond the defaults
The UI Kit gives you powerful ways to tailor behavior and presentation:
Custom message templates: Render polls, location shares, or other rich message types your way.
Theming: Inject your own colors, fonts, and spacing using the CometChatTheme object.
Event handling: Subscribe to chat events - like message deletion or group updates - and connect them to your app’s logic.
This layered approach lets you move fast while preserving the flexibility to evolve your chat experience over time. And if you ever outgrow the components, you can always swap in the JavaScript SDK for full control.
JavaScript SDK - Build Your Own React Chat from Scratch | Integration Method 3
For complete control, the JavaScript SDK gives you low-level access to CometChat’s real-time infrastructure. You build your UI from the ground up, using your own components and design system.
Build React Chat Experiences from the Ground Up
Framework agnostic: Use with React, Vue, Angular, or vanilla JavaScript
Unlimited UI flexibility: Design every element of the chat experience without constraints
Granular control: Access low-level APIs for fine-tuned functionality - managing state, presence, roles, and events
Custom business logic: Build advanced workflows, validations, and third-party integrations
Power-user features: Integrate webhooks, server-side logic, and real-time triggers
Enterprise ready: Built to scale and support millions of concurrent users, with custom security options
When the JavaScript SDK is Right for You
Perfect for teams that treat chat as a core product surface - where UI, security, and behavior need to be crafted, not configured.
When your chat design breaks all conventions
If your design team has created a highly customized UI that doesn’t fit typical chat layouts, the SDK gives you total control to build exactly what they’ve envisioned - no compromises.
When chat needs to work with complex workflows
For applications that need to deeply integrate chat with other features, like implementing custom encryption, syncing intricately with your CRM, or building AI-powered chat assistants, the SDK provides the necessary flexibility.
When performance and control are top priorities
If you're optimizing for bundle size, speed, or memory usage, the SDK lets you implement only what you need - no unnecessary bloat, just lean, efficient code.
When your UI stack is fully custom
Whether you're using Material UI, Ant Design, Tailwind, or a bespoke component library, the SDK gives you the flexibility to integrate chat without sacrificing consistency in your app’s design.
When you need advanced security and compliance
For industries with specific security needs, the SDK lets you implement features like custom encryption, content filtering, and compliance checks exactly how you need them.
Get Started with CometChat’s JavaScript SDK
The JavaScript SDK gives you low-level control, so setup will vary depending on your UI framework and application architecture.
Head to CometChat’s official JavaScript SDK documentation for detailed guides, API references, and best practices for building with full flexibility.
Your React Chat Should Grow with You - Integrate Now and Build as You Go
You don’t have to choose just one path upfront. Start with the Visual Builder to ship something functional in minutes. As your needs evolve, layer in customizations using the React UI Kit - or go all-in with the JavaScript SDK for full control.
Each method builds on the same real-time infrastructure. So whether you're prototyping or scaling, you're never locked in - just moving forward at your own pace.
Haris Kumar
Lead Content Strategist , CometChat