23 comments found.
Questions: 1. Helper was updated in August, while Mates was updated in May. Are there any changes, as I’ve seen some comments suggesting something isn’t quite right?
2. Does it use local data? I have some personal data from my computer that I can upload for it to access.
3. I’m selling through WooCommerce. Can the application access my shopping cart or products directly from my store, such as prices, size charts, etc.?
Hello! 1. Although Mates and Helper share a common purpose and have similar functionality, they are still two separate products. Therefore, changes and fixes are implemented independently for each of them. All issues that were known to us have been addressed in both products. If you have any concerns about a specific feature or functionality, please do not hesitate to let us know, we will be happy to clarify or assist.
2. The AI bot of the Mates plugin can use information from your website, namely, posts, pages, WooCommerce products. As for third-party data, only a single PDF file can be uploaded.
3. Yes, the plugin allows the AI bot to use information from products and their related attributes https://take.ms/38Ufj when generating responses.
Will the chatbot support CPT or just Blog Posts ? I have a news website and each news article is a CPT, so will the bot be able to chat with user on each news article as part of my website content ?
Hello! Yes, the plugin supports custom post types. Please note that each page whose content you want the AI bot to use must be selected manually. This means that new posts will not be added automatically. This behavior is intentional because the chatbot has limitations on the amount of content it can process, and therefore you are able to manage and configure this selection yourself.
How long will it take to index the page content for the bot ?
Which gemini model will it use ? If I sign up on Google free account Gemini API will it work, I have a membership scheme with Ultimate Membership Pro on my wordpress website, can I offer this chatbot only to paid members ? Will it offer answers from AI on any topic or specific to my website pages only ?
Please answer fast, I will avail your offer and buy this.
“How long will it take to index the page content for the bot ?” – The bot does not require any long indexing process. When you selects posts or pages in the plugin settings, their content is processed on demand at the moment of each query. This means the plugin does not pre-index the entire site in advance. The response speed depends on the size of the selected content, the model, and the technical characteristics of the hosting In most cases, the processing happens within a few seconds, so the bot is ready to use immediately after configuration.
The Mates plugin uses the following models: gemini-1.5-pro, gemini-2.0-flash and gemini-2.0-flash-light. You can find prices and specifications here: https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/generative-ai/pricing
Yes, you can work with a Google free-tier Gemini API key as long as your free quota is available. Need to enter your API key in the plugin settings, and the bot will use it for generating responses.
Mates does not include a built-in integration with Ultimate Membership Pro. However, you can restrict access to the chatbot by using the plugin’s settings for user roles visibility. You can select which WordPress user roles are allowed to see and use the chatbot. This allows you to offer the bot only to specific groups of users, for example, only to your paid membership roles created by Ultimate Membership Pro.
Will it offer answers from AI on any topic or specific to my website pages only ? – The chatbot can work in both ways, depending on how you configure it
the plugin request to server too much then it make server request timeout.Any ideas to fix it
Hello! Could you share more details via help@merkulov.design about which requests are causing timeouts, and when they occur? Do you have any server logs or error messages that we could review? With that information, we can better investigate the issue.
Hello,
I’m very happy with your excellent plugin — thank you for creating such a great tool!
I have a quick question. I’m currently using both of your chatbot plugins. While the “helper” chatbot works fine, I’ve noticed that the “mates” chatbot doesn’t function smoothly on pages where caching is enabled.
For example, after sending the first message, the second message sometimes gets interpreted as a repeat of the first one. I suspect this might be due to caching.
Could you please let me know how I can exclude the chatbot from being cached? Specifically, what path or settings should I use?
Looking forward to your response. Thank you!
Hello! Please try to whitelist the script wp-content/plugins/mates/mates.min.js for your cache plugin. If the problem continues, feel free to reach out to us via help@merkulov.design with detailed steps to reproduce the issue, along with a link to your website.
Pre-sale question: Does this chatbot also function without Gemini enabled, and just use it for woocommerce and posts only?
Hello! You can use the plugin without Google Gemini features, but in that case, only limited functionality will be available — such as the FAQ module, user data collection, and email sending.
Providing dynamic information about your products or content from your posts in response to user queries is only possible through the AI bot, which operates based on Google Gemini. Therefore, you will not be able to use the AI bot without connecting to Google Gemini.
Hi, does this chatbot work in Brazilian Portuguese? Is it possible for it to transfer a conversation to WhatsApp?
Hello! The Mates plugin can be translated into different languages from the admin side where you directly enter your text for blocks such as FAQ, Collect data, Get emails. All words and phrases that are not entered directly in the plugin settings can be translated based on the .pot template. Please read more here https://merkulove.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360007884358-How-to-translate-the-plugin.
AI bot can answer the user in the language in which the question was posed.
The Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text functions support the following languages https://docs.merkulov.design/text-to-speech-supported-voices-and-languages/
“Is it possible for it to transfer a conversation to WhatsApp?” – The plugin does not have WhatsApp integration but has the option to redirect users to a messenger or social network https://take.ms/RkmTl to communicate with human support.
Hello, I’m really enjoying your excellent plugin—thank you for your great work!
I’d like to suggest a feature request, if I may. When a usage limit is set, it would be very helpful if the remaining number of uses could be displayed in the chat window, as shown in this screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/m4jFGwoThank you, as always, for your prompt and friendly support!
Hello! Displaying used/remaining credits for users implies the existence of a full credit system with purchases and management, which is not included in Mates.
If you’re using a third-party membership plugin that handles such functionality, then the situation would need to be reviewed individually to assess the possibility of integration with that specific plugin.
At the moment, the only limitation you can apply for users is the number of requests within a given time period https://prnt.sc/5rTkeGnInPfq. Once the limit is reached, the user will see a corresponding message.
Hello, It seems my previous explanation may not have been clear enough. What I meant was simply displaying the remaining number of requests above the chat input field, based on the existing request limit feature in Mates.
Of course, the current features are already powerful and highly useful, and I’m very satisfied with them. However, I believe it would be even more complete if users could also see how many requests they have left.
Thank you for creating such a great plugin. I’m using it well and truly appreciate it!
Got it, thank you for the suggestion. I’ve noted it down, and it will be considered for future plugin updates.
Hi, how can I “train” the chatbot? I need to upload a 20 page PDF so it can answer propperly about everything I need. Thanks in advance.
Hello! The Mates plugin allows you to use selected posts/pages on your site, WooCommerce products and one PDF file so that the selected content can be used for AI bot responses. One PDF file can be accepted.
Thanks for your response, The PDF how long can it be?
Hello! The “training” process won’t take time, as the PDF will be used directly as part of the prompt.
Hello, Before purchasing, I would like to ask a question regarding plugin compatibility.
I’m currently looking for a way to run two different chatbots on a single WordPress site, and your plugin appears to be the most suitable and impressive solution I’ve found so far.
Since it seems that I cannot run two separate instances of the same chatbot plugin, I came up with the idea of purchasing both the Helper and Mates plugins and installing them together on the same site — in hopes of operating two distinct chatbots simultaneously.
Would this be technically possible? I’ve seen cases with other plugin developers where different products from the same company cause CSS or variable conflicts due to shared codebases. Therefore, I wanted to confirm whether using both Helper and Mates together on one site would work reliably without such conflicts.
Your plugins seem to be extremely well made, and I’d love to proceed with the purchase if this setup is supported.
Looking forward to your kind response.
Thank you very much.
Hello! We tested Helper and Mates and did not encounter any issues when they were used together. However, I would like to point out that these products have very similar functionality, with the main difference being the use of different APIs for the AI bot.
Also, when both plugins are activated, their chatbot open buttons appear in the same position on the page by default, which may make it seem like only one is visible. Therefore, it is recommended to change the button position for one of the plugins to avoid overlap.
Hello,
I have purchased the plugin and successfully entered the Google API (Gemini) key using the provided service account JSON file. However, when I try to use the chatbot, it only shows the message:
“Something went wrong. Try again later.”
The API key is correctly set up, and the service account has the “Vertex AI User” role assigned. PHP version is 8.3, and the Vertex AI API is enabled in my Google Cloud project. I’ve also tested with and without setting a location (e.g., us-central1), but the issue persists.
Could you please help me identify what might be going wrong?
Thank you.
After further investigation, I found that the issue was caused by the use of the gemini-1.0-pro model, which has been officially deprecated by Google as of April 9, 2025. Reference: https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/generative-ai/docs/learn/model-versions
Once I switched to the gemini-2.0-flash model and selected the correct region (which is us-central1, shown as “Iowa” in the dropdown), the chatbot started working as expected.
Your plugin is excellent and very efficient — thank you for the great work. It may help other users if the plugin sets gemini-2.0-flash as the default model or shows a notice when a deprecated model like gemini-1.0-pro is selected.
Thanks again for your support!
You are right, the gemini-1.0-pro is no longer supported, and we are already working on the plugin update where this model will be removed. It will be released within a week. Please follow our updates. Thank you for understanding.
Hi, How does your context structure work? When I ask the bot about a specific detail, do you send the entire website content through the prompt, or is it limited to the keywords searched?
I have a website with extensive content and hundreds of posts. I want to ensure that each time a user sends a message, only the relevant context is sent to the AI—not the whole website.
Hello! At the moment, all content selected in the Mates plugin settings prompt (not the entire website content) is sent with each request https://loom.com/i/4a28e839dc83489fa452d7ed34cb72f7 . However, in the upcoming update, an Embedding feature will be introduced, allowing for more efficient requests.
Thank you for the reply.
I may look into adding this capability myself, is the plugin developer friendly enough for me to take over the communication with the ai without overwriting the core plugin files (using filters, hooks)?
The addition of specific hooks or filters can be considered based on the particular needs of individual customers. However, regarding the implementation of Embedding, pursuing a custom solution may not be necessary, given that this functionality is scheduled to be made available to all users within the next 10 business days.
how many chats can I make? I need a lot of different personalities.
Hello! At the moment, the plugin allows only one personality to be used at a time.
Good morning i have a question: - Can your chatbot answer a customer about his order status and order details ? - Is possible to create a flow of its behaviour? as example a customer asks about his order details and status and if he then asks for a refund, the chatbot then should give him the link to the page where is the refund form.
Hello! The AI bot does not have access to users’ orders and cannot provide information about their orders. The Mates plugin allows you to use product information (description, stock and other attributes) and content of selected posts/pages for bot responses. You can describe the required bot behavior to get the appropriate interaction with the client.
Hi there, i have two questions. Can i configure in spanish language? It generates extra fee to connect with gemini ai?
Hello!
The Mates plugin can be translated into different languages from the admin side. AI bot can answer the user in the language in which the question was posed. The Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text functions support the following languages https://docs.merkulov.design/text-to-speech-supported-voices-and-languages/
“It generates extra fee to connect with gemini ai?”- Yes, using the Gemini API charges for each token used for questions and answers of the AI bot. The API does not provide a free quota. You can look at the prices for gemini-1.0-pro, gemini-1.5-pro and gemini-2.0-flash models here https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/generative-ai/pricing
Dear team, why doesn’t my chatbot talk about the current product? When I ask it questions like “What product am I looking at?” or “What features does the current product have?” it gives me generic answers asking me to give it the name or URL of the current product. What’s going on?
Hello! With each user question, the AI bot analyzes all information from the posts/pages selected in the prompt types https://take.ms/riRAt but not the current page. This behavior is provided by the Mates functionality. Therefore, if the question relates to a specific product, then at least the name of the product must be indicated so that the AI bot understands what the question relates to.
Hi Merkulove,
I saw that you have 2 similar plugin for AI Chat support, my question is which one better for AI chatbot? Helper or Mates, is it the same thing or is this better at responding customer request. Thank you!
Hello! Helper and Mates have very similar functionality and both are designed for regular and AI chatbots. Their main difference is in the different APIs that are used for the AI bot. Helper is based on OpenAI API with the following available models https://take.ms/Wkb3F and the Mates uses Google Vertex AI Gemini API with model https://take.ms/LnR4A. Therefore, you can choose a plugin depending on which API best suits your requirements.
More about OpenAI API models https://platform.openai.com/docs/models and Gemini API https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/generative-ai/docs/learn/models
Hi dear team. I purchased the plugin but for some reason it only appears when I’m logged in. Guests can’t see the chat button! Am I missing something?
Hello! This could be a problem related to the cache or optimization/minification plugins(like LiteSpeed, WP-Optimize, etc). Please temporarily disable any optimization/minification plugins and clear the cache at all levels(site, hosting, CDN) to check their impact.
If you use LiteSpeed plugin you can disable the Load JS Deferred option in the https://take.ms/9EVWn to work with Mates correctly.
Hello, it looks great. Can you please help me with the following questions:
1 – With Gemini, can I add my own system prompt, to respond only what I want it to respond and nothing else? I have a standard answer and I need to restric it to that only.
2 – Can I easily switch the LLM, let’s say from Gemini to OpenAI?
3 – Can I customize the chat button to appear on top right (top bar) of a WP theme, or adjust the size of the chat window?
4 – Can I diable the voice/audio?
Thank you, great work. Happy New Year.
Slava Ukraine!
- You can provide specific information from your site (select posts/pages/products) https://take.ms/VJu1b so that the AI bot responds only based on it, while indicating the bot behavior in the Objective and Notice fields
- No, the plugin is based on Gemini API. You can pay attention to the Helper plugin https://codecanyon.net/item/openai-chatbot-for-wordpress-helper/46699667?s_rank=4 If you want to use the OpenAI API
- Yes, the following positions are available https://take.ms/qDinH and and flexible chatbot styles https://take.ms/qj3J7
- Yes, the TTS feature can be disabled
Happy Holidays! 
Thank you very much mate. 2 more questions that I’m sure many will have:
1 – Is the OpenAI assitant same as this one but with OpenAI support only?
2 – I need to include formatted clickable links in the response, not just url links, will it support it? Example: Some Link
If not, would you please help me to achieve that after I buy it?
I really believe that this is the best and most useful WordPress chatbot for anyone who is looking to easily integrate a powerful, flexible AI solution for their WP site. It has so many uses. Thank you!
Slava Ukraine!
- OpenAI Assistant is supplied only by OpenAI API and available in the Helper plugin. The Mates does not include the OpenAI Assistant but the AI bot based on Google Vertex AI Gemini API
- You can add formatted links in answers to the FAQ block. AI bot responses can also include links if they are in the prompt
Heroyam Slava!
Can it be integrated with my website but not wordpress but php and javascript
Hello! The Mates plugin is intended only for installation on WordPress sites.
Hi does this chatbot require any sort of charge account with gemini? It seems you can ask the bot 5000 questions before charges kick in is that also correct
Hello! Using the Gemini API charges for each token used for questions and answers of the AI bot. The API does not provide a free quota. You can look at the prices for gemini-1.0-pro and gemini-1.5-pro models here https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/generative-ai/pricing
This is nice plugin but i have few questions.
1- I want that it will talk with user in any language, means user can talk in urdu so this will talk also in urdu.
2- bot answer then user but get data from my site e.g. user: i need job in lahore and i am 10th class pass. bot: (so here bot will find that jobs to match the content and get links and title from site and provide them or how to train for this?)
3- no external links bot will provide.
4- i dont want a button, i want to create a page and show a full chat box there.
5- do i need any api for that or is there free for life?
is this things possible?
- The AI bot can answer in the language the user asks the question in. You can test this on the demo
- The plugin provides the ability to use the site content for the bot’s responses. You can choose which posts/pages/products will be used as a prompt https://take.ms/qA5TR and in the Objective specify what behavior you expect from the AI bot
- You can describe in detail how the bot should behave in the plugin settings and what information it should provide.
- You can disable the button and add a chatbot via shortcode to any page
- Yes, the Mates is based on Google Vertex AI Gemini API and requires your API key. Please look at the prices for gemini-1-pro model https://ai.google.dev/pricing
