Chatwoot
Open source live-chat and support desk
The Lens
Chatwoot is an open source customer support and live-chat platform, a self-hosted alternative to Intercom and Zendesk. Customer messages come in from any channel, your team responds from one dashboard. Self-hostable with Rails and PostgreSQL. Used by startups and mid-size companies that want multi-channel support without Intercom's pricing.
Self-hosted is free with no feature restrictions. Their cloud plan starts at $19/agent/mo and includes the same features plus managed hosting and support.
The catch: Chatwoot is a support tool, not a product analytics or engagement platform. Intercom bundles marketing automation, product tours, and user tracking; Chatwoot doesn't. The self-hosted setup requires Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Redis, and Sidekiq. That's a meaningful ops commitment. And the UI, while functional, lacks the polish of Intercom's refined experience. If you just need a chat widget and basic ticketing, it's great. If you need a full customer engagement platform, you'll outgrow it.
Free vs Self-Hosted vs Paid
open coreSelf-hosted (free): Live chat widget, multi-channel inbox (email, social, WhatsApp, Telegram), canned responses, team collaboration, CSAT surveys, automation rules. No agent or conversation limits. Requires Rails + PostgreSQL + Redis.
Cloud Starter ($19/agent/mo): Same features, managed hosting. Includes 5,000 contacts and basic integrations.
Cloud Business ($39/agent/mo): Adds SLA management, custom roles, audit logs, advanced automation, priority support.
Cloud Enterprise (custom pricing): Dedicated infrastructure, custom SLA, onboarding support.
The math: A 5-agent support team: self-host for $0 + server ($20-40/mo) vs. cloud Starter at $95/mo. Intercom Starter for 5 agents starts around $295/mo. Chatwoot is dramatically cheaper.
Self-host for free. Cloud at $19/agent/mo, a fraction of Intercom's pricing.
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