Chatwoot
Open source omnichannel customer support platform with AI
Best for
Support teams wanting an open source, self-hostable Intercom/Zendesk alternative
Skip if
You need voice support without committing to the Business tier
What is Chatwoot?
Chatwoot is an open source customer support platform that unifies live chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and LINE into a single agent inbox, positioning itself as an alternative to Intercom and Zendesk. It pairs the omnichannel inbox with a customizable knowledge base, so customers can self-serve before ever reaching an agent. Chatwoot layers AI on top with Captain, an assistant that learns from your help center and past conversations to automate responses, and Captain Copilot, which suggests answers and surfaces relevant history to human agents in real time. The core product is open source and self-hostable, with a managed cloud version and SOC 2 Type II compliance for teams that don't want to run their own infrastructure.
SpecificationsAI-estimated
Key Features of Chatwoot
Use Cases for Chatwoot
Omnichannel support inbox
Support teams manage WhatsApp, email, and live chat conversations from one shared inbox instead of switching tools.
Self-hosted support for compliance
Companies with data residency requirements self-host Chatwoot to keep customer conversations on their own servers.
AI-assisted first response
Teams use Captain to auto-answer common questions from the help center before a human agent gets involved.
Startup helpdesk on a budget
Early-stage startups use the free Hacker tier to run live chat support before scaling to a paid plan.
Pros & Cons of Chatwoot
Pros
- Genuine free tier for small teams
- Open source with a real self-hosting path
- Combines many support channels in one inbox
- AI assistant is priced as usage-based credits, not a flat upcharge
Cons
- Voice channel requires the pricier Business tier
- AI credits are a separate metered add-on cost
- Per-agent pricing can add up for larger support teams
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chatwoot open source?
Yes, Chatwoot is open source under the MIT license and can be self-hosted or run on their managed cloud.
Does Chatwoot have a free plan?
Yes, the Hacker plan is free for up to 2 agents with 500 conversations per month.
What channels does Chatwoot support?
Chatwoot supports live chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, LINE, and voice on higher tiers.
What is Captain?
Captain is Chatwoot's AI assistant that automates responses using your help center and past conversations, billed as metered credits.
Pricing Overview
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