Chatwoot

YES

Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent.

An open-source support inbox: live chat, email, and social channels in one place, with canned replies, teams and a help centre.

Promptfree, for everyone, and the only version there is

Self-host it, or build the inbox for one channel.

THE HONEST OPTION
- Chatwoot is open source; Docker Compose gets you the whole product

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING SMALLER

STACK
- Postgres, a small Node server, server-sent events for live updates

CONVERSATIONS
- One conversation per contact per channel, with messages appended and never edited
- Status open, pending or resolved; changes appended to a history table

THE WIDGET
- Under 5KB, loaded after first paint, opens a dialog element
- Messages over SSE, not polling; falls back to polling where SSE fails

EMAIL AS A CHANNEL
- Inbound through a provider webhook, threaded by the References header rather than by subject

Include the schema, the widget and the email threading.

What you lose

Channel integrations for WhatsApp, Instagram and the rest, each with its own approval process
A hosted instance with upgrades and backups
A live chat widget maintained against browser changes

If you would rather not build

Zammad, a mature open help desk

The escape hatch

open source · no votes, no paid placement

Chatwoot

The product itself, self-hostable with Docker Compose.

chatwoot/chatwootfree · open source

FreeScout

A light PHP help desk that runs on ordinary shared hosting.

freescout-help-desk/freescoutfree · open source

Why this verdict

our own opinion · changed only by a person

84/100

Verdict yes at 84. The code is free, so this is Docker. Threading email by References rather than subject is the detail worth copying.

History

tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten

Interest · last 30 days

Nothing recorded yet. This chart fills in once the page has visitors, votes or prompt copies — it will not draw a flat line to look busy.

Questions about Chatwoot

answered from the record above

Is Chatwoot free?

No — the plan we track is $19 a month. Startups at around $19 per agent per month billed monthly on the cloud; the community edition is free to self-host.

Can you replace Chatwoot by building your own?

YES. Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent. Replacement score 84 out of 100, build time one session. Read what you lose before you decide.

How much does Chatwoot cost?

$19 a month on Startups — $228 a year. Recorded 10 Aug 2026.

What do you lose by replacing Chatwoot?

Channel integrations for WhatsApp, Instagram and the rest, each with its own approval process; A hosted instance with upgrades and backups; A live chat widget maintained against browser changes. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Chatwoot?

Yes: Chatwoot, FreeScout. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.

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