Chatwoot is an open-source customer support platform: self-host for free or use the cloud. See 2026 pricing plans, features, and FAQs before you choose.
Category
Customer Support
Pricing
Open-source / Freemium (self-hosted free, or per-agent subscription), from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2017
Headquarters
San Francisco, USA (engineering team based in Bengaluru, India)
Chatwoot is an open-source customer engagement platform founded in 2017 by Pranav Raj S, Sojan Jose, and Nithin David Thomas, and open-sourced under the MIT license in 2019 after going through Y Combinator's Winter 2021 batch. It provides an alternative to commercial platforms like Intercom and Zendesk that can be self-hosted or used as a managed cloud service.
Built on Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, and Redis, and typically deployed via Docker, Chatwoot lets teams either run the software entirely on their own infrastructure for full data control, or use Chatwoot's hosted cloud plans.
Key Features
Chatwoot unifies live chat, email, and channels like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram into one shared inbox, with automation rules, canned responses, and internal team collaboration via notes and @mentions.
Captain, Chatwoot's built-in AI agent, can auto-respond to common queries, summarize conversations, and suggest replies, with usage measured in monthly AI credits that vary by plan.
Pricing
The self-hosted Community Edition is free and open source with no per-agent fee. Chatwoot's cloud plans are billed per agent per month: Hacker is free for up to 2 agents, Startups is $19/agent/month, Business is $39/agent/month, and Enterprise is $99/agent/month, all billed annually. Paid, vendor-managed self-hosted plans are available in a similar price range.
Key Features
Omnichannel shared inbox — Manage live chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and more from one inbox.
Self-hosted Community Edition — Fully open-source, free-to-self-host version under the MIT license.
Captain AI agent — Built-in AI that auto-responds to common queries, summarizes conversations, and suggests replies.
Automation rules — Auto-assign agents, send canned responses, and tag conversations based on rules.
Help center — Self-service knowledge base for customers, included on paid plans.
Team collaboration tools — Internal private notes and @mentions for agent coordination.
Reporting suite — Dashboards and reports on conversation volume, response times, and CSAT.
SSO/SAML and audit logs — Enterprise-tier security and compliance controls.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Free, fully open-source self-hosting option with no per-agent fee
Full data ownership and control, useful for compliance-sensitive organizations
Active open-source community contributing integrations and translations
Cons
Self-hosting requires DevOps effort to manage Rails, PostgreSQL, Redis, and Docker
Voice channel and several advanced features are limited to Business/Enterprise tiers
Captain AI usage is credit-limited, with overage credits billed separately
Smaller third-party integration ecosystem than larger platforms like Zendesk or Intercom
Pricing
Community Edition (self-hosted) Free N/A
Hacker (cloud) $0/agent/month monthly
Startups (cloud) $19/agent/month annual
Business (cloud) $39/agent/month annual
Enterprise (cloud) $99/agent/month annual
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chatwoot really free?
Yes, the self-hosted Community Edition is completely free and open source under the MIT license; Chatwoot also offers a free Hacker cloud plan for up to 2 agents.
Can I self-host Chatwoot?
Yes, Chatwoot can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure using Docker, giving you full control over your customer data.
What is Captain in Chatwoot?
Captain is Chatwoot's built-in AI agent that can auto-respond to common queries, summarize conversations, and suggest replies to human agents.
What channels does Chatwoot support?
Chatwoot supports live chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, Line, SMS, voice (on higher tiers), and a general API channel.
How does Chatwoot cloud pricing work?
Cloud pricing is billed per agent per month, ranging from a free Hacker plan up to $99/agent/month on Enterprise, all billed annually.
Who founded Chatwoot?
Chatwoot was founded in 2017 by Pranav Raj S, Sojan Jose, and Nithin David Thomas, and went through Y Combinator's Winter 2021 batch.