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Alex Spinov
Alex Spinov

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Chatwoot Has a Free Customer Support Platform — Open-Source Intercom Alternative

Chatwoot is an open-source customer engagement platform with live chat, email, and social integrations.

What You Get for Free

  • Live chat — embeddable widget for websites
  • Omnichannel — email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, Twitter, SMS
  • Team inbox — assign conversations to agents
  • Canned responses — quick replies for common questions
  • Automation — rules-based routing and auto-assignment
  • AI assist — OpenAI integration for reply suggestions
  • Reports — response times, resolution rates, agent performance
  • CSAT — customer satisfaction surveys
  • API & webhooks — integrate with CRM, ticketing systems
  • Self-hosted — free, unlimited agents, unlimited conversations

Quick Start

# Docker
docker compose up -d
# Access at http://localhost:3000

# Or Chatwoot Cloud: app.chatwoot.com (free for 2 agents)
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Why Teams Choose It Over Intercom

Intercom starts at $39/seat/month. Zendesk at $55/seat:

  • Self-hosted is free — unlimited agents, unlimited conversations
  • Omnichannel — WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram built in (Intercom charges extra)
  • Open source — customize, add channels, modify UI
  • AI assist — GPT-powered reply suggestions

A D2C brand was paying $780/mo for Intercom (20 agents). They deployed self-hosted Chatwoot — same live chat, added WhatsApp and Instagram DM support (which Intercom charges extra for), zero monthly cost.


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