2 Best Free Alternatives to Chatwoot in 2026
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
Compared: free alternatives to Chatwoot
| Alternative | Best for | Standout | Biggest weakness | Learning curve | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatwootreference | teams wanting a self-hostable, MIT-licensed alternative to Intercom or Zendesk with full ownership of customer conversation data | Fully open-source and self-hostable (MIT license) omnichannel support platform with a built-in AI agent (Captain) included in the plan rather than sold as a separate bolt-on integration. | The free Hacker plan is capped at just 2 agents and 500 conversations/month with live chat only, no email or social channels, and self-hosting the full feature set (voice, SSO) still requires ongoing infrastructure upkeep on top of the software being free. | Moderate | Free tier · paid from $19/mo |
| Help Scout | small support teams under 10 agents who want a shared inbox that reads like email rather than a numbered-ticket queue | The core interface is a shared email inbox rather than a ticket-number system, so agents work in a format that feels like a normal inbox instead of learning a dedicated ticketing UI. | The free plan caps out at 5 users and 100 monthly contacts, and jumping to live chat and multichannel support on Standard means every agent seat costs $25/month with no lower-priced middle option; the separate $0.75-per-resolution AI Answers add-on can also become unpredictable at high support volume. | Low | Free tier · paid from $25/mo |
| Crisp | small support and sales teams that want a shared omnichannel inbox, live chat, and no-code AI automation billed as a flat per-workspace rate instead of per-agent | Flat per-workspace pricing that bundles a fixed number of seats instead of charging per agent, plus a no-code builder for AI agent workflows that automates routine replies across every connected channel. | Enterprise-grade features like white labeling and unlimited task automation require the $295/month Plus plan, and AI automation runs on a metered credit system on every paid tier, so heavy AI usage can add unplanned cost beyond the base subscription. | Low | Free tier · paid from $45/mo |
Chatwoot
Help Scout
Crisp1.Help Scout — best Chatwoot alternative for small support teams under 10 agents who want a shared inbox that reads like email rather than a numbered-ticket queue
Help Scout is the best Chatwoot alternative for small support teams under 10 agents who want a shared inbox that reads like a normal email client rather than a ticket-number queue. Help Scout's Free plan supports 5 real users with no time limit, more than double Chatwoot's free Hacker plan, which caps out at 2 agents and 500 conversations per month on live chat only. Help Scout holds a 4.6/5 rating from 226 Capterra reviews, a larger verified sample than Chatwoot's 4.7/5 from just 6 Product Hunt reviews, and its Pro plan adds SSO/SAML and HIPAA compliance for $75/user/month, cheaper than Chatwoot's $99/agent/month Enterprise tier that bundles the same certifications with audit logs. Help Scout's AI Inbox assistant is also bundled starting on the $25/user/month Standard plan, comparable to how Chatwoot bundles Captain AI credits into its paid tiers. Chatwoot is still the better choice for teams that want full source-code ownership, a voice channel, or the lowest live-chat entry price: Help Scout is closed-source SaaS with no self-hosting option, its Standard plan costs $25/user/month for live chat and social channels versus Chatwoot's $19/agent/month Startups tier for the same channel breadth, and Help Scout has no dedicated phone/voice channel at any tier, while Chatwoot's $39/agent/month Business tier adds one.
Compared to Chatwoot: Free plan covers 5 real users vs Chatwoot's 2-agent cap, SSO/SAML and HIPAA compliance on Pro at $75/user/month vs Chatwoot's $99/agent/month Enterprise tier, no dedicated voice channel across any tier
Wins:Free plan supports 5 real users with no time limit, more than double Chatwoot's 2-agent Hacker plan cap · 4.6/5 rating from 226 Capterra reviews, a larger verified sample than Chatwoot's 4.7/5 from 6 Product Hunt reviews · SSO/SAML and HIPAA compliance on the Pro plan cost $75/user/month, cheaper than Chatwoot's $99/agent/month Enterprise tier for the same certifications
Loses:Closed-source SaaS with no self-hosting option, unlike Chatwoot's MIT-licensed, self-hostable codebase · Standard plan costs $25/user/month for live chat and social channels, above Chatwoot's $19/agent/month Startups tier for the same channel breadth · No dedicated phone/voice channel at any tier, while Chatwoot's $39/agent/month Business tier adds one
Pros
- Free plan supports 5 real users with no time limit, not just a trial.
- Shared-inbox interface is close to email, so new agents ramp up quickly.
- AI Inbox assistant is bundled starting on the Standard plan rather than sold as a separate add-on.
- Native iOS and Android apps let agents respond to conversations away from a desktop.
Cons
- Live chat and social channels (WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger) require the $25/user/month Standard plan; the free tier is email-only.
- SSO/SAML and HIPAA compliance are locked to the $75/user/month Pro plan, the highest tier.
- AI Answers is billed separately at $0.75 per resolution, which adds unpredictable cost on top of the per-seat price.
- Per-user pricing on Standard and above can get expensive quickly for larger support teams compared to flat-rate helpdesks.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $25/mo — $25/user/month Standard vs Chatwoot's $19/agent/month Startups; Pro at $75/user/month for SSO/HIPAA vs Chatwoot's $99/agent/month Enterprise (verified undefined NaN, NaN)
2.Crisp — best Chatwoot alternative for small support and sales teams that want a shared omnichannel inbox, live chat, and no-code AI automation billed as a flat per-workspace rate instead of per-agent
Crisp is the best Chatwoot alternative for small support and sales teams that want a flat per-workspace price instead of per-agent billing. Crisp's Free plan covers 2 agent seats with unlimited conversations and no time limit, and the paid Mini plan then costs a flat $45/month for 4 seats, versus Chatwoot's per-agent Startups tier at $19/agent/month, which costs $76/month for the same 4 agents. Crisp holds a 4.6/5 rating from 148 Capterra reviews and a 4.8/5 rating from 32 Product Hunt reviews, both larger verified samples than Chatwoot's 4.7/5 from 6 Product Hunt reviews. Crisp ships native apps for web, iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS, broader platform coverage than Chatwoot, which is web-only, and its no-code builder for AI agent workflows is available from the Free plan, unlike Chatwoot's Captain AI, which only ships on paid plans starting at $19/agent/month. Chatwoot is still the better choice for teams that want full source-code ownership and self-hosting, or need automation and white-labeling without a steep price jump: Crisp is closed-source SaaS with no self-hosting option, unlike Chatwoot's MIT-licensed, self-hostable codebase, and unlimited task automation and white labeling require Crisp's $295/month Plus plan, well above Chatwoot's $39/agent/month Business tier that adds automation and voice.
Compared to Chatwoot: flat $45/month Mini plan for 4 seats vs $76/month for 4 agents on Chatwoot's per-agent Startups tier, native apps for web, iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS vs Chatwoot's web-only platform, no-code AI workflow builder included from the Free plan
Wins:Flat per-workspace pricing: Mini costs $45/month for 4 seats, cheaper than $76/month for 4 agents on Chatwoot's per-agent Startups tier · Native apps for web, iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS, versus Chatwoot's web-only platform support · No-code AI agent workflow builder is available from the Free plan, versus Chatwoot's Captain AI, which requires a paid plan starting at $19/agent/month
Loses:Closed-source SaaS with no self-hosting option, unlike Chatwoot's MIT-licensed, self-hostable codebase · Unlimited task automation and white labeling require the $295/month Plus plan, well above Chatwoot's $39/agent/month Business tier that adds automation · AI automation is metered by credits on every paid tier, starting with only about $5 of credits included on the $45/month Mini plan
Pros
- The Free plan supports 2 seats and unlimited conversations with no time limit, not just a trial.
- Flat per-workspace pricing can be cheaper than per-seat competitors once a team has more than a couple of agents.
- Consolidates chat, email, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and SMS into one inbox.
- A no-code builder for AI agent workflows, with 4.6/5 on Capterra (148 reviews) and 4.8/5 on Product Hunt (32 reviews).
Cons
- White labeling, unlimited task automation, and 100+ integrations require the $295/month Plus plan.
- AI automation is metered by credits on every paid tier, so heavy usage adds cost beyond the base subscription.
- Workspace seat caps (4 on Mini, 10 on Essentials) mean growing teams hit forced upgrades.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $45/mo — $45/month Mini flat for 4 seats vs Chatwoot's $19/agent/month Startups ($76/month for 4 agents) (verified undefined NaN, NaN)