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Free OmnichannelNo per-conversationWhatsApp ready

Chatwoot

Live chat, email, WhatsApp, and Instagram DMs in one inbox. The Intercom alternative that doesn't charge per conversation.

⏱ 40 min setup ◆◆◇ Some copy-pasting ↺ Reversible

What it does

One shared inbox for website chat, email, WhatsApp Business, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram. Assign conversations, automate replies, track satisfaction - all self-hosted.

Why we like it

Intercom charges $0.99 per resolution on top of a $39/month base. If you do 200 conversations a month, that's $237/month. Chatwoot is $0/month after setup. The UI is genuinely good - not 'good for open source,' just good.

What it replaces

Intercom, Zendesk, Crisp, Tawk.to

Setup guide

Here's the setup, step by step. One shared inbox for website chat, email, WhatsApp Business, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram. Assign conversations, automate replies, track satisfaction - all self-hosted.

Steps

  1. Provision a VPS with at least 2GB RAM
  2. Install Docker and Docker Compose
  3. Clone the Chatwoot self-hosted repo
  4. Edit the .env file with your domain and SMTP credentials
  5. Run docker-compose up -d

The code

This is the actual configuration you'll use. Lines you need to edit are highlighted.

What this doesThe variables that matter. Chatwoot provides a full .env template.
.env (excerpt)
FRONTEND_URL=https://chat.yourdomain.com  ← your domainSECRET_KEY_BASE=generate-a-long-random-string  ← run: rake secretSMTP_ADDRESS=smtp.yourprovider.com  ← for outgoing emailSMTP_USERNAME=your@email.comSMTP_PASSWORD=your-smtp-password
⚠ Before you run thisWhatsApp Business API requires a Meta Business account (free, but involves verification). This is Meta's requirement, not Chatwoot's.

Resource cost

Needs a $10/month VPS (2GB RAM). Redis + Postgres + the app.

Quick facts

License
MIT
GitHub stars
22k+
Setup time
40 min
Difficulty
Some copy-pasting
Reversible
Yes

Replaces

Intercom, Zendesk, Crisp, Tawk.to

Need help?

Hit a wall during setup? Ask in the community - we answer every question.

Ask in community →
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