The 6 best Chatwoot alternatives for AI support in 2025

Chatwoot has made a name for itself as the go-to open-source platform for customer support. If your team loves having total control over your data and the freedom to tinker with your tools, I get the appeal. I really do.

But let's be real, customer support isn't just about juggling conversations in a shared inbox anymore. The expectations have shifted. Customers want answers instantly, and support teams are stretched thinner than ever. The new normal is a support system that uses smart automation and AI to handle the simple stuff, freeing up your team for the trickier problems.

That’s exactly why I put this list together. It’s for anyone who’s starting to feel the walls closing in on a basic setup and is hunting for the best Chatwoot alternatives. We’re going to look at the top choices for businesses that are ready to move from simple live chat to a smarter, more automated way of doing things.

What is Chatwoot and why look for alternatives?

Chatwoot is an open-source, self-hostable customer engagement tool. In normal-speak, it’s a platform that pulls all your customer chats from email, websites, and social media into one dashboard. The big draws are that it’s cheap (if you host it yourself), super customizable for developers, and you own all your data.

But those perks come with some pretty big trade-offs, which are the main reasons people start looking for Chatwoot alternatives.

• The setup and upkeep is a real headache. Open-source sounds great in theory, but in practice, someone has to install it, update it, and fix it when it breaks. That takes time and technical skill that a lot of teams just don't have.

• The AI is pretty basic. Chatwoot can connect to simple chatbots like Dialogflow, but it lacks the sophisticated, self-learning AI that's becoming standard. Modern platforms can actually learn from your past support tickets to solve issues on their own.

• It struggles to learn from your knowledge. Getting Chatwoot to pull answers from all your scattered documents in Google Docs, Confluence, or past tickets is a huge custom development project.

• It can be clunky to use. Some users have pointed out that the documentation isn't always clear, and the interface doesn't feel as polished or intuitive as the big-name tools out there.

If you found yourself nodding along to any of that, you’re in the right spot.

graph TD  

A[Start with Chatwoot] --> B{Need for Setup & Maintenance};  

B --> C[Requires Technical Team & Time];  

C --> D{Encounter Limitations};  

D --> E[Basic AI Capabilities];  

D --> F[Struggles to Learn from Knowledge Base];  

D --> G[Clunky User Interface];  

E --> H[Search for Better Chatwoot Alternatives];  

F --> H;  

G --> H;  

How I picked the best Chatwoot alternatives for this list

To make this list actually useful, I focused on the things that really matter when you're looking to upgrade your support tools. Here’s the checklist I used:

• How smart is the AI, really? Can it actually resolve tickets on its own, or just deflect them? Can it draft helpful replies for agents? And most importantly, does it learn from your company's unique data or just give generic answers?

• How painful is the setup? Can you sign up and get it working yourself in an afternoon, or are you stuck in a month-long implementation project with a sales team?

• Does it play well with others? Your support tool can't live on an island. I looked at how well each platform connects to the helpdesks, knowledge bases, and other tools you're already using.

• What’s the real price? The monthly subscription is just one part of the equation. I also considered the hidden costs: setup fees, your engineers' time spent on maintenance, and those sneaky per-resolution fees that punish you for being busy.

A quick comparison of the top Chatwoot alternatives

Here’s a bird's-eye view of how the best Chatwoot alternatives compare.

	Best For	Ease of Setup	AI Capabilities	Pricing Model	Self-Serve?
eesel AI	AI automation for your existing tools	Super fast (self-serve)	Advanced	Predictable tiers	Yes
Intercom	Proactive customer chats	Takes time (demo required)	Advanced	Complicated (seat + resolution fees)	No
Zendesk	Huge, enterprise-level teams	Complex (needs an admin)	Advanced	Per seat	No
Freshdesk	All-in-one small business helpdesk	Easy	Good	Per ticket	Yes
Gorgias	Ecommerce stores	Easy	Good	Per ticket	Yes
Chaskiq	Open-source diehards	Technical (you host it)	Basic	Free (plus hosting costs)	Yes

The 6 best Chatwoot alternatives for customer support in 2025

1. eesel AI

If your goal is to add serious AI power to your support workflow without the nightmare of switching helpdesks, eesel AI is the one to look at. It's built to plug right into the tools you're already using, giving them an automation boost you can set up in just a few minutes.

Why it's a great alternative:

eesel AI is designed to fix Chatwoot's biggest weaknesses. It gets rid of all the technical maintenance of self-hosting and gives you seriously powerful AI that's surprisingly simple to use. While most competitors force you into a sales call, you can sign up and get eesel AI running all on your own.

What makes it different:

• It connects to all your knowledge, instantly. This is its biggest strength. eesel AI can connect to your helpdesk like Zendesk, Freshdesk, or Intercom, learn from all your past tickets, and pull information from internal docs in Confluence and Google Docs. It can even learn from your team's conversations in Slack.

• You can go live in minutes, not months. It’s a true self-serve platform. You connect your tools with a few clicks and can have a working AI agent without ever having to talk to a salesperson.

• Test it without any risk. Before you let the AI talk to a single customer, you can run it in a simulation mode on thousands of your old tickets. This gives you a clear picture of how well it will perform, so you know exactly what you’re getting.

• You're in complete control. You decide exactly what kinds of questions the AI should answer. You can start small, like with simple "where's my order?" questions, and have it pass everything else to a human. As you get more comfortable, you can let it handle more, tweak its personality, and even teach it to perform custom actions.

The eesel AI simulation mode lets you test the AI's performance on past tickets before going live.

Pricing:

The pricing is straightforward and predictable. Plans are based on usage, not how many resolutions it gets, so your bill won't suddenly double after a busy month. You can also start on a monthly plan and cancel whenever.

Best for:

Teams who want to automate support, help out their agents, and get more efficient by adding a powerful AI layer on top of their current tools, all without a painful migration process.

2. Intercom

Intercom is a premium tool known for its sleek live chat widget and its impressive AI chatbot, Fin. It’s built around the idea of proactive support, reaching out to customers before they even run into a problem.

Why it's on the list:

Intercom has some of the most advanced AI features out there, making it a huge leap forward from Chatwoot’s basic functions.

The good:

• Its AI chatbot, Fin, is top-notch and learns from your knowledge base and conversations.

• It's fantastic for proactive outreach, like user onboarding tours and marketing messages.

• The user interface is beautifully designed and easy to navigate.

The not-so-good:

• The biggest catch? The price tag. It's steep, and the pricing model can be a real maze of per-seat and per-resolution fees that are hard to predict.

• You can't just sign up and try it out. You have to schedule a sales demo, which is a big barrier.

• It often feels like you have to move your entire support operation into their world.

Pricing:

Starts at $39 per seat per month, but that’s just the starting line. Getting the full AI feature set costs a lot more.

Best for:

Well-funded companies focused on sales and marketing who want a single, polished platform to manage every single customer interaction.

3. Zendesk

Zendesk is pretty much the industry giant for enterprise helpdesk software. It’s a massive suite of tools that can handle everything from ticketing to reporting for some of the biggest companies in the world.

Why it's on the list:

For large teams that have simply outgrown what Chatwoot can do, Zendesk offers the heavy-duty features needed to manage complex support operations at scale.

The good:

• It's incredibly powerful and customizable, with all the advanced workflows and routing you could ever need.

• It has a huge marketplace with thousands of apps and integrations.

• The AI tools can give agents a helping hand and build out a smart self-service portal.

The not-so-good:

• Let's be clear: Zendesk is a beast. It's powerful, but it comes with a seriously steep learning curve. Most companies need a dedicated admin just to manage it.

• It’s expensive, especially for smaller teams who will end up paying for features they never touch.

• The interface can feel a bit dated compared to some of the newer tools on the block.

Pricing:

Service plans start at $55 per agent per month, but the really powerful AI features are usually sold as pricey add-ons.

Best for:

Large companies that need a highly customizable, do-it-all support platform and have the budget and people to run it.

4. Freshdesk

Freshdesk is one of Zendesk's main rivals, but it puts a much bigger emphasis on being easy to use. It’s designed as an all-in-one helpdesk that you can get up and running without pulling your hair out.

Why it's on the list:

It's a great all-around helpdesk that feels like a natural next step for teams moving away from a self-hosted tool like Chatwoot.

The good:

• The interface is clean, modern, and easy for agents to pick up.

• It strikes a nice balance of features, with solid ticketing, a knowledge base, and good reporting tools.

• They offer a pretty generous free plan for up to 10 agents, which is perfect for small teams just starting out.

The not-so-good:

• Its built-in AI (called "Freddy AI") is fine for basic stuff, but it isn't as powerful or easy to train as more specialized AI platforms.

• The price can jump up quickly once you need the more advanced features on the higher-tier plans.

Pricing:

There's a free plan. Paid plans start at $15 per agent per month if you pay annually.

Best for:

Small to medium-sized businesses looking for a friendly, all-in-one helpdesk that’s easy to manage without a full-time admin.

5. Gorgias

Gorgias is a helpdesk built for one thing and one thing only: ecommerce stores. It has deep integrations with platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento.

Why it's on the list:

If you're using Chatwoot for an ecommerce business, Gorgias is a purpose-built upgrade that’s designed to automate the most common questions online shoppers ask.

The good:

• The Shopify integration is a dream. Agents can see order details, issue refunds, and change shipping info without ever leaving the Gorgias dashboard.

• It has powerful automation rules that can instantly answer questions like "Where is my order?"

• It pulls in customer comments from social media posts and ads, which is a huge win for ecommerce brands.

The not-so-good:

• The pricing is based on how many tickets you get. This can be very hard to predict and gets expensive fast for stores with lots of customers.

• If you're not an ecommerce business, it’s probably not the right fit for you.

Pricing:

Starts at $10 per month for just 50 tickets. Plans for growing stores can easily run into hundreds of dollars a month.

Best for:

Shopify store owners or any ecommerce business that needs a helpdesk tied directly into their store’s backend data.

6. Chaskiq

For teams who are set on sticking with the open-source, self-hosted route, Chaskiq is an interesting alternative to Chatwoot. It's also focused on customer conversations but has more of a conversational marketing angle.

Why it's on the list:

It offers a different take on open-source support. If you need more marketing features, Chaskiq might be a better choice than Chatwoot while still giving you the control of self-hosting.

The good:

• It’s free to use; you just pay for your own hosting.

• It comes with some cool, unique features like video calls and guided onboarding tours for your app.

• It has a plugin system that lets you connect to tools like Zapier and Calendly.

The not-so-good:

• It has the same big downside as Chatwoot: you need someone with technical chops to set it up and keep it running.

• The community around it is smaller, and the platform doesn't feel quite as polished as the others.

• The AI features are very limited compared to the paid platforms.

Pricing:

Free (it's open-source), but you'll be on the hook for server costs.

Best for:

Tech-savvy teams who want an open-source tool with more marketing flair than Chatwoot and are ready to manage all the infrastructure themselves.

Beyond the list: 3 tips for picking your Chatwoot alternatives

Making the final decision can be tough. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Upgrade, don't just replace. Your helpdesk is the heart of your support team. Instead of looking for a tool that forces you to start from scratch, find one that makes what you already have better. A tool that plugs into your current setup will save you a world of hurt.

2. Test with your own data. A slick sales demo will always look amazing. The only way to know if an AI tool will actually work for your business is to test it on your real customer questions. Look for platforms that offer a free trial or a simulation mode, they let you see how it performs in the real world.

3. Look at the total cost. Don't just look at the monthly fee. For open-source tools, factor in the cost of your engineers' time. For other tools, watch out for unpredictable per-resolution fees. Sometimes, a slightly higher monthly fee for a managed, self-serve tool ends up being a lot cheaper.

See how you can build your own AI support chatbot using open-source tools like Chatwoot.

The future of support is automated, not just organized

Moving on from Chatwoot isn't just about finding a new inbox. It’s about using AI and automation to deliver the kind of fast, easy support that customers now demand.

While open-source tools give you a ton of control, modern AI platforms like eesel AI deliver powerful automation without the technical headaches. Instead of tearing out your current system, you can add an AI layer on top that learns from your data and works with the tools you already know and love.

Ready to see what AI can do for your support team? Try eesel AI for free and see how it performs on your past tickets in just a few minutes.