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Chatwoot: Open-Core alternative to Intercom in 2026

Chatwoot centralizes live chat, email, social media and WhatsApp into a single customer support inbox, with automations and reporting, as a direct alternative to Intercom or Zendesk.

Core is open source, but advanced features or enterprise support may be behind a paid tier — check the license.

Alternative to IntercomAlternative to Zendesk
License MIT37.8k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Not verifiable on GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — v4.18.0 · 25 days ago

  • Docker Compose — Verified

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Chatwoot vs. Intercom

Pros

  • MIT license
  • Very lightweight chat widget for your website

Things to consider

  • Some AI integrations are cloud-plan only

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: $39/mo per user on Intercom.
  • On your own VPS: the core is free to self-host on your own server — no more monthly SaaS fee, though some advanced features stay behind a paid plan.
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
  chatwoot:
    image: chatwoot/chatwoot:v4.18.0
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - SECRET_KEY_BASE=change-me-super-secret
      - POSTGRES_HOST=chatwoot-db
      - POSTGRES_USERNAME=chatwoot
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me-postgres-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
      - REDIS_URL=redis://chatwoot-redis:6379
    depends_on:
      - chatwoot-db
      - chatwoot-redis
  chatwoot-db:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=chatwoot
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me-postgres-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
    volumes:
      - chatwoot_pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
  chatwoot-redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
volumes:
  chatwoot_pg_data:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=chatwoot" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit today.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
MIT
Category
CRM & Support
Replaces
Intercom, Zendesk
Tech stack
Ruby on RailsVue.jsPostgreSQLRedis

Under the hood

Database

PostgreSQL

Language

Ruby on Rails

Platforms

Web · Mobile (iOS/Android)

Key features

  • Multichannel shared inbox (web, email, WhatsApp, Instagram)
  • Chatbots and automated replies
  • SLA and satisfaction reports

Preview

Chatwoot interface preview

Public image provided by Chatwoot on its own website.

💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy