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CRM · head to head

Apptivo vs Chatwoot

Apptivo logo

Apptivo

CRM

A bundle of around fifty business apps sold on one per-user subscription

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

Customer Support

Open-source customer engagement platform

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Chatwoot has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Apptivo the tiers gate the number of apps rather than only the depth, so a business that buys Lite at 15 US dollars because of the CRM and later needs an app in the 46-app Premium set faces a 67 per cent per-seat increase to unlock it.; Chatwoot free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month
  • They diverge on capability: Apptivo covers CRM core, Chatwoot covers Live chat.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apptivo and Chatwoot actually diverge.

Attributes where Apptivo and Chatwoot differ
AttributeApptivoChatwoot
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted
CategoryCRMCustomer Support
FoundedUnknown2017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Apptivo

  • CRM core
  • Invoicing and estimates
  • Project management
  • Field service
  • Help desk
  • Procurement and inventory
  • Custom apps and fields
  • Workflow automation

Only in Chatwoot

  • Live chat
  • Email inbox
  • Social channels
  • Knowledge base
  • Chatbots
  • Reports
  • Slack
  • WhatsApp

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Apptivo

  • A ten-person consultancy that wants CRM, project timesheets and invoicing on one subscription instead of stitching three tools togethernot Chatwoot
  • A distributor needing quotes, purchase orders and stock levels against the same customer record without an integration projectnot Chatwoot
  • A service business replacing a spreadsheet-driven help desk that also wants the ticket history visible on the sales contactnot Chatwoot
  • A business already paying separately for CRM, invoicing and project tools that wants to cut vendor count and consolidate billingnot Chatwoot

Chatwoot

  • Self-hosted supportnot Apptivo
  • Privacy-first chatnot Apptivo
  • Multi-channel supportnot Apptivo

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Apptivo

  • The tiers gate the number of apps rather than only the depth, so a business that buys Lite at 15 US dollars because of the CRM and later needs an app in the 46-app Premium set faces a 67 per cent per-seat increase to unlock it.
  • Workflow automation is capped at 25 rules on both Lite and Premium, which is low for any business automating more than a basic sales process, and lifting it means jumping to Ultimate at 40 US dollars.
  • Each app is shallower than the dedicated product it replaces, so teams that outgrow one module end up buying a specialist tool anyway and lose the single-record advantage that justified the suite.
  • There is no free tier, only a 30-day trial, so evaluating the breadth properly against real data requires paying or rushing the trial window.
  • The interface is dense and inconsistent between apps because they were built over many years, which lengthens onboarding and produces persistent user complaints in teams that are not technically confident.

Chatwoot

  • Free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month
  • Self-hosted option requires managing infrastructure, updates, and external messaging costs
  • Smaller ecosystem and community compared to Zendesk or Intercom
  • AI features require credit consumption and additional configuration

Pricing, plan by plan

Apptivo

On request
  • Lite$15/month
    • 18 apps
    • 100 custom fields per app
    • 25 workflows
  • Premium$25/month
    • 46 apps
    • 250 custom fields per app
    • 25 workflows
  • Ultimate$40/month
    • All apps
    • 350 custom fields per app
    • 150 workflows
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • 500 custom fields per app
    • 300 workflows
    • 100 custom dashboards

Chatwoot

Free
  • HackerFree
    • 2 agents
    • 500 conversations per month
    • 1 live chat channel
  • Startups$19/month
    • Unlimited agents
    • Unlimited conversations

Which should you pick?

Choose Apptivo if

  • You need crm core.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want invoicing and estimates.
Apptivo review

Choose Chatwoot if

  • You need live chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted.
  • You also want email inbox.
Chatwoot review

Questions people ask

Is Apptivo or Chatwoot better?
Neither clearly leads. Apptivo starts at On request and Chatwoot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apptivo or Chatwoot?
Chatwoot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Apptivo and Free for Chatwoot.
Does Apptivo or Chatwoot run on more platforms?
Apptivo runs on Web, iOS, Android. Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted.
Can I use Chatwoot for free?
Yes. Chatwoot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Apptivo starts at On request.
What is Apptivo best used for?
Apptivo is most often used for a ten-person consultancy that wants crm, project timesheets and invoicing on one subscription instead of stitching three tools together, a distributor needing quotes, purchase orders and stock levels against the same customer record without an integration project, a service business replacing a spreadsheet-driven help desk that also wants the ticket history visible on the sales contact, a business already paying separately for crm, invoicing and project tools that wants to cut vendor count and consolidate billing. Of those, a ten-person consultancy that wants crm, project timesheets and invoicing on one subscription instead of stitching three tools together and a distributor needing quotes, purchase orders and stock levels against the same customer record without an integration project are not what Chatwoot is typically brought in for.
What can Apptivo do that Chatwoot cannot?
Apptivo covers CRM core, Invoicing and estimates, Project management, Field service. Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Knowledge base.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Apptivo: Does Apptivo have a free plan?

No. There is a 30-day free trial; the cheapest ongoing plan is Lite at 15 US dollars per user per month billed annually.

Chatwoot: Does Chatwoot offer a self-hosted option?

Yes. Chatwoot provides both cloud-hosted and self-hosted versions. Self-hosting is free with the open-source version, though you handle infrastructure, maintenance, and external messaging costs.

Source
Apptivo: What is the real difference between Lite and Premium?

Mostly app count and dashboards: Lite opens 18 apps, Premium opens 46 with custom dashboards. Check which specific app you need before choosing on price.

Chatwoot: What communication channels does Chatwoot support?

Chatwoot supports email, live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media channels consolidated into a single inbox.

Source
Apptivo: Is monthly billing more expensive?

Yes, by roughly a third. Lite is 15 annually versus 20 monthly, Premium 25 versus 30, Ultimate 40 versus 50.

Chatwoot: Is there a free plan for Chatwoot?

Yes. Chatwoot offers a free Hacker plan supporting up to 2 agents, 500 conversations per month, and one live chat channel.

Source
Apptivo: Are all fifty apps really included?

Only on the top tiers. The lower tiers include a subset, and the app list per tier is the thing to verify before buying.

Chatwoot: What AI features does Chatwoot include?

Chatwoot includes Captain AI agent for automated responses, Copilot for smart reply suggestions, and live translation features.

Source
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