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Software · head to head

Booksy vs Chatwoot

Booksy logo

Booksy

Software

Book local beauty services

From
$29.99/month
Rated
-
Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

Software

Open-source customer engagement platform

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Chatwoot has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Booksy the Boost marketplace feature charges a one time 30% fee on the first visit cost for each client it brings in; Chatwoot free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month
  • They diverge on capability: Booksy covers Online booking, Chatwoot covers Live chat.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Booksy and Chatwoot actually diverge.

Attributes where Booksy and Chatwoot differ
AttributeBooksyChatwoot
Starting price$29.99/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Cloud, Self-hosted
Founded20142017

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

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 Booksy

  • Online booking
  • Calendar management
  • Client database
  • Automated reminders
  • Marketing tools
  • Reviews management
  • Mobile apps
  • Analytics dashboard

Only in Chatwoot

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

Both cover

  • Facebook
  • Web support
  • Ios support

What people use each for

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

Booksy

  • Appointment booking and client management for salons and barbersnot Chatwoot
  • Taking payments and deposits against bookingsnot Chatwoot

Chatwoot

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

Where each one falls short

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

Booksy

  • The Boost marketplace feature charges a one time 30% fee on the first visit cost for each client it brings in
  • Additional team members are $20 a month each on top of the $29.99 base
  • Card processing runs from 2.49% plus $0.10 to 2.69% plus $0.30 depending on how the payment is taken
  • Getting paid out within 30 minutes costs a further 1.5%
  • Card readers are bought separately at $53.10 or $219.85 plus shipping

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

Booksy

$29.99/month
  • Solo$29.99/month
    • Unlimited bookings
    • Client management
    • Mobile app
  • Team$49.99/month
    • Everything in Solo
    • Multiple staff
    • Staff scheduling
  • Business$79.99/month
    • Everything in Team
    • Multi-location
    • Priority support

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 Booksy if

  • You need online booking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want calendar management.

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.

Questions people ask

Is Booksy or Chatwoot better?
Neither clearly leads. Booksy starts at $29.99/month and Chatwoot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Booksy or Chatwoot?
Chatwoot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29.99/month for Booksy and Free for Chatwoot.
Does Booksy or Chatwoot run on more platforms?
Booksy 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. Booksy starts at $29.99/month.
What is Booksy best used for?
Booksy is most often used for appointment booking and client management for salons and barbers, taking payments and deposits against bookings. Of those, appointment booking and client management for salons and barbers and taking payments and deposits against bookings are not what Chatwoot is typically brought in for.
What can Booksy do that Chatwoot cannot?
Booksy covers Online booking, Calendar management, Client database, Automated reminders. Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Knowledge base. Both handle Facebook, Web support, Ios support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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
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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