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Live Chat & Chatbots · head to head

Botpress vs Chatwoot

Botpress logo

Botpress

Live Chat & Chatbots

Open-source chatbot platform and framework

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

Customer Support

Open-source customer engagement platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Botpress managed cloud version (Botpress Cloud) availability and pricing not accessible; open-source deployment requires managing infrastructure; Chatwoot free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month
  • They diverge on capability: Botpress covers Visual bot builder, Chatwoot covers Live chat.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Botpress and Chatwoot actually diverge.

Attributes where Botpress and Chatwoot differ
AttributeBotpressChatwoot
Pricing modelopen-sourceUnknown
PlatformsOpen-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud)Web, Cloud, Self-hosted
CategoryLive Chat & ChatbotsCustomer Support
Founded20162017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Botpress

  • Visual bot builder
  • NLU integration
  • Multi-channel support
  • Analytics
  • Teams
  • Messenger
  • On-premise support
  • Cloud support

Only in Chatwoot

  • Live chat
  • Email inbox
  • Social channels
  • Knowledge base
  • Chatbots
  • Reports
  • Telegram
  • Line

Both cover

  • Slack
  • WhatsApp
  • Self-hosted support

What people use each for

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

Botpress

  • Development teams building chatbots and conversational AI using MIT-licensed open-source frameworknot Chatwoot
  • Organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via SDK/CLInot Chatwoot

Chatwoot

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

Where each one falls short

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

Botpress

  • Managed cloud version (Botpress Cloud) availability and pricing not accessible; open-source deployment requires managing infrastructure
  • Dependent on OpenAI integration; users must provide and manage OpenAI API keys and costs

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

Botpress

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Botpress review.

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 Botpress if

  • You need visual bot builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud).
  • You also want nlu integration.
Botpress 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 Botpress or Chatwoot better?
Neither clearly leads. Botpress starts at Free and Chatwoot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Botpress or Chatwoot?
Botpress starts at Free and Chatwoot at Free.
Does Botpress or Chatwoot run on more platforms?
Botpress runs on Open-source (self-hosted), Cloud-managed (Botpress Cloud). Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted.
Can I use Botpress for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Botpress best used for?
Botpress is most often used for development teams building chatbots and conversational ai using mit-licensed open-source framework, organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via sdk/cli. Of those, development teams building chatbots and conversational ai using mit-licensed open-source framework and organisations needing custom conversational interfaces with programmatic control via sdk/cli are not what Chatwoot is typically brought in for.
What can Botpress do that Chatwoot cannot?
Botpress covers Visual bot builder, NLU integration, Multi-channel support, Analytics. Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Knowledge base. Both handle Slack, WhatsApp, Self-hosted 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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Related pages

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