Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

Chatwoot vs Freshservice

Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

Customer Support

Open-source customer engagement platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Freshservice logo

Freshservice

Customer Support

Modern IT service management

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Chatwoot has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Chatwoot free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month; Freshservice change, problem and release management require the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month, so core ITIL processes sit two tiers up
  • They diverge on capability: Chatwoot covers Live chat, Freshservice covers Incident management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chatwoot and Freshservice actually diverge.

Attributes where Chatwoot and Freshservice differ
AttributeChatwootFreshservice
Starting priceFree$19/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, Self-hostedWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20172010

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

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 Chatwoot

  • Live chat
  • Email inbox
  • Social channels
  • Chatbots
  • Reports
  • WhatsApp
  • Telegram
  • Line

Only in Freshservice

  • Incident management
  • Asset management
  • Change management
  • Automation
  • Reporting
  • Microsoft Teams
  • AWS
  • Azure

Both cover

  • Knowledge base
  • Slack
  • GDPR
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Chatwoot

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

Freshservice

  • IT service management and internal help desk ticketingnot Chatwoot
  • Asset management and change control for IT teamsnot Chatwoot

Where each one falls short

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

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

Freshservice

  • Change, problem and release management require the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month, so core ITIL processes sit two tiers up
  • Every plan includes only 100 ITAM asset units, with more sold separately regardless of tier
  • Orchestration transactions are metered monthly, from 1,000 on Starter to 20,000 on Enterprise, with extra packs at $250 per 1,000
  • The Freddy AI copilot is a $29 per agent per month add on on top of Pro or Enterprise
  • Sandbox and audit logs are Enterprise only, which carries no published price

Pricing, plan by plan

Chatwoot

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

Freshservice

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • Incident management
    • Knowledge base
    • Self-service portal
  • Growth$49/month
    • Asset management
    • Approval workflows
    • SLA management
  • Pro$95/month
    • Problem management
    • Change management
    • Release management
  • Enterprise$119/month
    • Freddy AI
    • Audit logs
    • Custom SSL

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Freshservice if

  • You need incident management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want asset management.
Freshservice review

Questions people ask

Is Chatwoot or Freshservice better?
Neither clearly leads. Chatwoot starts at Free and Freshservice at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or Freshservice?
Chatwoot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Chatwoot and $19/month for Freshservice.
Does Chatwoot or Freshservice run on more platforms?
Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted. Freshservice runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Chatwoot for free?
Yes. Chatwoot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Freshservice starts at $19/month.
What is Chatwoot best used for?
Chatwoot is most often used for self-hosted support, privacy-first chat, multi-channel support. Of those, self-hosted support and privacy-first chat are not what Freshservice is typically brought in for.
What can Chatwoot do that Freshservice cannot?
Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Chatbots. Freshservice covers Incident management, Asset management, Change management, Automation. Both handle Knowledge base, Slack, GDPR, Web 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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