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Customer Support · head to head

Chatwoot vs Hubstaff

Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

Customer Support

Open-source customer engagement platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hubstaff logo

Hubstaff

Productivity

Time tracking and team management for remote teams

From
$5.99/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; Hubstaff billed per seat; the pricing page's own proration example states the Team plan costs $10 per seat per month, with fees adjusted when seats are added or removed mid-cycle
  • They diverge on capability: Chatwoot covers Live chat, Hubstaff covers Time tracking with timer.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chatwoot and Hubstaff actually diverge.

Attributes where Chatwoot and Hubstaff differ
AttributeChatwootHubstaff
Starting priceFree$5.99/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, Self-hostedWeb, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows
CategoryCustomer SupportProductivity
Founded20172012

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 Chatwoot

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

Only in Hubstaff

  • Time tracking with timer
  • Activity monitoring
  • GPS location tracking
  • Screenshots
  • Reports and analytics
  • Invoicing
  • Team management
  • Mobile apps

What people use each for

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

Chatwoot

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

Hubstaff

  • Productivitynot Chatwoot
  • Collaborationnot Chatwoot
  • Task managementnot Chatwoot
  • Organizationnot 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

Hubstaff

  • Billed per seat; the pricing page's own proration example states the Team plan costs $10 per seat per month, with fees adjusted when seats are added or removed mid-cycle

Pricing, plan by plan

Chatwoot

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

Hubstaff

$5.99/month
  • FreeFree
    • Basic time tracking
    • Limited to 1 user
    • Basic reports
  • Starter$5.99/month
    • Time tracking
    • Team management
    • Reports
  • Pro$9.99/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • GPS tracking
    • Activity monitoring

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 Hubstaff if

  • You need time tracking with timer.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
  • You also want activity monitoring.
Hubstaff review

Questions people ask

Is Chatwoot or Hubstaff better?
Neither clearly leads. Chatwoot starts at Free and Hubstaff at $5.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or Hubstaff?
Chatwoot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Chatwoot and $5.99/month for Hubstaff.
Does Chatwoot or Hubstaff run on more platforms?
Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted. Hubstaff runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
Can I use Chatwoot for free?
Yes. Chatwoot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hubstaff starts at $5.99/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 Hubstaff is typically brought in for.
What can Chatwoot do that Hubstaff cannot?
Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Knowledge base. Hubstaff covers Time tracking with timer, Activity monitoring, GPS location tracking, Screenshots.

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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