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Customer Support · head to head

Chatwoot vs Lusha

Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

Customer Support

Open-source customer engagement platform

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Lusha logo

Lusha

CRM

B2B contact and company intelligence

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Chatwoot free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month; Lusha teams over 5 users must contact sales for configuration; no published per-user limits for standard plans
  • They diverge on capability: Chatwoot covers Live chat, Lusha covers Contact database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chatwoot and Lusha actually diverge.

Attributes where Chatwoot and Lusha differ
AttributeChatwootLusha
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, Self-hostedWeb
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM
Founded20172016

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 Chatwoot

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

Only in Lusha

  • Contact database
  • Email search
  • Company intelligence
  • Email verification
  • Chrome extension
  • Integrations
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot

Both cover

  • GDPR
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Chatwoot

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

Lusha

  • Lead generationnot Chatwoot
  • Contact researchnot Chatwoot
  • Email verificationnot 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

Lusha

  • Teams over 5 users must contact sales for configuration; no published per-user limits for standard plans
  • Unused credits on monthly plans roll over but cap at twice the monthly limit, creating potential waste
  • Annual plans do not roll over unused credits; they reset at cycle end

Pricing, plan by plan

Chatwoot

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

Lusha

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 40 credits per month
    • Basic prospecting features
    • Browser extension
  • Starter$49.9/month
    • 400 credits per month
    • All Free plan features
  • Professional$69.9/month
    • 600 credits per month
    • All Starter features
  • Premium$399.9/month
    • 3,400 credits per month
    • All Professional features

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 Lusha if

  • You need contact database.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want email search.
Lusha review

Questions people ask

Is Chatwoot or Lusha better?
Neither clearly leads. Chatwoot starts at Free and Lusha at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or Lusha?
Chatwoot starts at Free and Lusha at Free.
Does Chatwoot or Lusha run on more platforms?
Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted. Lusha runs on Web.
Can I use Chatwoot for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Lusha is typically brought in for.
What can Chatwoot do that Lusha cannot?
Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Knowledge base. Lusha covers Contact database, Email search, Company intelligence, Email verification. Both handle 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
Lusha: What does Lusha's Free plan include?

Lusha's Free plan provides 40 credits per month at no cost. It includes basic prospecting features, browser extension access, and CRM integrations. Credits are used for email reveals (1 credit per contact) and phone numbers (10 credits per contact).

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
Lusha: How do Lusha credits work and what is the credit rollover policy?

Lusha uses a credit system where email reveals cost 1 credit and phone reveals cost 10 credits per contact. On monthly plans, unused credits roll over and accumulate up to twice your monthly credit limit. Annual plans reset unused credits at the cycle's end without rollover.

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
Lusha: What is the annual pricing for Lusha plans?

Lusha offers annual pricing at a discount: Starter is $449.10/year (4,800 credits annually), Professional is $587.16/year (7,200 credits), and Premium is $3,119.21/year (40,800 credits). Annual plans are cheaper per credit than monthly but do not roll over unused credits.

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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