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Software · head to head

Chatwoot vs Mattermost

Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

Software

Open-source customer engagement platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Mattermost logo

Mattermost

Software

Channel-centric collaboration for secure workflows

From
On request
Rated
-

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; Mattermost no prices are published for any of the three paid tiers (Professional, Enterprise, Enterprise Advanced); all require contacting sales

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chatwoot and Mattermost actually diverge.

Attributes where Chatwoot and Mattermost differ
AttributeChatwootMattermost
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, Self-hostedWeb
Founded2017Unknown

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 Chatwoot

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

Only in Mattermost

Nothing recorded that Chatwoot does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Chatwoot

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

Mattermost

No use cases recorded yet. See the Mattermost review.

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

Mattermost

  • No prices are published for any of the three paid tiers (Professional, Enterprise, Enterprise Advanced); all require contacting sales
  • Professional is capped at a maximum of 250 users, forcing a move to Enterprise for larger teams
  • Licenses are sold only as prepaid annual subscriptions, and organizations that exceed their licensed seat count must purchase additional seats on a prorated quarterly basis

Pricing, plan by plan

Chatwoot

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

Mattermost

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Mattermost review.

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.

Choose Mattermost if

Nothing in the data separates Mattermost from Chatwoot on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Questions people ask

Is Chatwoot or Mattermost better?
Neither clearly leads. Chatwoot starts at Free and Mattermost at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or Mattermost?
Chatwoot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Chatwoot and On request for Mattermost.
Does Chatwoot or Mattermost run on more platforms?
Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted. Mattermost runs on Web.
Can I use Chatwoot for free?
Yes. Chatwoot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mattermost starts at On request.
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 Mattermost is typically brought in for.
What can Chatwoot do that Mattermost cannot?
Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Knowledge base.

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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