Customer Support · head to head
Chatwoot vs n8n
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Chatwoot free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month; n8n starter tier limited to 1 project and 5 concurrent executions
- They diverge on capability: Chatwoot covers Live chat, n8n covers Workflow automation.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Chatwoot and n8n actually diverge.
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
- Telegram
Only in n8n
- Workflow automation
- Visual editor
- Conditional execution
- Looping
- Error handling
- Scheduling
- Webhooks
- REST API
Both cover
- Slack
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Chatwoot
- Self-hosted supportnot n8n
- Privacy-first chatnot n8n
- Multi-channel supportnot n8n
n8n
- Building AI agents and workflow automation for technical teamsnot Chatwoot
- Visual workflow design with capability to write custom JavaScript or Python codenot Chatwoot
- Enterprise deployments with self-hosted or cloud optionsnot Chatwoot
- Integrating 500+ pre-built applications with custom API connectionsnot 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
n8n
- Starter tier limited to 1 project and 5 concurrent executions
- Starter and Pro tiers restricted to Cloud hosting only, not self-hosted
- Business tier requires 6 months minimum commitment at €667/month
- SSO/SAML/LDAP authentication requires Business or Enterprise tier
- Dedicated support with SLA available only on Enterprise plan
Pricing, plan by plan
Chatwoot
Free- HackerFree
- 2 agents
- 500 conversations per month
- 1 live chat channel
- Startups$19/month
- Unlimited agents
- Unlimited conversations
n8n
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the n8n 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 n8n if
- You need workflow automation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Docker, Self-hosted.
- You also want visual editor.
Questions people ask
- Is Chatwoot or n8n better?
- Neither clearly leads. Chatwoot starts at Free and n8n at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or n8n?
- Chatwoot starts at Free and n8n at Free.
- Does Chatwoot or n8n run on more platforms?
- Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted. n8n runs on Web, Docker, Self-hosted.
- 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 n8n is typically brought in for.
- What can Chatwoot do that n8n cannot?
- Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Knowledge base. n8n covers Workflow automation, Visual editor, Conditional execution, Looping. Both handle Slack.
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.
SourceChatwoot: 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.
SourceChatwoot: 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.
SourceChatwoot: What AI features does Chatwoot include?
Chatwoot includes Captain AI agent for automated responses, Copilot for smart reply suggestions, and live translation features.
Source