Is Chatwoot or Plane better?

Neither clearly leads. Chatwoot starts at Free and Plane at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or Plane?

Chatwoot starts at Free and Plane at Free.

Does Chatwoot or Plane run on more platforms?

Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted. Plane runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.

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 Plane is typically brought in for.

What can Chatwoot do that Plane cannot?

Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Knowledge base. Plane covers Issue tracking, Cycles (Sprints), Modules, Views & layouts. Both handle Slack.

Customer Support · head to head

Chatwoot vs Plane

Chatwoot

Customer Support

Open-source customer engagement platform

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Plane

Technology

Open-source project management tool

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Chatwoot free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month; Plane self-hosted Community edition requires managing your own Docker/Kubernetes infra plus your own PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3-compatible/GCS/MinIO storage; no single-binary install
They diverge on capability: Chatwoot covers Live chat, Plane covers Issue tracking.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chatwoot and Plane actually diverge.

Attributes where Chatwoot and Plane differ
Attribute	Chatwoot	Plane
Pricing model	Unknown	freemium
Platforms	Web, Cloud, Self-hosted	Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows
Category	Customer Support	Technology
Founded	2017	2022

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
WhatsApp
Telegram

Only in Plane

Issue tracking
Cycles (Sprints)
Modules
Views & layouts
Pages (Docs)
Analytics
API access
Webhooks

Both cover

Slack

What people use each for

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

Chatwoot

Self-hosted supportnot Plane
Privacy-first chatnot Plane
Multi-channel supportnot Plane

Plane

Project and task management with cycles, modules, epics, and initiativesnot Chatwoot
Documentation and knowledge management via workspace wiki tied to project worknot Chatwoot
Sprint planning and issue triagenot Chatwoot
Cross-functional collaboration with analytics and dashboardsnot Chatwoot
Migration target from Jira, Linear, Monday, ClickUp, or Asananot 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

Plane

Self-hosted Community edition requires managing your own Docker/Kubernetes infra plus your own PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3-compatible/GCS/MinIO storage; no single-binary install
Cloud Free tier caps at 12 users and 500 AI credits per seat per month
Substantial feature gating by tier: custom work item types, workspace wiki, time tracking, dashboards, initiatives, teamspaces, and integrations require Pro or above; LDAP, granular access control, and multi-workflow approvals require Enterprise Grid
Guest-to-paid-member ratio capped at 1:5 on the Pro 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

Plane

Free

FreeFree
- 500 AI credits per seat
- Max 12 users
- Unlimited projects
Pro$6/seat per month
- 1,000 AI credits per seat
- Unlimited users
- Custom work item types
Business$13/seat per month
- 2,000 AI credits per seat
- Unlimited users
- Project templates, recurring work items
Enterprise Grid$null/mo
- Flexible AI credit allocation
- Private deployments
- Granular access control

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 Plane if

You need issue tracking.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
You also want cycles (sprints).

Plane review

Questions people ask

Is Chatwoot or Plane better?: Neither clearly leads. Chatwoot starts at Free and Plane at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or Plane?: Chatwoot starts at Free and Plane at Free.
Does Chatwoot or Plane run on more platforms?: Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted. Plane runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
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 Plane is typically brought in for.
What can Chatwoot do that Plane cannot?: Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Knowledge base. Plane covers Issue tracking, Cycles (Sprints), Modules, Views & layouts. 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.

Source

Plane: Does Plane offer a free plan?

Yes, Plane's free tier includes 500 AI credits per seat, support for up to 12 users, and access to projects, work items, cycles, modules, layouts, views, estimates, and pages.

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

Plane: How much does Plane Pro cost?

Plane Pro costs $6/seat per month and saves 25% when billed annually. It includes 1,000 AI credits per seat, unlimited users, and access to custom work item types, wiki, time tracking, and integrations.

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

Plane: What is the difference between Plane's paid tiers?

Pro ($6/seat/month) includes 1,000 AI credits and workspace wiki. Business ($13/seat/month) adds 2,000 AI credits, project templates, and recurring work items. Enterprise Grid offers custom pricing with multiple workflows and LDAP support.

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

Chatwoot vs Plane

Chatwoot

Plane

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Chatwoot

Only in Plane

Both cover

What people use each for

Chatwoot

Plane

Where each one falls short

Chatwoot

Plane

Pricing, plan by plan

Chatwoot

Plane

Which should you pick?

Choose Chatwoot if

Choose Plane if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Chatwoot

More on Plane

Keep looking

Other head to heads