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Customer Support · head to head

Chatwoot vs Plivo

Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

Customer Support

Open-source customer engagement platform

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Plivo logo

Plivo

Telecommunications

SMS and voice APIs priced to undercut the larger aggregators

From
On request
Free plan
No
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; Plivo the headline per-message saving does not apply to US 10DLC registration fees or carrier surcharges, which are pass-through costs and identical across vendors.
  • They diverge on capability: Chatwoot covers Live chat, Plivo covers Published country rate card.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chatwoot and Plivo actually diverge.

Attributes where Chatwoot and Plivo differ
AttributeChatwootPlivo
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownPer message and per minute, priced by destination country
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, Self-hostedWeb, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Java, PHP, Ruby, Go
CategoryCustomer SupportTelecommunications
Founded2017Unknown

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 Plivo

  • Published country rate card
  • Programmable SMS and MMS
  • Programmable voice
  • Contact centre product
  • 10DLC registration

What people use each for

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

Chatwoot

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

Plivo

  • Products sending high volumes of transactional SMS where unit price determines channel viabilitynot Chatwoot
  • Teams migrating from a more expensive aggregator without changing their architecturenot Chatwoot
  • Notification and alerting systems with predictable, steady message volumenot Chatwoot
  • Businesses wanting voice and messaging from one supplier with published ratesnot 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

Plivo

  • The headline per-message saving does not apply to US 10DLC registration fees or carrier surcharges, which are pass-through costs and identical across vendors.
  • The feature surface is narrower than the market leader, so products needing video, email or richer verification will need a second supplier.
  • Support is tiered and the entry tier is not appropriate for traffic that a business depends on commercially.
  • Deliverability on some international routes depends on an underlying carrier mix that can change without the customer being informed.
  • Its price advantage is smaller on US A2P traffic than on international routes, so a US-only sender may save considerably less than a headline comparison suggested.

Pricing, plan by plan

Chatwoot

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

Plivo

On request
  • Pay as you go$undefined/month
    • Published per-country rate card for SMS and voice
    • Volume discounts negotiated above published tiers
    • US 10DLC registration fees and carrier surcharges billed separately

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 Plivo if

  • You need published country rate card.
  • You work on Web, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Java, PHP, Ruby, Go.
  • You also want programmable sms and mms.
Plivo review

Questions people ask

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

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
Plivo: Will switching to Plivo cut our US messaging bill?

Partly. The per-message rate may fall, but 10DLC brand and campaign fees and the per-segment carrier surcharges are pass-through costs that are the same whichever provider you use.

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
Plivo: Does Plivo publish pricing?

Yes, as a per-destination rate card covering SMS and voice by country, so you can model your own destination mix before contacting sales.

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
Plivo: How does it compare with Twilio?

Generally cheaper per unit on the same routes and narrower in scope. Twilio wins on ecosystem, channel breadth and documentation.

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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