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Software · head to head

Chatwoot vs Rasa

Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

Software

Open-source customer engagement platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rasa logo

Rasa

Software

Open-source framework for building conversational AI

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Chatwoot free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month; Rasa free Developer Edition caps conversations at 1,000 external or 100 internal per company per month
  • They diverge on capability: Chatwoot covers Live chat, Rasa covers NLU engine.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chatwoot and Rasa actually diverge.

Attributes where Chatwoot and Rasa differ
AttributeChatwootRasa
Pricing modelUnknownopen-source
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, Self-hostedOn-premise, Cloud deployment, Docker, Kubernetes
Founded20172016

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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
  • WhatsApp
  • Telegram

Only in Rasa

  • NLU engine
  • Dialogue management
  • Multi-language support
  • Testing tools
  • Teams
  • Custom channels
  • API
  • On-premise support

Both cover

  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Chatwoot

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

Rasa

  • Developers self-hosting an open source conversational AI framework before needing enterprise scalenot 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

Rasa

  • Free Developer Edition caps conversations at 1,000 external or 100 internal per company per month
  • Rasa Pro and the Business Plan (Pro plus Studio) are not priced on the site and require contacting sales

Pricing, plan by plan

Chatwoot

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

Rasa

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full framework access
    • Community support
  • Rasa Pro$50/month
    • Additional tools
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Advanced features
    • Dedicated support

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 Rasa if

  • You need nlu engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on On-premise, Cloud deployment, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want dialogue management.
Rasa review

Questions people ask

Is Chatwoot or Rasa better?
Neither clearly leads. Chatwoot starts at Free and Rasa at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or Rasa?
Chatwoot starts at Free and Rasa at Free.
Does Chatwoot or Rasa run on more platforms?
Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted. Rasa runs on On-premise, Cloud deployment, Docker, Kubernetes.
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 Rasa is typically brought in for.
What can Chatwoot do that Rasa cannot?
Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Knowledge base. Rasa covers NLU engine, Dialogue management, Multi-language support, Testing tools. 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
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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Related pages

More on Chatwoot

More on Rasa

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