Customer Support · head to head
Chatwoot vs SupportBee
SupportBee
Customer Support
Simple email ticketing for small teams
- From
- $13/month
- 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; SupportBee email-only ticketing, no live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features
- They diverge on capability: Chatwoot covers Live chat, SupportBee covers Shared inbox.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Chatwoot and SupportBee actually diverge.
| Attribute | Chatwoot | SupportBee |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $13/month |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Cloud, Self-hosted | Web, Mobile Browser |
| Founded | 2017 | 2010 |
Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Customer Support).
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
- Chatbots
- Telegram
- Line
Only in SupportBee
- Shared inbox
- Email ticketing
- Snippets
- Customer portal
- Trello
- Asana
- Pipedrive
- Zapier
Both cover
- Knowledge base
- Reports
- Slack
- SSL
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Chatwoot
- Self-hosted supportnot SupportBee
- Privacy-first chatnot SupportBee
- Multi-channel supportnot SupportBee
SupportBee
- Email supportnot Chatwoot
- Ticket managementnot Chatwoot
- Team collaborationnot 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
SupportBee
- Email-only ticketing, no live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features
- Basic reporting and analytics, lacking advanced dashboards and customizable metrics
- No SLA management capabilities
- Limited workflow customization compared to enterprise platforms
- No dedicated mobile app (web interface only)
- Confusing navigation and UI issues reported by some users
- Cannot select and snooze multiple emails at once
- Occasional performance delays
Pricing, plan by plan
Chatwoot
Free- HackerFree
- 2 agents
- 500 conversations per month
- 1 live chat channel
- Startups$19/month
- Unlimited agents
- Unlimited conversations
SupportBee
$13/month- Startup$13/month
- Unlimited tickets and inboxes
- Team inbox with ticket assignment
- Knowledge base integration (KBee)
- Enterprise$17/month
- All Startup features
- Advanced integrations
- Custom roles and permissions
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 SupportBee if
- You need shared inbox.
- You work on Web, Mobile Browser.
- You also want email ticketing.
Questions people ask
- Is Chatwoot or SupportBee better?
- Neither clearly leads. Chatwoot starts at Free and SupportBee at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or SupportBee?
- Chatwoot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Chatwoot and $13/month for SupportBee.
- Does Chatwoot or SupportBee run on more platforms?
- Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted. SupportBee runs on Web, Mobile Browser.
- Can I use Chatwoot for free?
- Yes. Chatwoot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SupportBee starts at $13/month.
- 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 SupportBee is typically brought in for.
- What can Chatwoot do that SupportBee cannot?
- Chatwoot covers Live chat, Email inbox, Social channels, Chatbots. SupportBee covers Shared inbox, Email ticketing, Snippets, Customer portal. Both handle Knowledge base, Reports, Slack, SSL.
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.
SourceSupportBee: How much does SupportBee cost?
SupportBee offers Startup plan at $13/user/month and Enterprise at $17/user/month, both with unlimited tickets and inboxes. No per-ticket charges. A 14-day free trial is available with no credit card required.
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.
SourceSupportBee: Does SupportBee offer live chat or phone support?
No. SupportBee focuses on email ticketing and does not include native live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features. It is designed for email-based customer support.
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.
SourceSupportBee: What platforms can SupportBee run on?
SupportBee is a web-based platform accessible on desktop and mobile browsers. It does not offer a dedicated desktop or mobile app, but the web interface is responsive and works on phones. Integration with email clients is available.
SourceChatwoot: What AI features does Chatwoot include?
Chatwoot includes Captain AI agent for automated responses, Copilot for smart reply suggestions, and live translation features.
SourceSupportBee: Does SupportBee integrate with Slack?
Yes. SupportBee integrates with Slack to send real-time notifications for new tickets, replies, assignments, and internal comments. Teams can configure which events trigger alerts and organize notifications into dedicated channels.
Source