Software · head to head
Groove vs Chatwoot
The short version
- Only Chatwoot has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Groove billed per ticket at $1 rather than per agent, so support cost scales with how many customers get in touch; Chatwoot free plan limited to 2 agents and 500 conversations per month
- They diverge on capability: Groove covers Shared inbox, Chatwoot covers Email inbox.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Groove and Chatwoot actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Groove
- Shared inbox
- Automation rules
- Reporting
- Collision detection
- Salesforce
- Zapier
- Trello
- Jira
Only in Chatwoot
- Email inbox
- Social channels
- Chatbots
- Reports
- Telegram
- Line
Both cover
- Knowledge base
- Live chat
- Slack
- SSL
- GDPR
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Groove
- Shared inbox and help desk ticketing for small support teamsnot Chatwoot
- Handling email, chat and messaging support in one queuenot Chatwoot
Chatwoot
- Self-hosted supportnot Groove
- Privacy-first chatnot Groove
- Multi-channel supportnot Groove
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Groove
- Billed per ticket at $1 rather than per agent, so support cost scales with how many customers get in touch
- A minimum of 250 tickets a month applies, which is a $3,000 annual commitment before any usage
- A quiet month still pays the 250 ticket floor
- No mailbox limit is published
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Groove
$12/month- Standard$12/month
- 1 mailbox
- Knowledge base
- Live chat
- Plus$20/month
- 5 mailboxes
- Full reporting
- Rules
- Pro$35/month
- 25 mailboxes
- Salesforce
- Enterprise SSO
Chatwoot
Free- HackerFree
- 2 agents
- 500 conversations per month
- 1 live chat channel
- Startups$19/month
- Unlimited agents
- Unlimited conversations
Which should you pick?
Choose Groove if
- You need shared inbox.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want automation rules.
Choose Chatwoot if
- You need email inbox.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted.
- You also want social channels.
Questions people ask
- Is Groove or Chatwoot better?
- Neither clearly leads. Groove starts at $12/month and Chatwoot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Groove or Chatwoot?
- Chatwoot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $12/month for Groove and Free for Chatwoot.
- Does Groove or Chatwoot run on more platforms?
- Groove runs on Web, Ios, Android. Chatwoot runs on Web, Cloud, Self-hosted.
- Can I use Chatwoot for free?
- Yes. Chatwoot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Groove starts at $12/month.
- What is Groove best used for?
- Groove is most often used for shared inbox and help desk ticketing for small support teams, handling email, chat and messaging support in one queue. Of those, shared inbox and help desk ticketing for small support teams and handling email, chat and messaging support in one queue are not what Chatwoot is typically brought in for.
- What can Groove do that Chatwoot cannot?
- Groove covers Shared inbox, Automation rules, Reporting, Collision detection. Chatwoot covers Email inbox, Social channels, Chatbots, Reports. Both handle Knowledge base, Live chat, 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.
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