Alternatives / Open
Looking for an open source Open alternative? We compared 4 open source customer support and live chat platforms by license, self-hosting, channels, and AI features. They range from an omnichannel inbox to a helpdesk and React support components, and some use licenses that restrict commercial use.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Chatwoot | Omnichannel live chat and support inbox | MIT + enterprise directory |
| Zammad | Full helpdesk and ticketing | AGPL-3.0 |
| Chaskiq | Customer messaging with chatbots (source available) | AGPL-3.0 + Commons Clause |
| Cossistant | AI-native support in React apps (non-commercial license) | AGPL-3.0 (non-commercial) |
We looked for open-source tools that overlap with a customer support and messaging platform: a chat widget on your site, a shared agent inbox, and conversations across channels. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and self-hosting in its repository, and we flag licenses that restrict commercial use. See our methodology for the full criteria.
Chatwoot, Chaskiq, and Cossistant provide live chat widgets and customer messaging. Zammad is a ticketing and helpdesk system centered on email and portals, with chat as a secondary channel. Pick based on whether your support happens in real time on your site or through tickets.
Chatwoot is the closest and most popular: a customizable chat widget, an omnichannel inbox across live chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram, a knowledge base, AI assistance, and a developer API. Cossistant targets SaaS products with React components, and Chaskiq adds chatbots and campaigns.
Chatwoot is MIT outside its enterprise directory, which is under a separate license. Zammad is AGPL-3.0. Chaskiq is AGPL-3.0-or-later with the Commons Clause, which prohibits selling the software, and Cossistant is AGPL-3.0 for non-commercial use, with a commercial license required for commercial use. OpenAlternative lists Cossistant as GPL-3.0, but its repository says otherwise.
Chatwoot, Zammad, and Cossistant were updated within days or weeks of this update. Chaskiq's last commit was in June 2026, so its development is slower.
A hosted support platform is usually priced per agent, with features such as chatbots, reporting, and channels gated by plan, and customer conversations stored on its servers. Open-source alternatives let you self-host support data, avoid per-agent pricing, customize widgets, and connect AI and other channels such as email and WhatsApp, at the cost of running the service and handling deliverability yourself.
Chatwoot is an omnichannel support platform that manages conversations across live chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and Line, with AI features such as automated responses and copilot suggestions, real-time translation, a knowledge base, a customizable chat widget, and a developer API. The repository is MIT outside its enterprise directory, which is under a separate license.
Pricing: Free self-hosted; paid cloud and enterprise features.
Zammad is an open-source helpdesk that centralizes customer communications with multichannel ticket management, customizable fields and workflows, SLA tracking and auto-assignment, a knowledge base and self-service portal, Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations, analytics, and 2FA and SSO.
Pricing: Free self-hosted; paid hosting and support available.
Chaskiq is an open-source customer communication platform with live chat, email, and social channels, AI-powered chatbots, real-time analytics, customizable chat widgets, shared inboxes and agent assignments, and API and webhook support. It is AGPL-3.0-or-later with the Commons Clause, which prohibits selling the software, and a commercial license is available.
Pricing: Free self-hosted for non-selling use; a commercial license is available.
Cossistant is an AI-native customer support platform that combines AI with human agents, offering production-ready React components built with Tailwind and shadcn/ui, real-time agent conversations, intelligent routing, inbox management, and support widgets that integrate with Next.js and React apps in a few lines of code. It is AGPL-3.0 for non-commercial use and needs a commercial license for commercial use.
Pricing: Free for non-commercial self-hosting; a commercial license is required for commercial use.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatwoot | Live chat and omnichannel inbox | MIT + enterprise directory | Yes | Support teams |
| Zammad | Helpdesk | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Scalable ticketing |
| Chaskiq | Customer messaging | AGPL-3.0 + Commons Clause | Yes | Chatbots and campaigns |
| Cossistant | AI-native support | AGPL-3.0 (non-commercial) | Yes | React and Next.js apps |
Want the closest open-source support inbox
Chatwoot offers a live chat widget, an omnichannel inbox, a knowledge base, AI assistance, and an API, self-hosted or in its cloud.
Need a full helpdesk with ticketing
Zammad offers multichannel ticket management, SLAs, a knowledge base, analytics, and SSO.
Want AI-native support inside a React app
Cossistant provides React components, real-time conversations, and AI routing, but commercial use needs a license.
Want chatbots and customer messaging
Chaskiq adds chatbots, campaigns, and analytics, but its Commons Clause license prohibits selling the software.