What Is Chatwoot? Open-Source Customer Support Platform: Free Plan, Pricing, Docker Setup, WhatsApp and License
You connect WhatsApp, Instagram, email and your website's live chat to Chatwoot; messages from customers land in a single inbox and you answer them with your team. It's an open-source customer support platform (most of the code is MIT). The cloud has a free Hacker plan: up to 2 agents, 500 conversations a month, live chat only; all channels are on the paid plans (per agent, per month). You can install the free Community Edition on your own server with Docker. The AI agent, called Captain, is on the paid plans. There's a Turkish language file; there are no prices in Turkish lira.
- What it does
- Puts WhatsApp, Instagram, email and live chat in one inbox
- Free
- Cloud Hacker: 2 agents, 500 conversations/month
- No-code
- Yes in the cloud; self-hosting is done with commands
- Turkish
- Language file exists; coverage unclear
- License
- MIT, enterprise/ folder is commercial
- Price
- Startups $19 · Business $39 (per agent/month)
What Is Chatwoot For? Can I Use It Without Coding?
Chatwoot is a shared inbox for your customer support team. Customers write to you through the chat box on your site, by email, on WhatsApp or on Instagram; all the messages land in a single queue in Chatwoot and you distribute them to your team. Chatwoot presents itself as an open-source alternative to Intercom, Zendesk and Salesforce Service Cloud. An agent is a support team member, the unit pricing is based on.
Yes: you open an account on Chatwoot Cloud and use it in the browser, no installation needed. If you want to run it on your own server, you need terminal, Docker and server skills; if there's no one to do that, the cloud plan is easier.
- Live chat on your site
- Email (Gmail, Outlook or IMAP/SMTP)
- WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
- Telegram, Line, SMS
There are also canned responses, labels, auto-assignment, teams, business hours, campaigns and reports. According to the homepage, a help center, voice calls via Twilio or WhatsApp, and automation rules are offered too; which plan includes what is in the “Is it free?” section.
Who it's for: e-commerce businesses, local businesses and small teams that want to answer customer messages from WhatsApp, Instagram and email in one place. For a solo user who only wants chat on their site, the free Hacker plan is enough.
Source: Chatwoot homepage, README and pricing page; October 15, 2026.
How to Install Chatwoot: Cloud, Docker and Linux Server
There are three ways to get started: the ready-made cloud, Docker, or an install script on a Linux server. If you install it on your own server, the software is free (Community Edition); server costs and updates are on you.
- On chatwoot.com/pricing, sign up with “Get started free” on the Hacker plan.
- Add a channel (inbox) to your account. The steps are in Chatwoot's user guide (chatwoot.com/hc/user-guide).
- To change your plan, go to Settings then Billing.
!The pricing page mentions a 15-day free trial at sign-up; it doesn't say which plans it applies to. Whether a card is required at sign-up, and any age or phone requirements, aren't on the official pages; check the sign-up screen yourself.
According to the documentation, you need Docker 20.10.10 and Docker Compose v2.14.1 or later. First, download the settings file and the Compose template:
› wget -O .env https://raw.githubusercontent.com/chatwoot/chatwoot/develop/.env.example
wget -O docker-compose.yaml https://raw.githubusercontent.com/chatwoot/chatwoot/develop/docker-compose.production.yamlChange the Postgres and Redis passwords in both files, then prepare the database and start:
› docker compose run --rm rails bundle exec rails db:chatwoot_prepare
docker compose up -dThe containers are only reachable from inside the machine (localhost:3000). To confirm it's running, the command below should return 200; to expose it to the outside, the documentation describes a reverse proxy such as Nginx and Let's Encrypt SSL.
› curl -I localhost:3000/api!If you only want to run the MIT part (Community Edition), use the latest-ce tag on the Docker image; the documentation shows this tag for CE. When updating, run the same preparation command again after docker compose pull and up -d.
The automatic script in the documentation is described for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. If you'll use a domain name, add an A record in DNS first; the script installs Nginx and Let's Encrypt itself and also brings the cwctl command-line tool.
› wget https://get.chatwoot.app/linux/install.sh
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh --installThe full environment variables (FRONTEND_URL, email, storage) are in a separate document; you need to set them in production.
| Topic | What the documentation says |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Ubuntu is supported (the Requirements page says 20.04, the Linux page says 24.04); on Windows a virtual machine is recommended |
| CPU and memory | 4 cores and 4 GB RAM (up to 10,000 conversations a day); 8 cores and 8 GB RAM (up to 20,000) |
| Database | PostgreSQL only; at least 5-10 GB of space |
| Cache | Redis 7 or later recommended |
| For production | Domain name, SSL certificate, SMTP server (email notifications); S3-compatible storage recommended for files |
Source: developers.chatwoot.com (Docker, Linux VM, Requirements); October 15, 2026. The installation pages conflict on the operating system and the number of cores; details under “Not clear”.
How to Use Chatwoot: Sending Messages with the API and Connecting WhatsApp
- Open or install your account. Sign up for free in the cloud or install it on your own server.
- Add a channel. Website live chat, email, WhatsApp or Instagram. Each channel gets its own inbox.
- Distribute conversations. You assign incoming messages to the team and speed things up with canned responses and labels; automation rules for repetitive work are on the Business plan.
- Turn on AI if you want. You connect Captain to your help center and documents (paid plan).
To send messages to a conversation from your own systems (order system, form, automation tool), Chatwoot has a public API. The example in the official documentation sends a message with a file attached to a conversation; if you're only sending text, the documentation says to use a JSON body instead of -F. Replace your-api-token with your own API access token, and account_id and conversation_id with your own IDs.
› curl -X POST "https://app.chatwoot.com/api/v1/accounts/{account_id}/conversations/{conversation_id}/messages" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <your-api-token>" \
-F "content=Here is the screenshot" \
-F "message_type=outgoing" \
-F "private=false" \
-F "attachments[]=@/path/to/screenshot.png"!Don't share your API access token with anyone or write it anywhere public. On your own server, replace app.chatwoot.com with your own domain. The pricing page doesn't say which cloud plans include the API; if your account doesn't have it, ask Chatwoot.
You can connect WhatsApp with Meta's “Embedded Signup” flow. What you need: a Facebook account, a WhatsApp Business account (or permission to create one) and Chatwoot admin access.
On your own server, you also need to create an app on Meta for Developers and enter three settings (app ID, configuration ID, app secret) in the Super Admin panel; if you don't, the option isn't visible to users.
WhatsApp template messages must be approved by Meta. The Chatwoot pricing page doesn't say whether Meta's own WhatsApp fees are included in Chatwoot's price.
Chatwoot Latest Version and Security Records
The latest version is v4.18.0 (September 18, 2026); the one before it was 4.17.1 (August 27, 2026). Chatwoot's security policy only supports the latest version, so keep your own server up to date. The four security advisories recorded on GitHub:
| Advisory | Severity | What | Patch |
|---|---|---|---|
| GHSA-x288-jh8j-348c (July 16, 2026) | Medium | Cross-account resource transfer via the account_id parameter | 4.9.0 |
| GHSA-8qxm-4p4p-cfhm (May 5, 2026) | Medium | Account takeover via OAuth on an unconfirmed account | 4.13.0 |
| GHSA-9pgm-75gg-6948 (May 5, 2026) | High | SQL injection in the filter API | 4.11.2 |
| GHSA-g8f9-hh83-rcq9 (January 9, 2025) | Critical | Blind SQL injection in conversation and contact filters | 3.16.0 |
Don't jump a very old installation to the latest version in one step: the documentation says to upgrade through the intermediate versions, read the release notes and run the database preparation command after each step.
“Not on record” doesn't mean “safe”; it only means no other record appears in this list. Source: GitHub security advisories, SECURITY.md and the release list; October 15, 2026.
Is Chatwoot Free? Pricing, Plans and License
There are two separate price lists: the cloud hosted by Chatwoot, and the version you install on your own server. In the cloud, pricing is per agent, per month. The cards below are for the cloud.
- Up to 2 agents
- 500 conversations a month
- Live chat channel
- 30-day data retention
- Other channels
- Captain AI
- Help center
- Teams, automation rules
- Unlimited conversations (fair use)
- All channels
- Captain: 300 credits
- Help center
- 1-year data retention
- Voice
- Teams
- Automation rules
- Everything in Startups
- Voice
- Teams
- Automation rules
- Captain: 500 credits
- 2-year data retention
- SSO / SAML
- Audit logs
- Everything in Business
- SSO / SAML
- Audit logs
- Captain: 800 credits
- 3-year data retention
When your Captain credits run out, 1,000 extra credits cost $20. All cloud plans offer refunds; the amount is calculated from the cancellation date and the unused period, and Captain credits aren't refunded. The Startups plan is free for open-source projects; you write to hello@chatwoot.com. Prices are in dollars; prices in Turkish lira, VAT information and annual billing prices aren't on the page. “Unlimited” conversations are subject to the fair use policy.
Self-hosted plans (table)
| Feature | Community ($0) | Premium Support ($19) | Enterprise Edition ($99) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running on your own infrastructure | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Captain AI | No | Yes | Yes |
| Voice calls | No | Yes | Yes |
| Custom branding | No | Yes | Yes |
| Agent capacity, roles and permissions | No | Yes | Yes |
| Priority support | No | Yes | Yes |
| SSO / SAML, SLA policies | No | No | Yes |
Prices are per agent, per month. Community support is through Discord and GitHub; Premium has priority email; Enterprise has phone support and developer office hours. There's no per-instance plan; for many agents, contact sales@chatwoot.com.
- Using, modifying, distributing and selling the MIT part of the code (the copyright notice must be kept)
- Copying and modifying the enterprise/ folder for development and testing only
- Using the code in the enterprise/ folder in production without a subscription
- Copying, distributing, sublicensing or selling the code in the enterprise/ folder
That's why GitHub shows the license as “Other”. This is not legal advice; read the license text for commercial use.
Official pricing page last checked on .
Chatwoot Data, AI and Turkish Support
The cloud version runs on AWS, on servers in the USA. For data residency or GDPR, Chatwoot asks you to write to hello@chatwoot.com; there's no statement specific to KVKK (Turkey's Personal Data Protection Law). On your own server, chat data stays on your server.
According to the privacy policy, customer data isn't used to train general AI models, and data isn't sent to third-party AI tools (OpenAI is given as an example) unless you enable it. Captain connects to OpenAI's service (self-hosted pricing page FAQ); if you use it, that provider's rules apply as well.
In the cloud, data retention depends on the plan: Hacker 30 days, Startups 1 year, Business 2 years, Enterprise 3 years. Deletion and account closure steps aren't in the documentation.
A self-hosted installation sends anonymous usage statistics to Chatwoot every day; it doesn't send customer data. To turn it off, set DISABLE_TELEMETRY to true.
The official repository has a Turkish language file for the dashboard and the chat widget. How much of the translation is complete is not stated in the official documentation. There's no explicit statement in the official sources that Captain replies in Turkish; the homepage says “support in every language” but doesn't mention Turkish.
Source: Chatwoot privacy policy, pricing page FAQ, telemetry documentation and GitHub language files; October 15, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chatwoot and what is it for?
An open-source customer support platform that puts customer messages from WhatsApp, Instagram, email and site chat in a single inbox. It also has canned responses, teams, a help center and an AI agent called Captain.
Is Chatwoot free?
Yes, in two ways: the Hacker plan in the cloud (up to 2 agents, 500 conversations a month, live chat only) and Community Edition on your own server. The paid cloud plans are $19, $39 and $99 per agent per month.
How do I self-host Chatwoot?
With Docker Compose or with the official install script for Ubuntu. According to the documentation, 4 cores and 4 GB RAM are recommended, and you need PostgreSQL as the database and Redis 7 or later; to expose it to the outside, you set up a reverse proxy such as Nginx.
Is Chatwoot open source, and what's the license?
Most of the code is MIT-licensed. The enterprise/ folder is under a separate commercial license and requires a subscription for production use; that's why GitHub shows the license as Other.
Does Chatwoot work with WhatsApp and Instagram?
Yes, the README lists both as channels. For WhatsApp you need a Facebook account and a WhatsApp Business account; on your own server, you also need to create an app on Meta and enter the settings in the Super Admin panel.
Does Chatwoot work in Turkish?
The official repository has a Turkish language file for the dashboard and the chat widget; the translation's completion rate is not stated in the official documentation. Turkish reply support for Captain isn't stated either.
Tasks and setup kits that use Chatwoot
Related guides
Sources
- Chatwoot pricing (cloud)
- Chatwoot self-hosted pricing
- Docker installation
- System requirements
- Linux server installation
- WhatsApp Embedded Signup
- API: create new message
- Telemetry
- Privacy policy
- GitHub (README, LICENSE, security)
Not clear in the official sources: Prices in Turkish lira, VAT, annual billing prices · age, phone or ID requirements at sign-up · cancellation and account deletion steps (only the refund rule is written) · which plans include API access · the fair use limit on “unlimited” conversations · Meta's WhatsApp fees · Turkish translation coverage and Captain's replies in Turkish · an official MCP server (not in the documentation index) · a detailed comparison with Zendesk and Intercom · channel setup screens (details in the user guide) · the Ubuntu version and minimum number of cores conflict between documents (20.04/24.04; 2/4 cores). Each is covered in its section, along with what you can do.