Chatwoot vs reception
Chatwoot and reception are both customer support tools. Chatwoot is aimed at developers and small businesses, while reception is aimed at developers and freelancers. Chatwoot costs less, from $19/mo versus $25/mo for reception. Only Chatwoot has a free plan.
Open-source customer engagement suite
Native in-app support chat for iOS apps, with offers and reviews
| Pricing | Open source · $19 | Paid · $25 |
| Starting price | $19/mo | $25/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 15 days | — |
| Built for | Developers, Small businesses | Developers, Freelancers, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | ios, web |
| Country | IN · 2019 | — |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Chatwoot if
Companies that want open source, WhatsApp-first support or a low-cost Intercom alternative.
- Open source with permissive license
- Excellent WhatsApp and social channel coverage
- Affordable cloud pricing
Look elsewhere if: Enterprises needing deep analytics, WFM and voice.
Choose reception if
Indie iOS developers and small studios with subscription apps who want support chat linked to revenue and reviews.
- Flat monthly price instead of per-seat or per-resolution fees
- Looks native inside the app rather than a web widget
- Ties support conversations to subscription status and revenue
Look elsewhere if: Teams that need Android, web chat, email and a help center in one tool (Intercom, Crisp, Chatwoot).
Chatwoot vs reception pricing
Chatwoot
- Community (self-hosted)$0Free forever, self-hosted
- Hacker (Cloud)$02 agents, 500 conversations/mo, live chat only
- Startups$19/agent/moAll channels, 300 Captain AI credits/mo
- Business$39/agent/moVoice, automation, 500 Captain AI credits/mo
- Enterprise$99/agent/moSSO/SAML, audit logs, 800 Captain AI credits/mo
reception
- Standard$25/moFlat price, all features; early-adopter rate, next price $50
- EnterpriseCustomFor apps above $30k MRR or 10k+ active users
Chatwoot · Key features
- Omnichannel inbox with WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, SMS
- Website live chat widget and help center
- Automation rules, macros, canned responses and labels
- Captain AI agent and copilot
- Campaigns (ongoing and one-off) and CSAT surveys
- Self-hosted (Docker, Heroku, Kubernetes) or cloud
Cons
- Reporting is basic
- Self-hosting needs ops attention
- Fewer integrations than Zendesk
reception · Key features
- Native chat UI for Swift, React Native and Expo apps on iOS 17+
- AI answers drawn from your docs with handoff to a human
- In-chat discounts, plan offers and paywalls to recover revenue
- One-tap App Store review requests with your own wording
- RevenueCat, Superwall and Adapty context next to each conversation
- Shared inbox for multiple apps plus replies from Telegram
Cons
- iOS only; no Android SDK listed
- Requires iOS 17 or later and Expo development builds
- Messages are not auto-translated between you and users
Chatwoot vs reception: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or reception?
Chatwoot starts at $19/mo and reception at $25/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Chatwoot and reception have a free plan?
Chatwoot has a free plan. reception has no free plan.