Chatwoot vs Zendesk
Chatwoot and Zendesk are both customer support tools. Chatwoot is aimed at developers and small businesses, while Zendesk is aimed at enterprise and small businesses. Chatwoot costs less, from $19/mo versus $25/mo for Zendesk. Only Chatwoot has a free plan.
| Pricing | Open source · $19 | Paid · $25 |
| Starting price | $19/mo | $25/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 15 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Developers, Small businesses | Enterprise, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios, android |
| Country | IN · 2019 | US · 2007 |
| 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 Zendesk if
Mid-market and enterprise support teams with multiple channels and compliance needs.
- Mature, reliable at enterprise scale
- Broadest channel and app coverage
- Strong reporting and routing
Look elsewhere if: Startups and small teams; Help Scout, Freshdesk, Crisp or Plain are leaner.
Chatwoot vs Zendesk 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
Zendesk
- Support Team$25/agent/mo$19 billed annually; core ticketing
- Suite Team$69/agent/mo$55 billed annually; AI agents, messaging, voice
- Suite Professional$149/agent/mo$115 billed annually; skills routing, IVR
- Suite EnterpriseCustomSandbox, custom roles, approval workflows
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
Zendesk · Key features
- Omnichannel ticketing: email, chat, voice, social, WhatsApp
- Help center and community with multiple brands
- AI agents, agent copilot and intelligent triage
- Skills-based routing, SLAs, macros and triggers
- Explore analytics and dashboards
- Workforce management, QA and marketplace apps
Cons
- Expensive per agent plus AI add-ons
- Complex packaging and frequent changes
- Overkill for small teams
Chatwoot vs Zendesk: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or Zendesk?
Chatwoot starts at $19/mo and Zendesk at $25/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Chatwoot and Zendesk have a free plan?
Chatwoot has a free plan. Zendesk has no free plan, a 14-day free trial.