Best / Chatbot builders
Best open-source Chatbot builders
The best self-hosted chatbot split in the c17.io catalog is Rasa for Apache-2.0 NLU and dialogue (the published Voiceflow stack; the 3.6.x line last pushed 24 Jul 2026), Typebot when you want a visual chat form and will accept FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0 (not OSI), Formbricks when the job is a survey rather than a bot, and Open WebUI when the job is a chat window over your models rather than a trained bot. Botpress Cloud stays skipped as a self-host: the public tree is a Cloud SDK; v12 last pushed 10 Apr 2025. This is not Voiceflow's every prototype SKU.
Open the stackStart on Railway
Ranked picks
1
RasaApache-2.0 NLU and dialogue — the c17 Voiceflow path. /compare/botpress-vs-rasa.
When to pick it: Intents and stories you host.
21,356 stars in the catalog
2
TypebotVisual chat form you can self-host. License is FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0, not OSI. Already on /best/forms-surveys.
When to pick it: A click-ops flow, not an NLU model.
10,550 stars in the catalog
3
FormbricksAGPL surveys already on /replace/typeform. Not a chatbot.
When to pick it: A form, not a dialogue manager.
13,113 stars in the catalog
4
Open WebuiA chat UI over your models already on /replace/chatgpt. Not a builder.
When to pick it: Talk to a model, not train a bot.
155,599 stars in the catalog
How they compare
| Tool | License | Self-host | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasa | Apache License 2.0 | Medium | Intents and stories you host. |
| Typebot | FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0 | Medium | A click-ops flow, not an NLU model. |
| Formbricks | GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 | Easy | A form, not a dialogue manager. |
| Open Webui | Other | Easy | Talk to a model, not train a bot. |
Related pages
- Rasa stack
- Formbricks stack
- Open WebUI + LiteLLM stack
- Replace Voiceflow
- Replace Typeform
- Replace Google Forms
- Replace SurveyMonkey
- Replace Jotform
- Replace Tally
- Replace Sprig
- Replace Maze
- Replace UserTesting
- Replace Paperform
- Replace Formstack
- Replace ChatGPT Team
- Replace OpenAI API
- Replace Claude
- Replace Google Gemini
- Replace Jasper
- Replace Copy.ai
- Replace Notion AI
- Replace Writesonic
- Replace Rytr
- Botpress vs Rasa
- All best open-source pages
- All compare pages
- All replace pages
- All stacks
- Tools catalog
FAQ
- Rasa or Botpress?
- Rasa if you want the published OSS path. Botpress Cloud is hosted SaaS — /compare/botpress-vs-rasa. Do not start a new install on botpress/v12.
- Is this Typeform?
- A survey stays on /replace/typeform (Formbricks). This page is a bot.
- Are these free?
- Rasa Open Source is Apache-2.0. Typebot is source-available FSL. Formbricks is AGPL. You pay hosting. Template users never pay c17.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open /stacks/rasa-bots. Persist models. Train one intent and one story.
Stack of the Week
Get one stack a week that replaces a SaaS bill.