Best / Live chat widgets
Best open-source Live chat widgets
The best self-hosted live-chat split in the c17.io catalog is Chatwoot for a shared inbox plus a website widget (the published Tawk.to / Smartsupp / Olark / LiveChat stack — community code is MIT Expat; skip enterprise/), Live Helper Chat when you want that Apache-2.0 widget-and-bot desk — /compare/chatwoot-vs-livehelperchat, Rocket.Chat when the job is a team workspace rather than a visitor widget, and Typebot when you want a FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0 chatbot builder (not OSI). A full helpdesk stays on /best/helpdesk. A shared inbox without a widget stays on /best/shared-inbox.
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Ranked picks
1
ChatwootShared inbox plus a website widget — the c17 Tawk.to / Smartsupp / Olark path. /compare/chatwoot-vs-livehelperchat.
When to pick it: A visitor chat that lands in the same inbox as email.
2
Live Helper ChatApache-2.0 live support with web, mobile, and bots. /compare/chatwoot-vs-livehelperchat.
When to pick it: A widget-and-bot desk if Chatwoot is not the shape.
2,247 stars in the catalog
3
Rocket.ChatTeam chat already on /best/chat-team-messaging. Not a visitor widget.
When to pick it: Internal rooms, not a Tawk.to bubble.
4
TypebotFSL-1.1-Apache-2.0 chatbot builder already on /best/chatbot-builders. Not OSI.
When to pick it: A scripted bot, not a live agent widget.
10,550 stars in the catalog
How they compare
| Tool | License | Self-host | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatwoot | Not listed | Medium | A visitor chat that lands in the same inbox as email. |
| Live Helper Chat | Apache License 2.0 | Medium | A widget-and-bot desk if Chatwoot is not the shape. |
| Rocket.Chat | Not listed | Medium | Internal rooms, not a Tawk.to bubble. |
| Typebot | FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0 | Medium | A scripted bot, not a live agent widget. |
Related pages
- Chatwoot + Resend + Onyx stack
- Rocket.Chat stack
- Rasa stack
- Replace Intercom
- Replace Zendesk
- Replace Freshdesk
- Replace Front
- Replace Help Scout
- Replace Drift
- Replace LiveChat
- Replace Intercom Fin
- Replace Zoho Desk
- Replace Olark
- Replace Missive
- Replace Tawk.to
- Replace Smartsupp
- Replace Gorgias
- Replace Hiver
- Replace Freshchat
- Replace Kustomer
- Replace Crisp
- Replace Tidio
- Replace Slack
- Replace Google Chat
- Replace Voiceflow
- Chatwoot vs Live Helper Chat
- All best open-source pages
- All compare pages
- All replace pages
- All stacks
- Tools catalog
FAQ
- Chatwoot or Live Helper Chat?
- Chatwoot if you want the published Tawk.to / Smartsupp path. Live Helper Chat if you want that Apache widget desk — /compare/chatwoot-vs-livehelperchat.
- Tawk.to or Smartsupp?
- Same published widget — /replace/tawk and /replace/smartsupp.
- Is this a helpdesk?
- A full inbox stays on /best/helpdesk. This page is the website bubble.
- Are these free?
- Chatwoot community is MIT Expat if you skip enterprise/. Live Helper Chat is Apache-2.0. Typebot is FSL, not OSI. You pay hosting. Template users never pay c17.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open /stacks/chatwoot-support. Persist the database. Drop one widget on a page.
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