Compare / Chatwoot vs FreeScout
Chatwoot vs FreeScout
Pick Chatwoot if you want the published Hiver / Help Scout / Front / Missive stack (shared inbox plus live chat; skip enterprise/). Pick FreeScout if you want that AGPL-3.0 helpdesk and shared mailbox.
Facts checked 26 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Chatwoot in the catalog FreeScout in the catalog Start on Railway
How they compare
| Chatwoot | FreeScout | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT Expat for community code; enterprise/ is a separate license source | GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (catalog) source |
| Language | Ruby (chatwoot/chatwoot) | PHP (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 38,350 stars, pushed 26 Oct 2026 (not in the catalog row) source | 4,618 stars in the catalog; last push 26 Oct 2026 source |
| Self-host | Published as /stacks/chatwoot-support. Shared inbox + live chat. | Helpdesk and shared mailbox. Official docs at freescout.net. |
| Best for | The published Hiver / Help Scout replacement. | An AGPL mailbox if Chatwoot is not the shape. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Chatwoot is the published lander — /stacks/chatwoot-support. Community code is MIT Expat; enterprise/ is a separate license. FreeScout is freescout-help-desk/freescout (AGPL-3.0 on 26 Oct 2026). Zammad is the other ticket desk — /compare/chatwoot-vs-zammad. Neither has a one-click c17 Railway template.
FAQ
- Hiver or Missive?
- Same published inbox — /replace/hiver and /replace/missive.
- Where is Zammad?
- Email-first tickets — /compare/chatwoot-vs-zammad. Not this pair.
- Are these free?
- Chatwoot community is MIT Expat if you skip enterprise/. FreeScout is AGPL-3.0. You pay hosting.
- How do I deploy Chatwoot?
- Open /stacks/chatwoot-support. Persist the database. Connect one mailbox.
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