# Chatwoot Alternative: AI-First Support, $39/mo for 3 Seats · Communicate > Honest Communicate vs Chatwoot comparison: 3,000 AI replies for $39 total vs per-agent pricing with 300 Captain credits. Where Chatwoot wins on open source, too. - **URL:** https://communicate.so/alternatives/chatwoot --- Chatwoot alternative # The Chatwoot alternative where the AI answers first. Chatwoot Cloud is priced per agent, and its Captain AI includes 300 to 800 credits a month, then $20 per 1,000. Communicate Starter is $39 a month for 3 teammates and 3,000 AI replies, with no per-agent price. Try it for a one-time $1. [Start with 100 credits](https://app.communicate.so)[Book Demo](https://cal.com/team/tinycheque/communicate) One-time $1 activation · 100 credits included · No automatic subscription Starter3,000 3,000 AI replies on the $39 Plan. Captain on Startups: 300 credits. AI volumeHandoffActions Pause autoplay Your help center. Your inbox. Your team. [Compare Communicate and Chatwoot row by row](#compare) Communicate vs Chatwoot ## Every row, at monthly list price. Chatwoot wins on open source and self-hosting, a free plan, every channel including WhatsApp, a help center, Copilot, voice on Business, and mobile apps. Communicate wins on AI volume per dollar, no per-agent price, and Actions. All of it is below. ### How you try it Communicate$1 once: 100 credits that never expire, nothing renews ChatwootFree Hacker plan for 2 agents; 15-day trial ### Self-hosting CommunicateCloud only ChatwootOpen source; self-hosted plans ### Price for 3 people CommunicateStarter: $39/mo total ChatwootStartups: $57/mo; Business: $117/mo ### Price for 10 people CommunicateGrowth: $99/mo total ChatwootStartups: $190/mo; Business: $390/mo ### AI included each month Communicate3,000 AI replies on Starter, 8,000 on Growth Chatwoot300 to 800 Captain credits; $20 per 1,000 more ### Human takeover and shared inbox CommunicateEvery Plan ChatwootCore of the product ### Agent takes actions CommunicateLookups, forms, and your API, with approval rules ChatwootCaptain scenarios and triage ### AI help for agents while they reply CommunicateNot offered ChatwootCopilot and reply suggestions ### WhatsApp, social, email channels CommunicateWhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram coming soon ChatwootAll channels from Startups ### Help center you host CommunicateNot offered; connect your pages by URL ChatwootFrom Startups ### Messages inside your product CommunicateIn-App Messages on every Plan ChatwootCampaigns in the widget ### API, MCP, and CLI access CommunicateAll three on every Plan ChatwootREST API DecisionCommunicateChatwoot How you try it$1 once: 100 credits that never expire, nothing renewsFree Hacker plan for 2 agents; 15-day trial Self-hostingCloud onlyOpen source; self-hosted plans Price for 3 peopleStarter: $39/mo totalStartups: $57/mo; Business: $117/mo Price for 10 peopleGrowth: $99/mo totalStartups: $190/mo; Business: $390/mo AI included each month3,000 AI replies on Starter, 8,000 on Growth300 to 800 Captain credits; $20 per 1,000 more Human takeover and shared inboxEvery PlanCore of the product Agent takes actionsLookups, forms, and your API, with approval rulesCaptain scenarios and triage AI help for agents while they replyNot offeredCopilot and reply suggestions WhatsApp, social, email channelsWhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram coming soonAll channels from Startups Help center you hostNot offered; connect your pages by URLFrom Startups Messages inside your productIn-App Messages on every PlanCampaigns in the widget API, MCP, and CLI accessAll three on every PlanREST API Chatwoot figures come from chatwoot.com/pricing (Cloud plans), checked on 3 October 2026. Captain credits also cover Copilot features, so a credit may not equal one customer reply. Self-hosted Chatwoot is priced separately. [Start with 100 credits](https://app.communicate.so) Yearly totals, checked ## What AI-first chat costs over a year. Chatwoot Cloud list prices times 12, from chatwoot.com/pricing and our Plans, checked on 3 October 2026. We count one Captain credit as one AI reply. If you self-host Chatwoot and use little AI, it can cost you less. - 01 · $936 a year ### Less for three people at 3,000 AI replies Chatwoot Startups: 3 agents at $19 is $57, plus 2,700 extra credits at $20 per 1,000 is $60, so $117/mo. Communicate Starter: $39/mo. That is $1,404 vs $468. - 02 · $3,012 a year ### Less for ten people at 8,000 AI replies Chatwoot Startups: 10 agents at $19 is $190, plus 7,700 extra credits is $160, so $350/mo. Communicate Growth: $99/mo. That is $4,200 vs $1,188. - 03 · 10x the AI ### At the entry price Chatwoot Startups includes 300 Captain credits a month. Communicate Starter includes 3,000 AI replies. What changes ## Chatwoot is built around people. Communicate is built around the AI answering first. Chatwoot is a strong open-source inbox with every channel. If you want AI to answer most chats, compare what that AI volume costs. - 01 ### AI volume in the Plan Chatwoot Startups includes 300 Captain credits a month, then $20 per 1,000. Communicate Starter includes 3,000 AI replies for $39. - 02 ### No per-agent price Chatwoot Cloud is $19 to $99 per agent a month. Communicate Starter is $39 for 3 seats; Growth is $99 for 10. - 03 ### Actions with approval The Agent can look up an order or call your API, with rules for anything risky, on every Plan. ++++ Used in production ## Already answering customer questions. - Teams building software - Teams making content - Teams running everyday tools - Autoposting - Vrid - Niyam - FAAD Network - Nimblocity - Pure Digital - QCall - Serri - The Medical Insurance Exchange How it works ## Let the AI take the first reply. Keep people for the rest. Setup takes about 5 minutes. Your Chatwoot widget stays live until you swap the snippet. - 01 Sources Add your Chatwoot help center by URL Point the Agent at your help center articles, pricing page, and files. There is no import from Chatwoot, so you add each source by hand. Knowledge Connected Help center Ready for answers - Pricing page Ready for answers - Setup guide PDF Ready for answers - 02 Rules Turn your routing into plain rules Where Chatwoot rules assign a team, write a rule: billing to billing, bugs to support. Handed-off chats land in the Shared Inbox, assigned. Handoff rules Saved Billing question Member required - Bug report Hand off - How-to question Agent answers - 03 Count Count what the AI answered alone After a week, see how many chats never needed a person. Then compare that with your Captain credit bill. First week Counted AI replies 690 - Handed off 44 chats - Monthly pace about 3,000 ++++Knowledge Connected - Help center Ready for answers - Pricing page Ready for answers - Setup guide PDF Ready for answers Handoff rules Saved - Billing question Member required - Bug report Hand off - How-to question Agent answers First week Counted - AI replies 690 - Handed off 44 chats - Monthly pace about 3,000 01 / 03 Designed for the edge cases ## What you get on every Plan. No add-ons. Plans differ only in credits, seats, and Agents. 01 ### AI Agents with sources 3 Agents on Starter and 10 on Growth, each answering with a citation. Removesa small monthly AI allowance. 02 ### One credit per reply Every AI reply is one credit. Teammate replies are free. Removesbuying credits in $20 packs. 03 ### Shared Inbox and assignment Handed-off chats arrive with the full history, assigned to the right teammate. Removespaying again for every agent seat. 04 ### API, MCP, and CLI Work with Conversations and Agents from your code, an AI assistant, or the terminal. Removesscripting the dashboard by hand. ++++ AI Agents with sources One credit per reply Shared Inbox and assignment API, MCP, and CLI Every feature here runsthrough the same Agent. ## Ask how Communicate compares to Chatwoot. This page runs on Communicate. Type a question below and the assistant on this page answers it. Where is my order #4821? It left the warehouse on Tuesday. Tracking says it arrives Thursday.From: Shipping times That helped Choose what it can read - Help center articles - Refund policy PDF - Past support replies - Product pages Tasks it may run Check order status Update a delivery address Issue a refund Refunds wait for a teammate to approve. Sam joined the chat Handed over with the full thread S Reply style FriendlyFormalShort Drop a help PDF anywhere Answered from your help pages Question askedTeammate if needed Ask our support assistant a question FAQ ## What Chatwoot users ask before they switch. Starting with when you should not switch. ### 01Should I self-host Chatwoot instead? ### 02How does Chatwoot charge for Captain AI? ### 03Does Communicate support WhatsApp? ### 04Can the Agent answer from my Chatwoot help center? ### 05Is my data safe? ### 06When is Chatwoot the better choice? READY WHEN YOU ARE ## Let the AI answer first. Your team handles the rest. Open the Workspace for $1, add your help center, and count what the AI answers alone. [Start with 100 credits](https://app.communicate.so)[Or book a demo](https://cal.com/team/tinycheque/communicate)[Back to the top](#home) One-time $1 activation · Grounded answers · Human takeover · Cancel anytime