Chatwoot vs FreeScout (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Chatwoot grades higher than FreeScout: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Chatwoot grades higher on features and ease of use. FreeScout grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Chatwoot
Open-source support inbox you can self-host or use in the cloud
FreeScout
Free open-source help desk and shared mailbox you host yourself
Which one is for you
Pick Chatwoot if
- Fits if you want to run your support inbox on your own servers
- Works for developers who want an open API and code they can change
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on the free cloud plan: 2 agents, 500 conversations a month, chat only and 30 days of history
- Skip it if nobody on your team can look after a server and you want it free
- Pricey if you need voice or automation rules, as both start on Business at $39 an agent
- Watch out: the pricing page doesn't say if per-agent prices are monthly or yearly, and extra AI credits are $20 per 1,000
- Watch out: the free Community Edition has no Captain AI, voice, branding or SSO, and help comes through Discord and GitHub
Pick FreeScout if
- Fits if you can run your own server and want a free help desk
- Works for groups that need control over where support data lives
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want hosting done for you, as there is no official cloud service
- Watch out: modules are lifetime licences per instance and non-refundable
- Not for you if you want someone else to handle updates, backups and security
- Watch out: the module prices are filled in by script and could not be read
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAChatwootFair | 2.2GPAFreeScoutFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStartups is $19 an agent a month, a little under this category's middle, with all channels and 300 AI credits. The page doesn't say if that's monthly or yearly. The free self-hosted edition needs your own server, so it doesn't lift the grade. | CFree if you host it yourself, which needs a server, so it is a C and not an A. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free cloud plan is 2 agents and 500 conversations a month, but live chat only, with 30 days of history. The self-hosted Community Edition is free forever if you can run a server. Paid cloud plans have a 15-day trial. | BFree outright with unlimited agents, tickets and mailboxes, but you pay for a server and your own time. |
| Features | BOne queue for chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, the Captain AI agent, a help center, voice calls on Business, an open API and webhooks. It covers the job, and you can read and change the source code. | CShared mailbox and tickets, with extras like WhatsApp and Telegram sold as modules, whose prices we couldn't read. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. The cloud version means connecting each channel and training Captain on your help center. Self-hosting is real work: PostgreSQL, Redis and Docker or Kubernetes. | DYou handle installs, updates, backups and security on your own server. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with an open API, webhooks and Slack, Shopify, Stripe, HubSpot, Linear and Dialogflow. There's no desktop app, so it stops at a B. | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps and an installable web app, with Slack, Jira, WooCommerce, Zapier and Make. |
| Best for | an open-source support inbox you can host | a free help desk you host yourself |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Chatwoot and FreeScout. How we grade
Price against what you get
Chatwoot starts at $19 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. FreeScout has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Chatwoot scores higher, and starts $19 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Chatwoot for less, and none scores higher than FreeScout for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Chatwoot also covers AI support agent.
- FreeScout also covers help desk.
At a glance
| Chatwoot | FreeScout | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $19 per agent / month, billing term not stated | Free |
| Free plan | Hacker cloud plan: up to 2 agents and 500 conversations a month, live chat only, 30 days of history. The self-hosted Community Edition is also free. | None |
| Free trial | 15-day free trial of the cloud plans | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Chatwoot Inc | FreeScout |
| Price read from | chatwoot.com | freescout.net |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Chatwoot
- The free Hacker plan is limited to 2 agents, 500 conversations a month, live chat only and 30 days of history.
- Captain AI credits are 300, 500 or 800 a month by plan; more cost $20 per 1,000, and Captain is not in Hacker or the Community Edition.
- Voice, teams and automation rules need Business at $39 per agent; SSO and audit logs need Enterprise at $99.
- The pricing page does not say whether per-agent prices are billed monthly or annually.
FreeScout
- There is no official cloud service; the project lists third-party hosts that can install it in one click.
- Modules are sold as lifetime licenses per instance and are non-refundable; their prices are filled in by script and could not be read.
- You handle installs, updates, backups and security on your own server.
Key features
Chatwoot
- One queue for every channel
- Website chat, email from Gmail, Outlook or any IMAP inbox, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger are threaded into a single conversation queue.
- Captain AI agent
- Learns from your help center, PDFs and website, answers routine questions, hands off to a person, and drafts replies for agents.
- Help center
- A public knowledge base on paid plans that Captain also draws on, with suggestions for questions the articles do not yet answer.
- Self-hosting
- Runs on a Linux server with PostgreSQL and Redis, with guides for Docker and Kubernetes. Paid self-hosted plans add AI and support.
- Open API and webhooks
- Send messages, create channels and listen to events through the API, and export conversations and contacts at any time.
- Voice calls
- Voice calls are included on the Business and Enterprise cloud plans and on paid self-hosted plans.
FreeScout
- Shared mailbox and tickets
- Brings email, plus WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Slack and live chat through modules, into one inbox with notes, tags and saved replies.
- No limits on agents or tickets
- The core software has unlimited support agents, tickets and mailboxes, and installs on ordinary PHP and MySQL hosting.
- Modules marketplace
- Paid modules add workflows and SLAs, an end-user portal, knowledge base, custom fields, time tracking, SAML SSO and an API.
- Email integration
- Connects over SMTP, IMAP or POP3, with OAuth sign-in for Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace.
- Apps and installable web app
- iOS and Android apps and a progressive web app that sends web push notifications; apps use the same modules as your install.
Plans
Chatwoot
Hacker$0
Cloud plan for up to 2 agents and 500 conversations a month, live chat only, with 30 days of data retention. No AI, help center or automation.
Community Edition$0
The open-source edition you host yourself, free forever. No Captain AI, voice calls, custom branding or SSO; help comes through Discord and GitHub.
Startups$19
per agent / month, billing term not stated
Cloud plan with all channels, unlimited conversations under fair use, a help center, 300 Captain AI credits a month and 1 year of history.
Premium Support$19
per agent / month, billing term not stated
Self-hosted plan adding Captain AI, voice calls, custom branding, agent capacity, roles and permissions, and priority email support.
Business$39
per agent / month, billing term not stated
Cloud plan adding voice, teams and automation rules, with 500 Captain AI credits a month and 2 years of history.
Enterprise$99
per agent / month, billing term not stated
Cloud plan adding SSO and SAML, audit logs, 800 AI credits and 3 years of history. The self-hosted Enterprise Edition costs the same and adds SLA policies.
FreeScout
FreeScout (self-hosted)$0
Download and host it yourself with unlimited agents, tickets and mailboxes. Optional modules are bought separately.
Ways to pay less
Chatwoot
- Other savings
Startups plan free for open-source projects
Chatwoot gives open-source projects the Startups plan free of charge and asks open-source projects and nonprofits to email it to arrange this.
FreeScout
- Lifetime license
Modules sold as lifetime licenses
Each module is a one-time purchase for a single FreeScout instance, with lifetime updates included.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or FreeScout?
As of Nov 12, 2026, FreeScout is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $19 a month for each person for Chatwoot. Chatwoot starts at $19 per agent / month, billing term not stated, and FreeScout is free.
Which has a free plan, Chatwoot or FreeScout?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Chatwoot and FreeScout have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.