Chatwoot vs UVdesk (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, UVdesk grades higher than Chatwoot: 2.6 against 2.4 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. UVdesk grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use 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
UVdesk
Open-source help desk for online stores with hosted Pro and Enterprise
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 UVdesk if
- Fits if you sell online and want a help desk tied to your store
- Works for a developer who can run a PHP app on their own server
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to run a server, as the free edition is self-managed
- Tight if you're one person on hosted, because it needs at least 2 agents
- Watch out: the pricing page shows Pro and Enterprise feature lists in short form, so check the plan comparison
- Watch out: full portal customization and unlimited mailboxes need Enterprise at $15 an agent
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAChatwootFair | 2.6GPAUVdeskGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BHosted Pro is $8 per agent a month billed annually, but sold in a minimum of 2 agents, so the floor is $16 a month, inside the cheapest quarter ($19). One person pays that. |
| 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. | BThe open-source edition is free with unlimited agents, and Pro and Enterprise have a 30-day trial. Self-hosting means you pay for the server. |
| 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. | CTicketing aimed at ecommerce sellers, with ecommerce integrations, agent reports and a form builder on Pro. The pricing page shows the feature lists only in short form. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record, and the free edition is a PHP app you install and keep running yourself. |
| 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 only, with 8 listed integrations. No phone or desktop app on record. |
| Best for | an open-source support inbox you can host | an ecommerce help desk you can 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 UVdesk. 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. UVdesk starts at $8 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Chatwoot scores higher, and starts $11 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 3 score higher than UVdesk 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 live chat and AI support agent.
- UVdesk also covers forms and help desk.
At a glance
| Chatwoot | UVdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per agent / month, billing term not stated | $8 per agent / month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly) |
| 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. | UVdesk Open Source: free to download and host on your own server, with unlimited agents. |
| Free trial | 15-day free trial of the cloud plans | 30-day free trial of Pro and Enterprise |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Chatwoot Inc | Webkul Software Pvt Ltd |
| Price read from | chatwoot.com | uvdesk.com |
| 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.
UVdesk
- Hosted plans need at least 2 agents.
- Free open-source installs are self-managed: you run the server and updates.
- The pricing page shows the Pro and Enterprise feature lists in short form, so check the plan comparison before choosing.
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.
UVdesk
- Ticket management
- Email, website forms and marketplace messages become tickets, with workflow rules, saved replies and agent privileges.
- Ecommerce order lookup
- Apps fetch order details from stores such as Magento, Shopify, OpenCart, PrestaShop and WordPress so agents see the order beside the ticket.
- Marketplace channels
- Connects marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Flipkart, plus mailboxes like Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail.
- Form builder
- Design contact, feedback and suggestion forms for a website; the form builder app comes with Pro.
- Knowledgebase
- A knowledgebase is part of the product; the Enterprise plan makes it unlimited.
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.
UVdesk
Open Source$0
Free forever with unlimited agents. You host it on your own server and manage it yourself.
Pro$8
per agent / month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly)
Hosted, minimum 2 agents. Adds ecommerce multichannel integration, agent performance reports, form builder and file viewer apps, and data import.
Enterprise$15
per agent / month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly)
Hosted, minimum 2 agents. Adds full portal customization, unlimited mailboxes and an unlimited knowledgebase.
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.
UVdesk
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Chatwoot or UVdesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, UVdesk is cheaper to start with: $8 a month for each person, against $19 a month for each person for Chatwoot. Chatwoot starts at $19 per agent / month, billing term not stated, and UVdesk starts at $8 per agent / month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Chatwoot or UVdesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Chatwoot and UVdesk have a free plan.
Which platforms do Chatwoot and UVdesk run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Chatwoot lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.