Free, open-source alternatives to Intercom
Customer messaging and support chat. 3 apps you can run yourself instead of Intercom, sorted by how well they replace it. Each one is open source, so your data stays with you.
ChatwootBest match
Customer communication platform (alternative to Intercom and Zendesk).
Tiledesk
All-in-one customer engagement platform from lead-gen to post-sales, from WhatsApp to your website. With omni-channel live agents and AI-powered chatbots (alternative to Intercom, Zendesk, Tawk.to and Tidio).
Live Helper Chat
Live Support chat for your website.
Side by side
| App | Stars | License | Activity | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatwoot | 37,739 | ⊘ Proprietary | Ruby, Docker, Kubernetes | |
| Tiledesk | 321 | MIT | Docker, Kubernetes | |
| Live Helper Chat | 2,251 | Apache-2.0 | PHP |
Why replace Intercom?
Intercom works, but your data lives in someone else's account, the price can change at any time, and features can disappear. An open-source app you run yourself is yours: you choose where it runs, who can see the data, and when to update.
Questions
What is the best free alternative to Intercom?
Chatwoot is the closest open-source replacement for Intercom in our list. Tiledesk and Live Helper Chat are worth a look too, depending on what you need.
Can I self-host an alternative to Intercom?
Yes. All 3 apps on this page are open source and can run on your own server, usually with Docker, or on a managed host that installs them for you.