Chatwoot is an open-source, self-hosted customer support platform designed to replace proprietary solutions like Intercom, Zendesk, and Salesforce Service Cloud. It provides businesses with full control over their customer data while offering a unified inbox for managing conversations across multiple channels including website chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and SMS. Built with Ruby on Rails and Vue.js, Chatwoot is engineered for scalability and flexibility, making it ideal for teams that need to customize their support workflows without vendor lock-in. Its modular architecture and Docker-based deployment options make it suitable for both small businesses and enterprises seeking privacy-focused, cost-effective support infrastructure.
What You Get
- Omnichannel Support Inbox - Centralize conversations from website live chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, Line, and SMS into a single unified inbox with real-time message synchronization.
- Captain AI Agent - Automate responses to common customer queries using an integrated AI agent that reduces agent workload and improves response times; configurable via built-in settings.
- Help Center Portal - Publish and manage a public knowledge base with articles, FAQs, and guides to reduce repetitive support tickets and empower self-service.
- Private Notes & @Mentions - Enable internal team collaboration within conversation threads with private notes and targeted mentions for coordination.
- Canned Responses & Keyboard Shortcuts - Save and reuse frequent replies with canned responses, and navigate the dashboard quickly using customizable keyboard shortcuts.
- Auto-Assignment & Agent Capacity Management - Automatically route incoming conversations based on agent availability and workload to balance team capacity and reduce response times.
- Contact Management & Segmentation - Track customer profiles with interaction history, add custom attributes, create segments based on behavior, and send targeted campaigns.
- Slack & Dialogflow Integrations - Sync conversations to Slack channels and connect with Dialogflow for advanced chatbot automation and NLP-powered responses.
- Shopify Integration - View customer order history and product details directly within Chatwoot conversations to provide context-aware support.
- Real-Time CSAT & Operational Reports - Generate reports on conversation volume, agent performance, response times, and customer satisfaction (CSAT) with downloadable CSV exports.
- Multi-Language Support - Serve customers in multiple languages with built-in translation via Google Translate and community-driven translations through Crowdin.
- Docker & Kubernetes Deployment - Deploy Chatwoot using pre-built Docker images or Helm charts on Kubernetes, with official one-click deploy options for Heroku and DigitalOcean.
Common Use Cases
- Building a multi-channel SaaS support desk - A SaaS company using Chatwoot to unify live chat, email, and WhatsApp support into one dashboard, reducing ticketing tool costs by 70% while maintaining full data ownership.
- Creating a global e-commerce support system with WhatsApp integration - An online retailer in India uses Chatwoot to handle 500+ daily WhatsApp inquiries from customers, leveraging auto-translation and canned responses to scale support without hiring more staff.
- Problem: High ticket volume from repetitive FAQs → Solution: Help Center + AI Agent - A SaaS startup reduced support tickets by 40% after deploying Chatwoot’s Help Center and Captain AI to handle common onboarding questions, freeing agents for complex issues.
- Team: DevOps teams managing microservices with embedded support - A B2B platform team uses Chatwoot’s Docker deployment to embed customer support directly into their product, with Slack integrations allowing engineers to triage issues without switching contexts.
Under The Hood
Chatwoot is a comprehensive customer support platform designed to unify messaging channels and provide intelligent conversation management. It leverages modern web technologies to deliver a scalable, extensible solution for businesses looking to streamline their customer interactions.
Architecture
Chatwoot follows a monolithic architecture with clear separation of concerns, enabling modular development and extensibility.
- Built on Ruby on Rails for the backend API and Vue.js for the frontend, ensuring a cohesive development experience
- Organized into distinct modules that encapsulate CRM integrations, messaging channels, and reporting functionalities
- Employs design patterns such as strategy, builder, and service objects to manage complexity and promote reusability
- Supports extensibility through hooks and plugins, allowing seamless integration with third-party services
Tech Stack
Chatwoot utilizes a modern tech stack that balances robust backend capabilities with a responsive frontend.
- Built primarily with Ruby on Rails for the backend API and Vue.js for the frontend, complemented by TypeScript and JavaScript
- Integrates extensively with Vue ecosystem tools including Vuex for state management and Vue Router for navigation
- Employs Vite, Tailwind CSS, PostCSS, and Webpack for optimized build processes and styling
- Features a comprehensive testing setup with RSpec, Vitest, and coverage tools to ensure reliability
Code Quality
Chatwoot demonstrates a mature development approach with consistent practices and strong testing coverage.
- Maintains a robust testing strategy that includes backend and frontend components with extensive coverage
- Adheres to established coding conventions and linting practices for improved consistency and maintainability
- Implements clear error handling mechanisms and follows standardized patterns across the codebase
- Shows signs of technical debt in some areas but generally upholds high-quality development standards
What Makes It Unique
Chatwoot distinguishes itself through intelligent automation and multi-channel conversation handling.
- Implements intelligent contact merging with conflict resolution logic that prioritizes attribute precedence and avoids identifier collisions
- Offers a unified API architecture capable of handling diverse messaging channels like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok
- Uses action objects and builders to encapsulate complex business logic, ensuring clean separation between controllers and domain operations
- Provides comprehensive support for multi-channel conversations with shared contact data, reducing data silos and enhancing customer context