Chatwoot
JivoChat
| Feature | Chatwoot | JivoChat |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $19/mo | Free / from $19/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, small-businesses, privacy-focused-companies, self-hosters | small-businesses, ecommerce, multilingual-teams, sales-teams |
| Founded | 2017 | 2012 |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Omnichannel Inbox | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Assist | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Canned Responses | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reports | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hostable | ✓ | ✗ |
| Phone Calls | ✗ | ✓ |
| ✗ | ✓ | |
| Social Media | ✗ | ✓ |
| Crm | ✗ | ✓ |
| Visitor Monitoring | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Chatwoot Pros
- Open-source with full self-hosting option
- Omnichannel (chat, email, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.)
- AI-powered response suggestions and summaries
- Free for self-hosted with unlimited agents
✗ Chatwoot Cons
- Self-hosting requires DevOps knowledge
- Fewer integrations than established help desks
- Mobile apps less polished than competitors
✓ JivoChat Pros
- Good free plan
- Omnichannel support
- CRM built-in
- Easy setup
✗ JivoChat Cons
- Interface dated
- Limited automation
- Paid features add up
The Verdict
Chatwoot is built for startups and small businesses, with a focus on live-chat and omnichannel-inbox. JivoChat targets small businesses and ecommerce and leads with live-chat and phone-calls.
Both tools come in at similar price points ($19/mo for Chatwoot, $19/mo for JivoChat), so pricing won't make the decision for you.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Chatwoot edges out on user ratings (4.4 vs 4.1). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Chatwoot offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while JivoChat takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for small businesses — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Chatwoot has a slight overall edge — but if good free plan matters most to you, JivoChat may still be the right call.