# Open-source alternatives to Intercom

> We track one open-source alternative to Intercom, but it doesn't have confirmed commercial use, local running and no paid services together. Chatwoot covers all 4 Intercom jobs.

Intercom: Customer service platform that brings email, chat, WhatsApp, SMS and phone into one shared inbox with ticketing, a Messenger live chat widget and a help center. Its AI agent, Fin, answers customers automatically and is charged per outcome on top of seats. Pricing: Essential $29, Advanced $85, Expert $132 per seat per month billed annually; Fin AI Agent $0.99 per outcome (checked 2026-10-21). Facts checked 2026-10-21.

## Projects

| Project | Use it instead? | Jobs | Runs locally | Commercial use | Paid services | Hardware |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Chatwoot](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/chatwoot) | Personal use: Yes. Business: Partly (Commercial use with conditions: MIT core can be used commercially; enterprise/ code may only be used in production with a…). | shared-support-inbox, live-chat-widget, ai-support-agent, help-center | Self-hosted on your own server (Linux VM script, Docker, Kubernetes); Chatwoot Cloud also offered | MIT core can be used commercially; enterprise/ code may only be used in production with a valid Chatwoot Enterprise licence | The core inbox is free to self-host; the Captain AI agent needs a paid Premium or Enterprise self-hosted licence and your own OpenAI key (an OpenAI-compatible endpoint for a self-hosted model is optional) | Minimum 2 CPU cores, 4 GB RAM and 20 GB SSD; 4+ cores and 8 GB+ RAM recommended for production |

## Common questions

### Is there a free, open-source alternative to Intercom?

Yes. Chatwoot is free to download and run on your own computer without paid API keys. It covers every job we list for Intercom.

### Can I do shared inbox for email locally without an Intercom subscription?

Yes, with Chatwoot (MIT). Check the hardware notes and licence conditions on each page before you start.

### Can I do live chat widget on your website locally without an Intercom subscription?

Yes, with Chatwoot (MIT). Check the hardware notes and licence conditions on each page before you start.

### Which Intercom alternatives can I use commercially?

With conditions: Chatwoot. This is not legal advice; read each licence.

### Does any open-source project replace all of Intercom?

Chatwoot covers every job we list for Intercom.

---
Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/alternatives/intercom). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.