3 open-source options compared for live chat tool for a website, with live GitHub data on each.
Last updated Repo data refreshed 25 Oct 20263 options
Our pick · chatwoot
Our pick is chatwoot/chatwoot because it directly and effectively solves the problem of needing an open-source live chat tool for a website. It offers a comprehensive omni-channel experience that serves as a strong alternative to commercial solutions, supported by very active development and a large user base. While LiveHelperChat provides impressive advanced communication features like video and screen sharing, Chatwoot delivers a more integrated and modern omni-channel customer support platform. Rocket.Chat, despite its popularity and robust features, is primarily a full-fledged communication platform and may introduce unnecessary complexity and overhead if the sole requirement is a website live chat widget. Chatwoot strikes an excellent balance of features, active maintenance, and direct relevance to the problem at hand.
Chatwoot vs Live Helper Chat vs Rocket.Chat: side by side
Chatwoot offers an open-source live-chat, email support, and omni-channel desk, serving as a modern customer support platform. It is designed as an alternative to commercial solutions such as Intercom, Zendesk, and Salesforce Service Cloud.
Best for: Businesses seeking a comprehensive, open-source omni-channel customer support platform for their website and other digital communication channels, especially those looking for an alternative to proprietary solutions.
What's good
Provides comprehensive omni-channel support for live chat, email, and social media from a single interface, streamlining customer interactions.
Maintains very active development and frequent updates, evidenced by recent pushes and releases, ensuring a well-supported and evolving platform.
Serves as a direct open-source alternative to popular commercial customer support tools, offering comparable features without vendor lock-in.
Supports self-hosting, providing full control over data and infrastructure, and boasts robust CI/CD and Docker integration for streamlined deployment.
Watch out for
Operates under an open-core license, meaning that certain advanced or enterprise-level features may be exclusive to its commercial offerings rather than the open-source core.
Self-hosting can be resource-intensive, particularly for smaller deployments, due to its extensive feature set and architectural demands.
Requires technical expertise for initial setup, deployment, and ongoing maintenance when self-managed, which might be a barrier for non-technical teams.
★ 2,248 starsLicence: Apache-2.0Last commit 24 Oct 2026Latest release 23 Oct 2026PHP
Live Helper Chat offers live support for your website, featuring web and mobile apps, voice, video, screen sharing, and integrations with popular messaging platforms.
Best for: Organizations requiring a comprehensive, self-hosted live chat solution that prioritizes advanced communication features and extensive third-party messaging integrations.
What's good
Includes advanced communication capabilities such as voice, video, and screen sharing directly within the chat.
Offers broad integration with external messaging services like Telegram, Twilio (WhatsApp), and Facebook Messenger.
Supports agent management through both web and dedicated mobile applications, enhancing flexibility.
Watch out for
Has fewer GitHub stars compared to other top contenders, which might suggest a smaller community or less widespread adoption.
The extensive array of features can lead to a more complex initial configuration and setup process.
The user interface, while functional, might not appear as modern or polished as some newer, more minimalist solutions.
Rocket.Chat functions as a Secure CommsOS™ for mission-critical operations, offering a secure, fully customizable platform for team communications. It facilitates real-time conversations among colleagues, with other companies, and with customers or citizens, integrating website live chat as part of its extensive communication suite.
Best for: Large organizations and enterprises that prioritize a unified, secure communication platform for both internal team collaboration and external customer engagement, where website live chat is an integrated component rather than a standalone tool.
What's good
Offers robust security features, making it a strong choice for organizations with strict data privacy and communication security requirements.
Provides a comprehensive communication platform that supports internal team messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing alongside website live chat.
Designed for full customizability, allowing organizations to tailor the platform to their specific operational needs.
Demonstrates continuous development and active maintenance, indicating reliability and ongoing improvements.
Watch out for
Its extensive feature set and focus on a broad communication platform can result in increased complexity and resource demands for deployments centered solely on basic website live chat.
Operates under an open-core license, meaning some advanced functionalities and enterprise-grade features are part of commercial offerings.
May be more comprehensive than necessary for users seeking only a lightweight, dedicated live chat widget for their website, potentially leading to an elevated learning curve.
"Dormant" means no commit pushed to the default branch in the last 12 months. "Archived" means the maintainers have marked the repository read-only on GitHub. "Deprecated" means the project's README says it is deprecated or no longer maintained. Stars, licence, commit and release dates come from the GitHub API (GitLab for projects developed there) and are cached for up to 24 hours. On licences: a custom licence is a licence file that isn't a single standard licence; open-core means the core is open-source and the enterprise code is licensed separately. Check the linked licence file before use. The written analysis is AI-assisted and checked against that data.
Frequently asked questions
Are Chatwoot, Live Helper Chat and Rocket.Chat actively maintained?
Chatwoot, Live Helper Chat and Rocket.Chat are active: each has had a commit in the last 12 months (most recent: Chatwoot on 25 Oct 2026, Live Helper Chat on 24 Oct 2026, Rocket.Chat on 25 Oct 2026). Status is checked against GitHub daily.
What licences do Chatwoot, Live Helper Chat and Rocket.Chat use?
Chatwoot: MIT core + commercial enterprise/ (open-core); Live Helper Chat: Apache-2.0; Rocket.Chat: MIT core + commercial ee/ (open-core). Check each project's licence file before use.
Which is easiest to learn: Chatwoot, Live Helper Chat or Rocket.Chat?
By our estimate (1 = easiest, 5 = steepest): Chatwoot 3/5, Live Helper Chat 3/5, Rocket.Chat 4/5. Chatwoot and Live Helper Chat share the gentlest learning curve. This is ExploreGit's AI-assisted estimate, not a measured figure.
