Chatwoot vs Zammad
| Feature | Chatwoot | Zammad |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Embeddable | Embeddable |
| Sub-category | Live Chat | Helpdesk |
| Maturity | stable | mature |
| Complexity | intermediate | intermediate |
| Performance tier | medium | medium |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| License type | permissive | copyleft |
| Pricing | fully free | fully free |
| GitHub stars | 22.0K | 5.0K |
| Contributors | 500 | 100 |
| Commit frequency | weekly | weekly |
| Plugin ecosystem | medium | none |
| Docs quality | good | good |
| Backing org | Chatwoot | Zammad Foundation |
| Funding model | vc_backed | foundation |
| Min RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Min CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Scaling pattern | single_node | single_node |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| K8s native | No | No |
| Offline capable | No | No |
| Vendor lock-in | none | none |
| Languages | Ruby, Vue | Ruby |
| API type | REST, WebSocket | SDK |
| Protocols | HTTP | HTTP |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| SDK languages | javascript, ruby | — |
| Team size fit | small, medium, enterprise | small, medium, enterprise |
| First release | 2019 | 2016 |
| Latest version | — | — |
When to use Chatwoot
- ✓ Embed live chat widget on any website
- ✓ Omnichannel support across email/social/WhatsApp
- ✓ AI-powered customer support with Captain agent
- ✓ Team inbox for customer conversations
When to use Zammad
- ✓ Enterprise helpdesk with ticket management
- ✓ Multi-channel customer support
- ✓ Knowledge base for self-service
Chatwoot anti-patterns
- ✕ Ruby on Rails — heavier stack
- ✕ Self-hosting needs Redis + PostgreSQL + Sidekiq
- ✕ Enterprise features in paid cloud
Zammad anti-patterns
- ✕ AGPL license
- ✕ Heavier than pure chat solutions
- ✕ German-origin — some docs incomplete in English