6 self-hosted options
Self-hosted alternatives to Intercom
The best open-source alternative to Intercom is Chatwoot (MIT, 38,309 GitHub stars, Docker image). Zammad stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (2,704), and FreeScout stands out for a published Docker image.
Erxes is also listed but is source-available, so it comes after the open-source picks.
About Intercom: A customer messaging platform for live chat, support and onboarding.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Chatwoot
chatwoot/chatwoot
Customer communication platform (alternative to Intercom and Zendesk).
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Team ChatRubyDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars.
- Rank 2:
Zammad
zammad/zammad
Easy to use but powerful support and ticketing system.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Helpdesk & TicketingRubyStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (2,704).
- Rank 3:
FreeScout
freescout-help-desk/freescout
Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout).
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Helpdesk & TicketingPHPDockerStands out for a published Docker image.
At a glance
Intercom alternatives compared
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatwoot | the most GitHub stars | MIT | 38,309 | 1,504 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Zammad | the most commits in the last 12 months (2,704) | AGPL-3.0 | 6,031 | 2,704 | Oct 26, 2026 | No |
| FreeScout | a published Docker image | AGPL-3.0 | 4,616 | 811 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Live Helper Chat | a permissive Apache-2.0 license | Apache-2.0 | 2,247 | 692 | Oct 26, 2026 | No |
| Tiledesk | a permissive MIT license | MIT | 323 | 64 | Oct 23, 2026 | Yes |
| Erxes | – | source-available, AGPL-3.0 with a no-competing-SaaS condition | 4,098 | 2,787 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
Full list
All 6 Intercom alternatives
Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.
- 1
Chatwoot
Customer communication platform (alternative to Intercom and Zendesk).
Team ChatDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Chatwoot has 38,309 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,504 commits in the last year.
- 2
Zammad
Easy to use but powerful support and ticketing system.
Helpdesk & TicketingStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (2,704). Zammad has 6,031 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,704 commits in the last year.
- 3
FreeScout
Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout).
Helpdesk & TicketingDockerStands out for a published Docker image. FreeScout has 4,616 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 811 commits in the last year.
- 4
Live Helper Chat
Live Support chat for your website.
Team ChatAI-nativeStands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license. Live Helper Chat has 2,247 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license and had 692 commits in the last year.
- 5
Tiledesk
All-in-one customer engagement platform from lead-gen to post-sales, from WhatsApp to your website. With omni-channel live agents and AI-powered chatbots (alternative to Intercom, Zendesk, Tawk.to…
Team ChatDockerAI-nativeStands out for a permissive MIT license. Tiledesk has 323 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 64 commits in the last year.
- 6
Erxes
Marketing, sales, and customer service platform designed to help businesses attract more engaged customers.
Source-availableHelpdesk & TicketingDockerErxes has 4,098 GitHub stars, is source-available under the AGPL-3.0 with a no-competing-SaaS condition (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,787 commits in the last year.
Is there a free alternative to Intercom?
Yes. 5 of the 6 apps on this page are open source; 1 is source-available. The open-source ones are free to self-host without per-user fees; source-available licenses add conditions such as user caps or limits on hosted use, so read them before you commit.
Can I self-host an alternative to Intercom with Docker?
Yes. 4 of the 6 apps here publish a Docker image, including Chatwoot, FreeScout and Tiledesk, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose.
Which Intercom alternative is the most actively developed?
Erxes (source-available) (source-available, AGPL-3.0 with a no-competing-SaaS condition), with 2,787 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.