# Chatwoot vs Zammad

> Pick Chatwoot for omnichannel live chat and social messaging support with mobile apps; pick Zammad for classic email-centred ticketing with SLAs, a knowledge base and reporting.

## Verdict

Chatwoot is built around conversations: a website chat widget, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and email in one shared inbox, with native mobile apps for agents. Zammad is a traditional helpdesk with tickets, SLAs, escalations, time accounting and a knowledge base, and it is fully AGPL-licensed. Choose by whether your support starts in chat or in the inbox.

- Best for Chatwoot: Support teams that live in website chat and social messaging
- Best for Zammad: Helpdesks that run on email tickets, SLAs and reporting

## Key differences

| Aspect | Chatwoot | Zammad |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT, except the enterprise/ directory under its own license | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language/stack | Ruby on Rails with a Vue front end, PostgreSQL and Redis | Ruby on Rails with a Vue front end, PostgreSQL and Redis; Elasticsearch recommended for search |
| Channels | Website live chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, API | Email, web forms, chat, phone (CTI) and social channels |
| Standout features | Shared inbox, canned responses, help center, AI assistant | SLAs, escalations, triggers, time accounting, knowledge base |
| Mobile apps | Native iOS and Android apps for agents | Mobile-optimised web interface |

## GitHub numbers

| Metric | Chatwoot | Zammad |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 37,569 | 5,981 |
| Forks | 9,143 | 1,069 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 1,379 | 2,422 |
| Last commit | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Latest release | v4.18.0 | None |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| License type | Open source | Open source |
| Language | Ruby | Ruby |
| Docker image | Yes | No |
| Repository | https://github.com/chatwoot/chatwoot | https://github.com/zammad/zammad |

App pages: [Chatwoot](https://appsgit.com/apps/chatwoot), [Zammad](https://appsgit.com/apps/zammad)

## FAQ

### Is Chatwoot fully open source?

The core is MIT-licensed. Code in the enterprise directory is under a separate license, and some features need a paid plan when self-hosted.

### Can Zammad do live chat?

Yes. Zammad has a chat widget, but its workflow centres on tickets, so chats become tickets in the same queue.

### Do both run with Docker?

Yes. Both provide official Docker Compose setups, and Zammad also offers distro packages.

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/compare/chatwoot-vs-zammad
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