Self-hosted alternatives to Crisp
Want customer messaging and live chat without handing your data to Crisp? These 4 self-hosted apps run on your own server (most are open source; licenses are listed below). Cheapest estimated hosting starts at about $5/month.
About Crisp: Customer messaging platform with live chat and a shared inbox.
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatwoot | Active | 38.9k | ⊘ Proprietary | ✓ | 2 GB | $10/mo |
| FreeScout | Active | 4.6k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Libredesk | Active | 3.1k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Tiledesk | Active | 326 | MIT | ✓ | 2 GB | $10/mo |
The options in detail
1. Chatwoot
Customer communication platform (alternative to Intercom and Zendesk).
Active Last commit 2026-11-05. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release v4.19.1 (2026-10-24). Needs roughly 2 GB RAM. How to run it →
2. FreeScout
Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout).
Active Last commit 2026-10-31. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release 1.8.249 (2026-10-31). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
3. Libredesk
Modern omnichannel customer support desk. Live chat, email, and more in a single binary.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release v2.9.2 (2026-10-31). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
4. 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).
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release 1.2 (2021-11-29). Needs roughly 2 GB RAM. How to run it →
Why self-host instead of Crisp?
- Own your data — it lives on a server you control, with backups you decide on.
- Predictable cost — a small VPS often replaces per-seat pricing for a whole team or family.
- No lock-in — open-source licenses let you keep running the software even if a vendor disappears.
The trade-off: you are responsible for updates, backups and security. Pick an app marked Active (a commit in the last 90 days) and with Docker support for the easiest ride.
Browse related categories
Other alternatives guides
Crisp is a trademark of its owner; this site is not affiliated with it. Listings come from the community-maintained awesome-selfhosted list.