Self-hosted alternatives to Tawk.to
Want free website live chat without handing your data to Tawk.to? 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 Tawk.to: Free live-chat widget for websites.
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiledesk direct | Active | 326 | MIT | ✓ | 2 GB | $10/mo |
| 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 |
The options in detail
1. 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 →
2. 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 →
3. 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 →
4. 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 →
Why self-host instead of Tawk.to?
- 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.
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Other alternatives guides
Tawk.to is a trademark of its owner; this site is not affiliated with it. Listings come from the community-maintained awesome-selfhosted list.