Chatwoot
Customer communication platform (alternative to Intercom and Zendesk).
Chatwoot vs Novu
Two self-hosted Communication - Custom Communication Systems apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| Chatwoot | Novu | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Customer communication platform (alternative to Intercom and Zendesk). | Notification infrastructure for developers. |
| GitHub stars | 38,889 | 40,274 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 1.5k | 2.4k |
| Last activity | 2026-11-05 | 2026-11-04 |
| Latest release | v4.19.1 (2026-10-24) | @novu/framework@v2.14.0 (2026-09-28) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | ⊘ Proprietary | MIT |
| Language / platform | Ruby, Docker, K8S | Docker, Nodejs |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $10/mo | $10/mo |
| Categories | Communication - Custom Communication Systems | Communication - Custom Communication Systems |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Chatwoot and Novu have a similar number of GitHub stars (38.9k vs 40.3k).
- Novu had more commits in the last 12 months (2,446 vs 1,461).
- Chatwoot published a release more recently (v4.19.1 on 2026-10-24; Novu's latest is @novu/framework@v2.14.0 on 2026-09-28).
- Chatwoot is licensed under ⊘ Proprietary, Novu under MIT.
- Chatwoot is written in Ruby; Novu in Nodejs.
- Deployment options listed upstream: Chatwoot: Docker, K8S; Novu: Docker.
Summary: Novu leads on commit activity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chatwoot or Novu more popular?
They are close: Chatwoot has 38,889 GitHub stars and Novu has 40,274 (as of 2026-11-05).
Which is more actively maintained, Chatwoot or Novu?
Novu had more commits over the last 12 months (2,446 vs 1,461). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-05 for Chatwoot and 2026-11-04 for Novu. Our health labels: Chatwoot is “Active”, Novu is “Active”.
What licenses do Chatwoot and Novu use?
Chatwoot: ⊘ Proprietary. Novu: MIT. Note: Chatwoot includes a non-free license component.
Can I run Chatwoot and Novu with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for Chatwoot and Novu. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Novu
Notification infrastructure for developers.
Browse all self-hosted Communication - Custom Communication Systems apps.