Chatwoot vs Gorgias

Chatwoot is free self-hosted or $19/agent/month cloud-hosted for open-source omnichannel support, while Gorgias Pro costs $360/month for 2,000 tickets with unlimited agents and Shopify order management — open-source flexibility versus ecommerce specialization. Chatwoot (G2: 4.4/5) provides email, live chat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LINE in a self-hostable Ruby on Rails application. Gorgias (G2: 4.6/5) embeds order management into support tickets for Shopify/BigCommerce/Magento stores.

These platforms serve entirely different buyers: Chatwoot serves technical teams that want open-source control and broad channel coverage. Gorgias serves ecommerce teams that need order management inside tickets. If you do not run an online store, Gorgias is irrelevant. If you need deep Shopify integration, Chatwoot cannot provide it.

Chatwoot provides open-source omnichannel; Gorgias provides ecommerce order management — no meaningful feature overlap beyond basic conversation handling. Chatwoot connects to WhatsApp (via 360dialog/Twilio), Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LINE, email, and custom channels. Automation rules route and assign. Canned responses speed up replies. The self-hosted option runs on your infrastructure with full database access.

Gorgias displays Shopify order data alongside every ticket. Macros automate responses using order variables (tracking numbers, delivery dates). Revenue statistics track support-driven sales. SMS and phone handle urgent delivery issues. The AI Agent resolves common queries at $1.50/interaction.

Channel comparison: Chatwoot covers WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LINE, email, web chat. Gorgias covers email, web chat, Facebook, Instagram (ad comments), SMS, phone. Chatwoot has dramatically broader channel coverage. Gorgias adds phone and SMS. Neither supports Discord or Zalo.

Chatwoot self-hosted is free for unlimited agents; Gorgias Pro costs $360/month for 2,000 tickets — Chatwoot saves $360+/month but requires infrastructure management. Chatwoot cloud at 10 agents = $190/month. Gorgias Pro = $360/month (unlimited agents). For teams with 10+ agents, cloud Chatwoot is 47% cheaper. For teams with 20+ agents, the gap widens further because Chatwoot charges per agent while Gorgias charges per ticket.

Infrastructure cost for self-hosted Chatwoot: ~$20-50/month for a VPS capable of running Rails + PostgreSQL + Redis. Total cost with self-hosting: $20-50/month for unlimited agents. Gorgias has no self-hosted option.

Gorgias ticket overages: $0.40/ticket beyond plan limits. Chatwoot has no conversation caps on any plan. Both require annual billing for best cloud rates.

Choose Chatwoot if you want open-source self-hosting with broad channel coverage and no vendor lock-in. Self-hosted is free with unlimited agents. Cloud starts at $19/agent/month. WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LINE, and email are all supported. Custom integrations through the API. Full data sovereignty when self-hosted. The codebase is auditable and extensible.

Choose Gorgias if you run an ecommerce store on Shopify, BigCommerce, or Magento. Agents view order history, process refunds, cancel orders, edit shipping, and create draft orders within tickets. Revenue tracking attributes sales to support. The AI Agent ($1.50/interaction) handles common order queries. Unlimited agents on all plans — team size does not affect cost.

Chatwoot is the right tool for technical teams that want open-source flexibility, broad channel coverage, and data sovereignty. Gorgias is the right tool for ecommerce teams that need order management inside tickets with revenue attribution. They serve non-overlapping markets.

For teams that need messaging-first support across WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and Zalo without self-hosting complexity or ecommerce lock-in, Converge offers all channels at $49/month flat for up to 15 agents.