Chatwoot vs Groove

Chatwoot and Groove represent different philosophies in customer support software. Chatwoot offers an open-source, self-hosted solution with extensive customization options, while Groove provides a hosted, email-centric platform focused on simplicity and ease of use.

This comparison explores their technical requirements, feature sets, and total cost of ownership to help you decide between open-source flexibility and managed convenience.

Chatwoot provides comprehensive omnichannel support including WhatsApp Business API, Facebook Messenger, Twitter DMs, and custom integrations through its open API. Its automation features include canned responses, auto-assignment, and custom workflows.

Groove focuses on email-style ticket management with shared inbox functionality, collision detection, and seamless team collaboration. It treats all communications as email threads, making it intuitive for teams familiar with email workflows.

Chatwoot offers more technical flexibility and channel variety, while Groove provides better out-of-the-box simplicity and requires no technical setup or maintenance.

Chatwoot is free to self-host but requires server infrastructure, technical maintenance, and potential developer resources for customization. Cloud hosting starts at $20/month for 2 agents.

Groove uses straightforward flat-rate pricing: $16/month for up to 3 users, then $36/month for unlimited users. No hidden costs, server management, or technical overhead required.

While Chatwoot appears cheaper initially, factor in hosting costs, technical time, and maintenance when comparing total cost of ownership against Groove's all-inclusive pricing.

Choose Chatwoot if you need open-source flexibility, have technical resources for self-hosting, and want extensive customization. Choose Groove if you prefer managed hosting, email-style workflows, and minimal technical overhead.

Choose Chatwoot if: You have technical resources, need extensive customization, want to own your data completely, and require specific integrations not available elsewhere.

Choose Groove if: You prefer managed solutions, want predictable pricing, need minimal setup time, and favor email-style support workflows over complex omnichannel setups.

For teams wanting modern features without technical complexity, Converge at $49/month flat provides enterprise-grade functionality with the simplicity of a managed solution.