Intercom vs Zendesk

Self-host either: open-source alternatives compared. · Category: team chat & community

Both Intercom and Zendesk are in the team chat & community category. Chatwoot self-hosts as a replacement for both — listed below alongside the picks unique to each.

	Intercom	Zendesk
Category	In-app messenger + customer support	Customer support / helpdesk
SaaS pricing anchor	$39+/seat/mo with usage-based AI fees	$55/agent/mo on Suite Team tier
Self-host options listed	2	3

Replaces both — 1 shared open-source pick

These open-source projects appear on both /intercom/ and /zendesk/ — picking one solves the migration off either SaaS.

Chatwoot chatwoot/chatwootalivereplaces both

GitHub: ★ 29.2k · last commit today
License: MIT (Community)
Setup time: 20min docker-compose
Monthly cost: $10 VPS for a small/medium team.

Picks unique to each

Intercom only

Erxesalive
AGPL-3.030min docker-compose$10 VPS for the messenger + inbox plugins.

Zendesk only

FreeScoutalive
AGPL-3.010min (PHP + MySQL on a single VPS)$5 VPS easily.
Zammadalive
AGPL-3.030min docker-compose$10 VPS — Elasticsearch + Postgres + Rails.

In a terminal? npx os-alt intercom or npx os-alt zendesk prints either side — how the CLI works →

FAQ

Which open-source self-host alternatives replace both Intercom and Zendesk?

1 open-source project appears on both /intercom/ and /zendesk/: Chatwoot.

How many self-host alternatives are listed for Intercom and Zendesk?

2 for Intercom, 3 for Zendesk.

Are all the self-host alternatives free?

Yes — every listed option is open source. Your cost is the VPS or hardware that runs it.