Kamailio vs Chatwoot

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureKamailioChatwoot
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseGPL-2.0MIT
LanguageCRuby
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM256 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, kubernetes, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 2,899★ 35,596
First released20082019
ReplacesTwilioIntercom, Zendesk, Drift

Why pick each one

Choose Kamailio if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (2.9k GitHub stars)
  • Written in C
Kamailio details

Choose Chatwoot if…

  • Polished customer support workflow
  • Active development
Chatwoot details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kamailio or Chatwoot better?

Chatwoot is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Kamailio if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Kamailio and Chatwoot free and open-source?

Yes. Kamailio is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Chatwoot under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kamailio and Chatwoot with Docker?

Kamailio: yes. Chatwoot: yes.

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