What AI assistants actually recommend when buyers ask about open-source live chat software — measured on a rolling 4-week window across 4 engines, published as open data.
Updated 2026-09-18 · 28 sampled answers · rolling 4-week window · methodology
Rankings are measured from sampled AI answers — never editorial, never paid. Orbator builds AI-visibility tooling; when Orbator itself appears in any category, it is measured by the same rules as everyone else.
Measured by Orbatormethodology owner Henrik Tellewindow ends Sep 18, 2026
Sample: 28 AI answers · Window: Aug 21, 2026 – Sep 18, 2026 (4-week rolling) · trend vs prior 4 weeks (98 answers)
Samples by engine: GEMINI 7 (last run Sep 5, 2026) · CHATGPT 7 (last run Sep 5, 2026) · CLAUDE 7 (last run Sep 6, 2026) · PERPLEXITY 7 (last run Sep 5, 2026) · GROK 0 (last run Aug 15, 2026 — stalest)
How these numbers are made: sampling design · prompt provenance · what counts as a mention · what we cannot see
On the record: This ranking is frozen as a dated snapshot every day. View this category's history to see what entered and left the ranking and when, or read what the engines actually said on a given day.
Across 28 sampled AI answers from 4 engines, Chatwoot is recommended most often — appearing in 82.1% of recommendations, followed by Intercom (53.6%) and Docker (42.9%).
This is a measurement of share of voice across 4 AI engines — not an editorial pick. See the full ranking below.
Orbator asked Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity buyer questions about open-source live chat software and sampled 28 answers between Aug 21, 2026 and Sep 18, 2026. Recommendation share counts the answers that recommended or listed a product, so a passing mention or a warning adds nothing to it. A category publishes once it holds at least 20 independently sampled answers in the window. Read the full methodology or download this ranking as CSV.
Buyer prompts in this category split between self-hosting mechanics and cost. Chatwoot led the best_in_category intent at 87.5% of 16 runs, the recommendation intent at 75% of 16 runs, and the problem_solving intent at 87.5% of 8 runs, where Docker also reached 87.5% of those 8 runs. Chatwoot and Papercups both led the alternatives intent at 75% of 8 runs. Intercom led the comparison intent at 37.5% of 8 runs, the prompt about total cost of ownership against hosted chat SaaS.
Published pricing sits alongside those answers. Chatwoot lists Startups at $19 a month with a free tier, last verified 2026-09-05. Docker lists Pro at $11 a month, $9 a year with a free tier, last verified 2026-09-05. Intercom lists Essential at $29 a month, last verified 2026-09-05. Weigh the self-host prompts separately from the cost comparison prompt, since different products led each.
| # | Product | Share | Trend | Engines | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | chatwoot.com | 82.1% 95% CI 64.4–92.1% 23 mentions · avg pos 1.7 first pick 56.5% | — | GEMINI 71.4%CHATGPT 85.7%CLAUDE 100%PERPLEXITY 71.4% | Claim |
| 2 | intercom.com | 53.6% 95% CI 35.8–70.5% 15 mentions · avg pos 3.1 first pick 26.7% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 71.4%CLAUDE 85.7%PERPLEXITY 42.9% | Claim |
| 3 | docker.com | 42.9% 95% CI 26.5–60.9% 12 mentions · avg pos 3.1 first pick 16.7% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 57.1%CLAUDE 57.1%PERPLEXITY 42.9% | Claim |
| 4 | rocket.chat | 39.3% 95% CI 23.6–57.6% 11 mentions · avg pos 3.4 first pick 9.1% | — | GEMINI 71.4%CHATGPT 14.3%CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 42.9% | Claim |
| 5 | freescout.net | 28.6% 95% CI 15.3–47.1% 8 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 42.9%CHATGPT 42.9%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 6 | papercups.io | 28.6% 95% CI 15.3–47.1% 8 mentions · avg pos 4.5 first pick 12.5% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 57.1%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 7 | zendesk.com | 17.9% 95% CI 7.9–35.6% 5 mentions · avg pos 2.3 first pick 40% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 42.9%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 8 | telegram.org | 17.9% 95% CI 7.9–35.6% 5 mentions · avg pos 2.8 first pick 20% | — | CHATGPT 28.6%CLAUDE 42.9% | Claim |
| 9 | Chaskiq | 17.9% 95% CI 7.9–35.6% 5 mentions · avg pos 4.2 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 42.9%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 10 | mattermost.com | 14.3% 95% CI 5.7–31.5% 4 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 28.6%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 11 | redis.io | 14.3% 95% CI 5.7–31.5% 4 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 25% | — | CHATGPT 42.9%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 12 | livehelperchat.com | 14.3% 95% CI 5.7–31.5% 4 mentions · avg pos 3.5 first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 42.9%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 13 | postgresql.org | 14.3% 95% CI 5.7–31.5% 4 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 25% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 42.9% | Claim |
| 14 | tiledesk.com | 14.3% 95% CI 5.7–31.5% 4 mentions · avg pos 5.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 15 | Captain | 10.7% 95% CI 3.7–27.2% 3 mentions · avg pos 2.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 28.6% | Claim |
| 16 | livechat.com | 10.7% 95% CI 3.7–27.2% 3 mentions · avg pos 3.7 first pick 33.3% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 17 | voce.chat | 10.7% 95% CI 3.7–27.2% 3 mentions · avg pos 5.7 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 42.9% | Claim |
| 18 | zammad.org | 10.7% 95% CI 3.7–27.2% 3 mentions · avg pos 6.7 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 19 | GoFly | 7.1% 95% CI 2–22.6% 2 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 50% | — | CLAUDE 28.6% | Claim |
| 20 | slack.com | 7.1% 95% CI 2–22.6% 2 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 21 | nginx.org | 7.1% 95% CI 2–22.6% 2 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 50% | — | CHATGPT 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 22 | php.net | 7.1% 95% CI 2–22.6% 2 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 23 | rasa.com | 7.1% 95% CI 2–22.6% 2 mentions · avg pos 4.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 24 | zulip.com | 7.1% 95% CI 2–22.6% 2 mentions · avg pos 5.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 25 | mibew.org | 7.1% 95% CI 2–22.6% 2 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 26 | Mibew Messenger | 7.1% 95% CI 2–22.6% 2 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 27 | caddyserver.com | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 100% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 28 | drift.com | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 29 | twilio.com | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 30 | helpy.io | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 31 | OpenCom | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 32 | wire.com | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 33 | Let's Chat | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 34 | MirrorFly | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 35 | element.io | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 36 | matrix.org | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 37 | aws.amazon.com | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 7 first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 38 | crisp.chat | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 39 | tawk.to | 3.6% 95% CI 0.6–17.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
Reading the numbers: Share is a point estimate on 28 sampled answers, so each row also shows its 95% CI — the Wilson score interval around that share. When two products' intervals overlap, the gap between them isn't statistically meaningful at this sample size. First pick is the share of a product's recommending answers where it was named first, which separates “always mentioned” from “usually the top recommendation”. Full methodology.
Independence: Orbator customers are badged for disclosure. Customer status does not affect prompts, sampling, extraction, or ranking — see the methodology. Your product on this list? Claim it to see the prompts behind your rank and track it weekly.
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Head-to-head pages for products ranked in Open-source live chat software. Each one sets out sourced facts side by side, plus which product AI assistants recommend more, engine by engine.
Chatwoot was recommended in 71.4% of 56 sampled answers in the 4-week window to 2026-09-05, and it was recommended in every one of the 8 runs on the prompt about the best open-source live chat software to self-host on your own server, a 100% share. Its mention breakdown shows 29 recommended against 11 listed. Engine spread runs from 78.6% of ChatGPT's 14 answers and 78.6% of Perplexity's 14 answers down to 57.1% of Claude's 7 answers. Pricing lists Startups at $19 a month with a free tier, last verified 2026-09-05.
Rocket.Chat was recommended in 50% of 56 sampled answers in the same window, and it too reached 100% on the self-hosting prompt across those 8 runs. The breakdown shows 12 recommended against 16 listed. Grok recommended it in 71.4% of its 7 answers, ChatGPT in 28.6% of its 14.
Docker was recommended in 44.6% of 56 sampled answers, and in 87.5% of the 8 runs on the self-hosting prompt. The breakdown shows 4 recommended against 21 listed. Grok recommended it in 100% of its 7 answers, Gemini in 21.4% of its 14. Pro is listed at $11 a month, $9 a year with a free tier, last verified 2026-09-05.
Intercom was recommended in 100% of the 8 runs on the prompt about open-source alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms. Overall it was recommended in 42.9% of 56 sampled answers. The breakdown shows 7 recommended against 17 listed. Grok recommended it in 85.7% of its 7 answers, Gemini and Perplexity in 28.6% of their 14 each. Essential is listed at $29 a month, last verified 2026-09-05.
Papercups was recommended in 87.5% of the 8 runs on that same alternatives prompt and in 28.6% of 56 sampled answers overall. The breakdown shows 1 recommended against 15 listed. Claude and ChatGPT each recommended it in 42.9% of their answers, 7 and 14 runs respectively, Grok in 14.3% of its 7. That narrow best_for means buyers asking about installation on a VPS saw it less.
Four of the five engines recommended the same product most among the top five. Chatwoot led for Claude across 7 answers, for Gemini across 14, for ChatGPT across 14, and for Perplexity across 14. Grok was the exception, leading with Docker across its 7 answers.
Docker also carries the widest gap between engines. Gemini recommended it in 21.4% of its 14 answers. Grok recommended it in 100% of its 7 answers. That is a spread of 78.6 points, the largest in the category. A buyer testing a single assistant would get a very different read on Docker depending on which one they asked. The gap on Chatwoot is much narrower, running from 57.1% of Claude's 7 answers to 78.6% of ChatGPT's 14 answers.
This is the first measured window on record for the category, covering 2026-08-08 to 2026-09-05, with 56 sampled answers across five engines. There is no prior window to compare against, so no entries, exits or share changes can be reported yet.
The current standings: Chatwoot leads, recommended in 71.4% of those 56 answers, and it was first recommendation in 60% of the answers that mentioned it. Rocket.Chat follows at 50% of 56, Docker at 44.6%, Intercom at 42.9%, and Papercups at 28.6%. Chatwoot was mentioned in 94.6% of the 56 answers, the widest presence in the category. Ranked products across the window total 49. The next resample will give the first comparison points.
Every number on this page is measured from sampled answers, and those answers are kept. The archive holds dated excerpts of what each engine answered, never full answers. Read the answer archive for open-source live chat software to see the excerpts by date and engine, or view the ranking history to see what entered and left this ranking and when.
Across 28 sampled AI answers from 4 engines (Aug 21, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026), Chatwoot is recommended most often for open-source live chat software, appearing in 82.1% of recommendations, followed by Intercom (53.6%). This is a measurement of what AI assistants recommend, not an editorial verdict.
ChatGPT recommends Chatwoot most often for open-source live chat software. It appears as a recommendation in 85.7% of ChatGPT's sampled answers in this window (Aug 21, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026). Other engines answer differently. The per-engine breakdown in the ranking shows each one.
Orbator samples AI answers to buyer questions across 4 engines and counts how often each product is recommended. No product pays for placement. The open-source live chat software ranking is based on 28 answers in the current 4-week window (Aug 21, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026). Full methodology is published at https://www.orbator.io/ai-index/methodology.
Verified facts for the most-recommended products — each sourced and dated. No editorial scoring, just the data side by side.
| Chatwootchatwoot.com | Intercomintercom.com | Dockerdocker.com | FreeScoutfreescout.net | Zendeskzendesk.com | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Startups: $19 a month (free tier available) ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Essential: $29 a month ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Pro: $11 a month, $9 a year (free tier available) ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | — | Support Team: $19 a month ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
| Features | Contact Segments ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Fin AI Agent ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Docker Kubernetes ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Omnichannel ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Email and ticketing system ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
| Platforms | API ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Slack ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Windows ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | macOS ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Web ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
| Integrations | Slack ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Github ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | — | Microsoft Office 365 ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Forethought ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
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