What AI assistants actually recommend when buyers ask about open-source live chat software — measured weekly across 3 engines, published as open data.
Updated 2026-08-04 · 47 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.
Sample: 47 AI answers · Window: Jul 7, 2026 – Aug 4, 2026 (4-week rolling) · trend vs prior 4 weeks (44 answers)
Across 47 sampled AI answers from 3 engines, Chatwoot is recommended most often — appearing in 89.4% of recommendations, followed by Rocket.Chat (63.8%) and Intercom (51.1%).
This is a measurement of share of voice across 3 AI engines — not an editorial pick. See the full ranking below.
| # | Product | Share | Trend | Engines | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chatwoot chatwoot.com Best for: AI recommends Chatwoot most when buyers ask “best open-source live chat software I can self-host on my own server” (100% of those answers) | 89.4% 95% CI 77.4–95.4% 42 mentions · avg pos 2.2 first pick 38.1% | — | GEMINI 85%CLAUDE 100%PERPLEXITY 90% | Claim |
| 2 | Rocket.Chat rocket.chat Best for: AI recommends Rocket.Chat most when buyers ask “what self-hosted live chat solution works best for a developer team that wants to customize everything” (100% of those answers) | 63.8% 95% CI 49.5–76% 30 mentions · avg pos 3.3 first pick 6.7% | — | GEMINI 75%CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 65% | Claim |
| 3 | Intercom intercom.com Best for: AI recommends Intercom most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (77.8% of those answers) | 51.1% 95% CI 37.2–64.7% 24 mentions · avg pos 2.5 first pick 25% | — | GEMINI 45%CLAUDE 85.7%PERPLEXITY 45% | Claim |
| 4 | Zendesk zendesk.com Best for: AI recommends Zendesk most when buyers ask “best open-source live chat software I can self-host on my own server” (66.7% of those answers) | 40.4% 95% CI 27.6–54.7% 19 mentions · avg pos 2.6 first pick 31.6% | — | GEMINI 40%CLAUDE 57.1%PERPLEXITY 35% | Claim |
| 5 | Docker docker.com Best for: AI recommends Docker most when buyers ask “which open-source live chat tool is easiest to install on a VPS for a small e-commerce site” (100% of those answers) | 38.3% 95% CI 25.8–52.6% 18 mentions · avg pos 2.3 first pick 33.3% | — | GEMINI 35%CLAUDE 42.9%PERPLEXITY 40% | Claim |
| 6 | FreeScout freescout.net Best for: AI recommends FreeScout most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (88.9% of those answers) | 36.2% 95% CI 24–50.5% 17 mentions · avg pos 4.2 first pick 5.9% | — | GEMINI 35%CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 40% | Claim |
| 7 | PHP php.net Best for: AI recommends PHP most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (88.9% of those answers) | 29.8% 95% CI 18.7–44% 14 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 14.3% | — | GEMINI 40%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 25% | Claim |
| 8 | Live Helper Chat livehelperchat.com Best for: AI recommends Live Helper Chat most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (66.7% of those answers) | 21.3% 95% CI 12–34.9% 10 mentions · avg pos 4.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 30%PERPLEXITY 20% | Claim |
| 9 | Mattermost mattermost.com Best for: AI recommends Mattermost most when buyers ask “what self-hosted live chat solution works best for a developer team that wants to customize everything” (77.8% of those answers) | 19.1% 95% CI 10.4–32.5% 9 mentions · avg pos 4.1 first pick 11.1% | — | GEMINI 35%PERPLEXITY 10% | Claim |
| 10 | Chaskiq Best for: AI recommends Chaskiq most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (77.8% of those answers) | 17% 95% CI 8.9–30.1% 8 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 25%PERPLEXITY 15% | Claim |
| 11 | Slack slack.com Best for: AI recommends Slack most when buyers ask “what self-hosted live chat solution works best for a developer team that wants to customize everything” (33.3% of those answers) | 14.9% 95% CI 7.4–27.7% 7 mentions · avg pos 2.7 first pick 14.3% | — | GEMINI 25%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 12 | Tiledesk Best for: AI recommends Tiledesk most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (44.4% of those answers) | 14.9% 95% CI 7.4–27.7% 7 mentions · avg pos 4.6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 10%CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 15% | Claim |
| 13 | Papercups Best for: AI recommends Papercups most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (55.6% of those answers) | 14.9% 95% CI 7.4–27.7% 7 mentions · avg pos 6.2 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 25%PERPLEXITY 10% | Claim |
| 14 | Zulip zulip.com Best for: AI recommends Zulip most when buyers ask “best open-source live chat software I can self-host on my own server” (55.6% of those answers) | 12.8% 95% CI 6–25.2% 6 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 20%PERPLEXITY 10% | Claim |
| 15 | Jitsi jitsi.org Best for: AI recommends Jitsi most when buyers ask “best open-source live chat software I can self-host on my own server” (33.3% of those answers) | 12.8% 95% CI 6–25.2% 6 mentions · avg pos 5.4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 25%PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 16 | Salesforce Service Cloud Best for: AI recommends Salesforce Service Cloud most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (33.3% of those answers) | 10.6% 95% CI 4.6–22.6% 5 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 20% | — | CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 15% | Claim |
| 17 | MirrorFly | 10.6% 95% CI 4.6–22.6% 5 mentions · avg pos 4.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 10%PERPLEXITY 15% | Claim |
| 18 | Matrix matrix.org | 10.6% 95% CI 4.6–22.6% 5 mentions · avg pos 7.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 20%PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 19 | Rasa rasa.com Best for: AI recommends Rasa most when buyers ask “best self-hosted live chat tool for a SaaS product that needs chatbots and canned responses” (33.3% of those answers) | 8.5% 95% CI 3.4–19.9% 4 mentions · avg pos 2.3 first pick 50% | — | GEMINI 15%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 20 | Captain Best for: AI recommends Captain most when buyers ask “best self-hosted live chat tool for a SaaS product that needs chatbots and canned responses” (55.6% of those answers) | 8.5% 95% CI 3.4–19.9% 4 mentions · avg pos 2.3 first pick 25% | — | GEMINI 15%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 21 | VoceChat voce.chat | 8.5% 95% CI 3.4–19.9% 4 mentions · avg pos 3.3 first pick 25% | — | GEMINI 10%PERPLEXITY 10% | Claim |
| 22 | Drift drift.com Best for: AI recommends Drift most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (55.6% of those answers) | 6.4% 95% CI 2.2–17.2% 3 mentions · avg pos 2.5 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 15% | Claim |
| 23 | Snap Best for: AI recommends Snap most when buyers ask “which open-source live chat tool is easiest to install on a VPS for a small e-commerce site” (33.3% of those answers) | 6.4% 95% CI 2.2–17.2% 3 mentions · avg pos 5.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 24 | Nextcloud nextcloud.com | 6.4% 95% CI 2.2–17.2% 3 mentions · avg pos 7 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 15% | Claim |
| 25 | Element element.io | 6.4% 95% CI 2.2–17.2% 3 mentions · avg pos 7.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 15% | Claim |
| 26 | NGINX nginx.org Best for: AI recommends NGINX most when buyers ask “which open-source live chat tool is easiest to install on a VPS for a small e-commerce site” (33.3% of those answers) | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 50% | — | GEMINI 5%PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 27 | Telegram telegram.org | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5%PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 28 | tawk.to tawk.to | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 2.5 first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 28.6% | Claim |
| 29 | FreeScout Live Chat | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 3.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 10% | Claim |
| 30 | Botpress botpress.com | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 31 | Mibew mibew.org Best for: AI recommends Mibew most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (33.3% of those answers) | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 10% | Claim |
| 32 | Mibew Messenger Best for: AI recommends Mibew Messenger most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (33.3% of those answers) | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 10% | Claim |
| 33 | MirrorFly's AI Chatbot Solution mirrorfly.com | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5%PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 34 | ZChat zchat.com | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 10% | Claim |
| 35 | Helpy helpy.io | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 5.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 10% | Claim |
| 36 | Helm helm.sh | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 7 first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 37 | Twake twake.app | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions · avg pos 9.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 10% | Claim |
| 38 | getagent.chat getagent.chat | 4.3% 95% CI 1.2–14.2% 2 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 10% | Claim |
| 39 | Apigee cloud.google.com | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 100% | — | GEMINI 5% | Claim |
| 40 | DigitalOcean digitalocean.com | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 100% | — | CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 41 | Helpzen | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 100% | — | GEMINI 5% | Claim |
| 42 | Heroku heroku.com | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 100% | — | CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 43 | LiveChat livechat.com | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 100% | — | PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 44 | Tidio AI tidio.com | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 100% | — | PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 45 | Agora agora.io | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5% | Claim |
| 46 | Twilio twilio.com | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5% | Claim |
| 47 | Crisp crisp.chat | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5% | Claim |
| 48 | Zammad zammad.org | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5% | Claim |
| 49 | Helpy Connect | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5% | Claim |
| 50 | LiveAgent liveagent.com | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5% | Claim |
| 51 | Let's Chat | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 52 | Tinode | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5% | Claim |
| 53 | Tinode Web Chat tinode.co | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5% | Claim |
| 54 | Wire wire.com | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions · avg pos 13 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 5% | Claim |
| 55 | Dev.to dev.to Best for: AI recommends Dev.to most when buyers ask “what self-hosted live chat solution works best for a developer team that wants to customize everything” (44.4% of those answers) | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 56 | Gleap gleap.io | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 57 | Hostinger hostinger.com | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 58 | OpenAlternative openalternative.co Best for: AI recommends OpenAlternative most when buyers ask “open-source live chat alternatives to expensive per-seat hosted chat platforms” (33.3% of those answers) | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 59 | SourceForge sourceforge.net | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
| 60 | WordPress.org wordpress.org Best for: AI recommends WordPress.org most when buyers ask “how do I self-host a live chat widget on my website without sending data to third parties” (33.3% of those answers) | 2.1% 95% CI 0.4–11.1% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 5% | Claim |
Reading the numbers: Share is a point estimate on 47 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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