List

29 Open-source Self-hosted Web Chat and Messaging Apps

Hazem Abbas

Oct 23, 2023 — 22 min read

Photo by Mika Baumeister / Unsplash

A Self-hosted web chat refers to chat applications or platforms that can be installed and managed on your own server or hosting environment. These self-hosted solutions offer greater control, customization, and privacy compared to using third-party chat services.

Use-cases

Here are some common use cases for web chat self-hosted:

Technical Support: Web chat self-hosted can be used to provide real-time support to customers or users. It allows support agents to assist users with troubleshooting, answering questions, and providing guidance.
Team Chat: Self-hosted web chat platforms can be used by teams within organizations for internal communication and collaboration. It enables team members to exchange messages, share files, coordinate tasks, and stay connected in a centralized and controlled environment.
Community: Web chat self-hosted can be utilized to create online communities or forums where users can interact, discuss topics of interest, and share information. It fosters engagement and provides a platform for community members to connect and communicate.
Gaming: Self-hosted web chat can be integrated into gaming platforms or communities to facilitate communication among players. It allows gamers to chat, coordinate strategies, and build communities around specific games or gaming genres.
Others: Self-hosted web chat solutions can also be adapted for various other use cases, such as customer engagement, social networking, education, or any scenario where real-time communication and collaboration are required.

By opting for a self-hosted web chat solution, organizations and individuals have the flexibility to customize the chat experience, ensure data privacy and security, and have complete control over the platform's infrastructure.

In this post we collected the best self-hosted, web-based chat and messaging apps for teams, communities, and enterprise.

1- The Lounge IRC Web Client

The lounge is an innovative and highly versatile web-based IRC client that offers a modern and responsive user interface. It is designed to be cross-platform, meaning that it can be accessed and used seamlessly on various devices and operating systems.

With its self-hosted capability, users have the freedom to set up and manage their own IRC server, giving them complete control over their online communication experience.

Features

Modern features brought to IRC. Push notifications, link previews, new message markers, and more bring IRC to the 21st century.
Always connected. Remains connected to IRC servers while you are offline.
Cross platform. It doesn't matter what OS you use, it just works wherever Node.js runs.
Responsive interface. The client works smoothly on every desktop, smartphone and tablet.
Synchronized experience. Always resume where you left off no matter what device.

2- Chatwoot

Chatwoot is an open-source, self-hosted customer engagement suite. Chatwoot lets you view and manage your customer data, communicate with them irrespective of which medium they use, and re-engage them based on their profile.

It can be easily installed on Linux servers with support of Docker.

Features

Chatwoot supports the following conversation channels:

Website: Talk to your customers using our live chat widget and make use of our SDK to identify a user and provide contextual support.
Facebook: Connect your Facebook pages and start replying to the direct messages to your page.
Instagram: Connect your Instagram profile and start replying to the direct messages.
Twitter: Connect your Twitter profiles and reply to direct messages or the tweets where you are mentioned.
Telegram: Connect your Telegram bot and reply to your customers right from a single dashboard.
WhatsApp: Connect your WhatsApp business account and manage the conversation in Chatwoot.
Line: Connect your Line account and manage the conversations in Chatwoot.
SMS: Connect your Twilio SMS account and reply to the SMS queries in Chatwoot.
API Channel: Build custom communication channels using our API channel.
Email: Forward all your email queries to Chatwoot and view it in our integrated dashboard.
CRM: Save all your customer information right inside Chatwoot, use contact notes to log emails, phone calls, or meeting notes.
Custom Attributes: Define custom attribute attributes to store information about a contact or a conversation and extend the product to match your workflow.
Shared multi-brand inboxes: Manage multiple brands or pages using a shared inbox.
Private notes: Use @mentions and private notes to communicate internally about a conversation.
Canned responses (Saved replies): Improve the response rate by adding saved replies for frequently asked questions.
Conversation Labels: Use conversation labels to create custom workflows.
Auto assignment: Chatwoot intelligently assigns a ticket to the agents who have access to the inbox depending on their availability and load.
Conversation continuity: If the user has provided an email address through the chat widget, Chatwoot will send an email to the customer under the agent name so that the user can continue the conversation over the email.
Multi-lingual support: Chatwoot supports 10+ languages.
Powerful API & Webhooks: Extend the capability of the software using Chatwoot’s webhooks and APIs.
Integrations: Chatwoot natively integrates with Slack right now. Manage your conversations in Slack without logging into the dashboard.

3- Papercups

Papercups is an open source live customer support tool web app written in Elixir.

Features

Reply from email - use Papercups to answer support tickets via email
Reply from SMS - forward Twilio conversations and respond to SMS requests from Papercups
Custom chat widget - a customizable chat widget you can embed on your website to talk to your customers
React support - embed the chat widget as a React component, or a simple HTML snippet
React Native support - embed the chat widget in your React Native app
Flutter support - embed the chat widget in your Flutter app (courtesy of @aguilaair ❤️)
Slack integration - connect with Slack, so you can view and reply to messages directly from a Slack channel
Mattermost integration - connect with Mattermost, so you can view and reply to messages directly from Mattermost
Markdown and emoji support - use markdown and emoji to add character to your messages!
Invite your team - send invite links to your teammates to join your account
Conversation management - close, assign, and prioritize conversations
Built on Elixir - optimized for responsiveness, fault-tolerance, and support for real time updates

4- Chaskiq chat

This is a free and open-source full featured Live Chat, Support & Marketing platform, alternative to Intercom, Drift, Crisp, etc...

Features

Customer Segment Filters with custom attributes support
Web Messenger embed
Agent's conversation routing
Text chat with customizable content blocks support
Video Calls !
Triggerable conversational bots
Mailing campaigns
Onboarding tours
API integrations - Whatsapp / Twitter DM / Slack / Calendly / Zoom and more!
CRM integration - Pipedrive supported
Webhooks
Help Center system with multi language support
API support - consumable via GraphQL with Oauth authorization
Quick replies (as canned responses)
Configurable Data protection (GDPR) consent
Audits on Access and records changes
Composable Roles access/permissions system
Pluggable Reports
Embeddable Web Chat

5- RelatedChat

RelatedChat is an open-source alternative communication platform. Both iOS (Swift), Android (React Native), and Web (React) version source codes are available.

Features

Direct chat functionality
Channel chat functionality
Sending text messages
Sending emoji messages
Sending photo messages
Sending video messages
Sending audio messages
Sending stickers
Sending GIF messages
Media file local cache
Media message re-download option
Media download network settings (Wi-Fi, Cellular or Manual)
Cache settings for media messages (automatic/manual cleanup)
Typing indicator
Load earlier messages
Message delivery receipt
Message read receipt
Arbitrary message sizes
Send/Receive sound effects
Copy and paste text messages
Video length limit possibility
Save photo messages to device
Save video messages to device
Real Time conversation view for ongoing chats
All media view for chat media files
Picture view for multiple pictures
Basic Settings view included
Basic Profile view for users
Edit Profile view for changing user details
Sign in with Email
Privacy Policy view
Terms of Service view
Full source code is available
No backend programming is needed
Native and easy to customize user interface
Supports native iOS Dark Mode
Supported devices: iPhone SE - iPhone 13 Pro Max

6- Tindo Chat Server and Client

Instant messaging server, The backend is implemented in pure Go (licensed under GPL 3.0), while client-side bindings are available in Java, JavaScript, and Swift.

Additionally, there is support for gRPC clients in C++, C#, Go, Java, Node.js , PHP, Python, Ruby, and Objective-C, under the Apache 2.0 license. The wire transport options include JSON over websocket (with long polling also available) for custom bindings, as well as protobuf with gRPC.

Tinode is not XMPP/Jabber, nor is it compatible with XMPP. It is intended as a replacement for XMPP. At first glance, it resembles open source messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram.

Features

One-on-one and group messaging.
Video and voice calls. Voice messages.
Channels with unlimited number of read-only subscribers.
All chats are synchronized across all devices.
Granular access control with permissions for various actions.
User search/discovery.
Rich formatting of messages markdown-style: *style* → style, with inline images, videos, file attachments.
Forms and templated responses suitable for chatbots.
Verified/staff/untrusted account markers.
Message status notifications: message delivery to server; received and read notifications; typing notifications.
Most recent message preview in contact list.
Server-generated presence notifications for people, group chats.
Forwarding and replying to messages.
Editing sent messages.
Granular access control with permissions for various actions.
- Support for custom authentication backends.
- Ability to block unwanted communication server-side.
- Anonymous users (important for use cases related to tech support over chat).
- Plugins to extend functionality, for example, to support moderation or chatbots.
- Scriptable command-line tool for server administration.
Performance, reliability and development:
- Sharded clustering with failover.
- Storage and out of band transfer of large objects like images or document files using local file system or Amazon S3 (other storage systems can be supported with media handlers).
- JSON or protobuf version 3 wire protocols.
- Bindings for various programming languages:
  - Javascript with no external dependencies.
  - Java with dependencies on Jackson and Java-Websocket. Suitable for Android but with no Android SDK dependencies.
  - Swift with no external dependencies.
  - C/C++, C#, Go, Python, PHP, Ruby and many other languages using gRPC.
- Choice of a database backend. Other databases can be added with by writing adapters.
  - MySQL
  - PostgreSQL
  - MongoDB
  - RethinkDB

7- Laravel messenger

Laravel messenger is an exceptional messenger suite designed to enhance the functionality of your new or existing Laravel app. With this comprehensive suite, you can enjoy the benefits of private and group threads between multiple models, ensuring seamless communication.

The real-time messaging feature allows for instant and efficient communication, while the inclusion of reactions adds a touch of personalization to the conversations.

Additionally, the ability to attach files further enhances the versatility of this messenger suite.

8- EZchat

EZchat is a free simple, centralized, self-hosted chat website designed for small groups.

It is built on .NET Core 3.1 and SignalR and can be hosted on various platforms. It also supports the use of Tor and FreeDNS.

Features

Simple messaging
Simple moderation
Recent message cache
Connection status
Online user list
TTS mode
Profanity filter
Compatibility with Tor and FreeDNS

9- Tiledesk

Tiledesk is an open-source live chat platform with integrated chatbots. It allows you to build your own customer support system for web, Android, and iOS.

Tiledesk offers automation through chatbots, API and webhook integration, and the ability to deploy visual applications within conversations. It also supports multichannel communication, adapting responses to various platforms like Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram.

Features

Unlimited chat conversations
Widget customization tools
Conversation labels and notes
Apps marketplace
CRM
Operating hours
Up to 200,000 messages from bot/month
Departments and agents groups
Chat history
Ticketing System
Data export + Analytics
Canned responses

10- dric

p2p IRC-inspired self-hosted web chat.

11- Rocket.chat

Rochet.Chat is a chat support system that offers a range of features for seamless communication and support. It provides integration with third-party AI, supports XMPP for notifications, and offers a Chrome extension for easy access.

With Rochet.Chat, users can benefit from features like sound notifications, multiple chats, chat statistics, chat transcript, multi language support, file uploads, chat search, callbacks, online user tracking, GEO detection, pro-active chat invitations, caching for performance, and various customization options.

It also provides native applications for Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms. Rochet.Chat is designed to enhance the user experience and provide efficient support for website visitors.

Features

Rocket.Chat has four key product offerings:

💬 Team collaboration - A single point for secure internal and cross-company collaboration.
🎯 Omnichannel customer service - Engage in seamless interactions with customers regardless of how they connect with you.
🦾 Chat engine - Create customized messaging experiences within your mobile or web app.
🤖 Marketplace - Choose a wide range of apps and native integrations that help your business communicate more effectively.

12- JavaScript Chat Web Application

Single page application. Vanilla JavaScript Components.

13- BOBLE

BOBLE is a free self-hosted open-source web chat that uses TypeScript.

Features

Private chats 👥
Groups with unlimited participants 📢
Share text messages, images, GIFs, and audio recordings in real-time 📡
All your data is stored in the cloud and protected through your account 🔒
Create and delete chats and messages, and manage your groups ✏️
Access from all your devices, since you only need a browser 💫
Only requires a verified email address, no phone number, payment or other personal information 😇
Translated into different languages (currently English, Spanish and French) 🌎

14- WebChat

A self-hosted simple web chatting app using Socket.io, Node.js, and MongoDB.

15- RP Rooms

16- rabbitChat

A Chat-Server/Chat-System based on AMQP protocol(RabbitMQ Message Broker) written in python using Tornado and RabbitMQ.

Features

Public chat
Shows who joined and who left
Shows number of people online
Shows who is typing and who is not
Join/Leave chat room features
Microservice
Testing using Docker and Docker Compose
CI servers like Jenkins, Travis-CI

17- Silent Server.

Silent is very lightweight, high quality - low latency voice chat for gaming. The server runs on Windows and Linux.

18- Socket.chat

CLI Chat app using Unix sockets in Python and C++

19- Nakama

Nakama is an open-source distributed server for social and real-time games and apps.

Features

Users - Register/login new users via social networks, email, or device ID.
Storage - Store user records, settings, and other objects in collections.
Social - Users can connect with friends, and join groups. Builtin social graph to see how users can be connected.
Chat - 1-on-1, group, and global chat between users. Persist messages for chat history.
Multiplayer - Realtime, or turn-based active and passive multiplayer.
Leaderboards - Dynamic, seasonal, get top members, or members around a user. Have as many as you need.
Tournaments - Invite players to compete together over prizes. Link many together to create leagues.
Parties - Add team play to a game. Users can form a party and communicate with party members.
Purchase Validation - Validate in-app purchases and subscriptions.
In-App Notifications - Send messages and notifications to connected client sockets.
Runtime code - Extend the server with custom logic written in Lua, TypeScript/ JavaScript, or native Go code.
Matchmaker, dashboard, metrics, and more.

20- EzyFox Server

The EzyFox ecosystem is a free and open solution for developing multiplayer games and applications.

It supports various protocols, encryption, database interaction, and message queue, allowing developers to focus on implementing business logic without worrying about technology choices.

Features

Core Container & Dependency Injection: Includes bean manipulation, auto-binding, auto-implementation, and more.
Multiple Communication Protocols: Supports TCP, UDP, WebSocket, and HTTP.
Traffic Encryption: Allows for traffic between clients and servers to be encrypted using SSL.
Multiple Client SDKs: Includes Android, iOS, Unity, React, C++, Flutter, and more.

21- Open source live Support chat

Live Helper Chat is a powerful live support solution designed to enhance your website. It offers a range of features including web and mobile apps, as well as the ability to communicate through voice, video, and screen sharing.

In addition, Live Helper Chat supports integration with popular messaging platforms such as Telegram, Twilio (WhatsApp), and Facebook Messenger.

It even allows you to build your own chatbot to automate customer interactions. With Live Helper Chat, you can provide seamless and efficient support to your website visitors, ensuring a positive user experience.

Features

The app features include third-party AI integration, XMPP support for notifications, Google Chrome extension, sound notifications, multiple chats, chat statistics, chat transcript features, multi language support, file uploads, chat search, callbacks, online user tracking, GEO detection, proactive chat invitations, caching for performance, native applications for Windows, Linux, and Mac, and various customization options.

22- Mattermost

Mattermost is an open-source, self-hosted messaging and collaboration platform. It is designed to be a secure and private alternative to popular messaging applications, allowing teams to communicate and collaborate in a centralized and controlled environment.

Mattermost offers features such as real-time messaging, file sharing, and integrations with other tools and services. It is widely used by organizations for internal communication and project collaboration.

23- Retroshare

Retroshare is a decentralized and secure platform that allows encrypted connections between friends, providing services such as chat, mail, file sharing, forums, boards, and channels.

It ensures privacy and anonymity beyond direct friends through anonymous tunnels.

Retroshare is free, open-source, and available on multiple platforms. It can also be used over Tor and I2P networks for enhanced security and anonymity.

24- SimpleX

SimpleX - the first messaging platform operating without user identifiers of any kind - 100% private by design! iOS and Android apps are released 📱!

25- Tox

Tox is an instant messaging application developed as a distributed, peer-to-peer, and end-to-end encrypted system. It was created in response to concerns about privacy and NSA spying. The project started with a small group of developers in 2013 and has since grown to include multiple independent client projects. Tox is a FOSS project with open-source code and volunteer developers.

26- Tailchat

Next generation noIM application in your own workspace, not only another Slack/ Discord/ Rocket.chat

Features

Pay attention to privacy, only invited members can join the group
Prevent strangers, add friends only by nickname + a random string of numbers
Two-level group space, dividing different topics by panels
Highly customized group space, create original group space by grouping with dragging and dropping. At the same time, more plugins can be used to add more capabilities
It can be rigorous or fun. Through the combination of plugins, Tailchat can be created for different scenarios. It can be for individuals or for enterprises
The backend microservice structure is ready for large-scale deployment. Don't worry about what to do after the number of user growth

Tailchat - The next-generation noIM Application in your own workspace | Tailchat

The next-generation noIM Application in your own workspace

Tailchat

27- Let's Chat

A simple yet powerful open-source chat app for small teams built by Security Compass.

Features

BYOS (bring your own server)
Persistent messages
Multiple rooms
Private and password-protected rooms
New message alerts / notifications
Mentions (hey @you/@all)
Image embeds / Giphy search
Code pasting
File uploads (Local / Amazon S3 / Azure)
Transcripts / Chat History (with search)
XMPP Multi-user chat (MUC)
1-to-1 chat between XMPP users
Local / Kerberos / LDAP authentication
Hubot Adapter
REST-like API
Basic i18n support
MIT Licensed

28- Self-hosted Chat with Flutter

A self-hosted chat application for desktop written in Flutter!

🚀 Self-Host your own Chat Rooms
🔐 Set a Server Code (Users need this code additionally with server address to connect)
💙 Complete Private Chatting
❌ No Data Collection
🪨 Unbreakable Core
🎉 Truly Open source (GPL-3.0)

29- Chat

This is a simple self-hosted plug & play real-time JavaScript chat implemented using Socket.io.

Where simplicity meets usability:

No user accounts - just enter nickname and join.
No history saved - only logged-in users can see recent history.
No configuration.
Only one room - you can't create any other rooms or write PM to others.
Files sharing is possible - without storing any data on server.
Emojis - just a few of them.

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Use-cases

1- The Lounge IRC Web Client

Features

2- Chatwoot

Features

3- Papercups

Features

4- Chaskiq chat

Features

5- RelatedChat

Features

6- Tindo Chat Server and Client

Features

7- Laravel messenger

8- EZchat

Features

9- Tiledesk

Features

10- dric

11- Rocket.chat

Features

12- JavaScript Chat Web Application

13- BOBLE

Features

14- WebChat

15- RP Rooms

16- rabbitChat

Features

17- Silent Server.

18- Socket.chat

19- Nakama

Features

20- EzyFox Server

Features

21- Open source live Support chat

Features

22- Mattermost

23- Retroshare

24- SimpleX

25- Tox

26- Tailchat

Features

27- Let's Chat

Features

28- Self-hosted Chat with Flutter

29- Chat

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