Chaskiq is a source-available customer-messaging platform that combines live chat, a shared support inbox, a help center, and marketing campaigns in one self-hosted workspace. Teams embed its messenger on their website, work every conversation from a shared agent inbox, and run proactive outreach with bots, customer segments, and campaigns. Built with Ruby on Rails and React and positioned as an alternative to Intercom, Drift, and Crisp, it serves small support and marketing teams that want automation without handing their customer data to a third-party cloud.[1][2]
Quick verdict
Chaskiq fits small teams that want Intercom-style live chat plus marketing campaigns in one self-hosted workspace. Its edge is the combination of an embeddable messenger, a shared agent inbox, and triggerable outbound campaigns with segments and onboarding tours. The constraint is maintenance pace and licensing: public development has slowed since 2023, and the Commons Clause bars selling services built on the code. If you need proactive campaigns with full data control, choose Chaskiq; if you need a briskly maintained inbox-first alternative, choose Chatwoot.[1][2][3]
Key features
Embeddable web messenger Chat with visitors through an embeddable messenger with text chat, video calls, and rich content blocks, installed via a JavaScript snippet or WordPress plugin.[1]
Shared agent inbox Work every conversation from a shared team inbox with routing, assignment, and canned quick replies for repeated answers.[1]
Triggerable conversational bots Fire bots on rules, customer data, and connected integrations, with Dialogflow support for scripted flows; routing stays rule-based with no AI auto-routing.[1][2]
Outbound campaigns and segments Run mailing campaigns, onboarding tours, and customer segments from the same database as support conversations.[1][2]
Multilingual help center Publish self-service docs in multiple languages on a custom domain that matches the product brand.[1]
Chatbot AI agents and conversation providers Connect OpenAI and Anthropic models through OpenRouter for AI chatbot agents, and receive inbound WhatsApp, Twitter DMs, and Slack.[1]
GraphQL API, webhooks, and app integrations Extend the platform with a GraphQL API under OAuth authorization, webhooks, and named app connections including Calendly, Zoom, and Pipedrive.[1]
Access controls and GDPR consent Control the team with configurable GDPR consent capture, access audits, and role-based permissions.[1]
Who will love it
Small support teams that want chat plus a help center in one place: the messenger, shared inbox, and custom-domain help center cover reactive support without stitching three tools together.[1]
Marketers who need proactive campaigns with data control: segments, mailing campaigns, and onboarding tours run from the same database as support, and self-hosting keeps the customer list in-house.[1][2]
Self-hosters comfortable with Rails operations: a published Docker image and one-click Heroku deploy make the start manageable for teams that already run Postgres and Redis.[1][2]
Who should avoid it
Teams that need briskly maintained software: public releases stopped in 2023 and the contributor base is small, so verify current activity and security posture before committing.[1][2]
Businesses planning to sell services built on the code: the Commons Clause excludes selling products or services that are mostly the software, and only a paid commercial license removes those terms.[1][2]
Buyers who want a hosted plan with public pricing: no hosted plan prices were published on the official site during research, so budget for self-hosting effort or contact the vendor directly.[1][2]
Self-hosting and final verdict
Self-hosting needs Ruby 3.0.1, PostgreSQL 9.6 or later, Redis 6.2 or later, Node 12, and Yarn, with a published Docker image and one-click Heroku deploy; production setup needs environment, email, and S3 storage configuration.[1]
Choose Chaskiq when proactive messaging with data control is the priority and the team can operate a Rails application; choose Chatwoot when a fast-moving support inbox with the largest community matters more.[1][2]
Questions worth asking
What is the best Chaskiq alternative for non-technical users?
Is Chaskiq really no-code?
Day-to-day use is low-code: agents chat from the inbox, and bots, campaigns, and segments are configured rather than programmed. Self-hosting, custom integrations, and API work still need a developer.[1]
How much does Chaskiq cost per month?
Can you self-host Chaskiq?
Sources and editorial review
Source research. Reviewed on October 9, 2026. Written by Sanjib Sah. AI assisted; reviewed by a human editor.
We have not run or tested this product.
- chaskiq/chaskiq GitHub repository README
official · Observed October 9, 2026
Official repository README: feature list, install requirements, license note, positioning against Intercom, Drift, and Crisp.
- Chaskiq official site
official · Observed October 9, 2026
Official homepage: customer-messaging positioning, integration marketplace, no public pricing page found during research.
- Chaskiq LICENSE.txt
official · Observed October 9, 2026
Primary license text: Commons Clause v1.0 over AGPL-3.0, Licensor Chaskiq inc; selling the software or mostly-the-software services is excluded.
- Open Source Intercom Alternatives: 8 Picks (2026)
published measurement · Observed October 9, 2026 · Published April 24, 2026
April 2026 eight-way comparison: Chaskiq 7.9/10, best for marketing, ~3,400 stars, rule-based routing bots, slowed updates, Chatwoot default.
- 6 open-source Intercom alternatives you can self-host in 2026
published measurement · Observed October 9, 2026 · Published July 25, 2026
July 2026 six-way self-hostable roundup: Chaskiq ~3.7k stars, AGPL-3.0, Docker, campaigns and knowledge base; slowed development and heavier Rails setup flagged.