ChatterMatevsPapercups
Two self-hosted Zendesk alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| ChatterMate | Papercups | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 46/100 | 59/100 |
| Rank in category | #12 of 14 in Customer Support | #6 of 14 in Customer Support |
| GitHub stars | 150 | 6 119 |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +5 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 10 | 0 |
| Latest release | v1.0.27 · 19 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Python | Elixir |
Which one should you pick?
Papercups scores 59/100 against 46/100 for ChatterMate, so it is the safer default.
ChatterMate ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Papercups.
If you want the quickest setup, Papercups is easier to run; ChatterMate needs more configuration.
Papercups is growing faster right now (+5 stars in 30 days).
ChatterMate details →Papercups details → All Zendesk alternatives →