# chatwoot vs Papercups

> Two self-hosted [Zendesk alternatives](https://selfhost.directory/alternative-to/zendesk), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | chatwoot | Papercups |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 ✓ | 59/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 14 in Customer Support | #6 of 14 in Customer Support |
| GitHub stars | 38 512 ✓ | 6 119 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 390 ✓ | +5 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v4.19.1 · 24 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | Ruby | Elixir |

## Which one should you pick?

chatwoot scores 84/100 against 59/100 for Papercups, so it is the safer default.

chatwoot ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Papercups.

If you want the quickest setup, Papercups is easier to run; chatwoot needs more configuration.

chatwoot is growing faster right now (+1 390 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [chatwoot](https://selfhost.directory/project/chatwoot) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/chatwoot.md)
- [Papercups](https://selfhost.directory/project/papercups) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/papercups.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/chatwoot-vs-papercups