Papercups

Name: Papercups
Brand: Papercups
Rating: 4.3 (3 reviews)

Unclaimed

Open-source customer messaging for web and mobile applications.

Customer Support Live Chat Communication

Visit Website

FreemiumVisit Website

Reviews onG2

3 reviews tracked

The Bottom Line

Entry price

Free plan available, paid tiers above

Biggest pro

Completely open-source and free to use

Biggest con

Requires technical expertise to self-host and maintain

TL;DR - Papercups

Open-source live chat solution
Embeddable chat widget for web and mobile
Agent inbox for managing conversations

Pricing: Free plan available

Best for: Growing teams

What is Papercups?

Editorial review

Papercups is an open-source customer messaging platform designed to help businesses communicate with their users directly within their web or mobile applications. It provides a live chat widget that can be embedded on websites, allowing customers to initiate conversations with support agents in real-time. The platform also offers an inbox for agents to manage these conversations, supporting multiple channels. It's ideal for startups, small to medium-sized businesses, and developers looking for a customizable and self-hostable solution for customer support and engagement. By offering an open-source model, Papercups provides flexibility for teams to integrate and adapt the tool to their specific needs, avoiding vendor lock-in and potentially reducing costs associated with proprietary solutions.

LCLouis CorneloupUpdated May 26, 2026 · how we evaluateSourcepapercups.io ↗

Pros & Cons

Pros

Completely open-source and free to use
Self-hostable for data privacy and control
Customizable to fit branding
Developer-friendly with APIs and webhooks
Active community support

Cons

Requires technical expertise to self-host and maintain
May lack advanced features found in enterprise-level solutions
No official hosted version (requires self-hosting or third-party hosting)

Ratings Across the Web

4.3(3 reviews)

G23 reviews

4.3/5

Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more

Key Features

Live chat widgetAgent inboxConversation historyCustomer profilesIntegrations (e.g., Slack)Webhooks

Pricing

Freemium

Papercups offers a generous free tier with optional paid upgrades for advanced features.

View pricing

Reviews

Improve Your Thinking Patterns Using ChatGPT cover

$99Free with your review

Review Papercups, get a free AI guide

Share your experience and we will send you Improve Your Thinking Patterns Using ChatGPT, free.

Write a review

Best Papercups Alternatives

Top alternatives based on features, pricing, and user needs.

View full list →

TidioFreemium

Live chat, AI chatbots, and email to convert visitors

4.6

LivechatPaid

Customer service chat software

4.5

CrispFreemium

All-in-one customer messaging: chat, bots, CRM

4.5

tawk.toFree

Free live chat with unlimited agents, ticketing, and CRM

4.3

KommunicatePaid

AI + Human Customer Service Automation Platform for seamless support across all channels.

4.7

ChatwootFreemium

Open source customer engagement

4.5

ChaskiqFreemium

The front line of your customer experience for marketing, support & sales.

See all customer support tools →

Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

All Papercups alternatives7+ tools ranked, pricing + verdict per pick Papercups vs TidioHead-to-head: features, pricing, who wins Papercups vs LivechatHead-to-head: features, pricing, who wins Papercups vs CrispHead-to-head: features, pricing, who wins

Explore More

Best Customer Support Tools Best Live Chat Tools Best Communication Tools Best Free Customer Support Best Free Live Chat Best Free Communication

Papercups FAQ

How does Papercups facilitate real-time customer communication?

Papercups provides a live chat widget that businesses can embed directly into their web or mobile applications. This allows customers to initiate conversations with support agents in real-time. Agents can then manage these interactions through a dedicated inbox.

Which teams benefit most from using Papercups?

Papercups is ideal for startups, small to medium-sized businesses, and developers. It suits teams looking for a customizable and self-hostable solution for customer support and engagement. Its open-source nature offers flexibility and avoids vendor lock-in.

How is Papercups priced?

Papercups is available on a free tier, offering core functionalities. Paid plans are available for users who require more usage or access to additional features beyond the basic offering.

What kind of technical expertise is needed to implement Papercups?

Implementing Papercups requires technical expertise primarily because it is designed to be self-hostable. Users need the skills to set up and maintain the platform on their own infrastructure, as there is no official hosted version.

Can Papercups be customized to match a company's brand?

Yes, Papercups is designed to be customizable, allowing businesses to adapt its appearance to fit their specific branding. Its open-source nature provides the flexibility needed for such modifications.

How does Papercups compare to Chatwoot?

Papercups, like Chatwoot, is an open-source customer messaging platform. A key difference is that Papercups emphasizes self-hosting for data privacy and control, whereas Chatwoot also offers a cloud-hosted option. Papercups is completely free to use in its open-source form.

Source: papercups.io

Guides & Articles

Best AI Receptionists in 2026

Expert guide

Best Conversational AI Platforms in 2026

Expert guide

Best Customer Support Software in 2026

Expert guide