HubSpot Chat alternative

Standalone live chat, without the CRM subscription

HubSpot Chat is one feature of a hosted CRM suite, and it works best when you are committed to that platform. ZChat is standalone live chat you install and own: a widget, an AI chatbot with human handoff, and a real agent workspace, with every conversation stored in your own database and no monthly platform fee.

Download Free Evaluation See One-Time Pricing

No suite to buy into

You do not need a CRM contract to run good live chat. ZChat is a focused product that does chat well, so you are not paying for a platform to unlock a single feature.

Your data, your server

Transcripts and visitor records live in your own SQL Server database with CSV export and built-in GDPR access and erasure, not in a vendor cloud you rent access to.

Connects to what you use

HMAC-signed webhooks push chat events to Slack, Teams, Discord, or your own systems, and public and admin APIs plus direct SQL let you feed chat data into your existing CRM if you have one.

ZChat vs HubSpot Chat, at a glance

How a self-hosted, one-time-license platform compares with a typical hosted plan.

Compare	ZChat	HubSpot Chat
Hosting model	Self-hosted on your own server	Hosted SaaS (HubSpot's cloud)
Pricing	One-time license from $299	Monthly subscription
Where conversations live	Your own SQL Server database	The vendor cloud
AI chatbot	Built in - local Ollama or your OpenAI/Anthropic keys	Varies by plan
Source-code license	Available as an option	Not available
Remove vendor branding	Yes	Varies by plan

Can ZChat still work with my CRM?

Yes. ZChat does not replace your CRM; it runs alongside it. Signed webhooks fire on conversation events, and the public and admin APIs plus direct database access let you push transcripts and visitor details into whatever CRM you already use.

Does it have an AI chatbot?

Yes. Connect the chatbot API and it answers from your knowledge base and hands off to a human with the transcript when needed. Run it on a local Ollama model or your own OpenAI or Anthropic keys. It is optional and off by default.

How is it priced?

A one-time license from $299, not a monthly platform subscription. You install it on your own server and own the deployment, so chat is a fixed cost rather than a recurring one that scales with seats.

Own it on your server

Try the full product free on localhost.

The download is the real product: server, dashboard, widget, SQL scripts, and a localhost trial license. One command sets up the demo database and opens the dashboard.

Download ZChat More comparisons

Owned customer support software

Deploy live chat on your own terms, not on someone else's pricing model.

ZChat gives you the installable server, web dashboard, website widget, and desktop agent tools in one self-hosted product you buy once and keep. Run it on infrastructure you trust and connect AI only if and how you want it.

Download ZChat See Product Demo

Deployment

Install on Windows or Linux, behind IIS or Nginx, in a VM, or in Docker if that fits your stack.

Commercial model

One-time purchase, perpetual license, and no monthly per-agent bill attached to growth.

AI Flexibility

Use Ollama locally or connect OpenAI and Anthropic with your own provider accounts.