ChatBot
AI chatbot builder to automate customer support and lead capture across channels
Papercups
Self-hosted live chat for secure customer support
Papercups delivers a self‑hosted live chat and ticketing system, supporting email, SMS, Slack, Mattermost, and embeddable widgets for web, React, React Native, and Flutter.
Overview
Who it's for
Papercups targets companies that need full control over customer conversation data—especially those with privacy, security, or GDPR concerns. It serves startups and enterprises looking for an on‑premise alternative to commercial platforms like Zendesk or Intercom, and developers comfortable with Elixir, Docker, or Heroku deployments.
What it does
The platform offers a real‑time chat widget that can be embedded via HTML, React, React Native, or Flutter. Agents can reply from email, SMS (via Twilio), Slack, or Mattermost, and manage conversations with assignment, prioritization, and team invites. Built on Elixir/Phoenix, it provides fault‑tolerant, low‑latency updates and supports markdown and emoji in messages.
How to get started
Papercups can be launched with a one‑click Heroku deploy, run locally via Docker, or hosted on any server that supports Elixir. A hosted SaaS version is also available at app.papercups.io, and full documentation and a demo page guide users through setup and customization.
Highlights
Self‑hosted with GDPR‑compliant data control
Multi‑channel support: email, SMS, Slack, Mattermost
Embeddable widget for web, React, React Native, Flutter
Built on Elixir for real‑time fault‑tolerant performance
Pros
- Full data ownership and privacy
- Real‑time updates via Phoenix channels
- Extensive integration options
- Easy one‑click Heroku deployment
Considerations
- Maintenance mode limits new feature development
- Custom hosting requires Elixir/Docker knowledge
- UI customization is less extensive than some SaaS tools
- Community support may be slower than paid options
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Fit guide
Great for
- Teams needing on‑premise chat to meet privacy regulations
- Startups wanting a cost‑free alternative to Intercom
- Developers comfortable with Elixir or Docker deployments
- Companies that already use Slack or Mattermost for internal communication
Not ideal when
- Organizations requiring frequent feature releases
- Teams lacking technical resources for self‑hosting
- Businesses that need deep AI‑powered automation out‑of‑the‑box
- Companies preferring a fully managed SaaS with dedicated support
How teams use it
Web‑based SaaS customer support
Provide real‑time chat and ticketing directly on the product website.
SMS help desk
Receive and reply to Twilio‑forwarded SMS messages from the same dashboard.
Internal support via Slack
Forward website chats to a Slack channel for quick agent response.
In‑app mobile assistance
Embed the Flutter widget to enable chat support inside a mobile application.
Tech snapshot
Elixir59%
TypeScript40%
CSS1%
Shell1%
Dockerfile1%
JavaScript1%
Frequently asked questions
Is there a hosted version of Papercups?
Yes, a hosted SaaS version is available at app.papercups.io.
Can I self‑host Papercups on my own infrastructure?
Yes, you can deploy via Docker, Heroku, or any server that runs Elixir.
Which front‑end frameworks are supported for the chat widget?
The widget works as a plain HTML snippet and has dedicated components for React, React Native, and Flutter.
How does Papercups handle data privacy and GDPR?
Since it can be self‑hosted, you retain full control over all conversation data, enabling GDPR‑compliant storage.
What is the roadmap given the project is in maintenance mode?
Only critical bug fixes and pull requests will be merged; no major new features are planned.
Project at a glance
Dormant- Stars
- 5,919
- Watchers
- 5,919
- Forks
- 560
LicenseMIT
Repo age5 years old
Last commit2 years ago
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languageElixir
Last synced 4 hours ago