TypebotVisual builder for conversational forms and chatbots you embed on a site or WhatsApp, self-hostable with every feature, under a Fair Source license that is source-available and not OSI-open.
Repo
Typebot
Visual builder for conversational forms and chatbots you embed on a site or WhatsApp, self-hostable with every feature, under a Fair Source license that is source-available and not OSI-open.
The cleanest open conversational-form builder around, and the self-hosted build ships with the same 34+ blocks as the paid cloud, data on your own box. The honest catch: the license is FSL, source-available not truly open, so you can run and modify it but cannot host it for others, SSO and granular access are Enterprise-only, and self-hosting is real Docker and Postgres work.
Great for
Teams that want a polished, embeddable chat form or lead bot live in an afternoon, on a site or on WhatsApp, with the option to self-host and keep response data on their own infrastructure.
The catch
The FSL is source-available Fair Source, not open source: you can use and modify it, but the Competing Use clause blocks reselling or hosting it for others, and SSO plus priority support sit in the paid Cloud and Enterprise tiers.
Bottom line
Alive and shipping monthly (v3.18.0 landed August 2026), but it is largely one founder, Baptiste Arnaud, plus a small team, so the bus factor is a person, not a company. Small teams usually land on the free or 39-dollar cloud plan.
Self-hostYes (Docker; separate builder and viewer apps, PostgreSQL required)
Managed cloudYes (typebot.com; Free 200 chats/mo, Starter $39, Pro $89)
LicenseFSL-1.1-Apache-2.0, Fair Source: source-available, no hosted or competing resale, each version turns Apache 2.0 on its second birthday
LanguageTypeScript (Next.js)
Maintained byBaptiste Arnaud (solo founder plus small team; ~85 contributors)
Watch out forFSL is not OSI-open, SSO and granular access are Enterprise-only, cloud bills per chat
Visual flow builderYes
Conditional logic & branchingYes
Variables & data captureYes
Inline JavaScript / scriptingYes
A/B testing in-flowYes
Embed (popup, bubble, container)Native JS library, no iframe
Stripe payment blockYes
OpenAI / LLM blockBring your own API key
Integrations (Sheets, Zapier, Make, Chatwoot, webhooks)Yes
WhatsApp channelOn the Pro cloud plan and up
Analytics & CSV exportCompletion and drop-off by block; no funnels or source segments
Self-host with all featuresDocker plus PostgreSQL; same features as cloud
SSO / SAML & granular accessEnterprise plan only
Live-agent handoff / inboxPair with Chatwoot for human takeover
What it does
- Visual drag-and-drop builder with 34+ blocks: text, image, video, and audio bubbles, plus inputs for text, email, phone, buttons, picture choice, date, file upload, and Stripe payments
- Logic and branching inside a flow: conditional paths, variables, URL redirects, inline JavaScript, and native A/B testing
- Embed anywhere with a lightweight native JS library (no iframe): container, popup, or chat bubble, plus WhatsApp and custom-domain publishing
- Integrations for webhooks and HTTP requests, OpenAI, Google Sheets, Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, Zapier, Make.com, and Chatwoot
- Brand theming with fonts, colors, roundness, shadows, custom CSS, and reusable theme templates
- Real-time result collection with drop-off and completion analytics, CSV export, and a REST API for the rest
What it can’t do
- Be resold or offered as a hosted service to others; the FSL Competing Use clause blocks running Typebot as a commercial product that substitutes for Typebot Cloud
- Count as OSI-approved open source; it is source-available Fair Source until each version turns Apache 2.0 two years after release
- Give you SSO, SAML, and granular access rights on the free or self-host build; those sit in the Enterprise plan
- Install itself; self-hosting means running the builder and viewer apps against a PostgreSQL database, and the deploy docs trail the cloud pages
- Hand a conversation to a live human out of the box; there is no built-in agent inbox or ticketing, so Chatwoot or similar handles takeover
- Deliver deep analytics; you get completion and drop-off by block, not funnels, source segments, or reporting across A/B variants
Pros & cons
Pros
- Clean, fast visual builder that non-developers actually enjoy, with an embedded bot shippable in an afternoon
- Self-hosted build carries the same features as the cloud, with response data staying on your own infrastructure
- 34+ blocks plus inline JavaScript, webhooks, and a REST API make it flexible without forking the code
- Actively maintained: monthly releases, v3.18.0 in August 2026, and a low open-issue count
- Fair Source with a real exit ramp, since every release becomes Apache 2.0 two years on
- Cheap managed cloud with a genuine free tier of 200 chats a month if you skip hosting
Cons
- FSL is source-available, not open source; you cannot host it for others or build a competing product on it
- Relicensed from AGPLv3 to FSL in 2024, so the old fully-open terms no longer apply to new versions
- SSO, SAML, and granular permissions are Enterprise-only
- Self-hosting is genuine ops: Docker, a Postgres database, upgrades, and SSL, and the self-host docs lag the cloud pages
- Bus factor is essentially one founder plus a small team, so support depth differs from a VC-backed company
- Analytics stay shallow and cloud pricing is per-chat, so high-volume bots climb (Pro covers 10k chats at $89/mo, then overages)
2 positive1 mixed
What the community says
Typebot is the tool I'd recommend to anyone who's tried to build a chatbot in a traditional builder and felt like they were fighting the UI the whole time. The flow canvas is clean, the logic blocks are intuitive, and you can have something useful embedded on a site or WhatsApp in a couple of hours without touching code. The open-source option is a real differentiator if you want to self-host and keep data in-house. The native integrations cover the main bases, but you'll notice gaps if your stack is outside the standard set, and the analytics are pretty bare bones right now.
The most efficient way to do this right now is using Typebot connected to the OpenAI API. GPT-4o-mini is fast and extremely cheap, easily handling 1,000 conversations for under $10 in credits. You can build a logic flow in Typebot that answers general inquiries and then uses a Webhook or Email block to alert you the moment a human needs to step in to close the deal. If you want the absolute lowest cost, self-hosting the open-source bot is the way to go.
I have implemented a similar solution on n8n, which works fine but I have a hard time maintaining it due to the large number of nodes in the chatbot workflow. I have found Typebot to be very promising and I plan to migrate to it soon. It's something built to solve the exact problem you are facing.
9 sourcesWhere this page’s facts came from. Open the receipts.
- 1GitHub - baptisteArno/typebot.io repo + README
- 2GitHub API - repo metadata (stars, language, activity)
- 3Typebot LICENSE (Functional Source License 1.1, Apache 2.0 Future License)
- 4Typebot docs - self-hosting and FSL license requirements
- 5Typebot pricing (Free 200 chats, Starter $39, Pro $89, Enterprise custom)
- 6Typebot blog - Typebot is now Fair Source (AGPLv3 to FSL relicense)
- 7Product Hunt - Typebot reviews
- 8Reddit r/automation - WhatsApp AI agent thread (Typebot recommendation)
- 9Reddit r/WhatsappBusinessAPI - Best tool for a WhatsApp bot (Typebot migration)
Watch it work
Real tutorials and reviews from YouTube, not ours.