Self-host it, skip the seat bill

Live chat without a monthly subscription

Most live chat is billed per agent, every month, forever - and modern AI features often add a per-resolution meter on top. DChat takes the other path: free live chat installed on your own server, with AI billed only on the agents that use it. Here's how the math differs, and an honest look at what you still pay for.

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Per-seat pricing compounds

A monthly per-agent fee multiplies by your team size and repeats every month. Grow the team or add a seasonal agent and the recurring bill grows with it - the cost is tied to headcount, not value delivered.

Usage meters add up

AI answers are increasingly billed per resolution on hosted plans, so a busy month costs more. With DChat the chatbot is a flat $19 per agent per month, and a local model means no model usage fees on top.

Free for every agent

Live chat costs nothing. Agents aren't billable units for chat - you run the software on your own server for as long as you like. Only the optional AI assistant is billed, per agent per month.

Subscription vs self-hosted DChat

The shape of the cost, not a quote for any specific competitor.

Cost factor	DChat (self-hosted)	Typical SaaS (subscription)
Pricing basis	Live chat free; Premium (AI and more) $19/agent/month	Monthly fee, usually per agent
Cost as the team grows	Flat - agents aren't billable seats	Rises with every added agent
AI / usage fees	None from DChat (local model = $0 AI)	Often metered per resolution
Year two and beyond	Keep running it; optional update renewal	Subscription continues indefinitely
Your own costs	You host it (server + SQL Server)	Hosting is included in the fee
What you end up with	Free live chat, with your data on your own server	Access that ends when you stop paying

Honest math

The break-even is about time and team size

A subscription can be the cheaper option in month one, especially for a tiny team. But because it recurs and scales with agents, free self-hosted live chat comes out ahead the longer you run and the more people you add. Run the numbers for your own team - agents times monthly rate times the months you expect to operate, against your hosting plus $19 per month for each agent you give the AI assistant.

Free live chat covers

The full live chat product - operator console, widget, webhooks, reports - for every agent. The AI chatbot is part of Premium, at $19 per agent per month.

You still pay for

Your own hosting (a server and a SQL Server database), and AI seats if you want the assistant. No fee to the vendor to keep live chat running.

Is there live chat software without a monthly subscription?

Yes. DChat's live chat has no subscription at all - it is free to self-host in production with unlimited agents, forever. Premium - the AI assistant, custom roles, automation and extra channels - is $19 per agent per month on the agents you choose to cover, and there are no AI usage or per-resolution fees charged by DChat.

Do I really pay nothing for live chat?

You pay DChat nothing for live chat, with any number of agents. You do cover your own hosting - a server and a SQL Server database - and if you add the AI assistant it is $19 per agent per month. Those are your costs to control, not a subscription to the vendor.

Why is per-agent subscription pricing expensive over time?

Per-agent pricing multiplies by your team size and never stops, so the total grows every time you add an agent and keeps recurring month after month. DChat live chat is free, so the cost does not scale with headcount; only AI seats you choose are billed per agent.

Are there usage or AI fees with DChat?

No usage or per-resolution AI fees from DChat. The AI chatbot is $19 per agent per month, flat; if you run it on a local Ollama model there are no model costs on top, and if you use OpenAI or Anthropic you pay that provider directly with your own keys.

Simple pricing

Free live chat, no meter

Live chat, unlimited agents and domainsFree

Premium: AI assistant and more, per agent per month$19

Live chat is free in production with no seat limit. No AI usage fees from DChat - Premium is billed only for the agents you choose to cover, and Enterprise adds single sign-on at $49.

Compare Licenses Self-Hosted vs Cloud

Self-hosted customer support software

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

DChat gives you the installable server, web dashboard, website widget, and desktop agent tools in one self-hosted product, with live chat free to run, and an AI agent that answers, acts with the approvals you set and hands off to your team when you want one. Run it on infrastructure you trust, on the model you choose.

Download DChat 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

Live chat is free with unlimited agents. Premium, with the AI agent, is billed per agent per month, never per conversation.

AI Flexibility

Run the AI agent on a local Ollama model, or connect OpenAI and Anthropic with your own provider accounts.