The TalkJS Alternative for Self-Hosted Chat & AI
A modular Chat & AI SDK that runs on your servers, plugs into any LLM, and ships in days — not quarters.
Compliance-ready
Encryption at rest and in transit, immutable audit logs, role-based access control, and configurable data retention — Ethora includes the safeguards regulated industries need. It supports GDPR and CCPA by default, with HIPAA capabilities (including BAA) and SOC 2 documentation available on Enterprise plans.
Healthcare, fintech, and insurance teams are successfully running Ethora in production today — something cloud-only platforms like TalkJS, which does not offer HIPAA support, cannot match.
GDPR
EU data protection with regional data-residency options.
CCPA
California consumer privacy controls built into the platform.
HIPAA
Healthcare PHI handling, running in regulated production today.
SOC 2
Security & availability controls with full audit logs.
Why teams switch from TalkJS
Teams move to Ethora when they hit one of these walls with TalkJS — most often because they need full data control, self-hosting, and AI agents that aren’t tied to a hosted cloud.
TalkJS
Cloud-only, web-first platform
Ethora
Self-hosted SDK, native mobile
One SDK, six production-ready modules
One unified SDK with six production-ready modules. Install everything together — it works seamlessly across platforms.
Chat & Docs Engine
Real-time messaging with end-to-end encryption, offline sync, read receipts, full audit logs, and rich document sharing. Works across devices.
AI Bots SDK
Powerful multi-turn agents that live inside your chat. Connect OpenAI, Claude, or any custom LLM via webhook, with conversation memory, function calling, and smooth escalation to humans.
RAG Crawler
Automatically crawls your website, documentation, or knowledge base and turns it into a live source your AI agents can query. No manual data preparation needed.
Marketplace Chat SDK
Buyer-seller messaging built for e-commerce. Works great with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento — seller presence, order-linked threads, and dispute handling.
Chat Widget
Add a polished chat or AI support window to any website with a single script tag. No backend setup required.
React UI Kits
Production-ready, fully themable components for React and React Native. Customize every color, font, and layout to match your brand.
Your servers. Your data. Your rules.
Self-hosting isn’t an add-on with Ethora — it’s the foundation. The complete chat and AI stack runs inside your own infrastructure, whether that’s AWS, GCP, Azure, on-premises, AWS Marketplace, or a private cloud.
Bring your own LLM
Ethora is AI-native while completely flexible. Choose the model — OpenAI, Claude, or any custom LLM — whatever fits your need, and connect it through a simple webhook. Teams use it for:
Support deflection in-chat
AI handles common questions and escalates when necessary.
RAG over your docs
Accurate answers drawn from your own knowledge base.
AI moderation
Content review through your preferred model and policies.
No lock-in. Switching models takes just a config file change. Keep inference running inside your own VPC.
By the numbers
Ship faster, spend less
~95%
faster dev time vs. building from scratch
~60%
cost reduction vs. in-house build
5 min
widget install on any website
How it ships
Getting started with Ethora is refreshingly straightforward.
SDKs: React, React Native, iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin), Node.js, Python.
FAQ
Is Ethora a real TalkJS alternative?
Yes, particularly for teams that need strong self-hosting, native mobile performance, HIPAA readiness, and a deeper built-in AI stack. TalkJS is a solid choice for web-first teams who are comfortable with cloud-only hosting. Ethora solves a different set of priorities — data control, compliance, and full AI ownership.
Can I migrate from TalkJS to Ethora?
Many teams have made the switch smoothly. Core messaging features like channels, real-time updates, presence, and file sharing transfer well. You'll swap the client SDKs and point to your new backend. Our team can help map the migration during an intro call.
Does Ethora support self-hosting?
Yes — self-hosting is the default and available on all plans. The free tier is self-hosted only, Business gives you the choice between self-hosted and managed cloud, and Enterprise adds dedicated and on-prem options. TalkJS does not offer self-hosting.
How is Ethora's AI different from TalkJS's AI bot integration?
TalkJS helps you add AI bots, but you still build the rest yourself. Ethora ships a complete AI stack: dedicated AI Bots SDK, built-in RAG Crawler for your knowledge base, and native support for any LLM. Everything runs on your infrastructure with no vendor proxy.
Is Ethora HIPAA-compliant?
Ethora is designed to make HIPAA compliance achievable. It includes encryption, audit logs, and the necessary controls out of the box. Full HIPAA support with BAA is available on Enterprise plans. Several healthcare organizations are already using it successfully. (Note: TalkJS does not offer HIPAA support.)
How does Ethora handle native iOS and Android?
Native support is first-class. You get dedicated Swift and Kotlin SDKs with the same rich feature set as web and React Native — including offline capabilities, encryption, and deep platform integration. This gives you better performance and a more native feel on mobile.
Ready to ship chat + AI on your own terms?
Talk through your migration from TalkJS, or start building today — self-hosted, AI-native, and yours end to end.
