The CometChat 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 by default
Ethora ships with comprehensive security and compliance controls — encryption, immutable audit logs, RBAC, and retention — as defaults, not add-ons.
Self-hosting keeps data inside your own perimeter, so GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and SOC 2 programs are far easier to satisfy. Healthcare and fintech teams run Ethora in production today.
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 CometChat
Teams move to Ethora when they want to own their stack, not rent a platform — full self-hosting on every plan, an SDK you control, and flat, predictable pricing as you scale.
CometChat
Managed platform, usage pricing
Ethora
Self-hosted SDK, flat pricing
One SDK, six production-ready modules
Everything installs together — just pick what you need without stitching vendors together.
Chat & Docs Engine
Instant messaging, end-to-end encryption, offline sync, read receipts, and complete audit logs — built for reliability across web and mobile.
AI Bots SDK
Multi-turn, intelligent agents inside your chat. Supports OpenAI, Claude, or any custom LLM via webhook, with conversation memory and easy handoff to humans.
RAG Crawler
Point it at your website or docs. It crawls, indexes, and builds a knowledge base your AI agents can query accurately in real time.
Marketplace Chat SDK
Buyer-seller messaging on Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento. Seller presence, order-linked threads, and built-in dispute-resolution flows.
Chat Widget
Add a professional chat or AI support window to any website with a single script tag. No backend work required.
React UI Kits
Customizable, production-ready components for React and React Native. Tweak every color, font, and layout to match your brand.
Your servers. Your data. Your rules.
With Ethora, self-hosting is available by default. You can run the full chat and AI stack on your AWS, GCP, Azure, on-premises, AWS Marketplace, or private cloud.
Bring your own LLM
Ethora is AI-native without forcing you into any particular model or vendor. Connect whichever LLM best fits your use case, cost structure, or compliance needs — OpenAI, Claude, or any custom endpoint through a simple webhook. Teams use it for:
Support deflection in-chat
AI handles common questions and escalates when needed.
RAG over your own docs
Accurate, context-rich answers from your knowledge base.
AI moderation
Using your preferred models and policies.
No platform lock-in on your AI layer. Change your model in a config file while keeping inference 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
Integration is simple and takes four steps.
SDKs: React, React Native, iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin), Node.js, Python.
FAQ
Is Ethora a real CometChat alternative?
Yes – especially for teams that want true ownership of their chat and AI infrastructure. CometChat is a robust, full-featured platform. Ethora is the right choice for teams that require a self-hosted SDK with complete data ownership, BYO-LLM capabilities, and fixed prices.
Can I migrate from CometChat to Ethora?
Many teams have completed the migration successfully. Core real-time messaging, channels, presence, and file sharing features map well. You'll replace the client SDKs and reconfigure your backend. We're happy to guide you through the process during an initial call.
Does Ethora support self-hosting on every plan?
Yes. Self-hosting is available across all tiers and is the default on the free plan. You don't need an enterprise contract to run the full stack on your own infrastructure.
How is Ethora's AI different from CometChat's agent platform?
Ethora gives you a flexible AI Bots SDK where you fully control the underlying LLM. You can switch models easily and keep everything running inside your VPC. The RAG Crawler is also included, making it easy to anchor your answers with your own documents.
Is Ethora HIPAA / GDPR / SOC2 compliant?
Ethora provides all the technology underpinnings, such as encryption, logging, and access control, required for these frameworks. GDPR and CCPA are covered by default. HIPAA and SOC 2 capabilities are available on Enterprise plans. Healthcare and fintech customers are using it in production today.
How long does integration take?
The Chat Widget can go live in about 5 minutes. It will typically take 1 to 3 days of development time to integrate with the full SDK, including a custom user interface and AI bots.
Ready to ship chat + AI on your own terms?
Talk through your migration from CometChat, or start building today — self-hosted, AI-native, and yours end to end.
