Ethora: The CometChat Alternative for Self-Hosted Chat & AI
Modular Chat & AI SDK that runs on your servers, plugs into any LLM, and ships in days, not quarters.
The honest short answer
Ethora vs CometChat: the honest short answer
CometChat is a hosted chat platform with polished UI kits, voice and video calling, and its own AI agent layer, priced per monthly active user from $239/mo at 1K MAU; HIPAA arrives on the Advanced tier and on-premises deployment is an Enterprise conversation. Ethora is an open-source SDK you can self-host on any plan, including the free tier, with flat pricing and bring-your-own LLM.
Stay with CometChat if
- You want a visual builder and pre-built UI with the least engineering
- A hosted platform with calls and moderation included fits your compliance needs
- Your MAU will stay small enough that the per-MAU ladder is cheap
Choose Ethora if
- Self-hosting must be available without an Enterprise negotiation
- You want full white-label with no add-on fees
- You want to switch LLMs with a config change
Best for: CometChat for mid-market consumer apps that want a polished hosted UI; Ethora for teams that need ownership of hosting, branding, and AI.
Side by side
Ethora vs CometChat: capabilities at a glance
What each platform offers on the eight questions buyers ask most. Competitor facts come from the vendor’s own public pricing and product pages.
Ethora
How to read this table
CometChat facts are taken from its own public pricing and product pages, checked 2 and 10 September 2026; “Not listed” means the vendor’s public pages do not state it. Prices change, so use our monthly Chat SDK pricing comparison for current numbers. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
Why teams switch from CometChat
Teams move to Ethora when they want to own their stack, not rent a platform.
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 synchronization, read receipts, and complete audit logs: everything’s built for reliability across web and mobile.
AI Bots SDK
Multi-turn, intelligent agents that work directly in your chat interface. Supports OpenAI, Claude, or any custom LLM via webhook, with conversation memory and easy handoff to human agents.
RAG Crawler
Point it at your website or documentation. It will crawl, index, and create a knowledge base your AI agents can query accurately in real time.
Marketplace Chat SDK
Buyer-seller messaging on Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento. Includes 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 and production-ready components for React and React Native. Tweak every color, font, and layout to perfectly 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. You connect whichever LLM best fits your use case, cost structure, or compliance needs. Choose 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. Simply change your model in a configuration file while keeping your inference inside your own Virtual Private Cloud.
Compliance-ready
Ethora comes with comprehensive security and compliance controls, including encryption, immutable audit logs, RBAC, and retention.
GDPR
EU Data Protection
CCPA
California Privacy
HIPAA
Healthcare PHI
SOC 2
Security & Availability
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.
Save Months of Work with Ethora
Build any chat use case into your product — in hours.
Free
- Community Support
- 30 Days of Free Support
- No Credit Card Required
Small Business
- Tech Support
- SLA 99.9%
- AI Allowance
- Custom Domain
Enterprise
- 24/7 Phone Support
- Self-hosted AI
- Custom Configuration
- Dedicated / On-prem hosting
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.
