Comparison · As of 10 Oct 2026

superchat alternative with a phone system and CRM

superchat is a hosted messenger inbox with servers in Frankfurt and WhatsApp via the official API. If you want to start without a server of your own, it serves you well. The-Y CRM is for teams that make and take calls themselves as well as chatting – with a built-in phone system, deals and invoices in one tool, self-hosted at a flat price.

Try it in the cloud – freeTry the demoNo sales call, no credit card. Demo without sign-up. Free account: all features except your own branding, up to 3 users.

The difference in one sentence

At superchat, an AI agent answers calls; telephony for staff isn't documented there. The-Y CRM is the phone system for your team – with IVR, queues, voicemail and calls in the browser.

Why The-Y CRM exists

I'm Thomas Nuri Yilmaz, Head of IT at Dove Touristik and founder of The-Y. In 2024 I faced exactly this question: I was looking for a ticketing system, tested osTicket, then Zammad, and found Chatwoot while searching for a respond.io alternative. I ran Zammad, Chatwoot and n8n myself. What I was missing was everything in one place: WhatsApp, phone and email in one inbox, with a phone system of its own. Today we at The-Y no longer work with any of these tools – we work with The-Y CRM.

superchat and The-Y CRM compared

superchat
The-Y CRM
Telephony for the team
~not documented; an AI agent answers calls (from Professional, via call forwarding, about 30 credits per minute)
✓IVR, queues, voicemail, calls in the browser
Hosted
Basic €89 (3 users, 1 number), Professional €149 (6 users, 2 numbers), Advanced €299 (12 users, 4 numbers) per month, net
€0 (Free, servers in the EU), up to 3 users; larger teams self-hosted or set up by us
Contract
12-month minimum term, automatic renewal, notice 30 days before the end; add-ons with the same term
€10 a month or €240 one-time – then perpetual
Extra users
€19 per user per month (add-on); extra number €49 per month
self-hosted: whole team included
Free trial
~Free: 1 user, 1 number, 30 active contacts; 14-day trial
✓permanently, up to 3 users, all features except your own branding
Self-hosting
not stated by the vendor
✓€0 with a free key (up to 3 users, Free limits) · no limits €10/month or €240 one-time, whole team
WhatsApp
✓official API, Meta fees passed on 1:1 with no markup; monthly bonus €20 / €50 / €80
✓on every plan, including Free; no markup on Meta's fees
Channels
✓WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, live chat, email, SMS; web widget from Professional
Email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, SMS, web chat, phone – one inbox
Deals, pipeline, invoices
labels, notes, filters, HubSpot integration. Deals, invoices not stated by the vendor
✓contacts, companies, deals, pipeline, invoices, appointments; plus payments, open items, dunning, receipts and an export for your tax advisor (DATEV, BMD)
Hosting
✓Frankfurt
Free on our EU servers or on your own server; no limits on your own server

superchat according to its official pricing page, terms, security page and help center, accessed 10 Oct 2026 (sources below). superchat prices in euros, net, per month with a 12-month minimum term. Details on The-Y CRM as of version 1.1.24 (11 Oct 2026) – new features include finance up to the export for your tax advisor (no tax advice), Facebook and Instagram posts with a content calendar, answering comments, WhatsApp templates with a preview and installing it as an app on your phone (no push notifications yet).

Stay with superchat if …

  • you want a hosted solution with servers in Frankfurt and don't want to run a server of your own,
  • you want onboarding – included from Professional,
  • you need Telegram or want an AI agent to answer calls,
  • you don't want to use Alpha software – The-Y CRM is Alpha.

Choose The-Y CRM if …

  • your team makes its own calls and needs a phone system with IVR, queues and voicemail,
  • you want deals, pipeline and invoices (right up to the export for your tax advisor) in the same tool,
  • you want to work without per-user surcharges: self-hosted €10 a month or €240 once – instead of a 12-month minimum term.

Example: 5 people, WhatsApp and phone

superchat Basic + 2 users
€127
per month, net · Basic €89 (3 users) + 2 × €19 extra users; with the 12-month minimum term at least €1,524
plus: a phone system for the team
superchat Professional
€149
per month, net · 6 users, 2 numbers, onboarding included; with the 12-month minimum term at least €1,788
the AI agent can answer calls (about 30 credits per minute). Plus: a phone system for the team
The-Y CRM self-hosted
€10
per month – or €240 one-time
plus: a server (e.g. €14.50 net/month), a phone number, your own maintenance (backups). Phone system included. No server of your own?

With every tool, you pay Meta's WhatsApp fees and your call minutes to the respective provider; The-Y adds no markup. Since 1 Oct 2026 Meta also charges for replies within the 24-hour window; the first 1,000 per number per month are free. Those 1,000 are Meta's free allowance – not to be confused with the limit of The-Y Free (1,000 outgoing messages per month across all channels). superchat gives a monthly bonus towards WhatsApp costs: €20 (Basic), €50 (Professional), €80 (Advanced). All the details, with a calculator for every country: What The-Y CRM really costs. For up to 3 people, The-Y Free (€0) is enough – in our cloud or self-hosted with a free key.

Don't want to run a server yourself?

Write to us. We get the server, install The-Y CRM and keep it up to date. You pay the licence and the server costs 1:1, exactly as they are billed – no markup, no service fee.

Server guide price: about €8–15 net per month (e.g. netcup VPS 500 or 1000, see the costs page). We do this case by case until there's a ready-made hosting package.

Test it in about 30 minutes

  1. Create a free account on crm.the-y.at.
  2. Connect a mailbox, WhatsApp number or phone – guides in the documentation.
  3. Invite your team and see if it fits. Contacts and companies can be imported via CSV.

Like it? Then move to your own server – free with a free key (same limits as Free) or without limits with the self-hosting licence (guide, server requirements) – or let us do it for you.

Frequently asked questions

Can I self-host The-Y CRM?

Yes, with Docker on your own server – in two ways: free with a free key (created in the app after sign-up; the same limits as Free: 3 users, 1,000 outgoing messages across all channels and 200 outgoing call minutes per month, 2 GB; no support, feedback during the Alpha is welcome) or without usage limits with the self-hosting licence for €10 a month or €240 one-time (during Alpha and Beta; from the Live release €20 or €480). The €10 and the €240 get you the same licence – one as a subscription, the other perpetual.

Is The-Y CRM also available hosted for more than 3 people?

Free in the cloud for up to 3 users: servers in the EU, 1,000 outgoing messages (all channels combined) and 200 outgoing call minutes per month, 2 GB storage. For larger teams, The-Y CRM runs on your own server. If you don't want to run one, we set it up for you case by case and keep it up to date: you pay licence and server costs 1:1, with no markup and no service fee – server guide price about €8–15 net per month.

superchat has an AI agent for the phone – what's different?

At superchat, an AI agent answers calls from the Professional plan; it's connected via call forwarding, and a minute costs about 30 credits. Telephony for staff isn't documented there. In The-Y CRM the phone system for your team is built in: IVR, queues, voicemail, click-to-call in the browser and analytics. All you need is a phone number from a telephony provider – currently sipgate, Zadarma or Twilio, more to follow.

What does WhatsApp cost?

The-Y charges nothing extra. You pay Meta's fees directly to Meta. Since 1 Oct 2026 Meta also charges for replies within the 24-hour window; the first 1,000 per number per month are free. Those 1,000 are Meta's free allowance – not to be confused with the limit of The-Y Free (1,000 outgoing messages per month across all channels). Details on the costs page.

Can I use my existing WhatsApp number?

Yes. If you already use the WhatsApp Business app, you can keep it: The-Y CRM connects the number via Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform as well, replies you send from your phone also appear in the CRM, and up to 180 days of history are imported. If the number runs in the personal WhatsApp app, you first switch it to the WhatsApp Business app or release it from WhatsApp – that's Meta's rule for the Business Platform and applies just the same with Zammad, Chatwoot or Twilio. The number stays yours.

What happens to my licence if The-Y ceases to exist?

Then all self-hosted installations – with a free key, a monthly licence or a lifetime licence – first get a final update that removes the licence check and all usage limits. After that they keep running for free, without limits and indefinitely; your data is on your server anyway. This is also in our Terms of Use. If you use Free in our cloud, you can export your data at any time.

More comparisons

Zammad · Chatwoot · osTicket · FreeScout · respond.io · Trengo · Bitrix24 · Freshdesk · All comparisons

Sources

superchat is a trademark of its respective owner. This comparison is independent and made to the best of our knowledge; please report errors to office@the-y.at and we'll correct them right away.