Chumbaq or Plotline? An honest answer.
An AI-led CEP with a strong no-code in-app widget builder. Here's where each one wins, including the rows where we lose.
Choose Plotline if
- You want an AI Director that picks the message and moment for each user
- You want no-code in-app widgets, gamification and video
- You're a large app with an enterprise budget and need SOC 2
Choose Chumbaq if
- You're a founder who wants to sign up and start today, free
- You want SMS and WhatsApp in the same journeys
- You want open source and the option to self-host
- You want prices on the page
Feature by feature
| Chumbaq | Plotline | |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Run it on your own servers | Yes | No |
| Prices on the website | Yes | No |
| Free plan | Up to 2,500 MAU | No |
| Sign up without a sales call | Yes | No |
| Push (iOS, Android, web) | Yes | Yes |
| In-app messages | Six native layouts | Yes |
| Through your SES, Resend or Brevo | Yes | |
| SMS | Through your Twilio | Not listed |
| Meta, Twilio, Gupshup, Interakt | Not listed | |
| Multi-step journeys | Yes: wait, branch, send, exit | Yes |
| A/B tests with a control group, scored on sales | Yes | Partly |
| No-code in-app widgets and gamification | Partly | Yes |
| AI featuresChumbaq's MCP server for AI assistants is in development | No | Yes |
| SOC 2 report | No | Yes |
| Years of enterprise track record | New | Yes |
Plotline details are from plotline.so as of November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
What changes when you switch
Self-serve and free to start
No demo call. Sign up, add three calls, send.
Every channel in one journey
Push, in-app, email, SMS and WhatsApp, through your own providers.
Open source
Read the code, run it yourself, and never be locked in.
Chumbaq and Plotline
Is Chumbaq better than Plotline?
For different teams. Plotline is ahead on AI and in-app widgets for large apps. Chumbaq is for founders and smaller teams who want to start free, see prices, use WhatsApp and SMS, and keep the option to self-host.
Bring your users back
Free up to 2,500 monthly active users. No card, no sales call.