Self-hosted options
Self-hosted AI receptionist for WordPress: what actually runs on your server
Short answer: if you want the receptionist itself, its data and its source on your own WordPress host without building it, use GPL plugins that run inside WordPress. If you also need the AI model on your own hardware, you need an open-source framework and a developer, and you build the receptionist yourself.
Agent Front Desk is an AI receptionist for WordPress websites: a suite of plugins that runs inside your own WordPress, answers visitors by chat, browser voice, phone and text message from your own pages, captures and scores leads, books meetings only after the visitor confirms, hands over to a person live, and syncs to your CRM (HubSpot built in). It is GPL code, uses your own API keys, and is set up by NextAgency.
Three ways to run one, compared
| Question | Hosted chatbot plugin | Open-source framework you build on | Agent Front Desk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the software runs | Mostly on the vendor’s servers. The plugin is a connector | Your server, once you build it | Your WordPress, as plugins |
| Where conversations and leads are stored | The vendor’s database, sometimes copied to WordPress | Wherever you build it | Your WordPress database |
| Source code | The plugin only. The service behind it is closed | Yours, open source | All of it, GPL, with every install |
| The language model | The vendor’s choice | Your choice, including a model you host | Claude, on your own Anthropic account |
| What you build yourself | Nothing | The receptionist: prompts, lead capture, booking, handover, CRM sync, admin screens | Nothing. We set it up with you |
| Phone, voice and text | Varies by product | Usually voice is the focus. You wire the rest | Browser voice, your own phone number and texts, as add-ons |
| Pricing shape | A monthly plan, often with message or minute caps | Your build time, hosting and model usage | A one-time setup fee, then vendor usage at cost |
| If the vendor stops | The plugin stops working | Nothing changes | It keeps running. Updates are optional |
The first two columns describe the categories in general. Individual products differ, so check each one against the list below.
Buyer checklist
Six questions that show whether it is really self-hosted
- If the vendor closed your account tomorrow, would the assistant still answer? If not, it is hosted, whatever the plugin says.
- Ask where a conversation is stored the moment it happens. Your database, or theirs?
- Ask whose API keys pay for the AI. Yours means you see the real cost. Theirs means a markup is built into the plan.
- Ask for the source of everything that runs, not just the WordPress connector.
- Ask which parts still leave your server. Every option that uses a hosted model sends the conversation to that model’s vendor.
- Ask what happens to the site when you uninstall it.
What stays on your server
- The plugins and their full source, GPL-2.0-or-later.
- Conversations, leads, bookings, call transcripts and the knowledge base, in your WordPress database.
- Your API keys, in wp-config.php or encrypted in your database.
- Your customizations, in your own site plugin on a documented API.
What leaves it, and why
- Each chat turn goes to Claude on your own Anthropic account. There is no option to run your own model today.
- Voice goes to ElevenLabs, and phone and texts to your SignalWire or Twilio account, if you use those add-ons.
- Leads sync to HubSpot if you connect it.
- Nothing goes to us. There is no Agent Front Desk server in the path.
Source code
GPL, with the full source in every install
WordPress plugins ship as plain PHP and JavaScript, so the code on your server is the complete source. You may read it, change it and keep running it, under the same license as WordPress. Every feature works without a license key.
We do not keep a public repository or take outside contributions today. That is why we call it GPL and source-included, not a community open-source project.
Proof
Claims, and where to check them
The main claims on this page, next to the proof: a real recording or screen from the plugins, the vendor’s own price page, or the published standard.
No hosted service
The plugins run in your WordPress and store everything in your own database. The overview screen in the clip is wp-admin on the demo site, not a vendor dashboard.
GPL code, you own it
Every plugin is licensed GPL-2.0-or-later, the same license as WordPress. You may read, change and keep it.
Your keys stay on your server
Keys live in wp-config.php or are encrypted with libsodium in your database. The browser only ever gets a one-time signed session.
No per-minute or per-conversation fees to us
Usage is billed by Anthropic, ElevenLabs and your carrier, on your accounts, at their list prices. The Analytics screen shows the real cost per lead.
When a framework is the better choice
- You must run the language model on your own hardware.
- Your site is not on WordPress and a separate app is acceptable.
- You have developers to build and maintain the receptionist part.
When a hosted plugin is the better choice
- You want to start today from a template, on your own.
- Your volume is low and a monthly plan is simpler.
- Where the data lives does not matter to you.
Self-hosting questions
Do I get the source code?
Yes, all of it, with every install. WordPress plugins are plain PHP and JavaScript, so the code on your server is the source. Every plugin is GPL-2.0-or-later, the same license as WordPress, so you may read it, change it and keep running it. We do not publish the code in a public repository today. It comes to you with your install.
Is the AI itself self-hosted?
No, and we say so plainly. The plugins, your data and your keys are on your own WordPress host. The language model is not: chat runs on Claude through your own Anthropic account, voice on ElevenLabs, and phone and texts on your own SignalWire or Twilio account. Running your own model on your own hardware is not supported today.
Is Agent Front Desk open source?
The code is GPL licensed and you get the full source with every install, with no feature locked behind a license. We do not keep a public repository or accept outside contributions today, so we describe it as GPL and source-included rather than as a community open-source project.
Can I keep my data in my own tenant with an AI receptionist?
Conversations, leads, bookings and knowledge live in your WordPress database. The assistant calls the AI vendor you choose, and optional voice, embeddings and HubSpot services, using your own keys. Nothing is stored by us.
What happens to my website if I stop using it?
Deactivate the plugins and your site is untouched. Uninstalling removes the plugins’ tables, options and staff role. You keep your pages, your keys and your accounts.
Want it on your own WordPress?
The private beta has limited spots, and each one is set up by hand. Tell us about your site and your CRM.
You get a written scope and quote before anything is built. No obligation, and a person replies.