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FreeScout

★ 4k

Lightweight shared-mailbox helpdesk that installs on cheap PHP hosting in minutes.

FreeScout does the job of Help Scout, self-hosted. It is AGPL-licensed, so a hosted fork has to publish its changes, and it installs in about one command. Help Scout bills $25 for it.

Open-source replacement for Help Scout.

Licence
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosting
Easy
The paid one costs
$25
GitHub stars
4k
view the code →official site →

Is it actually a replacement?

We have written a verdict on what it replaces — what you lose, and why people still pay:

How FreeScout runs

Where it runs

FreeScout runs on your server.

Installing it

Upload the PHP application and run its Laravel web installer.

Where your data lives

Mailbox, ticket and contact data in MySQL or MariaDB; attachments in application storage.

What setup takes

PHP and a web server, MySQL or MariaDB, cron, IMAP or SMTP or OAuth, backups and separately paid modules for several extras.

The catch compared with Front

Its rules, integrations, mobile experience and collaboration are less polished than Front's, and several useful modules are separately paid.

FreeScout questions

Is FreeScout open source?

Yes — it is released under AGPL-3.0.

Can FreeScout replace Help Scout?

Our verdict on Help Scout is YES. Chatwoot (36k stars), Zammad (6k stars), FreeScout (4k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Help Scout — self-host with real ops work and stop paying $25/mo.

Can I self-host FreeScout?

Yes — we rate it easy to self-host, and it runs on your server. Upload the PHP application and run its Laravel web installer.

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