What is FreeScout used for?

FreeScout is a free, self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox built on PHP and Laravel, positioned as an alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout. It is a good fit for small team support inbox and agency client support desks.

Is FreeScout open source?

Yes. FreeScout is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at freescout-help-desk/freescout and is written mainly in PHP.

Yes. FreeScout is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host FreeScout?

Yes. FreeScout can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is FreeScout an alternative to?

FreeScout is an open-source alternative to Help Scout, Zendesk, Freshdesk and Zoho Desk. Other open-source alternatives to Help Scout include Libredesk, Chatwoot and Zammad.

Is FreeScout actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to FreeScout was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 1.8.243, published on 27 September 2026. The project has 4.6k stars on GitHub.

FreeScout: open-source alternative to Help Scout, Zendesk

About FreeScout

FreeScout is a compact open-source help desk and shared inbox written in PHP on the Laravel framework. It lets support teams handle customer emails and conversations together, with tickets, shared mailboxes and an omnichannel approach, while keeping data on their own servers rather than in a vendor's cloud.

The README presents it as a free self-hosted alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout, developed from scratch without using any copyrighted material from either product. Its table of contents points to a demo, a feature list, mobile apps and system requirements, and the tagline mentions AI-powered assistance. Repository topics also name osTicket as a comparison point.

FreeScout is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Some optional add-on modules are sold separately by the project. It suits small and medium businesses, agencies and nonprofits that want a capable help desk without per-agent subscription fees and with full control over their data.

Key features

Shared mailbox and ticketing
Omnichannel customer conversations
AI-assisted helpdesk features
Mobile apps for agents
Self-hosted PHP and Laravel application
Alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout

Good fit for

→Small team support inbox
→Self-hosted alternative to Help Scout
→Agency client support desks

Built with: PHP; Laravel
Tags: helpdesk; shared-inbox; customer-support; ticketing; laravel; php; self-hosted; zendesk-alternative

FreeScout: questions and answers

What is FreeScout used for?: FreeScout is a free, self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox built on PHP and Laravel, positioned as an alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout. It is a good fit for small team support inbox and agency client support desks.
Is FreeScout open source?: Yes. FreeScout is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at freescout-help-desk/freescout and is written mainly in PHP.
Is FreeScout free?: Yes. FreeScout is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host FreeScout?: Yes. FreeScout can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is FreeScout an alternative to?: FreeScout is an open-source alternative to Help Scout, Zendesk, Freshdesk and Zoho Desk. Other open-source alternatives to Help Scout include Libredesk, Chatwoot and Zammad.
Is FreeScout actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to FreeScout was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 1.8.243, published on 27 September 2026. The project has 4.6k stars on GitHub.