Best Free Helpdesk Software 2026: 7 Options Compared

A free helpdesk gives you a shared inbox, ticket status and assignment without a per-agent bill, and the catch differs by product. Hosted tools such as Zoho Desk, Help Scout and HubSpot Service Hub cap the number of users on the free plan, so you get a clean start and a price step when the team grows. Open-source systems such as Zammad, FreeScout and Libredesk have no seat limit, but you run the server, keep it patched and back it up. For a team of one to three people answering email, a hosted free plan is usually the right start: you can be working in an afternoon, and the lock-in is modest. For a company with ten agents and someone who is comfortable with Docker or a PHP stack, self-hosting avoids the cost wall that arrives with the fourth seat. Features that tend to sit behind the paywall include service-level timers, reporting and automation, so decide which of those you need before choosing. Chatwoot is worth a look if live chat on your site is the main channel, since its free plan is built around it. Whichever you choose, test the email import and export, because moving customer history between helpdesks is the slow part of any switch.

Zammad

AGPL-3.0 helpdesk you can self-host for free with no agent cap; hosted plans start at 7 EUR per agent per month, billed annually. Strong ticketing, but you run the server unless you pay for hosting.

Price: Free (open-source code is free to self-host; hosted plans have a 30-day trial); paid from EUR 7 per agent/month, billed annually (hosted Starter v2; EUR 9 monthly) (Zammad pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web browser, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0 (open source).

Project activity: 6k GitHub stars · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Teams with a sysadmin who want a full ticket system.

Worth knowing: Zammad's own self-hosted packages start at EUR 2,999 per year (Business), which buy support, not the software.

FreeScout

AGPL-3.0 helpdesk that is free to self-host; you pay only for your own server. Modeled on a shared mailbox, so it is lighter than Zammad but depends on modules for extras.

Price: Free (free self-hosted core; you pay for your own server) (FreeScout pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web browser, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0 (open source).

Project activity: 4.6k GitHub stars · latest release 1.8.248 (Oct 17, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026

Best for: Small teams who want a self-hosted shared inbox.

Libredesk

AGPL-3.0 and free, with no paid tiers. Needs PostgreSQL and Redis, so setup takes more effort than a hosted plan; it suits teams that want to own their support data.

Price: Free (Self-hosted and free; no paid tiers; needs PostgreSQL and Redis) (Libredesk pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Linux, Docker. AGPL-3.0 (open source).

Project activity: 3.1k GitHub stars · latest release v2.9.0 (Oct 22, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Developers who want a modern open-source desk.

Worth knowing: No hosted version from the project.

Chatwoot

MIT-licensed. The Hacker plan allows 2 agents and 500 conversations a month, live chat only, with 30 days of retention. Paid plans start at $19 per agent a month. Best when chat is your main channel.

Price: Free (Hacker plan: 2 agents, 500 conversations/month, live chat only, 30 days retention); paid from $19 per agent/month, billed monthly (Startups) (Chatwoot pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web browser, Self-hosted. MIT (repo also contains an enterprise folder) (open source).

Project activity: 38.4k GitHub stars · latest release v4.19.1 (Oct 24, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Support through website chat.

Zoho Desk

Free plan for 3 users on a hosted service. A decent way to start if you use other Zoho apps, but you pay per agent once the team passes three.

Price: Free (3 users) (Zoho Desk pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.

Best for: Three-person teams, especially Zoho users.

Help Scout

Free plan with 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site. Paid Standard is $25 per user per month. A clean shared inbox, but limited to one inbox on the free plan.

Price: Free (5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site); paid from $25 per user/month (Standard, billed monthly; annual toggle shows a discount) (Help Scout pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.

Best for: Small teams that want an email-first desk.

Compare: Help Scout alternatives

HubSpot Service Hub

Free for up to 2 users, with HubSpot-branded live chat and email. Starter is $7 a seat per month. Works best if you also use HubSpot CRM.

Price: Free (free for up to 2 users, HubSpot-branded live chat and email); paid from $7 per seat/month (Starter) (HubSpot Service Hub pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.

Best for: Two-person teams already on HubSpot.

Which one to pick

• You have a sysadmin and want no seat limit: Zammad
• You are one to three people on email: Zoho Desk
• Your main channel is website chat: Chatwoot
• You already use HubSpot for sales: HubSpot Service Hub