Help Scout helpscout.comFree alternatives to Help Scout
Help Scout costs $25/mo on the Standard plan, or $300 a year. Here are 6 free and open-source options, what each one does, and what you give up compared with paying.
01At a glance
| Alternative | Type | Where it runs | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatwoot | Open source | You host it | Web, iPhone, Android, Your server |
| Frappe Helpdesk | Open source | You host it | Web, Your server |
| osTicket | Open source | You host it | Web, Your server |
| Zammad | Open source | You host it | Web, Your server |
| tawk.to | Free | Hosted for you | Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android |
| Odoo Helpdesk One App Free | Free | Hosted for you | Web |
02Each alternative, in detail
A proper support inbox with chat, email and a help center; free software, billable server chores.
Versus paying: Chatwoot is broader and self-hosted, but its email conversation experience and Beacon-style polish are less focused than Help Scout's.
Setup: Docker Compose on a Linux VM, followed by environment, database, reverse-proxy and TLS configuration
Watch for: Provisioning a Linux server and correctly wiring DNS/TLS, SMTP, PostgreSQL/Redis and storage
35,534 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
chatwoot.com →Tickets, SLAs and a knowledge base in a clean Frappe shell; the five-minute installer still leaves you the pager.
Versus paying: Its integrations, reporting and customer-facing polish are less mature than Help Scout's, while the server remains yours.
Setup: Run Frappe's easy-install script against the stable container image on a Linux server
Watch for: A Linux server, domain/DNS, Docker or the easy-install script, and mail account configuration
3,300 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
frappe.io →Email and web forms become assigned tickets; dated, dependable and very much your PHP server.
Versus paying: The dated ticket interface is a clear step down from Help Scout's conversational mailbox and compact Docs experience.
Setup: Upload the release to a PHP web root, create a MySQL database, then finish the browser installer
Watch for: A PHP/MySQL web host plus database credentials, filesystem permissions and mail piping or IMAP setup
3,868 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
osticket.com →A serious ticket desk with email, chat, SLAs and a knowledge base; setup is the first ticket.
Versus paying: Its heavy infrastructure and ticket semantics are less approachable than Help Scout's small-team inbox.
Setup: Deploy the Docker Compose/Portainer stack or install supported Linux packages
Watch for: A comparatively large server and familiarity with Docker/Portainer, PostgreSQL and Elasticsearch
5,800 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
zammad.org →Live chat, tickets, email, and a help centre for zero dollars; the tiny tawk.to badge pays the rent.
Versus paying: Ticketing and help content are secondary to live chat, so the shared-email and docs experience is less refined than Help Scout's.
Setup: Hosted signup, then paste the generated JavaScript widget or install a CMS plugin
Watch for: Access to edit the website or install its CMS plugin
tawk.to →A real hosted ticket desk for unlimited users, as long as Helpdesk is your one free Odoo app.
Versus paying: The one-app-free constraint and broad Odoo shell are less focused and less personable than Help Scout.
Setup: Hosted Odoo Online signup with Helpdesk selected as the single free app
odoo.com →03What you give up by leaving Help Scout
- email threading, customer context, docs, workflows, reporting, and support polish
- omnichannel integrations
- large-scale deliverability
- AI resolution tuning
- enterprise routing and compliance
People still pay for Help Scout because support software survives because missing or misrouting one customer message is expensive and every channel behaves differently. The recurring cost buys message delivery, webhooks, threading, identity, permissions, attachments, notifications, spam, search, uptime, and retention, not just the visible interface.
04Questions
Is there a free alternative to Help Scout?
Yes. This page compares 6: Chatwoot, Frappe Helpdesk, osTicket, Zammad, tawk.to and Odoo Helpdesk One App Free. 4 of them are open source, so you can run them yourself.
How much does Help Scout cost?
$25/mo on the Standard plan (monthly per user), which is $300 a year. Prices checked Aug 12, 2026.
What do you give up with a free alternative to Help Scout?
Most often: email threading, customer context, docs, workflows, reporting, and support polish, omnichannel integrations, large-scale deliverability and AI resolution tuning. Each alternative on this page lists its own gap under “Versus paying.”
Can AI build me my own version of Help Scout?
Half-bot. The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Help Scout, manage a shared email inbox and compact help center for a small team. The hard boundary is email threading, customer context, docs, workflows, reporting, and support polish, plus channel integrations and support operations.
Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site before you decide.
Get new verdicts in your inbox.
One short email when new verdicts land: what AI can now do for you, and what it still gets wrong. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.