Skip to content
appsgit

10 top picks · 3 audience rankings

Best open source helpdesk and ticketing systems

The best open source helpdesk and ticketing system is FreeScout, with 4,585 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Frappe Helpdesk and Zammad are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: FreeScout leads for startups and small business; Zammad for enterprise. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 14 apps in the helpdesk & ticketing category of the appsgit catalog.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed nightly

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    FreeScout

    freescout-help-desk/freescout

    Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout).

    Helpdesk & TicketingPHPDocker

    FreeScout has 4,585 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 679 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom.

  2. Rank 2:

    Frappe Helpdesk

    frappe/helpdesk

    Helpdesk software which helps you streamline your company's support, offers an easy setup, clean user interface, and automation tools to resolve customer queries efficiently.

    Helpdesk & TicketingVueDocker

    Frappe Helpdesk has 3,418 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,107 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Freshdesk.

  3. Rank 3:

    Zammad

    zammad/zammad

    Easy to use but powerful support and ticketing system.

    Helpdesk & TicketingRuby

    Zammad has 5,981 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,422 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom.

1 of 4 · 10 picks

Top picks

10 of the 14 apps in the helpdesk & ticketing category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    FreeScout

    Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout).

    FreeScout has 4,585 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 679 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom.

  2. 2

    Frappe Helpdesk

    Helpdesk software which helps you streamline your company's support, offers an easy setup, clean user interface, and automation tools to resolve customer queries efficiently.

    Frappe Helpdesk has 3,418 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,107 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Freshdesk.

  3. 3

    Zammad

    Easy to use but powerful support and ticketing system.

    Zammad has 5,981 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,422 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom.

  4. 4

    Libredesk

    Modern omnichannel customer support desk. Live chat, email, and more in a single binary.

    Libredesk has 2,995 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,556 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Freshdesk.

  5. 5

    Erxes

    Marketing, sales, and customer service platform designed to help businesses attract more engaged customers.

    Erxes has 4,091 GitHub stars, is source-available under the AGPL-3.0 with a no-competing-SaaS condition (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,499 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom.

  6. 6

    BottleCRM

    Multi-tenant Django and SvelteKit CRM with leads, accounts, opportunities, support tickets, invoices and a REST API.

    BottleCRM has 2,438 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 369 commits in the last year; it replaces Salesforce and Pipedrive.

  7. 7

    Bugsink

    Real-time error tracking for your applications with all the details in one place. Easy setup with clear instructions included.

    Bugsink has 2,114 GitHub stars, is source-available under the PolyForm Shield 1.0.0 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 708 commits in the last year; it replaces Sentry.

  8. 8

    MantisBT

    Bug tracker, fits best for software development.

    MantisBT has 1,808 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 648 commits in the last year.

  9. 9

    ITFlow

    Client IT documentation, ticketing, invoicing and accounting for MSPs (Managed Service Providers).

    ITFlow has 1,012 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 1,032 commits in the last year.

  10. 10

    Request Tracker

    Enterprise-grade issue tracking system.

    Request Tracker has 1,162 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 569 commits in the last year.

2 of 4 · 5 picks

Best for startups

Ranked for startups on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites and recent commits.

  1. 1

    FreeScout

    Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout).

    FreeScout has 4,585 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 679 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Frappe Helpdesk

    Helpdesk software which helps you streamline your company's support, offers an easy setup, clean user interface, and automation tools to resolve customer queries efficiently.

    Frappe Helpdesk has 3,418 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,107 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Freshdesk. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    BottleCRM

    Multi-tenant Django and SvelteKit CRM with leads, accounts, opportunities, support tickets, invoices and a REST API.

    BottleCRM has 2,438 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 369 commits in the last year; it replaces Salesforce and Pipedrive. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    Libredesk

    Modern omnichannel customer support desk. Live chat, email, and more in a single binary.

    Libredesk has 2,995 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,556 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Freshdesk. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    Zammad

    Easy to use but powerful support and ticketing system.

    Zammad has 5,981 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,422 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom. For startups it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

3 of 4 · 5 picks

Best for small business

Ranked for small business on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides.

  1. 1

    FreeScout

    Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout).

    FreeScout has 4,585 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 679 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Frappe Helpdesk

    Helpdesk software which helps you streamline your company's support, offers an easy setup, clean user interface, and automation tools to resolve customer queries efficiently.

    Frappe Helpdesk has 3,418 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,107 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Freshdesk. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Libredesk

    Modern omnichannel customer support desk. Live chat, email, and more in a single binary.

    Libredesk has 2,995 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,556 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Freshdesk. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    Zammad

    Easy to use but powerful support and ticketing system.

    Zammad has 5,981 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,422 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom. For small business it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    BottleCRM

    Multi-tenant Django and SvelteKit CRM with leads, accounts, opportunities, support tickets, invoices and a REST API.

    BottleCRM has 2,438 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 369 commits in the last year; it replaces Salesforce and Pipedrive. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

4 of 4 · 5 picks

Best for enterprise

Ranked for enterprise on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Zammad

    Easy to use but powerful support and ticketing system.

    Zammad has 5,981 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,422 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    FreeScout

    Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout).

    FreeScout has 4,585 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 679 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Frappe Helpdesk

    Helpdesk software which helps you streamline your company's support, offers an easy setup, clean user interface, and automation tools to resolve customer queries efficiently.

    Frappe Helpdesk has 3,418 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,107 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Freshdesk. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    Libredesk

    Modern omnichannel customer support desk. Live chat, email, and more in a single binary.

    Libredesk has 2,995 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,556 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Freshdesk. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    Erxes

    Marketing, sales, and customer service platform designed to help businesses attract more engaged customers.

    Erxes has 4,091 GitHub stars, is source-available under the AGPL-3.0 with a no-competing-SaaS condition (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,499 commits in the last year; it replaces Zendesk and Intercom. For enterprise it also scores on a commit in the last 90 days.

FAQ

Questions and answers

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

What is the best open source helpdesk and ticketing system?

The best open source helpdesk and ticketing system is FreeScout, with 4,585 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Frappe Helpdesk and Zammad are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: FreeScout leads for startups and small business; Zammad for enterprise. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 14 apps in the helpdesk & ticketing category of the appsgit catalog.

Is FreeScout free?

Yes. FreeScout is open-source software released under the AGPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.

Which open source helpdesk and ticketing system is best for a startup?

FreeScout ranks first for startups, with 4,585 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Frappe Helpdesk and BottleCRM follow. The startups ranking adds points for Docker images, permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits on top of stars and activity.

Which open source helpdesk and ticketing system is best for a small business?

FreeScout ranks first for small business, with 4,585 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Frappe Helpdesk and Libredesk follow. The small business ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides on top of stars and activity.

Can I self-host these helpdesk and ticketing systems with Docker?

Yes, 6 of the 10 picks. FreeScout, Frappe Helpdesk and Libredesk publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.

Are all of these helpdesk and ticketing systems open source?

8 of the 10 apps on this list are open source; 2 are source-available. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy.

The weekly digest

New self-hosted apps, every week

Fresh releases, rising projects and one deploy guide a week. Join home labbers and engineers who self-host.

One email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.