# Free alternatives to Freshdesk

> Freshdesk (Growth) costs $228 a year. Free alternatives: Zammad and FreeScout. Data checked 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://stoprenting.dev/apps/freshdesk/
- Category: Customer Support (https://stoprenting.dev/categories/customer-support/)
- Vendor: Freshworks
- Plan: Growth
- Price: $19/month, $228/year
- Billing: per agent, billed annually
- Price quote from the vendor's page: "Growth $19 /agent/month, billed annually"
- Price source: https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing/ (checked 2026-10-17)

## Alternatives

### Zammad

- Website: https://zammad.org
- Repository: https://github.com/zammad/zammad (5,993 stars, last push 2026-10-09)
- License: AGPL-3.0
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: server app
- Linux: self-hosted server; web UI
- Self-hostable: yes
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/zammad/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

### FreeScout

- Website: https://freescout.net
- Repository: https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout (4,592 stars, last push 2026-10-08)
- License: AGPL-3.0
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: server app
- Linux: self-hosted server; web UI
- Self-hostable: yes
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/freescout/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

## FAQ

### Is there a free alternative to Freshdesk?

Yes. The 2 free alternatives are Zammad (open source, AGPL-3.0) and FreeScout (open source, AGPL-3.0).

### How much does Freshdesk cost?

Freshdesk's Growth plan costs $19 a month, which is $228 a year (per agent, billed annually). Source: the official pricing page at freshworks.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.

### Which Freshdesk alternatives run on Linux?

Zammad (self-hosted server; web UI) and FreeScout (self-hosted server; web UI).

### Can you self-host a Freshdesk alternative?

Yes. Zammad and FreeScout run on your own server.

### Are these Freshdesk alternatives open source?

Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: Zammad (AGPL-3.0) and FreeScout (AGPL-3.0).

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Source: Stop Renting (https://stoprenting.dev). Methodology: https://stoprenting.dev/methodology/