$300/yr Standard Verified on helpscout.com, Oct 17, 2026 3 alternatives
Replaces it Active Open source · AGPL-3.0 Linux Self-hostable
⚠The shared inbox is free, but saved replies, reports, knowledge base and live chat are paid add-on modules.
⇢Imports your data: via the paid Help Desk Migration service, which needs FreeScout's paid API module
Self-host Runs on your own Linux server. Setup docs are on freescout.net.
Replaces it Active Open source · MIT Linux Self-hostable
Self-host Runs on your own Linux server, with Docker files in the repo. Setup docs are on chatwoot.com.
Replaces it Active Open source · AGPL-3.0 Linux Self-hostable
Self-host Runs on your own Linux server, with Docker files in the repo. Setup docs are on zammad.org.
At a glance
Free alternatives to Help Scout compared | Alternative | Verdict | License | Linux | AUR | Self-host | Stars |
|---|
| FreeScout | Replaces it | AGPL-3.0 open source | Yes | — | Yes | 4.6k★ |
| Chatwoot | Replaces it | MIT open source | Yes | — | Yes | 37.7k★ |
| Zammad | Replaces it | AGPL-3.0 open source | Yes | — | Yes | 6.0k★ |
Help Scout alternatives: questions
- Is there a free alternative to Help Scout?
- Yes. The 3 free alternatives are FreeScout (open source, AGPL-3.0), Chatwoot (open source, MIT) and Zammad (open source, AGPL-3.0).
- How much does Help Scout cost?
- Help Scout's Standard plan costs $25 a month, which is $300 a year (per user per month, Annual toggle selected (-16%)). Source: the official pricing page at helpscout.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.
- Which Help Scout alternatives run on Linux?
- FreeScout (self-hosted server; web UI), Chatwoot (self-hosted server; web UI) and Zammad (self-hosted server; web UI).
- Can you self-host a Help Scout alternative?
- Yes. FreeScout, Chatwoot and Zammad run on your own server.
- Are these Help Scout alternatives open source?
- Yes. All 3 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: FreeScout (AGPL-3.0), Chatwoot (MIT) and Zammad (AGPL-3.0).
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