Chatwoot vs Zammad vs FreeScout: Help Desks for Small Teams

Quick answer

• Pick Chatwoot if most of your support happens in live chat and messaging apps (website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram) and you want one inbox for all of them, much like Intercom.
• Pick Zammad if you need proper tickets: SLAs, time accounting, a knowledge base, phone system integration, and a team that may grow to dozens of agents, much like Zendesk.
• Pick FreeScout if you are one to five people answering mostly email, want it to run on cheap PHP hosting, and are happy to buy the few add-on modules you need.

All three are free to self-host. You take on the server, updates, backups and email deliverability, and each has a hosted or managed route if you would rather not.

At a glance

The first five rows are live: they come from our nightly refresh of each project’s repository, the same data behind every Repoly ranking. The last three are our summary of the official docs and pricing pages.

Health is our 0 to 100 maintenance score: commits in the last 90 days, release recency, stars, archive status and Docker support. The formula is on our data page. Two caveats apply here.

First, Zammad’s score understates how active it is. Zammad publishes versions as Git tags and on zammad.com rather than as GitHub releases, so our refresh finds no release and the score gets no release points. Our source data also does not record Docker support for Zammad, although Zammad documents official Docker and Kubernetes installs. Its commit count above is the more useful signal.

Second, the licence row shows Chatwoot as proprietary. That label comes from our upstream dataset and is too blunt. Chatwoot’s LICENSE file puts everything outside the enterprise/ folder under the MIT licence; code inside enterprise/ is under the Chatwoot Enterprise licence and needs a paid subscription for production use. Chatwoot’s Docker docs offer latest-ce image tags for the open-source build.

Chatwoot

Chatwoot’s README describes it as “the modern customer support platform, an open-source alternative to Intercom, Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud etc.” It is written in Ruby and runs on PostgreSQL and Redis.

Strengths. Channels are Chatwoot’s main reason to exist. The README lists “live chat on your website, email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, Line, SMS” in one inbox, so an agent answers a WhatsApp message and a website chat from the same screen. The free Community Edition also includes a help centre portal for public articles, canned responses, private notes and mentions, labels, auto-assignment, business hours, campaigns, pre-chat forms and reports including CSAT. Integrations with Slack, Dialogflow, Shopify, Linear and Google Translate are listed in the README. Install options are well documented: Docker Compose, a Linux VM script, a Helm chart for Kubernetes, and one-click deploys on Heroku and DigitalOcean.

Weaknesses. Some features a growing team will want are not in the free edition. Chatwoot’s self-hosted pricing page lists Captain AI, voice calls, custom branding, agent capacity, roles and permissions, SSO/SAML, SLA policies and priority support as not included in the Community Edition. Premium Support at $19 per agent per month adds all of those except SSO and SLAs; the Enterprise Edition at $99 per agent per month adds those two. Chatwoot is organised around conversations rather than formal tickets, so if your process depends on SLAs, the free edition will not cover it. It also needs a proper server: the docs give 2 CPU cores, 4 GB of RAM and 20 GB of SSD as the minimum, with PostgreSQL and Redis.

Who it suits. Teams of any size whose customers write in through chat and messaging apps, e-commerce stores, and anyone moving from Intercom who wants the same chat-first workflow.

Project health. Chatwoot scores 98/100 (GOOD) in our data, with 475 commits in the last 90 days and 1,053 open issues. The latest release we record is v4.19.1.

Zammad

Zammad’s README calls it “a web-based, open-source helpdesk and customer support platform packed with features to streamline customer communication across channels like email, chat, telephone and social media”. It is licensed under the GNU AGPLv3, and the code is owned by the Zammad Foundation, which the README says “is independent of commercial providers such as Zammad GmbH”.

Strengths. Zammad is a full ticketing system. Its admin docs list email (including Google and Microsoft 365 accounts), web form, chat, SMS, Facebook, Telegram and WhatsApp channels, and phone systems connect through generic CTI, Placetel and sipgate integrations. The API documentation covers SLAs, time accounting, checklists, a knowledge base, organisations and roles, which shows the depth of the ticket model. There is no paid self-hosted edition: the whole codebase is open source, and Zammad GmbH sells hosting and support contracts instead. Installs are documented for DEB and RPM packages (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS, openSUSE and SLES), Docker, Kubernetes and source. Its docs describe a setup for up to 40 agents, so a small team will not outgrow it.

Weaknesses. It is the heaviest of the three to run. The minimum is 2 CPU cores and 6 GB of RAM, plus 4 GB more if Elasticsearch runs on the same server, and the example setup for up to 40 agents uses 6 cores. Elasticsearch is officially optional, but the docs say it is “strongly recommended”, because without it “search performance will be degraded and the search will be very limited”, and reporting depends on it. You also need PostgreSQL 15 or newer and Redis 7 or newer. Live chat and social messaging are there, but they sit inside a ticket workflow, which can feel formal for a team that mostly chats.

Who it suits. Teams that work from tickets: IT service desks, product support with SLAs, organisations that log phone calls, and small teams that expect to grow.

Project health. Zammad scores 60/100 (SLOWING) in our data, with 799 commits in the last 90 days and 450 open issues. As explained above, the score is held back by how Zammad publishes releases, not by inactivity. On 6 October 2026, zammad.com listed 7.2.1, a security update, as the latest release.

FreeScout

FreeScout’s README calls it “the super lightweight and powerful free open source help desk and shared inbox built with PHP (Laravel framework)”. It is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and its README pitches it as a free, self-hosted Zendesk and Help Scout alternative: a shared mailbox first, with conversations rather than heavy ticket forms.

Strengths. It is the lightest and cheapest to run. The README says it “can be easily deployed even on a shared hosting” and “There are no minimum system requirements (CPU / RAM)”. It needs PHP 7.4 to 8.x and MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL, has a web installer and updater, and is available through Softaculous and Fantastico on cPanel hosting, an Ubuntu install script, Cloudron and a Docker image. The core supports “Unlimited support agents, tickets, mailboxes”, IMAP and SMTP email, OAuth for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, internal notes, collision detection and phone conversations. There are Android and iOS apps for agents.

Weaknesses. Much of what Zendesk or Help Scout users take for granted is a paid module. FreeScout’s official modules page sells tags, saved replies, workflows, reports, satisfaction ratings, a knowledge base, an end-user portal, the API and webhooks, live chat, and the WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, Twitter and SMS channels as separate modules. Each is a “lifetime license for a single FreeScout instance (lifetime updates included)”, and the modules page says their source code is also AGPL-3.0. Individual prices are low, for example $4.99 for saved replies, $13 for live chat and $14.99 for workflows at the time of writing, but a full setup means buying several. The WhatsApp module works through 1msg.io or Twilio, supports only WhatsApp Business accounts and one phone number. The Docker image the README links to is maintained in a separate repository, nfrastack/container-freescout, rather than in the FreeScout project.

Who it suits. Small teams, from one person to a handful, who answer mostly email, want a familiar shared inbox, and prefer one-off module purchases to a monthly per-agent fee.

Project health. FreeScout scores 95/100 (GOOD), with 315 commits in the last 90 days, 34 open issues and 1.8.248 as the latest release.

Head-to-head comparison

Team size. FreeScout and Chatwoot both fit a team of two or three without strain. Zammad’s hosted plans are tiered by team size (Starter caps at 5 agents, Professional at 35, Plus is unlimited), and its self-hosted docs size a server for up to 40 agents, so it is the one built with growth in mind. FreeScout has no agent limit, but large teams will find its reporting and automation depend on modules.

Email. All three handle email well. FreeScout is the most email-centred: it was designed as a shared inbox, and its chat and messaging channels are paid modules on top of email. Zammad turns each email thread into a ticket with a state, owner and SLA. Chatwoot treats email as one channel among many.

Live chat and social. Chatwoot is the clear choice when chat and messaging apps matter most: they are all built in and free. Zammad covers chat, Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp and SMS, but on its hosted service these channels are spread across tiers. FreeScout can do all of them, one paid module at a time.

Hosting needs. FreeScout runs on almost anything, including shared hosting. Chatwoot needs a small VPS with PostgreSQL and Redis. Zammad needs the most memory, especially with Elasticsearch on the same machine.

Moving from Zendesk or Intercom

Zendesk and Intercom run the servers, email delivery, chat widget and integrations for you. On any of these three, those become your job.

• Zendesk to Zammad. Zammad has a built-in Zendesk migrator, run from the setup wizard in the browser or from the console for large accounts. Its docs note that your Zendesk plan must include API access, migration speed depends on Zendesk’s API rate limits, passwords are not migrated, and differential migrations are not supported, so do a test run first.
• Intercom to Chatwoot. Chatwoot has a built-in Intercom importer for contacts and conversations, which arrive as resolved history in a separate import inbox. Its help centre says it is “available on Chatwoot paid plans”, attachments are not transferred, and it is a one-time import. From Zendesk, Chatwoot’s guide imports contacts by CSV and leaves conversations to its API.
• Anything to FreeScout. FreeScout points to the third-party Help Desk Migration service, which needs the paid API and Webhooks module installed. Help Scout users can use a community migration module.
• Channels. Plan the switch per channel: forward or reconnect each support mailbox, replace the chat widget on your site, and move your WhatsApp Business number to the new tool’s provider. Keep the old account readable until the new setup has handled real traffic.
• AI and bots. If you rely on Intercom’s AI agent, note that Chatwoot’s Captain AI comes only with its paid plans, and FreeScout’s AI integration is a separate module.

Chatwoot, Zammad and FreeScout all appear on our ranked lists of open source Zendesk alternatives and open source Intercom alternatives, alongside Tiledesk and others, if none of these three fits.

FAQ

Is Chatwoot really open source?

Mostly. Chatwoot’s LICENSE file puts all code outside the enterprise/ folder under the MIT licence, and its Docker docs provide -ce image tags for that open-source build. Code in enterprise/ is under a separate licence that requires a paid subscription for production use. That split is why our licence row, which comes from an upstream dataset, labels it proprietary.

Which is best for a team of two or three?

If your customers email you, FreeScout: it runs on cheap hosting, and a few modules cover what most small teams need. If they chat with you on your website or WhatsApp, Chatwoot. Chatwoot Cloud’s free Hacker plan allows up to 2 agents and 500 conversations a month, but live chat is its only channel. Zammad works for small teams too, but it needs the most server for the least extra benefit at that size.

Does Zammad need Elasticsearch?

Not strictly. The docs call it “optional but strongly recommended”: without it, search is slow and limited, and attachment search and reports depend on it. Budget about 4 GB of extra RAM if it runs on the same server.

Can FreeScout do live chat and WhatsApp?

Yes, with paid modules. The Live Chat module embeds a chat widget on your site, and the WhatsApp module connects a WhatsApp Business account through 1msg.io or Twilio. Replies are written in FreeScout like any other conversation.

Which has the cheapest hosted plan?

Chatwoot Cloud starts free (Hacker: 2 agents, live chat only), then $19, $39 and $99 per agent per month, with data hosted on AWS in the United States. Zammad’s hosted plans cost €7, €16 and €25 per agent per month on annual billing (€9, €18 and €27 monthly), hosted in German data centres. FreeScout has no hosted plan of its own; its README lists third-party managed hosts.

Verdict

Choose Chatwoot when chat and messaging are where your customers are, and you want them all in one free inbox. Choose Zammad when you need real ticketing with SLAs, phone integration and room to grow, and you can give it a server with enough memory. Choose FreeScout when you are a small team working mostly from email and want the lightest, cheapest setup, buying modules only for what you use.

If you are still weighing your options, see every open source Zendesk alternative or open source Intercom alternative ranked by health, or browse the full ticketing category.

Sources

• Chatwoot README: github.com/chatwoot/chatwoot
• Chatwoot licence: LICENSE and enterprise/LICENSE
• Chatwoot cloud pricing: chatwoot.com/pricing
• Chatwoot self-hosted plans: chatwoot.com/pricing/self-hosted-plans
• Chatwoot self-hosting docs and requirements: developers.chatwoot.com/self-hosted
• Chatwoot Docker install and CE tags: developers.chatwoot.com/self-hosted/deployment/docker
• Chatwoot migration from Intercom: chatwoot.com/hc/user-guide/articles/1696162098-how-to-migrate-from-intercom-to-chatwoot
• Chatwoot migration from Zendesk: chatwoot.com/hc/user-guide/articles/1696162432-how-to-migrate-from-zendesk-to-chatwoot
• Zammad README: github.com/zammad/zammad
• Zammad system documentation, install methods and API: docs.zammad.org
• Zammad software requirements: docs.zammad.org/en/latest/prerequisites/software.html
• Zammad hardware requirements: docs.zammad.org/en/latest/prerequisites/hardware.html
• Zammad channels: admin-docs.zammad.org
• Zammad integrations: admin-docs.zammad.org/en/latest/system/integrations.html
• Zammad migration from Zendesk: docs.zammad.org/en/latest/migration/zendesk.html
• Zammad pricing: zammad.com/en/pricing
• Zammad releases: zammad.com/en/releases
• FreeScout README: github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout
• FreeScout modules: freescout.net/modules, including Live Chat and WhatsApp
• FreeScout migration: github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/wiki/Migrate-to-FreeScout
• FreeScout Docker image: github.com/nfrastack/container-freescout
• Live health, stars, commits and releases: Repoly open data, refreshed nightly