FreeScout — Self-Hosted, Open-Source

Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox

FreeScout is commonly used as a self-hosted alternative to Help Scout. Replacing a SaaS tool with a self-hosted equivalent lets you avoid recurring subscription fees, keep full control of your data, and continue working even when the original vendor changes pricing, ships limits, or shuts down.

License: AGPL-3.0. Built with: PHP, Blade, Shell, Vue. Website: https://freescout.net/. Source: https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout.

Features

No limitations on the number of users, tickets, mailboxes, etc.
100% Mobile-friendly.
Seamless email integration.
Supports modern Microsoft Exchange authentication.
Fully supports screen readers (for visually impaired).
Built with strong focus on security.
Web installer & updater.
Starred conversations.
Forwarding conversations.
Merging conversations.

Installation

See official install docs: https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/wiki/Installation-Guide

Why self-host FreeScout

Self-hosting gives you three things SaaS can’t: data ownership (the files live on disks you control), cost predictability (a one-time setup vs. recurring per-seat fees that grow with your household or team), and longevity (open-source means the app keeps working even if the maintainers move on, since you can pin a working version). The trade-off is that you take on the operational work of running a server, applying updates, and handling backups.

Hardware notes

There are no minimum system requirements (CPU / RAM) – FreeScout will run on any system.

FreeScout replaces

Help Scout

Where to go from here

Last verified: 2026-05-21