Best Open-Source Ticketing Systems: FreeScout, osTicket & More

What if I told you that you could cut your company’s Zendesk bill by 90% this year? And the amount is not small; for a 10-agent support team with an Enterprise plan, that’s saving over $11,000.

It sounds impossible, but a growing number of innovative businesses are doing just that by switching from expensive proprietary software to powerful open-source ticketing systems. They’re gaining total data control, unlimited scalability, and predictable costs.

Open-source options were most often recommended for nonprofit organizations and educational institutions. Still, they’re increasingly becoming the wise choice for businesses of all sizes that want to control their customer support infrastructure.

In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how they do it and which open-source solution is right for you. So, stick till the end if you are one of these:

• Business owners and managers seeking to reduce the high monthly costs of SaaS helpdesks, such as Zendesk or Help Scout.
• IT Directors who need a powerful, customizable, and compliant ticketing system for internal or external support.
• Startup Founders who want a scalable, future-proof support solution without vendor lock-in.
• Developers who have the task of implementing and maintaining a self-hosted support infrastructure.

The Rise of Open-Source Helpdesks and Ticket Systems

Remote work has become permanent, and customer expectations are at an all-time high; businesses need helpdesks that can adapt, scale, and integrate perfectly with their existing workflows. Here’s why the demand for open-source solutions is increasing:

• Complete Data Ownership

  Your support conversations, customer data, and business intelligence remain on your servers, with no third-party access, no data mining, and no compliance issues.

• Unlimited Scalability

  No limitations on the number of users or tickets; scale from a team of 3 to 300+ without per-agent licensing fees that can reach $50-100+ monthly per user.

• Customization Freedom

  Modify the interface, add custom fields, integrate with proprietary systems, and build workflows that match your exact business processes.

• Predictable Costs

  Once deployed, your only ongoing costs are hosting and maintenance – no surprise price increases or forced plan upgrades.

The Hidden Costs of Proprietary Solutions

Before we talk about open-source alternatives, let’s understand what you have to pay if you choose popular proprietary solutions.

Zendesk

• Suite Team: $55/agent/month
• Suite Professional: $115/agent/month
• Suite Enterprise: $169/agent/month
• Hidden costs:
  • Implementation fees
  • Custom integrations
  • Data migration

For a 10-agent team: $10,680-18,000 annually, plus setup costs

Help Scout: The “Affordable” Alternative

• Standard: $50/agent/month
• Plus: $65/agent/month
• Pro: $80/agent/month

For a 10-agent team: $6,000-9,600 annually

Freshdesk: The Feature Creep Problem

• Pro: $89/agent/month
• Enterprise: $150/agent/month
• Plus marketplace apps: $10-50/agent/month additional

The Price You Pay

A growing business can easily spend $15,000 to $ 25,000 annually on a ticketing system that it doesn’t even own.

Top 8 Open-Source Ticketing Systems

After analyzing dozens of solutions, testing deployment processes, and evaluating real-world usage scenarios, here are the top open-source ticketing systems that stand out:

1. FreeScout: The Closest Zendesk Alternative Without the SaaS Bill

When most businesses think of ticketing systems, Zendesk is often the default choice. It’s polished, reliable, and tested. But it’s also expensive.

A 10-agent team on Zendesk’s Suite Team plan costs $55 per agent per month → that’s $6,600 per year. And as you scale, the bill scales with you.

This is how FreeScout can help you in such a case:

FreeScout is the open-source alternative to HelpScout/Zendesk, built to deliver the same clean, email-based helpdesk experience without locking you into SaaS pricing. Consider it a super lightweight and powerful free open source help desk and shared inbox built with PHP (Laravel framework). Instead of paying per agent, you host it on your own server and add as many agents as you like at no extra cost.

The Business Impact

Cost savings

A 20-agent team switching from Zendesk to FreeScout could save $14,000+ per year.

Privacy & compliance

Because it’s self-hosted, all your customer communications stay on your infrastructure. That’s a huge win for industries under GDPR, HIPAA, or local data laws.

No training headache

FreeScout mimics the familiar SaaS-style inbox (like Gmail or Outlook). Your team won’t need weeks of onboarding to use it.

What Sets FreeScout Apart?

• Clean, email-first interface that agents actually like using.
• Rich ecosystem of modules (time tracking, LDAP, WhatsApp, knowledge base, etc.).
• Unlimited agents & mailboxes on a single installation.
• Easy and simple migration process from HelpScout.
• Multiple agents can collaborate on the same email thread with the shared inbox functionality.
• Extensive modules like Tags, saved replies, workflows, SLA management, etc.
• Multi-language support, including English, Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, and Japanese.

Limitations

Of course, FreeScout isn’t perfect. Since it’s open source, there’s no polished SaaS dashboard waiting for you out of the box. You’ll need to host and maintain it.

That’s where solutions like FreeScout VPS Hosting can help you; we handle the installation, server security, and updates, so you get the SaaS-like experience without SaaS pricing.

If you’re currently paying for Zendesk or HelpScout and the bills hurt you every month, FreeScout is the most direct open-source alternative you’ll find. It’s feature-rich, familiar, and business-ready. Pair it with a VPS, and you’ve essentially recreated Zendesk, at 10% of the cost.

Technical Details

• Framework: Laravel 5.5+ (PHP)
• Database: MySQL/MariaDB
• Hosting: Shared hosting & VPS compatible
• Installation time: 15-30 minutes

Core Features You Get For Free

• Unlimited mailboxes, users, and conversations
• Email integration (IMAP/POP3/SendGrid/Mailgun)
• Conversation assignments and status tracking
• Basic reporting and search
• Multi-language interface
• Mobile-responsive design

Premium Modules:

• Workflows ($14.99): Advanced automation and triggers
• Reports ($14.99): Detailed analytics and performance metrics
• WhatsApp Integration ($9): Support via WhatsApp Business
• Slack Integration ($8.99): Team notifications and collaboration
• Time Tracking ($8.99): Track time spent on conversations
• Custom Fields ($7.99): Additional data collection
• Satisfaction Ratings ($8.99): Automated feedback collection

FreeScout Hosting Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• PHP 7.3+ (PHP 8.0+ recommended)
• MySQL 5.6+ or MariaDB 10.0+
• 512MB RAM minimum (1GB+ recommended)
• 500MB disk space

Recommended Hosting Setup:

• CPU: 2+ cores
• RAM: 2GB+
• Storage: SSD with 5GB+ available
• Bandwidth: ~ 250 GB
• SSL Certificate

Ideal For: Small to medium businesses seeking a direct Zendesk/Help Scout alternative without complexity

Pricing: Free core + optional paid modules ($49-199 one-time)

2. osTicket: Popular and Veteran Customer Support Software

Before SaaS helpdesks took over, osTicket was already running in the background for thousands of IT teams, universities, and support centers worldwide. And here’s the thing: it’s still here, still going strong, and still completely free.

Why Teams Still Trust osTicket?

osTicket doesn’t try to reinvent anything. Instead, it focuses on the basics of ticket management and does them extremely well. If you’ve ever worked in IT support or customer service, you’ll feel right at home with its ticket queues, email piping, and SLA tracking.

Although it may not have the slick branding of Zendesk or the modern UI of HelpScout, it offers reliability. The software has been actively maintained for two decades, which means fewer surprises, fewer bugs, and a mature feature that does the work for you.

How Does It Help Businesses?

Longevity

Some organizations have been running osTicket for 10+ years with no need to switch. That kind of stability is rare in tech.

Customization

Because it’s open source, you can adapt it to particular workflows from university IT desks to government help centers.

Cost control

Add as many agents or departments as you like, without ever worrying about per-seat licensing.

Why Organizations Trust osTicket?

• Email integration that does the job for you (support@yourcompany.com becomes a ticket queue instantly).
• Robust SLA features for setting response and resolution targets.
• Department & role management to organize large support teams.
• Customizable forms to collect the exact data you need at ticket submission.
• Mature codebase with over 15 years of development
• Hundreds of community-developed plugins
• Complex rule-based assignment for advanced ticket routing
• Built-in analytics and reporting

Limitations

osTicket is more of a classic helpdesk system than a modern collaboration suite. You won’t find built-in chat, knowledge bases, or project boards without extensions or extra setup. The interface also feels a bit outdated compared to newer options like FreeScout or Zammad.

But if what you need is a reliable and tested helpdesk that your team can depend on day in and day out, osTicket is hard to beat.

osTicket is the “Toyota Corolla” of open-source ticketing: not flashy, not trendy, but highly dependable. If your team values stability, customization, and needs zero licensing costs, it’s a safe long-term bet. And when hosted on a VPS, you remove the maintenance pain and keep full control of your support infrastructure.

Technical Details

• Framework: Custom PHP
• Database: MySQL
• Hosting: VPS/dedicated server recommended
• Installation time: 30-60 minutes

Ideal For: Large organizations with complex routing needs and existing IT infrastructure

3. UVdesk: The Enterprise-Grade Ticketing Solution

For users who feel FreeScout is modern and osTicket is classic, UVdesk is a middle ground for you. It’s open source, but built to look and feel like the kind of polished SaaS helpdesk you’d normally pay hundreds of dollars per agent for.

Why UVdesk Is A Preferred Choice?

The first thing you’ll notice about UVdesk is the interface. Clean dashboards, intuitive navigation, and smart ticket workflows make it feel closer to Zendesk or Freshdesk than a “community-driven” project. For support managers who want to give their team a tool that feels premium without being locked into subscriptions, this is a big win.

With UVdesk, you will also find some enterprise-grade features that are rare in other free tools, like:

• E-commerce integrations (Magento, Shopify, Prestashop, WooCommerce).
• Multi-channel support (tickets via email, social media, and even marketplace queries).
• Agent productivity tools like tagging, macros, and collision detection (you can avoid the issue of two agents replying to the same ticket).

The Impact of UVdesk

For online stores

UVdesk is tailor-made. Instead of cobbling together plugins, you get order history, customer details, and support tickets in one place.

For IT teams

SLA rules, workflows, and automation rival what you’d find in paid SaaS systems.

For growing companies

Because it’s open source, you can start small and scale, without licensing problems.

Key Benefits of UVdesk

• Polished UI that reduces onboarding time.
• Deep integrations with e-commerce platforms.
• Multi-channel ticket capture from email, forms, marketplaces, and social media.
• Agent collaboration tools (notes, activity logs, task assignment).
• Advanced workflows, SLA management, and escalation rules.
• Multi-channel support with email, chat, and social media integration
• Native iOS and Android applications available
• Extensive REST API for integrations
• White-label (allows complete branding and customization).

Limitations

UVdesk is more resource-intensive than tools like FreeScout. You’ll need a capable VPS to run it properly, especially if you enable multiple integrations. Also, while the community edition is powerful, some premium modules (like advanced reports) cost extra.

UVdesk is sleek, modern, and packed with advanced features at a fraction of the usual cost. For e-commerce businesses in particular, it’s arguably the best open-source ticketing choice available.

And when hosted on VPS, you get the speed, storage, and reliability needed to keep those integrations and workflows running 24/7.

Technical Details

• Framework: Symfony (PHP)
• Database: MySQL/PostgreSQL
• Hosting: VPS recommended (2GB+ RAM)
• Installation time: 45-90 minutes

Ideal For: Medium to large businesses requiring advanced automation and multi-channel support.

4. Zammad: The Leader of Modern Interface

Zammad is an open-source ticketing system that feels like it was built for the next decade. It’s sleek, fast, and built from the ground up with modern UX principles. Teams switching from SaaS tools like Zendesk or Freshdesk often find Zammad refreshingly familiar, except it’s completely open source and far more customizable.

Why Zammad Attracts Businesses?

Zammad’s big advantage is omnichannel support. Unlike most open-source tools that stick to email + web forms, Zammad connects tickets from:

• Email
• Live chat
• Twitter/X
• Facebook
• Phone logs
• And even WhatsApp with extensions

That means no matter where your customers reach out, you will get everything in one dashboard. If your team complains about juggling multiple channels, this is a lifesaver.

Another standout is the ElasticSearch-powered search engine. If you’ve ever struggled to dig through ticket histories in clunky tools, Zammad’s lightning-fast global search feels like magic.

The Business Impact

Support teams

One dashboard for all channels → less context switching.

Managers

Built-in reporting and analytics to track performance.

Developers

Powerful API for integrations, plus built with modern frameworks (Ruby on Rails, AngularJS).

Where Zammad Shines?

• Beautiful UI with drag-and-drop ticket views.
• Omnichannel ticket management (social, email, chat, phone).
• Advanced roles & permissions for complex organizations.
• Fast, global search with Elasticsearch integration.
• Automation and triggers that can compete with premium SaaS solutions.
• Live collaboration features with real-time updates.
• Built-in time tracking and billing

Limitations

Zammad is heavier than FreeScout or osTicket; you’ll need a VPS with good CPU and RAM allocation to keep it responsive, especially with multi-channel integrations.

Also, while it’s open source and free to self-host, official enterprise support packages are available at a cost (which may or may not be necessary depending on your in-house skills).

Zammad is like the Slack of ticketing systems. It’s modern, collaborative, and fast. It’s perfect for businesses that want an open-source helpdesk without feeling like they’ve stepped back in time.

When hosted on VPS, Zammad delivers enterprise-grade performance without enterprise pricing, making it a smart choice for growing companies that need omnichannel support and real-time visibility into customer interactions.

Technical Details

• Framework: Ruby on Rails
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Hosting: VPS required (4GB+ RAM)
• Installation time: 60-120 minutes

Ideal For: Teams that prefer user experience and modern collaboration features

5. Request Tracker (RT): A Helpdesk That’s Trusted for Decades

Request Tracker (RT) has been around for more than two decades and is still powering helpdesks, IT departments, and government organizations worldwide. RT isn’t about flash or sleek interfaces. It’s about stability, scalability, and flexibility, which explains why so many mission-critical environments continue to rely on it. Simply put, it is extremely powerful and flexible for complex workflows.

Why RT Still Matters in 2025?

Battle-tested

RT has been used in industries with the toughest requirements: universities, large enterprises, and even public sector IT.

Security-first

Its long history means vulnerabilities have been patched, refined, and hardened over decades. It’s trusted in environments where compliance isn’t optional.

What You Get With RT?

• Extremely detailed ticket management allowing you to thread, categorize, and link tickets into projects.
• Different departments (IT, HR, finance) can manage their own queues under one installation.
• Advanced permissions – role-based access so you can control exactly who sees what.
• Scrips (RT’s automation scripts) allow highly customized workflows, notifications, and escalations.
• With its Perl foundation and active community, RT connects with monitoring tools, version control systems, and even asset management platforms.
• Being Perl-based, it has infinite possibilities of customization.
• Allows you to work via CLI.

RT Works is Best For

• Universities and research labs that need granular control over requests.
• IT departments running internal support across multiple business units.
• Large enterprises or public sector organizations with compliance requirements.
• Teams with technical staff who don’t mind configuring Perl-based systems.

Limitations

• RT’s interface feels old-school compared to tools like Zammad.
• Expect more setup and training time.
• Perl-based stack gives it stability, but it can feel outdated. Moreover, not every modern developer enjoys working with Perl.
• RT is incredibly powerful, but it’s not designed for “five-minute deployment” use cases.

RT is like the Linux of ticketing systems, not flashy, not trendy, but deeply respected and endlessly customizable. If your organization needs a serious, compliance-ready, no-nonsense helpdesk, RT is still one of the strongest open-source ticketing systems available.

Hosted on a VPS, it can handle tens of thousands of tickets without breaking a sweat, making it an excellent choice for enterprises and institutions that prioritize long-term reliability over fancy UI.

Technical Details:

• Framework: Perl
• Database: MySQL/PostgreSQL/Oracle
• Hosting: Dedicated server recommended
• Installation time: 2-4 hours

Ideal For: IT departments and organizations with complex, unique workflow requirements

6. Frappe Helpdesk: The Integrated Suite

Frappe Helpdesk is a rising startup in the open-source helpdesk world. Built by the makers of ERPNext, it’s relatively new but already turning heads with its modern design, modular architecture, and tight integrations.

What sets Frappe Helpdesk apart is its developer-first mindset. Instead of being a rigid “install-and-use” system, it’s designed as part of the Frappe framework. This means it’s extensible, customizable, and plays well with a wider ecosystem of Frappe apps.

Why Teams Are Paying Attention to Frappe Helpdesk?

• It has a fresh UI; the interface is clean, minimal, and built with usability in mind. Unlike older systems, it feels contemporary right out of the box.
• Everything is transparent, forkable, and community-driven. You’re not locked into proprietary code.
• If you’re already using ERPNext for CRM, projects, or invoicing, Helpdesk fits in like a missing puzzle piece.
• Since it’s built on the Frappe framework (Python + MariaDB + Redis), developers can extend it endlessly with custom apps and logic.

What You Get With Frappe Helpdesk?

• Multi-channel ticketing to support customers via email, live chat, and customer portal.
• Organize tickets for different teams without chaos with team inboxes.
• Pre-save answers for recurring queries with canned responses.
• Publish knowledge base articles and guides directly within the system.
• Assign, escalate, and collaborate on tickets in real time.
• Customizable workflows allow you to define how tickets move through your process without hitting hard limits.
• It is mobile responsive by default and works perfectly on all devices.

Helpdesk Works Best For

• Startups that want a free, modern ticketing solution without SaaS overhead.
• SMBs that already use ERPNext or plan to build a modular open-source stack.
• Developer-friendly teams that want the freedom to customize deeply.
• Organizations in the growth phase that prefer flexibility over legacy baggage.

Limitations

• Compared to osTicket or RT, it’s relatively young. Expect fewer enterprise deployments and community plugins.
• To get the best out of Frappe helpdesk, you’ll want technical skills (Python/JavaScript) on hand or hire developers.
• Some advanced features (e.g., AI-powered ticket classification or native integrations with third-party SaaS) are still in development.

Frappe Helpdesk isn’t the most feature-rich open-source ticketing system today, but it’s one of the most promising. Its modern interface, modularity, and ERPNext ecosystem make it a great choice for organizations that want a future-ready, extensible alternative to Google Workspace-style SaaS helpdesks.

On a VPS, it becomes a cost-predictable, self-owned solution that grows with you. If you’re tired of outdated UIs but don’t want SaaS lock-in, Frappe Helpdesk is definitely worth a try.

Technical Details

• Framework: Frappe (Python)
• Database: MariaDB
• Hosting: VPS recommended
• Installation time: 30-60 minutes

Ideal For: Businesses already using ERPNext or seeking an integrated business suite

When people talk about open-source helpdesks, OTRS (Open Ticket Request System) almost always comes up. It’s one of the oldest and most widely adopted platforms in the category, trusted by enterprises, governments, and even critical infrastructure providers.

Unlike some lightweight systems built for startups, OTRS has always had a clear mission: enterprise-scale IT service management (ITSM) with rock-solid reliability.

Why OTRS Still Matters?

• It’s been around for over 20 years, which means countless organizations have vetted it in production.
• With modules for ITIL processes, incident handling, and change management, OTRS goes far beyond basic ticketing.
• It is highly flexible and can support thousands of agents and millions of tickets without breaking down.
• There’s a free open-source edition, plus a commercial “OTRS Business Solution” that adds enterprise add-ons and professional support.

What You Get With OTRS?

• Multi-channel support via email, phone, web portal, and chat.
• Highly configurable workflows for ticket routing, escalation, and SLA enforcement.
• Incident, problem, and change management right out of the box.
• Knowledge base integration for centralized self-service for agents and end-users.
• Role-based permissions and access control for complex teams.
• Reporting & analytics to get insights into performance, SLA adherence, and agent productivity.
• It offers multi-language support covering over 40 languages.

OTRS Is More Suitable For

• Large enterprises that need mature ITSM workflows.
• Government agencies and regulated industries where compliance is critical.
• IT departments running complex infrastructure.
• Organizations with global support operations that require scalability and multilingual support.

Limitations

• OTRS isn’t “install and go.” It demands an experienced team for complex setup & maintenance.
• The interface is functional but feels outdated and resource-heavy.
• The free version has fewer features than the commercial edition.

OTRS isn’t the best fit for small teams looking for simplicity. But if you’re running an enterprise helpdesk that needs scalability, ITIL workflows, and compliance, it’s hard to beat.

Technical Details

• Framework: Perl
• Database: MySQL/PostgreSQL/Oracle
• Hosting: VPS recommended
• Installation time: 60-90 minutes

Ideal For: IT service desks and organizations requiring ITIL compliance

8. Hesk: One of The Most Lightweight Helpdesks

Not every business needs an enterprise-grade helpdesk with ITIL workflows, custom automations, and hundreds of integrations. Sometimes, what you need is a simple ticketing tool that’s fast, lightweight, and easy to manage.

Hesk is exactly that solution.

Why Hesk is Trusted by Businesses?

• Hesk has been around for years, and its biggest strength is that anyone can install and start using it in minutes.
• It runs smoothly even on modest server setups, making it perfect for SMBs or individual projects.
• The interface is easy, clean, and uncluttered, which is something that’s often missing in bloated enterprise systems.
• Hesk is free to use, with an optional paid “Hesk Cloud” if you don’t want to self-host.

Primary Features of Hesk

• Ticket submission via web or email.
• Categorization and tagging for easier organization.
• Knowledge base module for self-service articles and FAQs.
• Basic automation tools like ticket assignment and canned responses.
• Searchable ticket history for quick reference.
• Multilingual support that makes it accessible for global teams.

Who Should Use Hesk?

• Freelancers and solo developers who want a simple support channel.
• Small businesses that don’t need enterprise features.
• Startups looking to test a tool before committing to a heavier system.
• Educational institutions and nonprofits with limited budgets.

Limitations

• Hesk can feel restrictive once your support volume grows beyond a certain point.
• You won’t find incident management, automation workflows, or integrations with third-party tools.
• The analytics are functional but lack depth compared to modern helpdesk platforms.
• While functional, the UI is outdated compared to Zammad or FreeScout.

Hesk is perfect if you want a quick, no-cost ticketing solution that’s easy to set up and maintain. For small teams or personal projects, it’s a fantastic starting point. But as your business scales, you’ll likely outgrow it and move toward more robust solutions like FreeScout, osTicket, or Zammad.

Technical Details:

• Framework: Pure PHP
• Database: MySQL
• Hosting: Shared hosting and VPS compatible
• Installation time: 5-15 minutes

Why Open-Source Makes Sense?

The question isn’t whether open-source ticketing systems are viable – they’ve proven themselves across thousands of implementations. The question is whether you’re ready to take control of your customer support infrastructure and stop paying premium prices for basic functionality.

Ready to make the switch? Start with FreeScout for the smoothest transition, or explore UVdesk if you need enterprise features from day one. Either choice will deliver better value, more control, and significant cost savings compared to proprietary alternatives.

Next Steps

• Audit Your Current Costs

  Calculate your true ticketing system expenses, including licensing, integrations, and hidden fees.

• Define Your Requirements

  List must-have features, integrations, and workflow needs.

• Set Up a Test Environment

  Deploy your chosen solution in a staging environment.

• Plan Your Migration

  Develop a timeline for data migration and team training.

• Execute Gradually

  Start with a small team or ticket type before full deployment.

It’s time to let go of expensive and restrictive ticketing systems. Open-source solutions offer enterprise-grade functionality with startup-friendly pricing and unlimited customization potential. Your customers deserve excellent support. Your team deserves powerful tools. Your business deserves predictable costs and complete control.

The choice is clear – and it’s open-source.

Looking to implement an open-source ticketing system for your business? Our VPS hosting solutions provide the perfect foundation for FreeScout, UVdesk, and other ticketing platforms with optimized performance, security, and support.

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