Faveo Helpdesk vs FreeScout (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Faveo Helpdesk grades higher than FreeScout: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Faveo Helpdesk grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Faveo Helpdesk
Help desk and service desk, cloud-hosted or self-hosted
FreeScout
Free open-source help desk and shared mailbox you host yourself
Which one is for you
Pick Faveo Helpdesk if
- Fits if you have 1 or 2 agents and want SLAs and automation for free
- Works for teams that want the choice of cloud or their own server
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have more than 2 agents on the free plan, since it stops at 2
- Skip it if you want the AI assistant on a normal plan, as it appears only on Enterprise, sold through sales
- Watch out: GST is shown as extra, and prices appear with a crossed-out higher figure the vendor gives no end date for
- Watch out: self-hosted source code access, a staging licence and an account manager are only on Enterprise Pro at custom prices
Pick FreeScout if
- Fits if you can run your own server and want a free help desk
- Works for groups that need control over where support data lives
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want hosting done for you, as there is no official cloud service
- Watch out: modules are lifetime licences per instance and non-refundable
- Not for you if you want someone else to handle updates, backups and security
- Watch out: the module prices are filled in by script and could not be read
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAFaveo HelpdeskGood | 2.2GPAFreeScoutFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AStartup is $6 an agent a month on annual billing, under 60% of the $19 where support tools' cheaper quarter starts. SME is $10, and a self-hosted Startup licence is $179 an agent, once. | CFree if you host it yourself, which needs a server, so it is a C and not an A. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Freelancer plan is free for 2 agents with ticket forms, SLAs, workflow automation and reports, and a 14-day trial of the paid ones. The 2-agent cap is the edge. | BFree outright with unlimited agents, tickets and mailboxes, but you pay for a server and your own time. |
| Features | CSLAs, workflow automation, reports, channels and a choice of cloud or self-hosted. The Elea AI assistant and chatbot are on Enterprise only. | CShared mailbox and tickets, with extras like WhatsApp and Telegram sold as modules, whose prices we couldn't read. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Cloud signup is quick, but the self-hosted option needs a server. | DYou handle installs, updates, backups and security on your own server. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with 3 integrations on record. | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps and an installable web app, with Slack, Jira, WooCommerce, Zapier and Make. |
| Best for | a tiny support team wanting a free help desk | a free help desk you host yourself |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Faveo Helpdesk and FreeScout. How we grade
Price against what you get
Faveo Helpdesk starts at $6 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. FreeScout has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Faveo Helpdesk scores higher, and starts $6 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, none scores higher than Faveo Helpdesk for less, and none scores higher than FreeScout for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Faveo Helpdesk also covers workflow automation, reports and ticketing.
- FreeScout also covers shared inbox, live chat and help center.
At a glance
| Faveo Helpdesk | FreeScout | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $6 per agent / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly) | Free |
| Free plan | Freelancer plan: free for 2 agents, with ticket forms, SLAs, workflow automation and reports. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Ladybird Web Solution Pvt Ltd | FreeScout |
| Price read from | faveohelpdesk.com | freescout.net |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Faveo Helpdesk
- The free Freelancer plan stops at 2 agents.
- The Elea AI assistant and chatbot appear only on Enterprise, which is sold through sales.
- Pricing shows GST as extra, and prices appear with a crossed-out higher figure; the vendor gives no end date for it.
- Self-hosted source code access, staging license and account manager are only on Enterprise Pro, at custom prices.
FreeScout
- There is no official cloud service; the project lists third-party hosts that can install it in one click.
- Modules are sold as lifetime licenses per instance and are non-refundable; their prices are filled in by script and could not be read.
- You handle installs, updates, backups and security on your own server.
Key features
Faveo Helpdesk
- SLA management
- SLA process management with reminders and escalation, alongside dynamic ticket forms and approval workflows.
- Workflow automation
- Automation rules, canned responses and automatic ticket assignment cut manual triage; round-robin and skill-based routing start on SME.
- Reports and dashboards
- In-depth reports, average handling time and custom dashboards come with every plan, and agent and group performance views are listed.
- Channels
- Startup adds a WhatsApp channel, and SME adds omni-channel integration for support across messaging channels.
- Elea AI assistant
- Elea AI and an AI-powered chatbot are listed on the Enterprise plan.
- Cloud or self-hosted
- Run it as the vendor's cloud service, or install it yourself with a perpetual per-agent license.
FreeScout
- Shared mailbox and tickets
- Brings email, plus WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Slack and live chat through modules, into one inbox with notes, tags and saved replies.
- No limits on agents or tickets
- The core software has unlimited support agents, tickets and mailboxes, and installs on ordinary PHP and MySQL hosting.
- Modules marketplace
- Paid modules add workflows and SLAs, an end-user portal, knowledge base, custom fields, time tracking, SAML SSO and an API.
- Email integration
- Connects over SMTP, IMAP or POP3, with OAuth sign-in for Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace.
- Apps and installable web app
- iOS and Android apps and a progressive web app that sends web push notifications; apps use the same modules as your install.
Plans
Faveo Helpdesk
Freelancer$0
Free for 2 agents; the page shows a crossed-out $10 beside it. Includes SLAs, automation and reports.
Startup$6
per agent / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)
Adds WhatsApp channel, attachment scanner and auto ticket assignment; page shows a crossed-out $9.
SME$10
per agent / month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly)
Adds omni-channel, LDAP, Microsoft Entra ID, round-robin and skill-based routing; crossed-out $14 shown.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited agents, ad hoc approval, custom JavaScript, the Elea AI assistant and an AI chatbot.
Self-hosted Startup$179
per agent, one-time fee
Perpetual license for your own server; SME is $199 per agent. The page shows crossed-out $224 and $249.
FreeScout
FreeScout (self-hosted)$0
Download and host it yourself with unlimited agents, tickets and mailboxes. Optional modules are bought separately.
Ways to pay less
Faveo Helpdesk
- Annual discount
Lower per-agent rate on yearly billing
Yearly billing brings Startup from $7 to $6 and SME from $11 to $10 per agent a month on the cloud plans.
FreeScout
- Lifetime license
Modules sold as lifetime licenses
Each module is a one-time purchase for a single FreeScout instance, with lifetime updates included.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Faveo Helpdesk or FreeScout?
As of Nov 12, 2026, FreeScout is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $6 a month for each person for Faveo Helpdesk. Faveo Helpdesk starts at $6 per agent / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly), and FreeScout is free.
Which has a free plan, Faveo Helpdesk or FreeScout?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Faveo Helpdesk and FreeScout have a free plan.
Which platforms do Faveo Helpdesk and FreeScout run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only FreeScout lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.