FreeScout vs Zammad (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Zammad grades higher than FreeScout: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zammad grades higher on value for money, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FreeScout
Free open-source help desk and shared mailbox you host yourself
Zammad
Open-source help desk, hosted in Germany or run on your own server
Which one is for you
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
Pick Zammad if
- Fits if you want a help desk you can host yourself or rent hosted
- Works for a team that wants WhatsApp and Facebook channels on the top plan
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you grow: Starter stops at 5 agents and Professional at 35
- Watch out: prices exclude VAT, and AI features cost €0.03 per call on top
- Watch out: annual billing runs a full year and needs notice at least two months before it ends
- Watch out: self-hosting makes you responsible for updates, backups and uptime, and support subscriptions for it start at €2,999 a year
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAFreeScoutFair | 2.8GPAZammadGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree if you host it yourself, which needs a server, so it is a C and not an A. | BStarter is €7 per agent a month billed annually, under the $11.40 mark, but it stops at 5 agents, and chat and SLAs need Professional at €16. Prices exclude VAT. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree outright with unlimited agents, tickets and mailboxes, but you pay for a server and your own time. | BThe open-source software is free to run yourself and the hosted service has a 30-day Professional trial. Self-hosting means updates, backups and uptime are yours. |
| Features | CShared mailbox and tickets, with extras like WhatsApp and Telegram sold as modules, whose prices we couldn't read. | BEmail, forms, SMS, chat, Telegram, Facebook and WhatsApp, with macros, triggers, SLAs and a knowledge base across the plans. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in core ticketing. |
| Ease of use | DYou handle installs, updates, backups and security on your own server. | CNo store rating on record, and channels, triggers and roles need setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps and an installable web app, with Slack, Jira, WooCommerce, Zapier and Make. | BWeb only, with 6 listed integrations including GitHub and GitLab links. No phone or desktop app on record. |
| Best for | a free help desk you host yourself | an open-source help desk you can host or rent |
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: FreeScout and Zammad. How we grade
Price against what you get
FreeScout has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zammad starts at about $7.82 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Zammad scores higher, and starts $7.82 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 FreeScout for less, and 1 scores higher than Zammad 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
- FreeScout also covers help center.
At a glance
| FreeScout | Zammad | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | €7 per agent / month, billed annually (€9 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | The open-source software is free to download and run on your own servers; you handle updates, backups and availability. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial of the hosted service on the Professional plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | FreeScout | Zammad GmbH |
| Price read from | freescout.net | zammad.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Zammad
- Prices are in euros and exclude value-added tax; hosted plans cap agents at 5 on Starter and 35 on Professional.
- Annual billing runs for a full year and needs notice at least two months before the term ends.
- AI features are optional and cost €0.03 per AI call on top of the plan price.
- Self-hosting makes you responsible for updates, backups and availability.
Key features
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.
Zammad
- Multichannel tickets
- Email, web forms and SMS on every hosted plan, chat and Telegram from Professional, and Facebook and WhatsApp on Plus.
- Automation tools
- Text modules, macros, triggers, schedulers and business hours are in the Starter plan; SLAs and custom roles start at Professional.
- Knowledge base
- A monolingual knowledge base is included from Professional and a multilingual one from Plus.
- Hosted in Germany
- Hosted instances run in an ISO 27001-certified German data center with SSL encryption and two-factor authentication.
- Optional AI features
- Professional and Plus can switch on AI features such as ticket summaries, charged at €0.03 per AI call.
- Open source, self-hostable
- The full code is public under a GPL v3 licence, so a team can run it on its own servers.
Plans
FreeScout
FreeScout (self-hosted)$0
Download and host it yourself with unlimited agents, tickets and mailboxes. Optional modules are bought separately.
Zammad
Starter v2€7
per agent / month, billed annually (€9 billed monthly)
Hosted. Up to 5 agents; email, web form and SMS channels, text modules, macros, triggers and 20 GB of disk space.
Professional v2€16
per agent / month, billed annually (€18 billed monthly)
Hosted. Up to 35 agents; adds chat and Telegram, SLAs, individual roles, a monolingual knowledge base and 50 GB of disk.
Plus v2€25
per agent / month, billed annually (€27 billed monthly)
Hosted. Unlimited agents; adds Facebook and WhatsApp, a multilingual knowledge base, GitHub/GitLab links and reporting.
Self-hosted€0
Download Zammad and host it yourself under its open-source licence, with no vendor support included.
Self-hosted support€2,999
per year (Business); Enterprise €5,999, Corporation €9,999
Support subscriptions for self-hosted installs, with response times of 6, 4 or 2 hours and 15, 45 or 95 service requests a year.
Ways to pay less
FreeScout
- Lifetime license
Modules sold as lifetime licenses
Each module is a one-time purchase for a single FreeScout instance, with lifetime updates included.
Zammad
- Annual discount
Save 10% with annual billing
The hosted pricing page offers a lower per-agent price on annual billing than on monthly billing, labeled as a 10% saving.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FreeScout or Zammad?
As of Nov 12, 2026, FreeScout is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $7.82 a month for each person for Zammad. FreeScout is free, and Zammad starts at €7 per agent / month, billed annually (€9 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, FreeScout or Zammad?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both FreeScout and Zammad have a free plan.
Which platforms do FreeScout and Zammad 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.