# FreeScout review (2026): is it any good? > Free open-source help desk and shared mailbox you host yourself Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. FreeScout is an open-source help desk and shared inbox written in PHP on the Laravel framework, with unlimited agents, tickets and mailboxes. You install it on your own server or shared hosting. Extra features such as workflows, custom fields and live chat are sold as separate modules with lifetime licenses. - **Category:** Help Desks & Live Chat - **Made by:** FreeScout (since 2018) - **Website:** https://freescout.net - **Runs on:** Web, iOS, Android - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want hosting done for you, as there is no official cloud service. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, FreeScout is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | FreeScout (self-hosted) | $0 | Download and host it yourself with unlimited agents, tickets and mailboxes. Optional modules are bought separately. | Read from https://freescout.net on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with FreeScout before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Modules sold as lifetime licenses** (Lifetime license): Each module is a one-time purchase for a single FreeScout instance, with lifetime updates included. Source: https://freescout.net/modules/ ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Teams that want a free help desk and can run their own server - Organizations that need control over where support data lives - Small businesses replacing a shared Gmail inbox ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. FreeScout is a free shared-inbox help desk with unlimited agents and tickets, but only if you host it on your own server. There is no official cloud service, and many extras are paid modules. - **Value for money: C.** Free if you host it yourself, which needs a server, so it is a C and not an A. - **Free plan and trial: B.** Free outright with unlimited agents, tickets and mailboxes, but you pay for a server and your own time. - **Features: C.** Shared mailbox and tickets, with extras like WhatsApp and Telegram sold as modules, whose prices we couldn't read. - **Ease of use: D.** You handle installs, updates, backups and security on your own server. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web plus iOS and Android apps and an installable web app, with Slack, Jira, WooCommerce, Zapier and Make. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from FreeScout's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among help desk and live chat tools - FreeScout's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 25 of the 66 other help desk and live chat tools we grade, and level with 10. - It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 53 of 66) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - FreeScout has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/customer-support ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** FreeScout is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. - You could make: Help desk and help center: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: One mailbox that several people work at once. - You could not: A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types. - You could not: A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: It plugs into other products, WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook among them. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Slack, Jira, WooCommerce, Zapier, Make **Tags:** Help desk, Shared inbox, Open source, Self-hostable, Live chat, Help center ## Alternatives - [Zammad](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zammad): Open-source help desk, hosted in Germany or run on your own server. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/freescout-vs-zammad) - [UVdesk](https://toolgpa.com/tools/uvdesk): Open-source help desk for online stores with hosted Pro and Enterprise. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/freescout-vs-uvdesk) - [Chatwoot](https://toolgpa.com/tools/chatwoot): Open-source support inbox you can self-host or use in the cloud. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/chatwoot-vs-freescout) - [Helpwise](https://toolgpa.com/tools/helpwise): Shared inbox for email, chat, WhatsApp and SMS with a help center. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/freescout-vs-helpwise) - [SupportBee](https://toolgpa.com/tools/supportbee): Email ticketing and shared inbox with a knowledge base and portal. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/freescout-vs-supportbee) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://freescout.net - https://freescout.net/modules/ - https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/wiki/One-Click-Installs Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/freescout Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).