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Support

Free and open-source Zendesk alternatives

Zendesk (Customer service and support software) is a commercial product. These 2 tools do the same job and are free to use or to self-host.
Short answer: the best free alternatives to Zendesk are FreeScout and Chatwoot. Self-hosting is free; you pay only for the server (a small VPS is about $4–6/mo). Licenses and prices checked 2026-10-01.
  1. 1
    FreeScout

    Free self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox

    Zendesk-style help desk; some modules are paid.

    Open source (AGPL-3.0) ·★ 4.6k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-10-06 · details

  2. 2
    Chatwoot

    Open-source customer support platform

    Omnichannel support inbox; enterprise folder is paid.

    Open source (MIT (core)) ·★ 38k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-10-07 · details

Want paid options too? See all Zendesk alternatives or the full free alternatives list. Beyond developer tools, OSS Software lists more open-source Zendesk alternatives.

FAQ

Is there a free alternative to Zendesk?+

Yes. FreeScout and Chatwoot do the same job for free; FreeScout and Chatwoot are open source.

What is the best open-source alternative to Zendesk?+

Chatwoot is the most starred on GitHub (38k stars). Omnichannel support inbox; enterprise folder is paid.

Open source: OSI-approved license. Free to self-host: the code is public and free to run yourself, with limits in the license.