8 Best Freshdesk Alternatives in 2026 (Including Open Source)

Freshdesk is a sensible, full-featured help desk at a fair entry price. Growth costs $19 per agent a month, billed annually, and covers ticketing, a customer portal and a knowledge base. Many teams start there and stay.

The friction comes as you grow. Multiple SLA policies, intelligent routing and custom dashboards start on Pro at $55 per agent a month, nearly three times Growth. Freddy AI Agent includes 500 sessions once per account, then costs $49 per 100 sessions, and Freddy Copilot adds $29 per agent a month. There is no free plan any more, only a 14-day trial. For a full breakdown, see Freshdesk pricing in 2026.

Here are eight alternatives, including two open-source help desks you can run on your own servers.

The best Freshdesk alternatives in 2026 are Quackback, Zendesk, Zoho Desk, Help Scout, Intercom, HubSpot Service Hub, Zammad and FreeScout. Quackback is the open-source option with seats included in a flat plan, plus a help center, status page and feedback boards. Zendesk is the deeper help desk, Zoho Desk the cheapest, and Zammad and FreeScout are free to self-host.

1. Quackback — Open source. Inbox for live chat, email and GitHub issues, help center, status page and feedback, with Quackback AI. Free plan; paid from $29/mo billed annually with seats included.
2. Zendesk — The deepest omnichannel help desk. Suite Team from about $55/agent/mo.
3. Zoho Desk — The cheapest per agent, with a free plan for 3 users.
4. Help Scout — Email-first and easy to learn. Free for 5 users; Standard $25/user/mo.
5. Intercom — Chat-first with the Fin AI agent. From $29/seat/mo plus $0.99 per outcome.
6. HubSpot Service Hub — Support on the HubSpot CRM. Free for 2 users.
7. Zammad — Open-source ticketing (AGPL-3.0). Free to self-host; hosted from €7/agent/mo.
8. FreeScout — Open-source, Help Scout-style inbox (AGPL-3.0). Free to self-host, with paid modules.

Pricing last verified November 2026. Vendors may change plans and pricing without notice. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest figures.

Why teams switch from Freshdesk

• The Growth-to-Pro jump. Multiple SLA policies, intelligent routing and custom dashboards start on Pro. For a 15-agent team, moving from Growth to Pro adds $6,480 a year.
• No free plan. Freshdesk now offers a 14-day trial and nothing free after it, which rules it out for very small teams.
• AI billed in packs. After the first 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions, each 100 sessions cost $49, and Copilot is $29 per agent a month on Pro and up.
• Per-agent pricing. Every hire adds to the bill, and part-time helpers need seats too.
• Closed source, hosted only. You cannot self-host Freshdesk or audit its code.

Freshdesk has real strengths to weigh before you move. It is a complete help desk with a large marketplace, it is easier to configure than Zendesk, and Growth is one of the cheapest full help desk plans on the market.

How we picked

We looked for tools that replace Freshdesk's core job, ticketing across email and chat with a knowledge base, and that answer one of the reasons above: price, free use, AI billing or control over hosting. We added two open-source help desks because "self-host it" is a common reason to leave a hosted tool. We checked every price on the vendor's pricing page on 7 November 2026 and flag figures that come from elsewhere. Quackback is our product. We list it first because it fits the flat-price and open-source cases, and we list its gaps alongside everyone else's.

1. Quackback

Quackback is open-source (AGPL-3.0) software for customer support and product feedback. Live chat, email and, on Business and up, GitHub issues land in one shared inbox, with tickets in the same thread, macros, assignment, internal notes, CSAT and a default SLA on every plan. A help center, a status page and feedback boards with a roadmap and a changelog sit beside it. Use Quackback Cloud, or self-host it with every feature.

Quackback AI includes an agent that answers customers in chat and the help center, on Pro and up, and Copilot, which drafts replies for your team on every plan. AI usage comes with the plan rather than in session packs.

Freshdesk tracks tickets. Quackback also tracks what customers ask for. One click turns a conversation into a feedback post, or adds the customer's vote to an existing one, and the changelog emails voters when you ship.

Key features:

• Shared inbox for live chat, email and GitHub issues, with tickets in the same thread
• Macros, CSAT and a default SLA on every plan; SLA policies, teams, routing and workflows on Business and up
• Help center with Ask AI, which cites your own articles
• Status page with incidents, maintenance and subscriber emails
• Feedback boards, a public roadmap and a changelog that emails voters
• REST API on every plan; webhooks and an MCP server from Pro

Pricing: Quackback Cloud has a Free plan with 1 seat, and every signup starts with a 14-day Pro trial. Paid plans are a flat workspace price with seats included (5 on Pro, 20 on Business, unlimited on Enterprise), from $29/mo billed annually. SLA policies and routing come with Business at $59/mo for 20 seats. Self-hosting is free under AGPL-3.0 with every feature.

Pros:

• Seats included: 20 seats with SLA policies and routing for $59/mo, where Freshdesk Pro costs $55 per agent
• A free plan, which Freshdesk no longer has
• AI comes with the plan, with no session packs
• Help center, status page and feedback boards in the same product
• Open source: self-host every feature

Cons:

• Channels are live chat, email and GitHub issues only: no phone, WhatsApp, SMS or social
• No help-desk importer, so past Freshdesk tickets stay in Freshdesk
• Reporting is simpler than Freshdesk's custom dashboards
• A much smaller integration catalogue, and integrations start on Business
• Single sign-on is OIDC on Enterprise, with no SAML

Best for: SaaS teams that support customers over chat and email and want SLA policies and routing on a flat workspace price with seats included, or want to self-host.

On Business billed yearly and on Enterprise, our free migration service moves your help-center articles and feedback, swaps the widget and runs an onboarding call.

---

Try Quackback — every signup starts with a 14-day Pro trial, then keeps a Free plan if you do not upgrade. Or self-host it with every feature. Start free trial | Self-host with Docker | View on GitHub

---

2. Zendesk

Zendesk is the help desk Freshdesk is usually measured against. It goes further on reporting, custom objects, workforce management and its marketplace. If you are leaving Freshdesk because you outgrew it, Zendesk is the natural step up.

Support Team starts at about $19 per agent a month, Suite Team at about $55 and Suite Professional at about $115, billed annually. AI resolutions beyond the included amount cost about $1.50 each committed, or $2.00 pay as you go.

Pricing: Suite Team about $55/agent/mo, Suite Professional about $115/agent/mo, billed annually. 14-day trial.

Pros:

• More depth than Freshdesk in reporting and customization
• The largest marketplace in the category
• Workforce management and QA tooling

Cons:

• Costs more than Freshdesk at every tier
• Heavier to configure
• AI billed per resolution

Best for: Larger teams that have outgrown Freshdesk. See Zendesk alternatives.

3. Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk is the cheapest full help desk here. The Free plan covers 3 users with basic ticketing. Paid plans run Express, Standard, Professional and Enterprise, and Zia AI starts on Professional. It integrates deeply with Zoho CRM and the rest of Zoho One.

Zoho shows prices in local currency, so check Zoho's pricing page for your region. Paid plans have a 15-day trial, after which the account falls back to the free plan.

Pricing: Free for 3 users. Paid plans per user; check Zoho's page for your currency.

Pros:

• Lower per-agent prices than Freshdesk
• A free plan
• Strong fit for Zoho CRM users

Cons:

• Best value depends on the Zoho ecosystem
• The interface feels dated
• Phone needs a separate Zoho product

Best for: Budget-conscious teams and Zoho customers.

4. Help Scout

Help Scout trades Freshdesk's ticket fields and queues for a shared inbox that feels like email. Agents learn it in an afternoon, and customers just see email replies.

The Free plan covers 5 users, 1 inbox and 100 contacts a month. Standard is $25 per user a month, Plus $45 and Pro $75, with a 10-user minimum on Pro. Live chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger start on Standard. AI Answers costs $0.75 per resolution, with a monthly cap.

Pricing: Free for 5 users. Standard $25, Plus $45, Pro $75 per user/mo.

Pros:

• The easiest help desk here to learn
• A free plan for small teams
• AI resolutions with a spending cap

Cons:

• Per-user pricing, higher than Freshdesk Growth
• Lighter ticketing for high-volume teams
• SSO and SAML only on Pro

Best for: Small teams that mostly work over email. See Help Scout alternatives.

5. Intercom

Intercom, whose company is now called Fin and owned by Salesforce, is the chat-first option. Its Messenger, product tours and Fin AI agent are the best on this list for in-app support.

Seats are $29, $85 or $132 a month on Essential, Advanced and Expert, and Fin adds $0.99 per outcome. Essential is shown at $19 for new customers on a current offer. There is no free plan.

Pricing: From $29/seat/mo. Fin $0.99 per outcome. 14-day trial.

Pros:

• Mature AI agent and in-app messaging
• Native mobile SDKs and a large app store
• WhatsApp, SMS and phone available

Cons:

• Costs far more than Freshdesk once Fin is counted
• Pricing and roadmap under Salesforce not yet announced
• Closed source, hosted only

Best for: Product-led teams whose support happens inside the app. See Intercom alternatives.

6. HubSpot Service Hub

HubSpot Service Hub puts tickets on the same CRM record as sales and marketing. The Free plan covers 2 users. Starter runs $7 to $20 per seat a month. Professional is $90 to $100 per seat a month plus a $1,500 onboarding fee, and unlocks the knowledge base, customer portal and SLAs. Enterprise starts at $150 per seat with a $3,500 onboarding fee.

Pricing: Free for 2 users. Starter $7–$20/seat/mo. Professional $90–$100/seat/mo plus onboarding.

Pros:

• One customer record across sales, marketing and support
• A free plan
• Clean interface

Cons:

• A steep jump from Starter to Professional
• The knowledge base and SLAs start on Professional
• Poor value without other HubSpot products

Best for: Teams already on HubSpot for sales or marketing.

7. Zammad

Zammad is an open-source help desk under AGPL-3.0, run by the Zammad Foundation. Its ticket model is closer to Freshdesk's than any other open-source tool here, with email, chat, phone, social channels, SLAs, a knowledge base and reporting.

You can self-host Zammad for free and take care of updates, backups and uptime yourself. Paid support contracts for self-hosted installs start at €2,999 a year. Hosted Zammad runs in a German data centre, from €7 per agent a month on Starter (up to 5 agents), €16 on Professional and €25 on Plus, excluding VAT. Chat and SLAs start on Professional, and WhatsApp and Facebook on Plus. Optional AI features cost €0.03 per call.

Pricing: Free to self-host. Hosted from €7/agent/mo. 30-day trial.

Pros:

• Open source and free to self-host
• Classic ticketing that will feel familiar to Freshdesk users
• Low hosted prices, with EU hosting

Cons:

• Self-hosting means you handle updates, backups and uptime
• Hosted plans cap the channels by tier
• No status page or feedback boards

Best for: Teams that want Freshdesk-style ticketing on their own servers.

8. FreeScout

FreeScout is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) help desk built on PHP and Laravel. It is modelled on Help Scout's shared inbox and runs on almost any server, including shared hosting. The core is free with no limits on agents, tickets or mailboxes.

Extra features come as modules. Most official modules, such as live chat, workflows, satisfaction ratings and a knowledge base, are paid, with a lifetime licence per installation. There are Android and iOS apps. FreeScout itself does not sell a cloud plan, but managed hosts such as PikaPods offer one-click installs.

Pricing: Free to self-host. Paid modules with lifetime licences; check the module marketplace for prices.

Pros:

• Free, open source and light to run
• Familiar Help Scout-style inbox
• One-time module licences, not subscriptions

Cons:

• Useful features depend on buying and maintaining modules
• No built-in AI agent comparable to Freddy
• You run the server, updates and backups

Best for: Small teams with a server and a tight budget that want email support done simply.

Comparison table

How to choose

If you outgrew Freshdesk: Zendesk goes deeper on reporting, customization and workforce tooling.

If the Growth-to-Pro jump is the problem: Quackback includes SLA policies and routing on Business with 20 seats for a flat price. Zoho Desk keeps per-agent pricing but lower. Our help desk pricing comparison puts the numbers side by side.

If you want free: Zoho Desk (3 users), Help Scout (5 users), HubSpot (2 users) and Quackback (1 seat) have free Cloud plans. Zammad, FreeScout and Quackback are free to self-host.

If you want open source: Zammad is the closest to Freshdesk's ticketing. FreeScout is the lightest. Quackback adds AI, a help center, a status page and feedback boards, and self-hosts every feature. Read more on choosing an open-source help desk.

If you need phone or social channels: Zendesk, Zoho Desk, HubSpot or Zammad on its higher tiers. Quackback covers live chat, email and GitHub issues only.

If you live in HubSpot: HubSpot Service Hub keeps everything on one CRM record.

Frequently asked questions

Does Freshdesk have a free plan?

No. Freshdesk now offers a 14-day trial of Enterprise and no free plan. Free alternatives include Zoho Desk for 3 users, Help Scout for 5 users, HubSpot Service Hub for 2 users and Quackback's Free Cloud plan for 1 seat. Zammad, FreeScout and Quackback are free to self-host.

What is the best open-source alternative to Freshdesk?

Zammad is the closest open-source match to Freshdesk's ticketing, with SLAs, a knowledge base and many channels. FreeScout is a lighter, Help Scout-style inbox. Quackback self-hosts every feature, including AI, SLA policies, a help center, a status page and feedback boards, but supports fewer channels.

Which Freshdesk alternative is cheapest for a team of 10?

Zoho Desk has the lowest per-agent prices. On a flat plan, Quackback Business includes 20 seats, SLA policies and routing for $59/mo billed annually, against $550/mo for 10 agents on Freshdesk Pro. Self-hosting Zammad or FreeScout costs only your servers.

Can I move my Freshdesk tickets to Quackback?

Not past tickets. Quackback has no help-desk importer, so ticket history stays in Freshdesk. Help-center articles and feedback can move across, and the free migration service on Business billed yearly and Enterprise does that move for you.

Is Zendesk better than Freshdesk?

Zendesk is deeper, with stronger reporting, customization and a larger marketplace. Freshdesk covers most teams' needs for less money and is easier to configure. Choose Zendesk when you have complex routing and many channels, and Freshdesk when price and setup time matter more.