Forgejo
Lightweight software forge focused on scaling, federation, and privacy (fork of Gitea).
Forgejo vs FreeScout
Two self-hosted Ticketing apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| Forgejo | FreeScout | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Lightweight software forge focused on scaling, federation, and privacy (fork of Gitea). | Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout). |
| GitHub stars | 5,777 | 4,640 |
| Forks | 1k | – |
| Open issues | 1.6k | – |
| Commits (12 months) | – | 859 |
| Last activity | 2026-11-04 | 2026-10-31 |
| Latest release | v17.0.1 (2026-10-26) | 1.8.249 (2026-10-31) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language / platform | Docker, Go | PHP, Docker |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~512 MB, 1 vCPU | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $3.5/mo | $5/mo |
| Categories | Software Development - Project Management, Ticketing | Ticketing |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Forgejo is more popular on GitHub: 5.8k stars vs 4.6k for FreeScout.
- FreeScout published a release more recently (1.8.249 on 2026-10-31; Forgejo's latest is v17.0.1 on 2026-10-26).
- Forgejo is licensed under MIT, FreeScout under AGPL-3.0. Forgejo's license is permissive; FreeScout's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
- Forgejo is written in Go; FreeScout in PHP.
- Deployment options listed upstream: Forgejo: Docker; FreeScout: Docker.
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for Forgejo (~512 MB server) than FreeScout (~1 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: Forgejo leads on GitHub popularity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is Forgejo or FreeScout more popular?
Forgejo has more GitHub stars (5,777 vs 4,640 for FreeScout, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, Forgejo or FreeScout?
The last recorded activity was 2026-11-04 for Forgejo and 2026-10-31 for FreeScout. Releases in the past year: Forgejo 40, FreeScout 10+. Our health labels: Forgejo is “Active”, FreeScout is “Active”.
What licenses do Forgejo and FreeScout use?
Forgejo: MIT. FreeScout: AGPL-3.0. Forgejo's license is permissive; FreeScout's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
Can I run Forgejo and FreeScout with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for Forgejo and FreeScout. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
FreeScout
Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout).
Browse all self-hosted Ticketing apps.