FreeScout
Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout).
FreeScout vs Zammad
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
| FreeScout | Zammad | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Email-based customer support application, help desk and shared mailbox (alternative to Zendesk and Help Scout). | Easy to use but powerful support and ticketing system. |
| GitHub stars | 4,640 | 6,081 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 859 | 2.6k |
| Last activity | 2026-10-31 | 2026-11-04 |
| Latest release | 1.8.249 (2026-10-31) | – |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language / platform | PHP, Docker | Ruby, deb |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU | ~4 GB, 2 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $5/mo | $20/mo |
| Categories | Ticketing | Ticketing |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Zammad is more popular on GitHub: 6.1k stars vs 4.6k for FreeScout.
- Zammad had more commits in the last 12 months (2,606 vs 859).
- FreeScout publishes GitHub releases (latest 1.8.249); no GitHub release was found for Zammad.
- Both are licensed under AGPL-3.0.
- FreeScout is written in PHP; Zammad in Ruby.
- Deployment options listed upstream: FreeScout: Docker; Zammad: deb.
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for FreeScout (~1 GB server) than Zammad (~4 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: Zammad leads on GitHub popularity and commit activity. 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 FreeScout or Zammad more popular?
Zammad has more GitHub stars (6,081 vs 4,640 for FreeScout, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, FreeScout or Zammad?
Zammad had more commits over the last 12 months (2,606 vs 859). The last recorded activity was 2026-10-31 for FreeScout and 2026-11-04 for Zammad. Our health labels: FreeScout is “Active”, Zammad is “Active”.
What licenses do FreeScout and Zammad use?
Both use AGPL-3.0.
Can I run FreeScout and Zammad with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for FreeScout. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Zammad
Easy to use but powerful support and ticketing system.
Browse all self-hosted Ticketing apps.