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Indie alternatives to Help Scout

4 products made by independent developers and small teams that do what Help Scout does, 3 of them with a free plan. Free and open-source options come first.

At a glance

Product	Price	Open source	Self-host	Platforms
Crisp	Free plan	–	–	Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
FreeScout	Free plan	Yes	Yes	Web, Self-hosted
Zammad	Free plan	Yes	Yes	Web, Self-hosted
Enchant	Paid	–	–	Web

The alternatives

1. Crisp

Live chat, shared inbox and help center for small businesses

Crisp is a customer messaging platform with website live chat, a shared team inbox, chatbots and a knowledge base for small and medium businesses.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android · Website ↗

2. FreeScout

Free open-source, self-hosted help desk and shared mailbox

FreeScout is an open-source help desk and shared inbox that you host yourself, with optional paid modules for extra features.

Free plan · Web, Self-hosted · Website ↗

3. Zammad

Open-source help desk and ticketing system

Zammad is a web-based help desk that handles tickets from email, chat, phone and social channels, available hosted or self-hosted.

Free plan · Web, Self-hosted · Website ↗

4. Enchant

Help desk with shared inbox, knowledge base and messenger

Enchant is customer service software that combines a shared inbox for email, social and chat with a knowledge base, aimed at growing support teams.

Paid · Web · Website ↗

Questions

Is there a free alternative to Help Scout?

Yes. 3 of the 4 indie alternatives listed here have a free plan or are free: Crisp, FreeScout and Zammad.

Is there an open-source alternative to Help Scout?

FreeScout and Zammad are open source.

Can I self-host an alternative to Help Scout?

Yes: FreeScout and Zammad can run on your own server.

Which Help Scout alternatives work on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android?

On Mac: Crisp. On Windows: Crisp. On iPhone and iPad: Crisp. On Android: Crisp.

What makes these alternatives to Help Scout “indie”?

They are built by independent developers or small teams rather than large companies. Each one is listed because it does the same core job as Help Scout.

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