Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

osTicket VS FreeScout

Compare osTicket VS FreeScout and see what are their differences

osTicket logo osTicket

osTicket is a widely-used open source support ticket system.

FreeScout logo FreeScout

Free open source Zendesk & Help Scout alternative: help desk, shared mailbox, email management...
  • osTicket Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-21

  • FreeScout Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-21

osTicket features and specs

  • Open Source
    osTicket is open-source, which means it is free to use and allows for extensive customization.
  • Customizable Fields and Forms
    The platform provides the ability to add custom fields and forms, making ticket management flexible to meet specific business needs.
  • Email Integration
    osTicket supports email integration, allowing users to create tickets directly from incoming emails.
  • Multi-Language Support
    The system supports multiple languages, making it suitable for international teams.
  • Ticket Filters
    Powerful ticket filtering allows for better organization and prioritization of incoming tickets.
  • Reports and Dashboards
    Built-in reporting tools and dashboards help track performance metrics and identify trends.
  • User and Role Management
    Fine-grained user and role management allows administrators to control who has access to different parts of the system.
  • Community Support
    Having a large community of users and developers can be a great resource for troubleshooting issues and sharing best practices.

Possible disadvantages of osTicket

  • Complex Setup
    Initial setup and configuration can be complicated, especially for users without technical expertise.
  • Limited Advanced Reporting
    While osTicket includes basic reporting features, it may not be robust enough for more advanced analytics needs.
  • User Interface
    The user interface is functional but might appear outdated and less intuitive compared to newer platforms.
  • Self-Hosted Only
    As an open-source solution, it requires self-hosting, which may necessitate additional resources for server management and maintenance.
  • Lack of Real-Time Updates
    osTicket does not offer real-time updates, which can delay the notification of ticket changes.
  • No Mobile App
    There is no official mobile app, making it less convenient to manage tickets on the go.
  • Limited Integration Options
    Unlike some commercial products, osTicket has fewer options for integrating with third-party applications.

FreeScout features and specs

  • Open Source
    FreeScout is open source, which allows users to inspect the code, contribute to its development, and customize it according to their needs.
  • Cost-Effective
    Since FreeScout is a free software solution, it can significantly reduce the costs associated with customer support management, especially for startups and small businesses.
  • Self-Hosted
    Users can host FreeScout on their own servers, giving them complete control over their data and privacy, which is ideal for organizations with strict data governance policies.
  • Modular and Extensible
    FreeScout offers a variety of modules and integrations, allowing businesses to extend its functionality based on their specific requirements.
  • Easy to Use
    The platform has a straightforward and user-friendly interface, making it easy for support teams to adopt and utilize effectively.

Possible disadvantages of FreeScout

  • Limited Official Support
    As an open-source project, official customer support might be limited, and users often rely on community forums and documentation for assistance.
  • Hosting Required
    Being self-hosted means that the user needs to set up and maintain their own server infrastructure, which may require technical expertise and resources.
  • Potential for Complexity
    While modular, setting up and configuring FreeScout with custom modules and integrations can become complex and time-consuming for those without sufficient technical knowledge.
  • Performance Depends on Hosting
    The performance of FreeScout is dependent on the quality of the hosting environment, which means users need to ensure their server meets the necessary requirements for optimal operation.

Analysis of osTicket

Overall verdict

  • Overall, osTicket is a good choice for organizations looking for a reliable and customizable support ticket system without wanting to incur the costs associated with commercial solutions. Its open-source nature allows for flexibility and adaptability to various business needs.

Why this product is good

  • osTicket is renowned for being a robust, open-source support ticket system that is easy to set up and scale. It offers a wide range of features such as auto-responses, ticket filters, customizable fields, and reporting. Additionally, its user-friendly interface and active community support make it an appealing choice for businesses seeking a cost-effective solution.

Recommended for

  • Small to medium-sized businesses
  • Organizations requiring open-source solutions
  • Teams needing a customizable and scalable ticketing system
  • Businesses seeking to improve customer support without incurring excessive software costs

osTicket videos

What's New in osTicket Version 1.14?

More videos:

  • Review - OSTicket: a Customer Support solution for online communities
  • Review - OsTicket - Pretty much cover everything!

FreeScout videos

No FreeScout videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to osTicket and FreeScout)
Customer Support
76 76%
24% 24
Help Desk
70 70%
30% 30
Customer Service
75 75%
25% 25
Business & Commerce
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare osTicket and FreeScout

osTicket Reviews

The 20 Best Help Desk Apps and Knowledge Base Tools for Customer Support
Want a free support tool that can run on your own servers? osTicket is the app for you. It's an open source support tool that includes everythingโ€”you can answer support emails, assign tickets to other team members, create support forms, and write your help documentation all on your own server, for free. You can even tweak osTicket, by digging into its code or installing...
Source: zapier.com

FreeScout Reviews

We have no reviews of FreeScout yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, osTicket should be more popular than FreeScout. It has been mentiond 38 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

osTicket mentions (38)

  • Ask HN: Helpdesk/ticketing software for small SaaS company
    You can try osTicket https://osticket.com The UI is very tho dated, but we're working on a rewrite with modern UI. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Looking for a ticketing system
    Check out https://osticket.com/ I used earlier on my career. Itโ€™s free to use it worked great for a small team and it has everything you need. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Help tickets
    We use https://osticket.com/ It's not a groundbreaking ticket system but it's rock solid, user-friendly, and free. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I would like to find a free software for tickets in my household
    Another option, for a dedicated ticketing/helpdesk system, is osTicket. Self-hosted is completely free, and I had it up and running inside of an hour, from creating a fresh Debian LXC, installing Apache/MariaDB/PHP8.1, and uploading the requisite files for osTicket followed by the initial setup. Going off your mention of snaps, I'm assuming you're on Ubuntu or a derivative, if you'd like I should be able to... Source: over 2 years ago
  • MSP opensource ticketing tool -ITSM
    GLPI (https://glpi-project.org/) or osTicket (https://osticket.com/) are open source ticketing systems but I highly doubt they're what a MSP need. You need a PSA. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

FreeScout mentions (13)

  • Show HN: Libredesk โ€“ open-source customer support desk. Single binary app
    Surprised no one has mentioned FreeScout. It's a solid open-source helpdesk: https://freescout.net/. They have cheap, one-time purchase plugins. Happy to pay a bit to keep the project sustainable. I'd love to see an open-source Trello alternative that as well. There are a few out there, but nothing that seems actively maintained. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Yet another hepdesk ticket post...
    I think FreeScout is going to be something to consider. Source: over 2 years ago
  • IT Pro Tuesday #251 - Git UI, Fiber Training, Infosec News & More
    FreeScout is an open-source, self-hosted version of HelpScout that offers complete privacy and control through a PHP/MySQL application that's easy to deploy. This powerful-yet-lightweight help desk and shared inbox can serve as a nice free alternative to Zendesk/HelpScout for providing efficient customer support. Troubleshootmertr recommends it "for ticketing.". Source: over 2 years ago
  • Best IT ticketing management system out there
    I know this gets some hate for not being "pure" open source, but I'm a massive fan of FreeScout (https://freescout.net/). The core is open source, with add-ons you can purchase (one-time purchase per domain). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Self-hosting Standard Notes on a Synology NAS for end-to-end encrypted notes and files
    For a good open source/self hosted software project, please see https://freescout.net/. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing osTicket and FreeScout, you can also consider the following products

Freshdesk - Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer support software that lets you support customers through traditional channels like phone and email, social channels like Facebook and Twitter, and your own branded community

Zendesk - Zendesk is a beautiful, lightweight help-desk solution.

Intercom - Intercom is a customer relationship management and messaging tool for web businesses. Build relationships with users to create loyal customers.

LiveAgent - LiveAgent is a fully-featured live chat and help desk software with AI functions. It harnesses the power of a universal inbox, real-time live chat, built-in call center, and a robust customer service portal. Start your free 1 month trial today!

Zammad - The Zammad - Help Desk and Ticket System - Community Page

tawk.to - tawk.to is a free live chat app that lets you monitor and chat with visitors on your website or from a free customizable page