FreeScout
Open-source · self-hostable · replaces 2 SaaS tools on os-alt
freescout-help-desk/freescout · alive · ★ 4.25k · last commit 1d ago · 27 open issues
License: AGPL-3.0
Good fit for Teams who want the closest one-for-one Help Scout clone — same UI vocabulary (Mailbox, Conversation, Customer), same workflows.
Weak at PHP plugin ecosystem is the integration story — extending FreeScout with a non-PHP tool is awkward.
In a terminal? npx -y github:SolvoHQ/os-alt-cli helpscout prints
the Help Scout comparison table including FreeScout.
how the CLI works →
Replaces these SaaS
- Help Scout · Customer support helpdesk / shared inbox
Pull `tiredofit/freescout` (community-maintained image) or use the official install script. FreeScout has a Help Scout Migrate module — point at your Help Scout API token and it pulls mailboxes, conversations, customers, and saved replies. Configure your IMAP/SMTP per-mailbox in Settings → Mailboxes; FreeScout speaks the same shared-inbox model.
- Zendesk · Customer support / helpdesk
Zendesk → admin → Export tickets (CSV/JSON). In FreeScout install the `Zendesk Importer` module and point it at the export. Conversations + agents come over; satisfaction ratings are dropped.
README badges for the SaaS this replaces
Maintainers and forks: drop a badge in your README to link readers from the SaaS-comparison page back to your repo.
