Best Open Source Helpdesk Software 2021

6 min read
Vlad Kovalskiy
December 5, 2019
Last updated: April 5, 2023
Best Open Source Helpdesk Software 2021

You definitely can’t do customer support like it’s 1998, so many are wondering what the top open source help desk software options are nowadays. Good thing you have got us to do the dirty job of sifting through various open source help desk software solutions and picking the ones that will work best for you.

As a result of our little research, we have compiled a list of the top 7 open source help desk software solutions for you. It was not easy but hey, it never is. To help you understand why we chose the solution we chose, here are our main criteria for making the list.

First, we consider free options as well, because, with high per agent pricing, some helpdesk software becomes very expensive, very quickly (did someone say “Zendesk”?) And frankly, there are some free open source help desk software solutions that can do so much better than expensive ones.

Next, we are including some of the open source help desk software solutions that are not strictly helpdesk software but feature much more tools. Still, you can neglect the rest of their functionality and use just the helpdesk part (however, we strongly recommend you don’t since some of the tools on the list can seriously expand your capabilities).

Finally, we are only including omnichannel helpdesk and ticketing solutions because many folks do not want to call, email is too slow, so they turn to Facebook or want to have their problem resolved in real time via a chat.

Bitrix24: Features, Price

Price: Free for unlimited users on the free plan, some advanced features may not be available


Yes, we are biased - not only is Bitrix24 free, but it’s also a unique combination of a customer relationship management solution and a modern open source help desk software. Multichannel contact center in Bitrix24 supports inbound and outbound calls, emails, website forms, messengers (WhatsApp, Facebook, Viber, Telegram, WeChat, etc), and social networks (FB and Instagram).

Bots and canned replies are available, which is really important if you have to deal with a large number of incoming inquiries or your support staff is limited. Another unique feature is the ability to create multiple support channels in Bitrix24 (ex. regular support and premium support). Each channel can have specific routing rules, workhour settings, auto actions, response time, etc.

Another great feature is the built-in telephony (not available on the free plan, however). If you have got a phone number people can use to call your business, you can make it really work for you with Bitrix24.

Using Bitrix24 Telephony, you can receive and make calls from any place using just your laptop and a headset, have your incoming calls automatically registered and turned into deals in your CRM, use Interactive Voice Response and smart call routing to never put your clients on hold.

For more information about the Bitrix24 Contact Center, please head over to their official website (or you can read all about this here). And, since Bitrix24 is the only free helpdesk software on the list, be sure to try it first.

Intercom: Features, Price

Price: from $87/mo per two seats

Intercom

Intercom position themselves as “the Business Messenger you and your customers will love”, which is partly true - it is indeed a solid business messenger and your customer might enjoy it but whether you will love it or not depends on how much money you can afford to spend on open source help desk software.

Intercom is expensive and can easily run into several hundred dollars a month even for a small customer support team. Still, many swear by Intercom, because of the simplicity. Intercom makes it simple and easy to connect with clients. Clients want to feel valued and with Intercom, you can personalize each message and even attach helpful articles to make the interaction with the client feel more human.

That being said, Intercom offers a great automation system that lets clients know the availability of your support team and sends out automated messages to let the client know their request is being processed. Intercom makes it simple and easy to gather data on your clients and create a profile that will help you help your client in the future. Overall, a really solid open source help desk software.

Zendesk: Features, Price

Price: from $89/mo per agent for ZSuite

Zendesk

Zendesk used to mean helpdesk for many businesses in North America. After all, this open source help desk software was launched way back in 2009 and grew into a 2,000+ employee powerhouse. Pricing definitely plays against Zendesk, but if you are looking for customization, this is the help desk software for you.

Zendesk gives you the ability to fully customize your help desk from custom headers and footers to custom logo branding. Zendesk will integrate all your social media platforms so you can always stay in touch with your clients. In addition to that Zendesk will also help you connect with your clients and make sure you never miss a beat.

Front: Features, Price

Price: starting from $9/mo

Front

At its core, Front is a shared inbox. It’s not a full-featured open source help desk software solution, but it’s great for businesses when most client inquiries can be successfully resolved by sharing emails with co-workers. Beyond email, Front is capable of integrating all of your communication methods into one place.

No longer waste time on switching from inbox to inbox, pulling up text messages, or any other messages; Everything is available to you and your team on one simple platform. Not only will Front make your team more efficient, but will create customizable reports so you can track and analyze your customer experience. Front is a nice piece of open source help desk software to get you and your team more efficient and productive.

Freshdesk: Features, Price

Price: Free/Sprout Version

Freshworks

Billed as poor man’s Zendesk, Freshdesk proudly took the title on and tried to offer Zendesk-like services for half the price. The strategy seems to work. While you get hardly anything with the free plan, if you are willing to spend $15 per agent per month, you can now offer support to your clients simply and easier than before.

Never miss or forget about a client and respond faster with Freshdesk’s automation tools. The team dashboard gives you access to your whole team in one place. See what each team member is working on and who and how he is helping each client. If you are looking for a simple and affordable open source help desk software, Freshdesk will improve your help desk communication.

HubSpot: Features, Price

Price: starting from $50/mo

Hubspot.png

Hubspot features a tool called Service Hub that is their best attempt at open source help desk software. And a solid tool that is! Service Hub helps you to get all the customer data and channels together and also scale your support. Additional automation and self-service features provide a great deal of help when handling a lot of customer requests.

As a result, you get customers who are more satisfied. And if you throw the HubSpot CRM platform in the mix, your customer support specialists can provide even better service.

HelpDeskZ: Features, Price

Price: free

HelpDeskZ.png

HelpDeskZ is free PHP-based software that allows its users to manage their customer support via a web-based support ticket system. Arguably, the most basic tool on the list, HelpDeskZ does not boast any mind-blowing features or amazing integrations.

However, what it has works well and would probably satisfy 90% of businesses out there. And if you consider the free version, HelpDeskZ looks like a really solid solution.

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Table of Content
Bitrix24: Features, Price Intercom: Features, Price Zendesk: Features, Price Front: Features, Price Freshdesk: Features, Price HubSpot: Features, Price HelpDeskZ: Features, Price
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