Zammad
A serious ticket desk with email, chat, SLAs and a knowledge base; setup is the first ticket.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-11
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Open Source)
- License
- AGPL-3.0
- Hosting Model
- Self-host (your server)
- Platforms
- webself-hostedself-host, real ops
- Installation
- Deploy the Docker Compose/Portainer stack or install supported Linux packages
- Operational Setup
- A comparatively large server and familiarity with Docker/Portainer, PostgreSQL and Elasticsearch
- Where Your Data Lives
- Ticket and user data in PostgreSQL, search indexes in Elasticsearch, and attachments/backups in Docker volumes or server storage
- The Catch / Trade-off
- It demands substantially more infrastructure and administration than Freshdesk's hosted service.
Replaces 9 paid apps
up to $201/mo ($2,412/yr) in subscriptions
Zammad FAQ
Common questions
Is Zammad free and open source?+
Zammad is an open-source tool licensed under AGPL-3.0 that runs on self-host. A serious ticket desk with email, chat, SLAs and a knowledge base; setup is the first ticket.
What paid software does Zammad replace?+
Zammad serves as a free replacement for 9 paid SaaS applications: Freshdesk, Front, Groove, Help Scout, Hiver, Intercom, LiveChat, Missive, Zendesk, saving up to $201/month ($2,412/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up Zammad?+
Installation: Deploy the Docker Compose/Portainer stack or install supported Linux packages. Setup notes: A comparatively large server and familiarity with Docker/Portainer, PostgreSQL and Elasticsearch
What is the catch or trade-off with Zammad?+
It demands substantially more infrastructure and administration than Freshdesk's hosted service.