Zammad
Open-source helpdesk and ticketing system with omnichannel support
About Zammad
Zammad is an open-source helpdesk and customer support platform that consolidates interactions from email, chat, phone, social media (Twitter, Facebook), and web forms into a single ticketing system. Built for teams that need flexible deployment options, Zammad offers both cloud-hosted and self-hosted editions with full source code access under the AGPL license. The platform features automated ticket routing, customizable triggers and escalation rules, SLA management, time tracking, knowledge base, and comprehensive reporting. Zammad's AI features provide ticket summaries with intent detection, key points, and sentiment analysis. With a clean web interface, full-text search across all communication channels, and integrations with popular tools, Zammad serves as a powerful open-source alternative to Zendesk and Freshdesk for businesses of all sizes.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Fully open-source (AGPL) with free self-hosted community edition
- True omnichannel support — email, chat, phone, and social media in one inbox
- Clean, intuitive web interface that displays information logically
- Flexible deployment: cloud-hosted or self-hosted on your own infrastructure
- Affordable hosted plans starting at just ¤7/agent/month
- Powerful automation with customizable triggers, rules, and escalations
Cons
- Initial setup can be complex, especially for self-hosted deployments
- Some basic functions require multiple clicks to accomplish
- AI features incur additional per-call charges on top of plan pricing
- Client-side interface could use design improvements
- Self-hosted community edition lacks official support
Key Features
Omnichannel support: email, chat, phone, social media, and web forms in one place
Open-source (AGPL) with self-hosted and cloud-hosted options
Automated ticket routing with customizable triggers and escalation rules
AI-powered ticket summaries with intent, sentiment, and next steps
Built-in knowledge base for self-service support
SLA management with escalation tracking
Full-text search across all tickets and communication channels
Time tracking and reporting with analytics dashboards
Customer support ticket management
Use case
IT helpdesk and internal support
Use case
Multi-channel customer communication
Use case
Support team performance tracking
Use case
Self-service knowledge base
Use case
SLA compliance monitoring
Use case
Email (IMAP/SMTP) integration
Integration
Twitter/X integration
Integration
Facebook integration
Integration
Telegram integration
Integration
Slack integration
Integration
Microsoft 365 integration
Integration
LDAP/Active Directory integration
Integration
SSO/SAML integration
Integration
REST API integration
Integration
AWS Marketplace integration
Integration
Pricing
- Full open-source (AGPL license)
- Self-hosted deployment
- Core ticketing and channels
- Community support
- Unlimited agents
- Cloud-hosted by Zammad
- Email and web form channels
- Knowledge base
- Reporting and analytics
- Standard support
- All Starter features
- Live chat support channel
- Custom branding
- SLA management
- Advanced automation
- All Professional features
- AI ticket summaries
- Priority support
- Advanced integrations
- Custom fields and objects
Featured In
7 Best Open-Source Customer Support Platforms You Can Self-Host (2026)
Best open-source helpdesk for email-centric support — superior ticketing, SLA management, and full-text search for teams that prioritize structured workflows over real-time chat
Zendesk Alternatives Without Per-Agent Seat Pricing (2026)
Best for internal IT and B2B support teams that need Zendesk Professional/Enterprise features without the $100+/agent/month price tag.