New AI Help Desks Awards guide
Best free help desk software in 2026
These six have a free plan with no time limit, or are free to host yourself. A free trial does not count, so products that only offer a trial are not on this list.
Updated November 5, 2026
Help Scout
Best free plan for small teams
Free for 5 users, with one inbox and one Docs site. The most room of any hosted free plan we read.
Free for 5 users, paid from $25 per user a month
Envoy add-on $0.75 per resolution
Help Scout pricing page
Free for 3 users, paid plans priced by region
AI agents included from Express, token based
Zoho Desk pricing page
Crisp
Best flat workspace pricing
Free for 2 seats forever, and every Crisp plan has unlimited conversations.
Chatwoot
Best open source
The hosted Hacker plan is free for 2 agents and 500 conversations, and the Community Edition is free to host yourself.
Cloud free for 2 agents, paid from $19 per agent a month
Captain credits on paid plans, $20 per 1,000 extra
License: MIT outside the enterprise folder
Chatwoot pricing pageFreeScout
Best free shared inbox to host
Free and open source with unlimited agents, if you have a server to run it on.
osTicket
Best long-running ticket system
Free and open source, for plain ticketing on your own server.
HelpRabbit, our first-place pick overall, is not on this list: it has a 14-day free trial and no free plan.
Side by side
| Product | Starts at | Free plan | Trial | AI pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Help Scout | Free for 5 users, paid from $25 per user a month | Yes, 5 users | 15 days | Envoy add-on $0.75 per resolution | Small teams that live in a shared inbox |
| Zoho Desk | Free for 3 users, paid plans priced by region | Yes, 3 users | 15 days | AI agents included from Express, token based | Small teams starting on a free plan |
| Crisp | Free for 2 seats, then $45 a month for 4 | Yes, 2 seats | 14 days | AI credits included on paid plans | Small teams that prefer one price per workspace |
| Chatwoot | Cloud free for 2 agents, paid from $19 per agent a month | Yes, 2 agents and 500 conversations | 15 days | Captain credits on paid plans, $20 per 1,000 extra | Teams that want to host it themselves |
| FreeScout | Free to host yourself | Yes, self-hosted | Not needed | Through modules | Teams with their own server and a small budget |
| osTicket | Free to host yourself | Yes, self-hosted | Not needed | None built in that its pages name | Plain ticketing on your own server |
Prices are list prices in US dollars as shown on November 5, 2026, unless a page says otherwise. They change often, so check the company's page before you decide.
How to choose
- Read the limits on the free plan before you move your customers onto it: seats, inboxes and conversations are the usual ones.
- Self-hosted software is free to license, not free to run. Someone has to keep the server and the updates going.
- AI is rarely included on a free plan, so check whether you need it from day one.
Common questions
Is there a completely free help desk?
Yes. Help Scout, Zoho Desk, Crisp and Chatwoot each have a hosted free plan with limits, and FreeScout, osTicket, Chatwoot Community Edition and Zammad are free to host yourself.
Which free help desk allows the most users?
Among hosted plans we read, Help Scout at 5 users. Self-hosted FreeScout has unlimited agents, though you run the server.