Freescout

App in the BluixApps catalog

What it is

FreeScout is a self-hosted help desk / shared inbox — turn email support into team-managed conversations with assignments, internal notes, canned responses, status tracking. PHP/Laravel-based. The OSS alternative to Help Scout, Front, and similar email-based support tools.

For support teams using shared Gmail accounts and missing assignments and tracking, FreeScout is the structured upgrade.

What it's for

  • Email-based customer support — shared inbox for support@yourco
  • Team collaboration on tickets — assignments + internal notes
  • Canned responses — speed common replies
  • Multi-mailbox — separate inboxes per product / team
  • Customer history — see all past tickets for a contact

Who it's for

  • Small support teams outgrowing shared Gmail
  • SaaS companies managing customer email support
  • E-commerce handling order-related inquiries
  • Privacy-bound orgs keeping customer email on-prem
  • Cost-conscious teams paying Help Scout / Front fees

Why teams pick FreeScout over alternatives

  • AGPLv3 — fully open
  • Email-first — designed around email, not chat
  • Customer view — full history per customer
  • Module marketplace — extend with auto-tagging, integrations
  • Mobile-friendly — responsive UI for on-the-go support
  • Active development — frequent releases

Integrations

  • Email — IMAP / SMTP for any provider (Gmail, M365, custom)
  • Authentication — local + LDAP + SAML
  • Auto-replies — out-of-office + initial response templates
  • Slack / Discord — notifications on new tickets
  • API — REST API for programmatic access
  • Modules — Auto-Reply, Workflows, Custom Fields, paid modules
  • Webhooks — fire on ticket events

Notable users & community

  • 3k+ GitHub stars
  • Used by indie SaaS, e-commerce, small consultancies
  • Active forum
  • Backed by FreeScout Network with Premium modules
  • Featured in Help Scout-alternative roundups

Tips & operations

  • Set OAuth for Gmail — modern Gmail requires OAuth, not password
  • Define workflows — auto-assign by tags / mailbox / sender
  • Canned responses early — saves significant agent time
  • Permissions per mailbox — different teams see different inboxes
  • Backup MySQL + attachments — both essential
  • Module discipline — too many modules slow the UI

What we ship in BluixApps

  • Docker compose: FreeScout + MariaDB + cron
  • Pinned tiredofit/freescout:latest
  • HTTPS via Let's Encrypt
  • Admin user via env config
  • Persistent volumes for MariaDB + attachments
  • SMTP + IMAP configured per inbox
  • Backup hook covers MariaDB + attachments
Read this app's deep dive on bluix.app ↗

Get this app — pick a BluixApps plan

Same catalog. Scaling tenant isolation, white-label and support tier.

TierTenantsCatalogSupportWhite-labelMonthly
Stacks119 curated stacksStandard$19/moDetailDeploy
Starter10Full catalogStandard+$15–25/mo$49/moDetailDeploy
Pro25Full catalogPriority bugfix+$15–25/mo$149/moDetailDeploy
Growth100Full catalogPriority bugfix+$15–25/mo$349/moDetailDeploy
Scale500Full catalog7-day window+$15–25/mo$799/moDetailDeploy
EnterpriseUnlimitedFull catalogPriority 7-dayBundled$1,499/moDetailDeploy

Powered by WHMCompleteSolution