Best Self Hosted Alternatives to ServiceNow

Zammad is an open-source helpdesk and customer support platform for managing customer inquiries as tickets across email and other channels. It combines ticketing, automation, knowledge management, and reporting in a web-based interface designed for support desks of many sizes.

Key Features

• Multichannel ticket creation and handling (email plus additional channels via integrations)
• Flexible ticket workflows with groups/roles, assignments, tags, priorities, and states
• SLA management with escalation handling and time tracking
• Automation and macros (triggers/schedulers) to route and act on tickets automatically
• Integrated knowledge base and text modules for consistent replies
• Full-text search and fast filtering for ticket discovery
• Customer and organization management with history/context on interactions
• Integrations and APIs for connecting external systems (REST API, webhooks, and apps)

Use Cases

• Customer support desk for SaaS/IT services managing inbound email and requests
• Internal IT/helpdesk handling incidents, service requests, and SLA-based queues
• Support operations needing automation rules, canned responses, and knowledge articles

Zammad is a strong choice when you need a modern, extensible ticketing system with automation, SLAs, and a built-in knowledge base. It is widely used as a self-managed alternative to commercial helpdesk platforms and integrates well into existing infrastructure via APIs and connectors.

FreeScout is an open source help desk designed for teams that manage customer support through shared email inboxes. It provides a mailbox-centric ticketing workflow similar to commercial tools like Help Scout, focusing on fast email handling, collaboration, and simple operations.

Key Features

• Shared mailboxes with email-to-ticket conversion (IMAP fetching) and outbound replies (SMTP)
• Threaded conversations with customer profiles, notes, and internal discussions
• Team collaboration features including assignments, mentions, and collision detection to avoid duplicate replies
• Productivity tools such as saved replies, tags, custom folders/views, and search
• Automation rules and workflows via modules (e.g., auto-actions) depending on installed extensions
• Multi-user access with roles/permissions and per-mailbox access control
• Extensible module system for adding functionality (official and community modules)
• Web-based UI optimized for support agents and email-first workflows

Use Cases

• Small/medium teams replacing SaaS help desks for support@ or sales@ inboxes
• IT/service teams managing internal requests via email with assignment and tracking
• Organizations needing a simple, mailbox-driven ticket system with optional add-ons

Limitations and Considerations

• Many advanced capabilities are delivered via optional modules; functionality depends on which modules you install
• Email-centric design: teams needing live chat, omnichannel, or deep CRM features may need additional tools

FreeScout fits teams that want a straightforward, email-based help desk with strong collaboration basics and an extendable architecture. It is particularly suitable when shared mailbox workflows are central and simplicity and control over data are priorities.

Libredesk is an open-source helpdesk designed to manage customer support via a clean, lightweight web interface with an email-centric workflow. It focuses on turning inbound support emails into trackable tickets and providing the core tools teams need to triage, assign, and resolve requests.

Key Features

• Email-to-ticket workflow for receiving and tracking inbound support requests
• Ticket management with status/state changes and conversation history
• Agent workflow tools such as assignment and basic organization of requests
• Web-based interface for handling tickets in a shared queue
• Designed to be minimal and straightforward to deploy and operate

Use Cases

• Small teams needing a simple shared support inbox with ticket tracking
• Internal IT/helpdesk handling requests submitted via email
• Projects that want a lightweight helpdesk without a full ITSM suite

Limitations and Considerations

• Feature scope is intentionally minimal compared with enterprise helpdesks (e.g., advanced automations, SLAs, omnichannel, or extensive reporting may be limited)

Libredesk is best suited for individuals or small teams who want an email-first ticketing workflow with a simple UI and minimal operational complexity. If you need advanced ITSM features and deep automation, a more full-featured helpdesk may be a better fit.