Top 20 Best Open Source Help Desk Software (Pros and Cons)
Top 20 Best Open Source Help Desk Software (Pros and Cons). Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) need all the help they can get. One force multiplier they can use is an open source help desk software solution to handle their ticket management as well as after sales customer services. This type of software solution is free to use and as we shall soon see, can handle many business critical tasks.
And so, without further ado, here is our list of the top 20 best open source help desk software with pros and cons:
Top 20 Best Open Source Help Desk Software
First on the list of our top 20 Best Open Source Help Desk Software is Freshdesk. Software was built with ease in mind and it allows for collaborative work among agents. This is perhaps the only free open source tool with AI running in the background.
Pros: Ticket field suggester, custom ticket status, Artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbot capabilities and self service support portal for support agents and customers. The setup is very intuitive, easy and fast.
Cons: While it is a great tool to start with, most of the best features are only included in higher, paid plans. Other cons are slow bug fix and not a lot of customization for access and roles for users .
Download Freshdesk here.
HelpSpot is a help desk solution that has many features: ticket creation, user experience, automated response, ticket collaboration. Businesses that use will be aware that this tool helps to cover everything from ticket management to reporting and SLA flow automation.
Pros: Workflows with triggers and rules, servs up to three agent and it provides unlimited tickets
HelpSpot offers flexible, well documented installation options, and has a knowledge base.
Cons: More features and an aesthetic look would make the dashboard much more intuitive and helpful tool.
Download HelpSpot here.
osTicket offers a free open source ticket management and customer support solution for companies of all sizes, particularly small and medium businesses.. It is easy to customize. It comes with features that simplifies tasks for users to do their jobs. Such features include ticket locking, for example, which prevents agents from working on the same ticket unawares. Other features are: Ticket Filters, Agent Collision Avoidance, Auto Respond and more.
Pros: Intuitive, easy to use and master; features: agent, ticket reassignment or referral, SLA Planning. Other benefits are: User, Role and Access Management, Ticket Collaboration and Customer Portal.
Cons: The UI and layout could use a more modern look, it does not follow framework construction ( difficult customization) and no app for the eCommerce and marketplace yet.
Download osTicket here.
Although Free Help Desk Software looks like a college project that wasn’t even completed, it is surprisingly adept at helping users deliver help desk services in an SMB environment.
Pros: it is light, basic and can work on any device thanks to it being a web application.
Cons: It is dated and the interface shows it – it won’t be suitable for a larger client.
Download Free Help Desk Software here.
HelpDeskZ is free, PHP developed and web based ticketing system. This makes it light, non resource intensive and ideal for SMBs. Features are: Query management and bulk actions, custom templates and fields and Mail and message piping.
Pros: All emails and tickets of customers in one place, in one app, makes it easy to handle issues effectively; it is made better with email piping.
Cons: Low UX – it could do with easier changing of views and the UI does need a bit getting used to.
Download HelpDeskZ here.
UVDesk is full of features that help with ticket management. Examples include setting priorities, tagging, agent assignment, and collaboration. It also has insightful reports for KPIs and ticket resolution statistics, to name a few.
Pros: Easy to use,can be used as SaaS and great for e commerce. it integrates with numerous applications and can create tickets directly from emails. Other benefits include: Ticket Administration, Email Management.
Cons: The error messages the software throws could be a bit confusing – might take expertise to decode them. Also some issues exist with mail routing and automation.
Download UVDesk here.
Zammad is a complete help desk solution that enables users to not only deliver better customer service but also offers them more outreach methods by integrating with popular platforms like Slack, Facebook, and Microsoft 365.
Pros: Web-based and integrates with numerous third-party solutions. it is a web ticketing solution with real multitasking and real time notifications, Autosave, bundle or split tickets, CSV Import of users and core workflows.
Cons: Limited reach as it is suited more for smaller businesses and doesn’t run Windows or OS X servers.
Download Zammad here.
Sinergia is a help desk solution developed in ASP.NET. It encompasses all features needed workflow resolution and Windows Communication and for an effective ticket resolution solution. Windows UI users will find it very easy to master.
Pros: Has a knowledge base and well-documented for building support team confidence. It benefits users with ticket management solution, Claims management and order tracking.
Cons: The software could be outdated and not compatible with modern technology.
Download Sinergia here.
Liberum Help Desk is a browser-based help desk solution for SMBs. Best suited for small to medium IT departments and service providers. It has features like AD authentication, text alerting for critical tickets.
Pros: Web based, easy to use, light on the network. It has Active Directory authentication available, full web based interface that runs on IIS, e-mail notifications and you can report on where your time is spent.
Cons: Microsoft SQL Server or Access is required. Other cons are limited features and communication channels and no regular updates are available.
Download Liberum Help Desk from the home page or here.
Another tool on our list of Top 20 Best Open Source Help Desk Software is Hesk. It is a good choice for SMBs looking for a help desk solution that offers features like a self service portal, a knowledge base and asset management. It can be deployed on premises or in the cloud.
Pros: Ticket categorization and prioritization and archiving of emails to keep track of closed tickets; also has a knowledgebase for enabling support teams and generates staff performance reports.
Cons: The interface is a bit confusing and overcrowded and the user community is not so wide.
Download Hesk here.
FreeScout has advanced features like spam filtering, email commands, conversation merging and satisfaction rating – to name just a few. other pros are: LDAP integration, Kanban boards, auto replies and moving conversations between mailboxes.
Pros: Mobile apps for both Android and iOS, push notifications and alerts for support staff.
Cons: Not enough information or statistics available to show KPIs or resolution rates
Download FreeScout from the home page or here.
Helpy allows users to manage their tickets professionally. Security features like single sign-on (SSO), IP whitelisting, and cloud deployment make it a secure help desk tool.
Pros: It has detailed reports as well as data on agents’ performance
Cons: Free for 3 agents only – can’t be used effectively in a small business environment, also it seems in constant progress and some features are missing .
Download Helpy here.
OpenSupports is a tool with a responsive design allowing it to be used on any device. It is a complete solution with various reports, agent assignment capabilities, department tagging of tickets, and much more.
Pros: Lightweight, easy to use, and serves basic purposes – use if you need the minimum. Benefits: Custom Responses, CSV Import, Registration API Keys and Wiki.
Cons: Lots of features missing – a simple example being its inability to sort tickets by date (or any other field).
Download OpenSupports here.
DiamanteDesk stands out in the fact that it integrates with major CRM, e commerce, and bug tracking solutions like Shopify and Jira.
Pros: Detailed reporting, inclusive and clean dashboard, allows for detailed control of tickets. other pros are: email integration, inbox queue management, Ticket Management , ticket storage and automated routing.
Cons: Tickets assignments could use a little flexibility on the backend – perhaps they could remain unassigned until an agent picks it up; user management could be easier
Download DiamanteDesk here.
Spiceworks is a cloud hosted help desk tool which means there is no need for investing in infrastructure. It has reports, monitors, alerts, custom ticket attributes, and ticket rules – everything expected in a complete ticketing solution.
Pros: Works well as web, Windows, and mobile tool for monitoring tickets; free forever, created with businesses in mind. Other pros: Access controls/permissions, remote access, Inventory Management, Active Directory.
Cons: It supports MS Windows only. So, if you have a Linux, then it is not compatible.
Download Spiceworks here.
Request Tracker (RT) allows for emails sent to generic addresses like support@, sales@, helpdesk@, and security@ for full coverage of raised tickets.RT is iissue tracking system , help desk ticketing, customer service, workflow processes, change management, network operations. It has integration with Active Directory, SAML and other authentication systems.
Pros: This is a good solution for SMBs; it is extendable, customizable and optimized for mobile use.
Cons: The free version has a fewer features than the premium one – but, that is only if we had to list a con.
Download Request Tracker (RT) here.
GLPI is another advanced help desk and ticket management tool for handling tickets, drafting SLAs, and asset management. It can be used as an inventory control tool for all digital assets on a network. It has CMDB to manage hardware, software and data centers.
Pros: Both application and cloud versions are available
Cons: The interface can be a bit rough around the edges and it is dated and the use of server disk space can be high depending on the configurations and error logs.
Download GLPI here.
Faveo Helpdesk is a self hosted and web based ticket management system. It is easy to install, use and manage. It has a knowledge base for shared information, is customizable and integrates with social media and office productivity platforms for a more branded appearance.
Pros: There is a great response (support) team to tackle any issues clients might face. Other pros are: SEO Friendly url, Ticket and SLA Management, Ticket rating and ticket merging,.
Cons: It could be a bit buggy when updates are applied – configurations could be wiped or reset
Download Faveo Helpdesk here.
OTOBO is an open source helpdesk solution with ticket management, custom reports, templates and multichannel communication. It is a tool that impresses with its clean, modern and professional UI. It has security integrated into it as well as extended functionalities like live search for quick retrieval of tickets, integration with major corporate systems and insightful reporting capabilities.
Pros: Light, web based and easy to use; it has detailed, yet uncluttered dashboards for easy administration.
Cons: The default font and placing of dashboard reports could be a little hard on the eyes, but that is just aesthetics.
Download OTOBO here.
Last of top 20 Best Open Source Help Desk Software is KIX. It is a solution that can be applied in many processes: procurement requests, management of vacation requests and employee on and off boarding with main aim of being a help desk solution.
Pros: This is a highly customizable tool that, apart from the helpdesk solution, comes with many features to help a business with its IT needs – check out its add-ons
Cons: The only issue we could find with this tool is that it isn’t popular yet, this could present a challenge for users looking to resolve issues by going online.
Download KIX here.
Top 20 Best Open Source Help Desk Software Conclusion
Help Desk Software tool is essential for an enterprise or a business to be considered. It simplifies the business operating process, saves resources and time, making the enterprise completely efficient. Help desk software lead to efficiency and profitability to the businesses. It assists the consumers by allowing interaction with businesses with their desired form of medium.
Although the top 20 open source help desk software can help with your ticketing and issue handling processes, we still recommend that you seek professional expertise during installation and even with their management. Contact us for advice on how we can help you.
