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
Get this app — pick a BluixApps plan
Same catalog. Scaling tenant isolation, white-label and support tier.
| Tier | Tenants | Catalog | Support | White-label | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stacks | 1 | 19 curated stacks | Standard | — | $19/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Starter | 10 | Full catalog | Standard | +$15–25/mo | $49/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Pro | 25 | Full catalog | Priority bugfix | +$15–25/mo | $149/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Growth | 100 | Full catalog | Priority bugfix | +$15–25/mo | $349/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Scale | 500 | Full catalog | 7-day window | +$15–25/mo | $799/mo | DetailDeploy |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | Full catalog | Priority 7-day | Bundled | $1,499/mo | DetailDeploy |