Andrea Helpdesk vs FreeScout
Andrea Helpdesk
andreahelpdesk.com
FreeScout
freescout.netSide by side
| Figure | Andrea Helpdesk | FreeScout |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Customer Support Software | 8.8 (#4) | 8.7 (#6) |
| Spec score · Help desk software | 8.2 (#41) | 8.7 (#22) |
| API | The product includes a REST API, with documentation covering authentication, tickets, replies, attachments, portal routes, and update endpoints. | The maker lists an API and webhooks module that enables API and webhook features. |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Customer portal | Customers can sign in by email magic link, submit tickets, and view open tickets and history. | Yes |
| The product polls multiple IMAP accounts and supports RFC 5322-compliant threading, quote and signature stripping, inline images, and per-tag sender addresses. | Email integration supports SMTP, IMAP, and POP3, with OAuth authentication for Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace. | |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Help center | Yes | Yes |
| Product | Andrea Helpdesk is a self-hosted customer support platform built as a PHP application. | FreeScout is a free, open-source help desk and shared inbox built with PHP and Laravel. |
| Security | Listed safeguards include role-based access, Firebase JWT session authentication, HMAC-signed attachment downloads, MIME validation, path-traversal protection, and CSRF-safe session handling. | The maker lists an Extra Security module that can add reCAPTCHA to the login form or End-User Portal and restrict access by IP address. |
| Shared inbox | Yes | Yes |
| SLA management | Yes | Yes |
| Support | The pricing page says there is no paid support offering yet and directs users to GitHub issues for help. | For installation or configuration difficulties, the maker directs users to the installation guide troubleshooting section or GitHub. |
| Ticket automation | Yes | Yes |
Plans
In their own words
Andrea Helpdesk
Andrea Helpdesk has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
FreeScout
FreeScout is a free, open-source help desk and shared inbox built with PHP and Laravel. It centralizes conversations from email, WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Slack, and Live Chat, with email support for SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 and OAuth for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. The product includes saved replies, internal notes, auto replies, conversation merging and forwarding, collision detection, and search, alongside SLA management, ticket automation, a help center, and a customer portal. Its free plan lists unlimited support agents, tickets, and mailboxes. FreeScout is self-hosted, and the maker presents this model as a way for organizations to retain control of their service and privacy. The listed platforms include Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted use. The maker says mobile apps support the same functionality and modules as the web installation. Zapier and Make integrations are listed, as is an API and webhooks module. FreeScout says it is translated into 33 languages.