FreeScout vs Vision Helpdesk
FreeScout
freescout.netVision Helpdesk
visionhelpdesk.comSide by side
| Figure | FreeScout | Vision Helpdesk |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $8/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 17 |
| Spec score · Customer Service - Midmarket Software | 8.8 (#6) | 8.6 (#9) |
| Spec score · Customer Support Software | 8.7 (#6) | 8.6 (#9) |
| Spec score · Help desk software | 8.7 (#22) | 8.4 (#28) |
| Integrations | The maker lists Zapier and Make for connecting FreeScout to other services. | Listed integrations include Facebook, Twitter, Google Workspace, Office 365, Exchange, Active Directory, PayPal, Drupal, WHMCS, Clientexec, Twilio, WordPress, SugarCRM and HostBill. |
| Security | 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. | The security page describes HTTPS and TLS encryption in transit, configurable IP restrictions, two-factor authentication, and ISO 27001:2022 certification. |
Plans
Vision Helpdesk
- Starter Help Desk SaaS$15 a month
- Pro Help Desk SaaS$25 a month
- Starter Help Desk Download$8 a month
- Pro Help Desk Download$16 a month
- Satellite Help Desk SaaS$30 a month
- Pro Service Desk SaaS$40 a month
- Ent Service Desk SaaS$60 a month
- Starter Help Desk — Download recurring$810 a month
- Starter Help Desk — SaaS$1,215 a month
- Pro Help Desk — Download recurring$1,620 a month
In their own words
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.
Vision Helpdesk
Vision Helpdesk offers Help Desk, Satellite Help Desk, Service Desk, and Live Chat products for customer service and IT support. Help Desk gathers conversations from email, web portal, Twitter, Facebook, phone, chat, and API into tickets, with workflow rules, SLAs, escalations, round-robin assignment, dispatch, and automatic closure. Satellite Help Desk supports multiple companies, brands, or products through one staff portal and separate branded customer portals, with database-level data isolation. Service Desk covers IT assets and CMDB alongside incident, problem, change, release, knowledge-base, and service-catalog management. Live Chat includes routing, escalation rules, customizable widgets, canned responses, and reports. The suite includes a shared inbox, help center, customer portal, ticket automation, and API access. It is available as cloud SaaS or an on-premises download, with web, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android listed. Annual-billed Help Desk options list Starter Download at $8 a month, Pro Download at $16 a month, Starter SaaS at $12 a month, and Pro SaaS at $20 a month. Plans include one agent seat. A 30-day trial is offered; customer-data encryption at rest requires the Advanced Security Add-on.