# Zammad — Open-source (AGPLv3) helpdesk and ticketing platform, self-hosted for free or hosted from 9 euros/agent/month.

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified September 15, 2026.

> **Zammad** is an open-source helpdesk platform, released under the GNU AGPLv3 license, that centralizes customer support tickets from email, web forms, SMS, and (on higher tiers) chat, Telegram, Facebook, and WhatsApp into a single agent interface. The AGPLv3 source is publicly available on GitHub, and organizations can self-host it at no licensing cost, an option larger open-source-minded users like Nextcloud have taken.

Zammad also runs a Germany-hosted SaaS offering with GDPR-oriented positioning, priced per agent per month in euros. The Starter tier (9 euros/agent monthly, 7 euros annually) covers up to 5 agents with email, web form, and SMS channels, macros, triggers, and business hours; Professional (18 euros/agent monthly, 16 euros annually) raises the cap to 35 agents and adds chat, Telegram, SLAs, a knowledge base, and optional AI features billed separately at roughly 0.03 euros per AI interaction; and Plus (27 euros/agent monthly, 25 euros annually) removes the agent cap entirely and adds phone support, Facebook and WhatsApp channels, and GitHub/GitLab integration.

For teams that self-host but still want vendor support, Zammad sells response-time-based support contracts separately from the software itself — Business, Enterprise, and Corporation tiers at 2,999 to 9,999 euros per year — rather than gating self-hosted features behind a paywall, which keeps the core self-hosted product fully open.

## Facts

- Website: https://zammad.com
- Pricing: Free (verified undefined NaN, NaN)
- License: Open source
- Platforms: web
- Best for: organizations that want a fully-featured, self-hostable open-source helpdesk under AGPLv3, or a GDPR-compliant hosted alternative to Zendesk priced per agent
- Standout feature: The self-hosted AGPLv3 edition is free with no artificial feature gate, and paid tiers exist only for hosted SaaS convenience or optional vendor support contracts, unlike open-core competitors that lock features behind a paid self-hosted tier.
- Biggest weakness: AI features on the hosted plans are billed separately at roughly 0.03 euros per interaction on top of the per-agent subscription, and phone support is reserved for the top Plus tier, an unlimited-agent plan priced well above the entry Starter tier.
- Third-party ratings: Capterra 4.6/5 (7 reviews)
- Categories: [Customer Support & Live Chat](https://findalternative.to/categories/customer-support)

## Pricing snapshot

| Plan | Price | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Self-hosted (AGPLv3) | $0/mo | Free to self-host from the GitHub source; paid support contracts available separately (2,999-9,999 EUR/year) but not required to use the software. |
| Hosted Starter | Custom | 9 EUR/agent/month billed monthly, 7 EUR/agent/month billed annually; up to 5 agents; email, web form, SMS channels. |
| Hosted Professional | Custom | 18 EUR/agent/month billed monthly, 16 EUR/agent/month billed annually; up to 35 agents; adds chat, Telegram, SLAs, knowledge base, optional AI at ~0.03 EUR/interaction. |
| Hosted Plus | Custom | 27 EUR/agent/month billed monthly, 25 EUR/agent/month billed annually; unlimited agents; adds phone support, Facebook/WhatsApp, GitHub/GitLab integration. |

## Pros and cons

- Pro: AGPLv3 source is free to self-host with no feature paywall separating community and paid editions.
- Pro: GDPR-compliant hosted SaaS option available for teams that don't want to manage their own infrastructure.
- Pro: Wide channel coverage on higher tiers: email, web form, SMS, chat, Telegram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
- Pro: Used at scale by organizations like Amnesty International and Nextcloud, evidence of production readiness.
- Con: AI features are billed per interaction (~0.03 EUR each) on top of the per-agent subscription on hosted plans.
- Con: Phone support requires the top Plus tier, an unlimited-agent plan priced above the Starter tier's per-agent cost.
- Con: Self-hosting requires the organization to manage its own server infrastructure and updates.
- Con: Small review base (7 on Capterra) makes broad sentiment harder to judge than for larger helpdesk vendors.

## AI summary

- Zammad is licensed under the GNU AGPLv3 and free to self-host from its GitHub source.
- Hosted Starter plan costs 9 EUR/agent/month billed monthly (7 EUR annually) for up to 5 agents.
- Hosted Plus plan costs 27 EUR/agent/month billed monthly (25 EUR annually) with unlimited agents and phone support.
- Zammad is used by over 2,000 organizations and 50,000+ users, including Amnesty International and Nextcloud.
- Zammad holds a 4.6/5 rating from 7 reviews on Capterra.
- Best for: organizations wanting a fully-featured, self-hostable open-source helpdesk, or a GDPR-compliant hosted alternative to Zendesk
- Pricing: Free to self-host under AGPLv3; hosted plans from 9 EUR/agent/month billed monthly (7 EUR annually).
- Top alternatives: Zendesk, Freshdesk, Help Scout, osTicket, Chatwoot
- Limitation: AI features on hosted plans are billed separately per interaction.
- Limitation: Phone support requires the top-tier, unlimited-agent Plus plan.
- Limitation: Self-hosting requires managing your own server infrastructure and updates.

## Alternatives

4 vetted alternatives to Zammad: https://findalternative.to/zammad — top picks: Zendesk, Freshdesk, Help Scout

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Markdown mirror of https://findalternative.to/zammad/about — findalternative.to, honestly ranked software alternatives. AI info: https://findalternative.to/ai