head to head · open source
Inbox Zero vs Freescout
Inbox Zero has 12,895 GitHub stars, 1,653 forks, 209 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Freescout has 4,628 stars, 741 forks, 29 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Inbox Zero leads on adoption by 179% (12,895 vs 4,628 stars). Inbox Zero is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Freescout is written in PHP under AGPL-3.0. Inbox Zero has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Freescout 16%. Inbox Zero was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Inbox Zero | Freescout | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 13K | ★ 4.6K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 741 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Inbox Zero if
- You weight community size — 13K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Freescout if
- You want the Freescout feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and Freescout fits your workflow better
About Inbox Zero
Inbox Zero your 24/7 AI email assistant Organizes your inbox, pre drafts replies, manages your calendar, and organizes attachments. Chat with it from Slack or Telegram to manage your inbox on the go. Open source alternative to Fyxer, but more customizable and secure. Website · Discord · Issues Mission To help you spend less time in your inbox, so you can focus on what matters most. Features AI Personal Assistant: Organizes your inbox and pre drafts replies in your tone and style. AI Rules for email: Explain in plain English how your AI should handle your inbox. Reply Zero: Track emails to reply to and those…
read the full Inbox Zero overview →
About Freescout
Free Self Hosted Zendesk & Help Scout Alternative FreeScout is the super lightweight and powerful free open source help desk and shared inbox built with PHP (Laravel framework). Now you can enjoy free Zendesk & Help Scout without giving up privacy or locking yourself into a service you don't control. FreeScout has been developed from scratch and does not use any copyrighted Help Scout or Zendesk materials. If you want to support the project feel free to star this repository . It helps to increase the visibility of the project and let people know that it is valuable. Thanks for your support! Table of Contents…
read the full Freescout overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Inbox Zero or Freescout more popular?
Inbox Zero has 12,895 GitHub stars and Freescout has 4,628. Inbox Zero has the larger community by that measure.
Are Inbox Zero and Freescout free?
Both are open source. Inbox Zero has no licence declared in this registry, and Freescout is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Inbox Zero and Freescout?
Inbox Zero is written in TypeScript and Freescout in PHP. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Inbox Zero or Freescout?
Choose Inbox Zero if you want the larger community (12,895 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Freescout if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.