Audyense
Zammad
Customer Support · zammad.com
Overview
Zammad is a web-based open-source helpdesk and ticketing system that consolidates email, web forms, chat, SMS, Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook and phone/CTI into a single ticket queue. It is available as a free AGPLv3 self-hosted edition and as a paid per-agent cloud subscription hosted in German data centres, with SLAs, a multilingual knowledge base, triggers/macros, and a documented REST API. Zammad GmbH also sells annual support subscriptions for organisations that self-host.
The problem Zammad solves
Support and IT teams that want to consolidate email, chat, SMS and social messages into one ticket queue usually face a choice between paying per-agent SaaS fees forever or running something they cannot control. Zammad solves that by shipping the same multi-channel helpdesk — tickets, SLAs, knowledge base, triggers and macros, REST API — as both a free AGPLv3 edition you host yourself and a per-agent cloud subscription in German data centres. The trade-off is real: self-hosting removes the per-agent bill but requires sysadmin capacity for a PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch and Redis stack.
Decision context
Use these points to test whether the product fits your operation, not just whether it has a long feature list.
- Published starting price: Free. Confirm user, usage, and feature limits for the plan you would actually buy.
- Deployment: cloud, on_premise. Check security, data-residency, and access requirements for every team that will use it.
- Verified integrations include Microsoft 365, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Teams, LDAP / Active Directory, GitHub, GitLab. Validate sync direction and plan limits for the connections that matter.
- This record was last checked on 7/24/2026; pricing and features can change.
How to evaluate Zammad
A listing helps create a shortlist; a trial with the team’s real workflow decides whether the tool fits. Use this reading with the structured facts and confirm changes with the vendor.
Workflow fit
The record describes it as a fit for IT service desks and internal support teams that need on-premise control or data residency over their ticket data, Cost-sensitive SMBs and growing support teams that want to avoid per-agent SaaS pricing by self-hosting, European organisations that need a GDPR-aligned, German-hosted helpdesk with a signed DPA and ISO 27001-certified hosted tiers. Check that this context matches the volume, roles, and processes your team needs it to support.
Pilot questions
- Can Zammad complete the critical workflow without manual work outside the product?
- Do the recorded connections (Microsoft 365, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Teams, LDAP / Active Directory) support the sync direction, permissions, and volume we need?
- What user, usage, storage, support, or security limits appear after the headline starting price?
Evidence and freshness
This record was checked on 7/24/2026. That date tells you when the record was reviewed, not that the vendor has left its terms unchanged since then.
Best for
- IT service desks and internal support teams that need on-premise control or data residency over their ticket data
- Cost-sensitive SMBs and growing support teams that want to avoid per-agent SaaS pricing by self-hosting
- European organisations that need a GDPR-aligned, German-hosted helpdesk with a signed DPA and ISO 27001-certified hosted tiers
Not a fit if
- MSPs needing a full PSA suite — Zammad has no billing, contracts, CMDB, asset management, RMM or dispatch
- Teams that need deep out-of-the-box analytics and automated CSAT surveys without building custom attributes or bolting on Grafana/Kibana
Why it’s listed
- One of the few mature open-source helpdesks offering a genuinely free AGPLv3 self-hosted edition alongside a commercial hosted subscription, so buyers can trade infrastructure work against per-agent cost.
- Covers email, web form, SMS, chat, Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook and phone/CTI in a single ticket queue, with SLAs, a multilingual knowledge base, triggers/macros and a documented REST API.
- Hosted plans run exclusively in German data centres with a data processing agreement, and Zammad states the Professional and Plus tariffs are ISO 27001 certified — relevant for GDPR-sensitive buyers.
Pricing
Community (self-hosted)
FreeThe full open-source edition under AGPLv3, downloaded from zammad.org and run on your own servers at no software cost.
- Unlimited agents, no per-seat licensing
- Full ticketing, knowledge base, triggers, schedulers and macros
- REST API and webhooks
- Source, Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS and Docker installers
- Community support only — you manage hosting, updates and infrastructure
Starter v2 (hosted)
€7 per agent / monthEntry hosted plan for up to 5 agents, billed annually (EUR 9 per agent/month if billed monthly).
- Max. 5 agents
- Channels: email, web form, SMS
- Text modules, macros, triggers, schedulers, business hours
- Ticket history, mentions/watch, multilingualism, branding
- 10 MB attachments + 20 GB disk space
Professional v2 (hosted)
€16 per agent / monthMid-tier hosted plan for up to 35 agents, billed annually (EUR 18 per agent/month if billed monthly).
- Max. 35 agents
- Channels: email, web form, SMS, chat, Telegram
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
- Knowledge Base (monolingual)
- Optional AI features
- 35 MB attachments + 50 GB disk space
Plus v2 (hosted)
€25 per agent / monthTop hosted plan with unlimited agents and all channels, billed annually (EUR 27 per agent/month if billed monthly).
- Unlimited agents
- Channels: email, web form, SMS, chat, Telegram, Facebook, WhatsApp
- Core Workflows
- Knowledge Base (multilingual)
- Deeper reporting
- 50 MB attachments + 150 GB disk space
Business (self-hosted support)
€2,999 per year, flatEntry annual support subscription for organisations running Zammad on their own infrastructure.
- Vendor support for self-managed installations
- Software remains the free open-source edition
- Flat annual fee, not per agent
Enterprise (self-hosted support)
€5,999 per year, flatMid annual support subscription for self-hosted deployments.
- Higher support tier than Business
- Software remains the free open-source edition
- Flat annual fee, not per agent
Corporation (self-hosted support)
€9,999 per year, flatTop annual support subscription for large self-hosted deployments.
- Highest self-hosted support tier
- Software remains the free open-source edition
- Flat annual fee, not per agent
Features
Integrations
Security & compliance
Pros & cons
Pros
- Modern, intuitive agent interface that reviewers repeatedly rate as easier to onboard than legacy systems such as OTRS
- Free self-hosted open-source edition with no per-agent licensing; Capterra reviewers scored Value for Money 5.0 out of 5
- Genuine multi-channel consolidation — email, chat, SMS and social channels land in one queue rather than separate tools
- Strong automation (triggers, schedulers, macros, Core Workflows) plus LDAP/Active Directory integration and a documented REST API
Cons
- Built-in reporting and analytics lack depth; custom reports take extra effort and deeper analysis is typically pushed to Grafana or Kibana
- Self-hosting footprint is substantial — PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, Redis and a Ruby stack that fewer technicians can debug
- Performance degrades as ticket volume grows, per multiple reviewers
- Customer-facing portal is less polished than commercial rivals, and search syntax requires expertise to retrieve historical tickets efficiently
What we found
Reviewers consistently praise the modern, intuitive agent interface, the consolidation of multiple channels into one queue, and the value of a free self-hosted open-source edition with no per-agent fees. Recurring criticism centres on shallow built-in reporting, search syntax that takes expertise, slowdowns as ticket volume grows, and a self-hosting stack (PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, Redis, Ruby) that demands real sysadmin capacity.
Ratings and review counts come from public review platforms. We link to the original source and keep the underlying review text out of this profile.
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