HESK vs Zammad
| Tagline | Simple PHP help desk with built-in knowledge base for small teams and solo operators | Web-based open-source helpdesk and customer support ticketing system |
| Category | Helpdesk & Support | Helpdesk & Support |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Freshdesk | Zendesk, Freshdesk |
| GitHub stars | 340 | 5.7k |
| Language | PHP | Ruby |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Self-host difficulty | 1/5 Effortless | 4/5 Involved |
| Deploy options | Manual | Docker Compose Kubernetes Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 1 month ago | 5 days ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
HESK
- No multi-agent collaboration features or internal notes visible across teams
- No REST API; integrations must be built against the database directly
- License is source-available for free use but prohibits redistribution
Zammad
- Resource-heavy: needs Elasticsearch plus a database, making setup and ops more demanding
- UI feels dated compared to Zendesk/Intercom
- No native modern live-chat widget on par with Intercom
- Smaller marketplace/integration ecosystem than the incumbents
Bottom line
Choose HESK if you want the lower-effort setup; choose Zammad for the larger community and ecosystem. Zammad has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
HESK
Simple PHP help desk with built-in knowledge base for small teams and solo operators