FreeScout hosting in the EU

FreeScout: run your own shared help desk inbox, with tickets, saved replies and a team view of every conversation. On blitz.cloud you install it from the App Store in one click. It gets its own address with HTTPS, 1 GB of storage and the MariaDB it needs, and it runs on servers in the EU. You can run it on the free plan, without a credit card.

A self-hosted alternative to Help Scout and Zendesk

FreeScout does the job of Help Scout or Zendesk, but it is your own copy: your data sits in your app, not in somebody else's account, and nobody changes the price or the rules on you. Self-hosting usually means renting a server and keeping it patched. Here the App Store sets it up and keeps it running.

What it needs

Install it

1. Start the install of FreeScout. Without an account you create one with Google, GitHub or your email.
2. Pick your address, like yourname.blitz.cloud. The app's page in the App Store opens right after.
3. Click Install. It lists what gets created, the database included, and is online about a minute later, at an address like freescout.yourname.blitz.cloud.
4. Sign in at the app's address with the admin email on the Environment tab (ADMIN_EMAIL) and the password below.
5. Add your own mailbox's SMTP and IMAP settings under Manage > Mailboxes so FreeScout can send and fetch mail; it has none of its own.

Deploy button for your README

Do you maintain FreeScout or write about it? Put this button in a README or a post. A click opens FreeScout in the blitz.cloud App Store, ready to install; someone without an account signs up for free first.

[![Deploy on blitz.cloud](https://blitz.cloud/badge/deploy.svg)](https://dashboard.blitz.cloud/store/freescout?src=badge-freescout)

<a href="https://dashboard.blitz.cloud/store/freescout?src=badge-freescout"><img src="https://blitz.cloud/badge/deploy.svg" alt="Deploy on blitz.cloud" width="164" height="28"></a>

Questions

Can I host FreeScout for free?

Yes. The free plan runs it without a card and without an end date. The app sleeps after 30 minutes without visitors, and the next visit wakes it.

Where is my FreeScout data stored?

On blitz.cloud's servers in the EU, run by BlitzWorks, a company in Germany. Once signed in, you can download the data processing agreement as a PDF.

Can I use my own domain for FreeScout?

Yes, on Pro, or on the free plan by making this one app a Pro app. HTTPS for the domain is set up for you.

Is FreeScout backed up?

Its database is backed up every night: 7 nights are kept on the free plan, 30 on Pro. On Pro the app's files are copied every night too.

How does FreeScout get updates?

With automatic updates on, it gets new versions of its version line overnight. If a new version doesn't start, the one before it keeps running.