Early-stage support splits into three free routes: forever-free tiers with agent or volume caps (Help Scout 5 users and 100 contacts a month, Zoho Desk 3 agents, Crisp and Chatwoot cloud 2 agents, Tidio 10 seats and 50 conversations, HubSpot 2 users), tawk.to’s unusual unlimited free plan funded by branding removal and hired agents, and the open-source helpdesks — Chatwoot (MIT), FreeScout (AGPL), osTicket (GPL) — with no caps if you host them. The startup programmes are not free but close: Intercom takes 93% off year one and Zendesk gives six months to two years of its Professional suite. Prices are USD and were checked on 24 October 2026. For a wider comparison of ticketing tools, see Free Helpdesk & Ticketing Software. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free support tool that fits
- A real shared inbox for a founding team, no card: Help Scout Free — 5 users, 1 inbox, a Docs site, 100 contacts helped a month.
- Unlimited live chat, ticketing and a knowledge base free: tawk.to — free for life with branding; $29 a month to remove it.
- Email ticketing for three people: Zoho Desk Free — 3 agents, free forever.
- Omnichannel inbox you own: Chatwoot — MIT, self-hosted with no caps; cloud free for 2 agents and 500 conversations.
- A funded startup under 15 people: Intercom Early Stage — 93% off year one with Fin AI; Zendesk for Startups gives Professional free for six months to two years.
Which customer support for early-stage startups tools have a free plan in 2026?
Every tool below lets a startup answer customers at no monthly cost with no end date, except the two programmes, which are discounted or time-limited and listed because they are what funded startups actually use. The caps vary in kind: agents (Zoho 3, Crisp 2, Chatwoot cloud 2, HubSpot 2, Help Scout 5, Tidio 10), volume (Help Scout 100 contacts a month, Tidio 50 billable conversations, Chatwoot cloud 500) or nothing but branding (tawk.to). The open-source three have no caps and no hosting.
Freshdesk is listed with its free plan marked unresolved: its pricing page shows only a 14-day trial while a legacy landing page promises $0 for one or two agents for six months. Gorgias is listed as a trial on third-party pricing because its page lacked plan text. Front has no startup programme on its site; Hiver has no free plan; Groove’s pricing now redirects to Helply with a trial. Intercom’s discount is 93%, not the 90% often quoted.
The table shows the agent cap, the volume cap and the Free Score. Open a row for channels, branding, programme eligibility and the page we checked.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H |
Free forever | 5 users · 100 contacts/mo · 1 inbox · no card | No | 86 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Free forever | Unlimited · branded · free for life | No | 84 | Scorecard ↓ |
| C |
Open source | MIT self-host · cloud 2 agents · 500 conv/mo | No | 80 | Scorecard ↓ |
| F |
Open source | AGPL-3.0 · unlimited agents, tickets, mailboxes · self-host | No | 74 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Z |
Free forever | 3 agents · email ticketing · no automation | No | 72 | Scorecard ↓ |
| C |
Free forever | 2 seats · 100 profiles · no cap on chats | No | 70 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Free forever | 10 seats · 50 conversations/mo · WhatsApp & IG | No | 70 | Scorecard ↓ |
| H |
Free forever | 2 users · chat & email · branded · tickets unclear | No | 68 | Scorecard ↓ |
| O |
Open source | GPL-2.0 · completely free · self-host | No | 66 | Scorecard ↓ |
| I |
Startup program | 93% off yr 1 · <15 staff · <$10M raised | No | 62 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Z |
Startup program | Professional free 6 mo–2 yrs · ≤Series B · <250 staff | No | 60 | Scorecard ↓ |
| F |
Trial 14d | Free plan unresolved · 14-day trial · no card | No | 36 | Scorecard ↓ |
| G |
Trial d | Sign up free · Starter $10 (third-party) | No | 30 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 24 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free support tool plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1H
Help Scout FreeUS · up to five users with one inbox, a Docs site, saved replies, tags and 30-day reports, free with no payment method; the cap is 100 contacts helped a monthFree forever5 users · 100 contacts/mo · 1 inbox · no cardNo card86⌄
- What’s free
- Up to 5 users, 1 inbox, 1 Docs site, 100 contacts a month, 10 saved replies, 10 tags, 10 articles, 1 support hub, 30-day reports
- Hard limits
- 100 contacts helped a month · 10 saved replies, tags and articles
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No. Free accounts do not need a payment method.
- Upgrade trigger
- The 101st contact in a month
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard $25/user/month (annual saves 16%; the basis of $25 is unclear)
- Best free for
- A founding team of up to five handling a few customers a day by email
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · helpscout.com/pricing
2T
tawk.toUS · live chat, ticketing and a hosted knowledge base free for life with no stated agent cap, funded by $29 branding removal, AI Assist and hired chat agents at $1 an hourFree foreverUnlimited · branded · free for lifeNo card84⌄
- What’s free
- Live chat, ticketing, hosted knowledge base; free for life with branding; the vendor states 99% of its users are free
- Hard limits
- Agent cap not stated · branding shown unless paid · messaging channels ‘beta, out soon’
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Removing branding, AI Assist or hiring agents
- Cheapest paid step
- Remove branding $29/month; AI Assist from $29; hired agents $1/hour
- Best free for
- Any startup that can live with a badge and wants no caps at all
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · tawk.to/pricing
Why it ranks here. The one genuinely unlimited free support tool, with a business model that explains why; the badge and the thinner product keep it just behind Help Scout.
3C
ChatwootUS · an MIT-licensed omnichannel inbox, unlimited self-hosted; the cloud Hacker plan is $0 for two agents and 500 conversations a month, live chat onlyOpen sourceMIT self-host · cloud 2 agents · 500 conv/moNo card80⌄
- What’s free
- MIT-licensed self-host; Cloud Hacker at $0 per agent: up to 2 agents, 500 conversations a month, live chat only, 30-day retention
- Hard limits
- Cloud: 2 agents, 500 conversations, live chat only, no help centre, teams, automation or AI · 15-day full trial
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Channels or agents on cloud
- Cheapest paid step
- Startups $19/agent/month (all channels, 300 Captain credits, 1-year retention)
- Best free for
- A technical founding team that wants WhatsApp, email and chat in one inbox it controls
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · chatwoot.com/pricing and GitHub (MIT)
Why it ranks here. The MIT licence is the most permissive on Kurums Free and the self-hosted product is complete; the cloud free tier is deliberately small.
4F
FreeScoutCommunity · an AGPL-3.0 helpdesk in the Help Scout and Zendesk mould with unlimited agents, tickets and mailboxes on your own PHP hosting; paid modules existOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 · unlimited agents, tickets, mailboxes · self-hostNo card74⌄
- What’s free
- Self-hosted helpdesk: unlimited agents, tickets and mailboxes
- Hard limits
- None · paid modules without prices on the page · managed hosting through third parties
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not applicable.
- Upgrade trigger
- Paid modules
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated
- Best free for
- A startup that wants Help Scout without the contact cap and has a $5 server
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · freescout.net and GitHub (AGPL-3.0)
Why it ranks here. Unlimited and familiar; the module marketplace is where the money goes and the prices are not on the page.
5Z
Zoho Desk FreeIndia · three user licences with email ticketing, free forever; automation, departments, SLAs and AI start on paid plans priced in rupees on the page we reachedFree forever3 agents · email ticketing · no automationNo card72⌄
- What’s free
- 3 user licences, email ticketing; free forever
- Hard limits
- 3 agents · no automation, multi-department, SLAs, AI or custom roles
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated for Free; the trial needs none.
- Upgrade trigger
- A fourth agent or automation
- Cheapest paid step
- Express ₹420/user/month annual on the geo-served page; about $7 Express and $14 Standard per agent annual (third-party)
- Best free for
- A three-person team that wants a proper ticket queue by email
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zoho.com/desk/pricing (served in INR); USD figures from a third-party article dated 7 Sep 2026
Why it ranks here. A real ticketing system for three; the paid prices we could read were in the wrong currency for most readers.
6C
Crisp FreeFrance · two seats with a website widget, shared inbox, mobile apps, forms, SDKs and e-commerce integrations, no conversation cap; 100 customer profiles and a watermarkFree forever2 seats · 100 profiles · no cap on chatsNo card70⌄
- What’s free
- 2 seats, website chat widget, shared inbox, mobile apps, chat SDKs, contact forms, e-commerce integrations, push notifications
- Hard limits
- 2 seats · 100 customer profiles · 0 sub-inboxes · no AI credits · ‘We run on Crisp’ watermark (removal is Plus)
- Time limit
- None — forever
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A third seat, profiles or branding
- Cheapest paid step
- Mini $45/month per workspace
- Best free for
- Two founders doing live chat well
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · crisp.chat/en/pricing
Why it ranks here. No conversation cap, which Tidio and Chatwoot cloud have, but 100 profiles is a few weeks of a growing product.
7T
Tidio FreePoland · ten seats with live chat, ticketing, email, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp integrations, 50 billable conversations a month and 50 lifetime Lyro AI conversationsFree forever10 seats · 50 conversations/mo · WhatsApp & IGNo card70⌄
- What’s free
- 10 seats, 50 billable conversations a month, live chat, ticketing, email, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp integrations; first 50 Lyro AI conversations free for life; 100 Flows visitors
- Hard limits
- 50 billable conversations a month · Tidio branding (removal $16.67 a month)
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated (the trial needs none).
- Upgrade trigger
- The 51st conversation
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter $24.17/month (100 conversations; billing basis unclear)
- Best free for
- An e-commerce startup that needs Instagram and WhatsApp in the inbox
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · tidio.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. The widest channel coverage free — WhatsApp included — behind the tightest volume cap; only human replies count, which helps.
8H
HubSpot Service Hub FreeUS · live chat, one-to-one email, a meetings link and reporting for two users inside the free CRM, with HubSpot branding; the ticketing row of the pricing table is blank for FreeFree forever2 users · chat & email · branded · tickets unclearNo card68⌄
- What’s free
- Free for up to 2 users: live chat, 1-to-1 email, a meetings link, 10 dashboards of 50 reports; view-only seats free
- Hard limits
- 2 users · 3 snippets and 3 templates · limited bots · HubSpot branding on chat, email and meetings · ticketing not confirmed on the table
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A third user or removing branding
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter ‘starts at $7/month/seat’ (shown beside $20; period unlabelled)
- Best free for
- A startup already running HubSpot’s free CRM
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · hubspot.com/pricing/service (ticketing row blank)
Why it ranks here. Convenient inside the CRM, branded everywhere, and silent on whether tickets are included free.
9O
osTicketUS · a GPL-2.0 ticketing system, completely free self-hosted; the cloud version has a 30-day trialOpen sourceGPL-2.0 · completely free · self-hostNo card66⌄
- What’s free
- Completely free self-hosted ticketing
- Hard limits
- None self-hosted · cloud is a 30-day trial
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not applicable.
- Upgrade trigger
- Cloud hosting
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated
- Best free for
- A classic email ticket queue with no frills
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · osticket.com and GitHub (GPL-2.0)
Why it ranks here. Reliable and dated; a queue, not an inbox with chat.
10I
Intercom Early StageUS · 93% off year one, 50% off year two and 25% off year three on a helpdesk listed from $65 a month, with Fin AI outcomes included; for companies under 15 people with under $10M raisedStartup program93% off yr 1 · <15 staff · <$10M raisedNo card62⌄
- What’s free
- 93% off year 1, 50% year 2, 25% year 3; 6 Advanced, 6 Copilot and 20 Lite seats; Proactive Support Plus with 500 messages; Fin with 300 outcomes and 15 qualifications a month in year 1
- Hard limits
- Up to $10M funding · fewer than 15 employees · not a current customer · extra outcomes and phone, SMS and WhatsApp at list price
- Time limit
- 3 years, stepping down
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- The annual step-down
- Cheapest paid step
- Helpdesk from $65/month list
- Best free for
- A funded pre-seed team that wants Fin answering tickets from day one
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · intercom.com/early-stage
Why it ranks here. Not free — about $55 a year at 93% off — and the best AI support stack a small startup can get; scored as a programme that ends.
11Z
Zendesk for StartupsUS · the Professional suite and Copilot free for six months, up to two years through a partner, for new subscribers under 250 employees, at or before Series B and under ten years oldStartup programProfessional free 6 mo–2 yrs · ≤Series B · <250 staffNo card60⌄
- What’s free
- Zendesk Professional Suite plus Copilot free; six months baseline, up to two years via a partner; up to 50 agents
- Hard limits
- New subscribers only · under 250 employees (50–249 need a partner referral) · at or before Series B · company under 10 years old
- Time limit
- 6 months baseline, up to 2 years
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- The programme’s end
- Cheapest paid step
- Support Team $19/agent/month billed annually ($25 monthly)
- Best free for
- A funded startup with an accelerator or VC partner referral
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zendesk.com/startups and zendesk.com/pricing (headline and FAQ differ on duration)
Why it ranks here. Free, generous and over in six months unless a partner extends it; the exit price per agent is $19.
12F
FreshdeskUS · the pricing page offers a 14-day Enterprise trial with no card; a legacy landing page still advertises $0 for one or two agents for six months — the free plan’s status is unresolved on Freshworks’ own siteTrial 14dFree plan unresolved · 14-day trial · no cardNo card36⌄
- What’s free
- Pricing page: a 14-day Enterprise trial only; legacy page: $0 for 1–2 agents for 6 months and ‘free helpdesk software for life’
- Hard limits
- 1–2 agents on the legacy page · six months versus fourteen days — the vendor’s pages conflict
- Time limit
- 14 days or 6 months
- Card required
- No. ‘No credit card required’ is stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- The trial’s end
- Cheapest paid step
- Growth $19/agent/month billed annually
- Best free for
- Unclear until Freshworks’ pages agree — verify before relying on it
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · freshworks.com/freshdesk/pricing versus the legacy free-helpdesk landing page
Why it ranks here. Once the obvious free helpdesk; now two vendor pages that disagree. Scored on the pricing page.
13G
GorgiasUS · ‘sign up free’ on a page that lacked plan text; third-party pricing shows Starter at $10 a month for 50 tickets, never per agent — a cheap paid tool rather than a free oneTrialdSign up free · Starter $10 (third-party)No card30⌄
- What’s free
- ‘Sign up free’; a helpdesk priced by ticket volume from 50 to 5,000 a month, never per agent
- Hard limits
- Not stated on the vendor page
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Ticket volume
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter $10/month for 50 tickets, monthly only, $0.40 per extra (third-party)
- Best free for
- A Shopify store at tiny volume, for $10
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · gorgias.com/pricing (no plan text); Starter figures from a competitor’s article updated 14 Oct 2026
Why it ranks here. No free plan could be verified; the $10 plan is worth knowing about for e-commerce.
Which free support tool has no credit-card requirement?
Help Scout states that free accounts need no payment method; Freshdesk and Zoho say no card for trials. tawk.to, Crisp, Tidio, HubSpot, Chatwoot, Intercom, Zendesk and Gorgias do not state it; the open-source tools need nothing. Nothing here auto-converts; the two programmes end and bill at list afterwards.
The free tiers that count volume — Help Scout’s contacts, Tidio’s conversations, Chatwoot cloud’s 500 — are the ones to watch: they stop mid-month when a launch goes well. tawk.to and the self-hosted tools never stop; they just show a badge or need a server.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free support tool fits your situation?
Founding team of five, email support
Help Scout Free.
Unlimited chat, badge acceptable
tawk.to.
Technical team, wants all channels
Chatwoot self-hosted.
Three people, ticket queue
Zoho Desk Free.
E-commerce, Instagram and WhatsApp
Tidio Free.
Already on HubSpot CRM
Service Hub Free.
Funded, under 15 people
Intercom Early Stage.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, answering customers across chat and email with a shared inbox a founding team can run, at zero cost until there is revenue. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 24 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections to the Kurums editorial team.
How did we verify these free tiers?
We opened each vendor’s pricing or programme page and recorded agent and volume caps, channels, branding, programme eligibility and the paid step; licences for the open-source tools come from their repositories. Zoho Desk’s page served prices in Indian rupees and USD figures are cited from a third party; Chatwoot’s self-hosted pricing and osTicket’s cloud pricing could not be confirmed; Gorgias’s pricing page lacked plan text and its Starter figures are third-party; Freshdesk’s pricing page and legacy landing page conflict on the free plan. Front, Hiver and Groove (now Helply) were excluded as having no free plan or programme.
Prices are USD except where stated. Intercom’s Early Stage discount is 93% in year one, not the 90% often quoted.
Frequently asked questions
Which helpdesk is free for a startup?
Help Scout Free (5 users, 100 contacts a month, no card), Zoho Desk Free (3 agents), Crisp (2 seats), Tidio (10 seats, 50 conversations) and HubSpot Service Hub (2 users) all have forever-free tiers. tawk.to is free for life with no stated cap, funded by branding removal.
Is Freshdesk still free?
Unclear. Freshdesk’s pricing page offers only a 14-day trial, while a legacy Freshworks landing page still advertises $0 for one or two agents for six months. Verify on sign-up.
How does tawk.to make money if it’s free?
By selling branding removal at $29 a month, AI Assist from $29, and hired human chat agents at $1 an hour; the vendor says 99% of its users pay nothing.
Is Intercom free for startups?
Not free — 93% off in year one, 50% in year two and 25% in year three, for companies under 15 employees with under $10M raised that are not current customers. The helpdesk lists from $65 a month.
Which open-source helpdesk is best?
Chatwoot (MIT) for an omnichannel inbox with WhatsApp and chat; FreeScout (AGPL-3.0) for an email-first Help Scout clone; osTicket (GPL-2.0) for a classic ticket queue. All are unlimited self-hosted.
Does Zendesk have a free plan?
Not a standing one. Zendesk for Startups gives the Professional suite free for six months, extendable to two years through a partner, to new subscribers under 250 employees at or before Series B.
