Find the Best Online Ticketing System for Free

Flora An

·October 12, 2025

·10 min read

You ask, "what is the best online ticketing system?" Your small business can start strong with a free plan. HubSpot offers a great entry point with its CRM. This simple ticketing system helps you manage each customer ticket. As you grow, you will need a more powerful, unified solution. A simple ticketing system may no longer be enough.

Consider other top contenders for a simple ticketing system. Zoho Desk and Freshdesk provide excellent features. A simple ticketing system can handle your first ticket requests. For future growth, a platform like the Sobot call center, powered by Sobot AI, unifies every ticket and interaction. Sobot provides a comprehensive simple ticketing system.

What is the Best Online Ticketing System?

You need to find the right tool for your team. The answer to "what is the best online ticketing system?" depends on your specific needs. Do you need a tool integrated with your sales data, or a dedicated solution for your IT department? Below, we review the top free options to help you decide.

HubSpot: The All-in-One CRM Choice

HubSpot offers a powerful entry point into the world of customer service. Its free Service Hub is more than just a simple ticketing system; it connects directly to a robust CRM. This integration gives your team a complete view of every customer interaction.

Key Features: You get a suite of tools designed to help you start managing customer requests effectively.

Contact management and a shared team email inbox
Basic ticketing tools to track and manage each ticket
Live chat and a basic AI chatbot for your website
Up to five email templates and 15 minutes of video storage for personalized support

Best For: HubSpot is ideal for small businesses and startups that want to unify their sales, marketing, and service efforts. If you already use HubSpot's CRM, adding its ticketing software is a natural choice.

Limitations: The free plan limits you to five agents. While powerful, it offers fewer agent seats than some competitors. You will find more advanced features, like in-depth automation and reporting, are reserved for paid plans.

Zoho Desk: Context-Rich Support

Zoho Desk provides a simple ticketing system designed to give your agents the context they need to solve problems efficiently. It is part of the larger Zoho ecosystem, which can be an advantage if you use other Zoho products.

Key Features: The free plan gives you the essentials to manage customer emails. You can create a knowledge base to help customers find answers on their own. It also includes basic customer management tools.

Best For: Small teams of up to three agents who need a straightforward, email-based help desk. It is a good starting point if you anticipate scaling within the Zoho ecosystem.

Note: The free version of Zoho Desk has significant limitations. You cannot connect social media accounts, use service level agreements (SLAs), or access most automation rules. Customization options are also very limited.

Freshdesk: Intuitive Multi-channel Support

Freshdesk offers one of the most generous free plans available, making it a popular choice for growing customer support teams. It provides a user-friendly interface that helps you manage conversations from multiple channels. This is a great simple ticketing system for teams that need more than just email support.

Key Features: Freshdesk's free plan stands out by supporting more agents and channels.

Feature	HubSpot Service Hub (Free)	Freshdesk (Free)
Agent Capacity	Up to 5 agents	Up to 10 agents
Ticketing	Manual assignment, shared inbox	Email & social media integration
Self-Service	Limited knowledge base	Public knowledge base
Reporting	Basic dashboards	Ticket Trend Report

Best For: Startups and small businesses that need to support up to 10 agents without a budget. Its inclusion of a public knowledge base and social media integration makes it a versatile simple ticketing system.

Limitations: While generous, the free plan lacks advanced automation, collision detection, and other enterprise-grade features. You will need to upgrade to a paid plan for more powerful capabilities. Some users may also find it less comprehensive than a fully integrated open source ticketing solution.

Spiceworks: The 100% Free IT Helpdesk

What is the best online ticketing system for IT teams? Spiceworks is a strong contender. It is a completely free, cloud-based modern help desk built specifically for IT professionals. It is not just a simple ticketing system; it is a full IT management suite. Many consider it a top-tier open source ticketing solution for internal support.

Key Features: Spiceworks shines with its IT-focused tools.

Asset Integration: It links your IT asset data directly to each support ticket. When a user reports an issue with a laptop, the ticket automatically shows the device's history and specs.
User Portal: You can set up a custom portal for employees to submit a ticket and track its status.
Automation: You can create rules to automatically assign and route tickets to the right IT pro.
Knowledge Base: Build a library of how-to guides and troubleshooting articles for your team and end-users.

Best For: Internal IT departments of any size. If you need to manage user requests, track IT assets, and monitor your network without a budget, this open source ticketing solution is an excellent choice. These cloud-based ticketing systems are designed for technical teams.

Limitations: Spiceworks is 100% free because it is ad-supported. You will see banner ads within the interface. While you can pay a small monthly fee to remove them, this is a key consideration. It is also highly specialized for IT and not designed for external customer support.

Exploring the Best Simple Ticketing Systems

Beyond the all-in-one platforms, you can find some of the best simple ticketing systems that excel in specific areas. You might need total control over your data or a tool that lives inside your email. This simple ticketing system review covers options for these unique needs. Finding the best simple ticketing systems means matching a tool to your workflow.

osTicket: For Self-Hosted Control

You may want complete control over your help desk. osTicket is a popular open source ticketing solution that you host on your own servers. This approach gives you full command over your data and software. You can integrate it with your existing infrastructure, like a Windows domain. This open source ticketing solution is a budget-friendly simple ticketing system because the software itself is free.

You will need a server to run this simple ticketing system. It requires a web server like Apache, PHP (versions 8.0-8.2), and a MySQL database. Hardware needs vary. One user runs it on a Linux machine with just 2GB of RAM and 2 CPUs for about 1,500 tickets per year.

This open source ticketing solution is a powerful simple ticketing system for tech-savvy teams. Each ticket is stored on your own hardware.

Hiver: For Gmail-Based Teams

Does your team live in Gmail? Hiver is a simple ticketing system designed for Google Workspace. It turns your inbox into a help desk. You can manage every customer ticket without ever leaving the familiar Gmail interface. This is one of the best simple ticketing systems for teams that want to avoid learning a new platform.

Key features of this simple ticketing system include:

Email Delegation: Assign an email as a ticket to a team member right from your inbox.
Automation Rules: Set up rules to automatically assign a ticket based on keywords.
Collision Alerts: Avoid two agents replying to the same ticket at the same time.

Hiver makes your inbox a collaborative simple ticketing system.

ProProfs Help Desk: For Ticket Prioritization

ProProfs Help Desk offers a unique free plan. It is a simple ticketing system that is ideal for a one-person support team or a startup founder handling everything. You get one user license, but it includes all premium features. This means you can use advanced tools to prioritize each ticket without paying anything. This makes it a powerful open source ticketing solution for getting started. This simple ticketing system helps you manage your workload effectively. It is one of the best simple ticketing systems for a solo agent.

Sobot: The All-in-One Contact Center Solution

Free tools are excellent starting points. Your business will eventually need a more powerful, scalable solution. When you are ready to move beyond basic free plans, you can explore an all-in-one platform like Sobot. It unifies all your customer communications, not just a single support ticket, into one cohesive system.

Unified Handling Across All Channels

You can manage every customer interaction from a single place. Sobot connects all your communication channels, giving your team a complete view of the customer journey. This creates a more efficient workflow and a better customer experience. Your team can handle messages from:

E-commerce platforms like Shopify and Amazon
Social media including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp
Email, SMS, and your official website

AI-Powered Automation and Efficiency

You can use artificial intelligence to make your support faster and smarter. Sobot uses AI to automate routine tasks and empower your agents. AI-powered chatbots and voicebots provide instant answers 24/7, handling over 50% of customer interactions. For your human agents, an AI Copilot suggests replies and automatically fills in ticket details. This frees up your team to focus on more complex issues.

Advanced SLA Management and Analytics

You can ensure every customer gets a timely response. Sobot's ticketing system allows you to set and manage Service Level Agreements (SLAs). You can define response and resolution times based on a ticket's priority or channel. The platform provides trusted analytics to monitor performance. Companies using Sobot have seen significant improvements:

A 48% increase in reception efficiency
A 41% decrease in average handle time
A 54% improvement in first-contact resolution rates

Seamless E-commerce Integration

You can connect your support directly to your sales channels. Sobot offers seamless integration with major e-commerce platforms. This gives your agents instant access to order history and customer data right next to a support ticket. This powerful integration helps you build a robust, cloud-based modern help desk. It provides the context needed to solve problems quickly for customers like Weee! and Renogy.

How to Choose Your Free Ticketing System

You have seen the options. Now you need to make a choice. Finding the right free tool involves more than just picking the one with the most features. You must match the software to your specific goals and budget. This guide will help you decide what is the best online ticketing system for your needs.

Assess Your Primary Need

First, you should define your main goal. What problem do you need this simple ticketing system to solve? Your answer will narrow down your options significantly.

External Customer Support: Do you need to help paying customers? You will want a tool with a shared inbox and a knowledge base.
Internal IT Help: Are you supporting employees? A system with asset tracking, like Spiceworks, is a better fit.
Simple Shared Inbox: Do you just need to organize emails for a small team? A tool that works inside your existing email client might be perfect.

Knowing your primary need helps you focus on tools built for that purpose and stay on budget.

Evaluate Core Features

Once you know your need, you can evaluate the essential features. A good simple ticketing system should offer a solid foundation without a price tag. Your budget should not prevent you from getting the basics. Look for these core ticketing features.

A strong free plan provides the essential features your business needs to manage each ticket. Your checklist should include:

Multi-channel ticket creation from email or a web portal.

Basic workflow automation for ticket assignment and status updates.

User permission management for your agents.

Reporting and analytics to track ticket volume and resolution times.

Knowledge base integration for customer self-service.

These essential features ensure you can build an effective process from day one, even with a tight budget.

Consider Scalability and Future Costs

A free plan is a starting point, not a permanent solution. You must think about the future. Your budget may be zero now, but your team will grow. Many free plans have limits that force an upgrade. For example, Zoho Desk's free plan is for three agents, while Freshdesk allows ten.

Your customer support teams will expand. Your ticket volume will increase. You will eventually need advanced features. A simple ticketing system is great for today, but check the upgrade costs for tomorrow. A low-cost upgrade path is a key part of your decision. This planning protects your future budget and ensures your simple ticketing system can grow with you.

You now know what is the best online ticketing system depends on your needs. A free simple ticketing system is a great start for your business.

For an all-in-one start: Choose HubSpot's simple ticketing system.

For IT support: Use Spiceworks for each ticket.

For future growth: Explore Sobot's Ticketing System. This simple ticketing system unifies every ticket for your business.

Start with a simple ticketing system that fits you today. Keep a comprehensive simple ticketing system like Sobot in mind for your future growth. Embark on your contact journey now!

FAQ

What is an open source ticketing solution?

You can think of an open source ticketing solution as free software that you can change. You host it on your own servers. This gives you complete control over your data and features. osTicket is a popular example of this type of simple ticketing system.

When should I upgrade from a free simple ticketing system?

You should consider upgrading when your team grows beyond the free plan's agent limit. You may also need advanced features like in-depth automation or detailed reporting. As your business scales, your needs will likely outgrow what a free simple ticketing system can offer.

Can a free ticketing system handle multiple channels?

Yes, some free plans support multiple channels. For example, Freshdesk's free plan connects with email and social media.

For a truly unified experience across all channels—including voice, chat, and e-commerce—you will eventually need a more comprehensive platform like Sobot.

Do I need technical skills for a free ticketing system?

For most free tools, you do not need special skills. Cloud-based systems like HubSpot and Freshdesk are designed for easy setup. You only need technical knowledge for self-hosted options, which require you to manage your own server.