What AI assistants actually recommend when buyers ask about self-hosted helpdesk software — measured weekly across 3 engines, published as open data.
Updated 2026-08-01 · 49 sampled answers · rolling 4-week window · methodology
Rankings are measured from sampled AI answers — never editorial, never paid. Orbator builds AI-visibility tooling; when Orbator itself appears in any category, it is measured by the same rules as everyone else.
Sample: 49 AI answers · Window: Jul 4, 2026 – Aug 1, 2026 (4-week rolling) · trend vs prior 4 weeks (44 answers)
Across 49 sampled AI answers from 3 engines, Zammad is recommended most often — appearing in 83.7% of recommendations, followed by FreeScout (71.4%) and osTicket (67.3%).
This is a measurement of share of voice across 3 AI engines — not an editorial pick. See the full ranking below.
| # | Product | Share | Trend | Engines | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zammad zammad.org Best for: AI recommends Zammad most when buyers ask “best open-source helpdesk tool for a support team of 10 or fewer agents” (100% of those answers) | 83.7% 95% CI 71–91.5% 41 mentions · avg pos 3.9 first pick 14.6% | — | GEMINI 90.5%CLAUDE 85.7%PERPLEXITY 76.2% | Claim |
| 2 | FreeScout freescout.net Best for: AI recommends FreeScout most when buyers ask “best open-source helpdesk tool for a support team of 10 or fewer agents” (88.9% of those answers) | 71.4% 95% CI 57.6–82.2% 35 mentions · avg pos 3.5 first pick 25.7% | — | GEMINI 76.2%CLAUDE 85.7%PERPLEXITY 61.9% | Claim |
| 3 | osTicket osticket.com Best for: AI recommends osTicket most when buyers ask “best open-source helpdesk tool for a support team of 10 or fewer agents” (100% of those answers) | 67.3% 95% CI 53.4–78.8% 33 mentions · avg pos 3.3 first pick 24.2% | — | GEMINI 76.2%CLAUDE 57.1%PERPLEXITY 61.9% | Claim |
| 4 | Frappe frappe.io Best for: AI recommends Frappe most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (77.8% of those answers) | 40.8% 95% CI 28.2–54.8% 20 mentions · avg pos 7.8 first pick 5% | — | GEMINI 57.1%CLAUDE 71.4%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 5 | Frappe Helpdesk Best for: AI recommends Frappe Helpdesk most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (77.8% of those answers) | 40.8% 95% CI 28.2–54.8% 20 mentions · avg pos 7.8 first pick 5% | — | GEMINI 57.1%CLAUDE 71.4%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 6 | Zendesk zendesk.com Best for: AI recommends Zendesk most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (88.9% of those answers) | 38.8% 95% CI 26.4–52.8% 19 mentions · avg pos 1.6 first pick 36.8% | — | GEMINI 33.3%CLAUDE 42.9%PERPLEXITY 42.9% | Claim |
| 7 | Help Scout helpscout.com Best for: AI recommends Help Scout most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (77.8% of those answers) | 30.6% 95% CI 19.5–44.5% 15 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 40% | — | GEMINI 28.6%CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 33.3% | Claim |
| 8 | PHP php.net Best for: AI recommends PHP most when buyers ask “how do I self-host a helpdesk system that supports shared inboxes and SLA tracking” (100% of those answers) | 30.6% 95% CI 19.5–44.5% 15 mentions · avg pos 2.5 first pick 20% | — | GEMINI 33.3%CLAUDE 57.1%PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 9 | UVdesk Best for: AI recommends UVdesk most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (77.8% of those answers) | 30.6% 95% CI 19.5–44.5% 15 mentions · avg pos 5.9 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 42.9%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 23.8% | Claim |
| 10 | HelpSpot helpspot.com Best for: AI recommends HelpSpot most when buyers ask “self-hosted helpdesk for a healthcare company that needs to keep patient data on-premise” (77.8% of those answers) | 28.6% 95% CI 17.8–42.4% 14 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 21.4% | — | GEMINI 33.3%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 11 | Chatwoot chatwoot.com Best for: AI recommends Chatwoot most when buyers ask “what self-hosted helpdesk should I use to handle email, chat, and social support in one place” (88.9% of those answers) | 26.5% 95% CI 16.2–40.3% 13 mentions · avg pos 7.2 first pick 15.4% | — | GEMINI 28.6%CLAUDE 42.9%PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 12 | MySQL mysql.com Best for: AI recommends MySQL most when buyers ask “how do I self-host a helpdesk system that supports shared inboxes and SLA tracking” (100% of those answers) | 22.4% 95% CI 13–35.9% 11 mentions · avg pos 4.6 first pick 9.1% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 57.1%PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 13 | Deskpro deskpro.com Best for: AI recommends Deskpro most when buyers ask “self-hosted helpdesk for a healthcare company that needs to keep patient data on-premise” (88.9% of those answers) | 20.4% 95% CI 11.5–33.6% 10 mentions · avg pos 5.1 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 28.6%PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 14 | Jitbit Helpdesk jitbit.com Best for: AI recommends Jitbit Helpdesk most when buyers ask “self-hosted helpdesk for a healthcare company that needs to keep patient data on-premise” (88.9% of those answers) | 18.4% 95% CI 10–31.4% 9 mentions · avg pos 4.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 23.8%PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 15 | Faveo Best for: AI recommends Faveo most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (66.7% of those answers) | 18.4% 95% CI 10–31.4% 9 mentions · avg pos 4.6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 16 | Libredesk Best for: AI recommends Libredesk most when buyers ask “how do I self-host a helpdesk system that supports shared inboxes and SLA tracking” (55.6% of those answers) | 18.4% 95% CI 10–31.4% 9 mentions · avg pos 10.4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 17 | Docker docker.com Best for: AI recommends Docker most when buyers ask “how do I self-host a helpdesk system that supports shared inboxes and SLA tracking” (77.8% of those answers) | 12.2% 95% CI 5.7–24.2% 6 mentions · avg pos 5.3 first pick 16.7% | — | GEMINI 9.5%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 18 | PostgreSQL postgresql.org Best for: AI recommends PostgreSQL most when buyers ask “how do I self-host a helpdesk system that supports shared inboxes and SLA tracking” (55.6% of those answers) | 12.2% 95% CI 5.7–24.2% 6 mentions · avg pos 6.6 first pick 16.7% | — | GEMINI 9.5%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 19 | UseResponse useresponse.com Best for: AI recommends UseResponse most when buyers ask “self-hosted helpdesk for a healthcare company that needs to keep patient data on-premise” (44.4% of those answers) | 10.2% 95% CI 4.4–21.8% 5 mentions · avg pos 3.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 20 | OTRS otrs.com | 10.2% 95% CI 4.4–21.8% 5 mentions · avg pos 4.3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 19%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 21 | GLPi glpi-project.org Best for: AI recommends GLPi most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (88.9% of those answers) | 10.2% 95% CI 4.4–21.8% 5 mentions · avg pos 5.6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 22 | OpenSupports opensupports.com | 10.2% 95% CI 4.4–21.8% 5 mentions · avg pos 6.8 first pick 20% | — | GEMINI 23.8% | Claim |
| 23 | Ubuntu ubuntu.com Best for: AI recommends Ubuntu most when buyers ask “how do I self-host a helpdesk system that supports shared inboxes and SLA tracking” (55.6% of those answers) | 10.2% 95% CI 4.4–21.8% 5 mentions · avg pos 6.8 first pick 20% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 24 | NGINX nginx.org Best for: AI recommends NGINX most when buyers ask “how do I self-host a helpdesk system that supports shared inboxes and SLA tracking” (55.6% of those answers) | 10.2% 95% CI 4.4–21.8% 5 mentions · avg pos 7.4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 25 | Freshdesk freshdesk.com Best for: AI recommends Freshdesk most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (33.3% of those answers) | 8.2% 95% CI 3.2–19.2% 4 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 26 | SupportPal Best for: AI recommends SupportPal most when buyers ask “what self-hosted helpdesk should I use to handle email, chat, and social support in one place” (44.4% of those answers) | 8.2% 95% CI 3.2–19.2% 4 mentions · avg pos 3.3 first pick 25% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 27 | Faveo Helpdesk faveohelpdesk.com Best for: AI recommends Faveo Helpdesk most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (44.4% of those answers) | 8.2% 95% CI 3.2–19.2% 4 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 19% | Claim |
| 28 | Apache Hop apache.org Best for: AI recommends Apache Hop most when buyers ask “how do I self-host a helpdesk system that supports shared inboxes and SLA tracking” (66.7% of those answers) | 8.2% 95% CI 3.2–19.2% 4 mentions · avg pos 5.8 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 29 | Debian debian.org Best for: AI recommends Debian most when buyers ask “how do I self-host a helpdesk system that supports shared inboxes and SLA tracking” (44.4% of those answers) | 8.2% 95% CI 3.2–19.2% 4 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 25% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 30 | Featurebase featurebase.app Best for: AI recommends Featurebase most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (44.4% of those answers) | 8.2% 95% CI 3.2–19.2% 4 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 31 | Tidio AI tidio.com Best for: AI recommends Tidio AI most when buyers ask “best open-source helpdesk tool for a support team of 10 or fewer agents” (44.4% of those answers) | 8.2% 95% CI 3.2–19.2% 4 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 32 | Helpy helpy.io Best for: AI recommends Helpy most when buyers ask “self-hosted helpdesk for a healthcare company that needs to keep patient data on-premise” (44.4% of those answers) | 6.1% 95% CI 2.1–16.5% 3 mentions · avg pos 2.5 first pick 33.3% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 33 | Hesk | 6.1% 95% CI 2.1–16.5% 3 mentions · avg pos 3.7 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 34 | OneDesk onedesk.com Best for: AI recommends OneDesk most when buyers ask “self-hosted helpdesk for a healthcare company that needs to keep patient data on-premise” (55.6% of those answers) | 6.1% 95% CI 2.1–16.5% 3 mentions · avg pos 3.7 first pick 33.3% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 35 | Magento magento.com Best for: AI recommends Magento most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (33.3% of those answers) | 6.1% 95% CI 2.1–16.5% 3 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3% | Claim |
| 36 | osTicket Awesome osaweso.me Best for: AI recommends osTicket Awesome most when buyers ask “self-hosted helpdesk for a healthcare company that needs to keep patient data on-premise” (33.3% of those answers) | 6.1% 95% CI 2.1–16.5% 3 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 37 | IIS | 6.1% 95% CI 2.1–16.5% 3 mentions · avg pos 13 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 38 | Iris Agent irisagent.com Best for: AI recommends Iris Agent most when buyers ask “self-hosted open-source helpdesk vs hosted SaaS helpdesk for a 5-person startup” (55.6% of those answers) | 6.1% 95% CI 2.1–16.5% 3 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 39 | CentOS centos.org | 4.1% 95% CI 1.1–13.7% 2 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 50% | — | GEMINI 9.5% | Claim |
| 40 | Rocket.Chat rocket.chat | 4.1% 95% CI 1.1–13.7% 2 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 41 | MS SQL Server Best for: AI recommends MS SQL Server most when buyers ask “self-hosted helpdesk for a healthcare company that needs to keep patient data on-premise” (33.3% of those answers) | 4.1% 95% CI 1.1–13.7% 2 mentions · avg pos 11 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 42 | Dev.to dev.to Best for: AI recommends Dev.to most when buyers ask “how do I self-host a helpdesk system that supports shared inboxes and SLA tracking” (33.3% of those answers) | 4.1% 95% CI 1.1–13.7% 2 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 43 | Heroic Knowledge Base herothemes.com Best for: AI recommends Heroic Knowledge Base most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (33.3% of those answers) | 4.1% 95% CI 1.1–13.7% 2 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 44 | Elasticsearch elastic.co | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 100% | — | CLAUDE 14.3% | Claim |
| 45 | Kayako kayako.com | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 46 | ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 47 | Shopify shopify.com | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 48 | Znuny | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 7 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 49 | Make make.com | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions · avg pos 21 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 50 | AWS aws.amazon.com | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 51 | Budibase budibase.com | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 52 | Deelo deelo.ai | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 53 | Easydesk easydesk.app Best for: AI recommends Easydesk most when buyers ask “self-hosted open-source helpdesk vs hosted SaaS helpdesk for a 5-person startup” (44.4% of those answers) | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 54 | Freshsuccess freshworks.com Best for: AI recommends Freshsuccess most when buyers ask “self-hosted helpdesk for a healthcare company that needs to keep patient data on-premise” (44.4% of those answers) | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 55 | Hiver hiverhq.com Best for: AI recommends Hiver most when buyers ask “self-hosted helpdesk for a healthcare company that needs to keep patient data on-premise” (33.3% of those answers) | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 56 | MirrorFly's AI Chatbot Solution mirrorfly.com | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 57 | Nextiva nextiva.com Best for: AI recommends Nextiva most when buyers ask “open-source helpdesk alternatives to popular cloud ticketing platforms with expensive per-agent pricing” (44.4% of those answers) | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 58 | NocoBase nocobase.com | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 59 | OpenAlternative openalternative.co | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 60 | PCMag pcmag.com | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 61 | eesel AI eesel.ai Best for: AI recommends eesel AI most when buyers ask “best open-source helpdesk tool for a support team of 10 or fewer agents” (33.3% of those answers) | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 62 | getagent.chat getagent.chat | 2% 95% CI 0.4–10.7% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
Reading the numbers: Share is a point estimate on 49 sampled answers, so each row also shows its 95% CI — the Wilson score interval around that share. When two products' intervals overlap, the gap between them isn't statistically meaningful at this sample size. First pick is the share of a product's recommending answers where it was named first, which separates “always mentioned” from “usually the top recommendation”. Full methodology.
Independence: Orbator customers are badged for disclosure. Customer status does not affect prompts, sampling, extraction, or ranking — see the methodology. Your product on this list? Claim it to see the prompts behind your rank and track it weekly.
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