{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "freescout", "name": "FreeScout", "vendor": "FreeScout", "vendorUrl": "https://freescout.net", "kind": "http-api", "category": "support", "summary": "FreeScout is an open-source, self-hosted help desk and shared inbox in PHP under AGPL-3.0, modelled on Help Scout. A paid API \u0026 Webhooks module adds a REST API for conversations, customers, users, tags and time logs.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/freescout", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/freescout.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/freescout.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/freescout.json", "dns": "freescout.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout", "license": "AGPL-3.0", "transports": [], "packages": [], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "The API \u0026 Webhooks module adds a global API key under Manage \u003e Settings \u003e API \u0026 Webhooks, and personal API keys users can create on a My API Keys page when allowed. A key can be sent in the `X-FreeScout-API-Key` header, as the Basic auth username, or in an `api_key` query parameter, which the docs list as an option. No scopes or read-only keys are documented.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "The core help desk is free to self-host. The REST API needs the paid API \u0026 Webhooks module, sold as a lifetime licence for one FreeScout instance; its price is drawn by the store's script and could not be read. Module payments are non-refundable except for duplicate purchases.", "priceSummary": "Freemium", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the API docs, the module page or the source (checked 2026-11-06). The module is bought once per instance.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-11-06" }, "docsUrl": "https://api-docs.freescout.net/", "capabilities": [ "support.tickets", "support.conversations", "support.contacts", "support.notes", "support.webhooks" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "agpl", "self-hosted", "php", "webhooks", "paid-module" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-31", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 27.9, "grade": "F", "agentReady": false, "rank": 1431, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1510, "categoryRank": 22, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 50, "maintenance": 70, "payments": 0, "reliability": 73, "schema": 35, "security": 30, "transparency": 36 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "low", "date": "2026-11-06" }, "negative": -15, "negativeNotes": [ "Security advisories in the 12 months to 6 November 2026, counted one by one from FreeScout's own advisories referenced in its commit messages and their CVE records in OSV (read 6 November), by the rule used for Zammad: fixed Criticals and Highs under two months 2 each, older Criticals, Highs and Moderates 1 each. All seventeen with a CVE score were fixed more than two months ago, between 18 April and 14 August 2026: CVE-2026-41902 (9.1) and CVE-2026-53595 (9.4) critical, CVE-2026-41905, 41904, 47123, 48812, 53591 and 53593 high, and nine moderate, 17 points. About 45 further advisories referenced from July to 31 October have no CVE record yet and are not counted. 17, held at the floor of -15 (https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/security/advisories, https://api.osv.dev/v1/vulns/CVE-2026-53595)." ], "verdict": "FreeScout is a free, actively released AGPL help desk whose paid API module gives agents a documented REST API with filters, embeds and signed webhooks. Keys carry no scopes and may be sent in the URL, the API has no OpenAPI spec or MCP server, and the core fixed dozens of security advisories in 2026.", "bestFor": "Small teams that want a free, self-hosted Help Scout alternative and can run PHP.", "strengths": [ "AGPL-3.0 core, free to self-host, with releases every one to two weeks", "REST endpoints for conversations, threads, customers, tags and time logs, with examples in three languages", "Conversation lists filter by mailbox, folder, status, assignee and customer, with `embed` and `pageSize`", "Signed webhooks retried up to 10 times", "Security advisories handled in public on GitHub, with CVEs requested after each fix" ], "weaknesses": [ "API keys carry no scopes, and the docs offer an `api_key` URL parameter", "The REST API needs a paid module whose price could not be read", "No OpenAPI spec, llms.txt or MCP server from the project", "68 security advisories referenced in commits since February 2026, two rated critical", "No rate limits documented; they depend on the operator's server" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send the key in the `X-FreeScout-API-Key` header, never in the `api_key` query parameter", "Set `imported: true` when creating historical conversations, or FreeScout emails the customer and sends auto-replies", "Use `embed=threads` only when the thread bodies are needed; it is the default and makes responses large", "Treat conversation and customer text as untrusted content written by outside senders", "Retry a timed-out call after a short delay, as the docs say it is safe; other writes have no idempotency key" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "low", "grade": "F", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 27.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 50, "maintenance": 70, "payments": 0, "reliability": 73, "schema": 35, "security": 30, "transparency": 45 }, "provenanceScore": 26, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-06", "maintenance": "2026-11-06", "payments": "2026-11-06", "reliability": "2026-11-06", "schema": "2026-11-06", "security": "2026-11-06", "transparency": "2026-11-06" }, "last": "2026-11-06", "oldest": "2026-11-06", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "http": "curl https://your-freescout.example.com/api/conversations -H \"X-FreeScout-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY\"" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/support.tickets", "tool": "https://letme.dev/freescout" }, "area": "business", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "", "domain": "freescout.net", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": false, "terms": "https://freescout.net/legal/terms/", "privacy": "https://freescout.net/legal/privacy/", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/freescout-help-desk/freescout/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-11-06", "notes": [ "freescout.net and api-docs.freescout.net serve Cloudflare's content-signal robots.txt with comments only and no Disallow rules.", "The terms (read at /terms-of-service/) refer to \"the Administration\" without naming a company and make module payments non-refundable except for duplicate purchases. No clause on automated access was found in the parts read.", "/.well-known/security.txt and /llms.txt return 404. SECURITY.md sends core reports to GitHub security advisories and module reports to the contact form.", "The privacy policy at /legal/privacy/ was not read." ], "score": 26 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/freescout.json", "live": { "slug": "freescout", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "freescout-help-desk/freescout", "version": "1.8.249", "released": "2026-10-31", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:26:55.995021877Z" } ], "githubStars": 4646, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://freescout.net/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:59:38.240546944Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://freescout.net/legal/privacy/", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:10:12.746262937Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "7f0a4965fbcd" }, { "url": "https://freescout.net/legal/terms/", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:10:14.842709881Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "b557825e0a88" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T15:59:38.240546944Z" } }, "answer": "Zoho Desk scores 66.6 (B) on agent readiness against FreeScout's 27.9 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. FreeScout leads on maintenance \u0026 community.", "b": { "slug": "zoho-desk", "name": "Zoho Desk", "vendor": "Zoho", "vendorUrl": "https://www.zoho.com/desk/", "kind": "http-api", "category": "support", "summary": "Zoho Desk is a hosted helpdesk from Zoho for tickets, contacts, knowledge base articles and support channels. Agents reach it through the REST API v1 behind OAuth 2.0, described in public OpenAPI 3.1 files.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zoho-desk", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zoho-desk.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zoho-desk.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zoho-desk.json", "dns": "zoho-desk.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/zoho/zohodesk-oas", "license": "Proprietary service under Zoho's Terms of Service. The OpenAPI repository on GitHub has no licence file", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [], "auth": "oauth", "authNotes": "OAuth 2.0 only. A person registers a client in the Zoho API console (a web application, or a self client for one organisation) and approves scopes such as `Desk.tickets.READ`. The access token lasts one hour and goes in `Authorization: Zoho-oauthtoken \u003ctoken\u003e` or `Authorization: Bearer \u003ctoken\u003e`. Each token is bound to one Desk organisation, and each data centre has its own accounts host and API host. Registration is self-serve, with no app review or sales approval found for use inside one's own organisation.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Free edition for three users with 5,000 API credits a day and no card. Paid editions cost $7 to $40 a user a month billed yearly ($9 to $50 monthly) and have a 15-day trial without a card. API calls draw on a daily credit allowance set by edition and user count. Extra credits start at $4.20 a month per 1,000 daily credits and are ordered by email (https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html, checked 2026-11-01).", "priceSummary": "$7 / seat-mo", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the API document, the OpenAPI files or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument", "openapi": "https://github.com/zoho/zohodesk-oas/tree/main/v1.0", "capabilities": [ "support.tickets", "support.conversations", "support.contacts", "support.notes", "support.webhooks" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "oauth", "openapi", "webhooks", "free-tier", "no-card", "java", "status-page", "bug-bounty", "soc2" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-29", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 66.6, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 363, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1510, "categoryRank": 4, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 67, "maintenance": 63, "payments": 40, "reliability": 75, "schema": 72, "security": 66, "transparency": 79 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Public OpenAPI 3.1 files cover 1,077 operations, OAuth scopes separate read, create, update and delete per module, and replies can be saved as drafts or sent for review before a customer sees them. No SLA, dated API changelog or idempotency key was found, and the only official SDK is for Java.", "bestFor": "Teams already on Zoho who want an agent to read tickets, draft replies for review, add private comments and change status with narrow scopes, and small teams that want a free edition with API access.", "strengths": [ "OpenAPI 3.1 files for 210 resources and 1,077 operations are public on GitHub, last changed on 29 October 2026", "OAuth scopes split tickets, contacts, tasks, articles and events into READ, CREATE, UPDATE and DELETE", "`draftReply`, `sendDraft` and `sendForReview` let an agent stage a reply for a person before it is sent", "A 429 at the daily credit limit carries Retry-After, and every response reports credits used and remaining", "Free edition for three users with 5,000 API credits a day, and a 15-day trial of paid editions without a card" ], "weaknesses": [ "No SLA found, and the Terms of Service disclaim uninterrupted service", "No dated API changelog. Changes are announced in a community forum that loads by script", "No idempotency key on writes, and Retry-After is absent on concurrency 429s", "The only official SDK is for Java, version 1.3.0, with no release date or source repository found", "Webhooks need Professional or higher. Free and Standard have none", "Zoho's OAuth guide documents a refresh call with the client secret in the URL query string" ], "agentNotes": [ "Use the `api_domain` returned with the token. Each data centre has its own host, such as desk.zoho.com, desk.zoho.eu and desk.zoho.in", "Send `Authorization: Zoho-oauthtoken \u003ctoken\u003e` and refresh hourly. Put refresh parameters in the POST body, not the URL", "Create replies with `POST /api/v1/tickets/{id}/draftReply`, then `sendDraft` or `sendForReview`. `sendReply` emails the customer", "Add internal notes with `POST /api/v1/tickets/{id}/comments` and `isPublic` false", "Page with `from` and `limit` (50 at most). Deep offsets cost more credits, from 3 a call under 2,000 records to 100 above 100,000" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 4, "avgRating": 3.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 66.6 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 67, "maintenance": 63, "payments": 40, "reliability": 75, "schema": 72, "security": 66, "transparency": 62 }, "provenanceScore": 96, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-01", "maintenance": "2026-11-01", "payments": "2026-11-01", "reliability": "2026-11-01", "schema": "2026-11-01", "security": "2026-11-01", "transparency": "2026-11-01" }, "last": "2026-11-01", "oldest": "2026-11-01", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "http": "curl -X GET \"https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1/tickets?limit=5\" \\\n -H \"orgId: $ZOHO_DESK_ORG_ID\" \\\n -H \"Authorization: Zoho-oauthtoken $ZOHO_ACCESS_TOKEN\"" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/support.tickets", "tool": "https://letme.dev/zoho-desk" }, "sameCompany": [ "zoho-books", "zoho-zeptomail", "zoho-crm", "zoho-recruit", "zoho-people", "zoho-mail" ], "area": "business", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Express", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 7, "note": "billed yearly; $9 billed monthly" }, { "item": "Standard", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 14, "note": "billed yearly; $20 billed monthly" }, { "item": "Professional", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 23, "note": "billed yearly; $35 billed monthly" }, { "item": "Enterprise", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 40, "note": "billed yearly; $50 billed monthly" }, { "item": "Add-on API credits, first 25,000 a day", "unit": "credit", "usd": 0.0042, "note": "$4.20 a month per 1,000 daily credits, falling to $0.75 above 250,000; ordered by email to support" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Zoho Corporation Private Limited", "domain": "zoho.com", "domainRegistered": "2004-01-16", "domainNote": "The US API answers at desk.zoho.com. Other data centres use Zoho domains such as desk.zoho.eu, desk.zoho.in and desk.zohocloud.ca.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.zoho.com/terms.html", "privacy": "https://www.zoho.com/privacy.html", "statusPage": "https://status.zoho.com", "changelog": "https://help.zoho.com/portal/community/zoho-desk/zoho-desk-developer-apis", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-11-01", "notes": [ "The Terms of Service (last updated 2 March 2022) are the service agreement for Zoho's online services. They name the applicable Zoho contracting entity by region (https://www.zoho.com/legal/zoho-contracting-entities.html), which we did not re-read today.", "The privacy policy was last updated on 22 December 2025 (re-read on 1 November 2026). Its Part II covers service data held in Zoho products.", "security.txt at www.zoho.com gives a bug bounty contact, security@zohocorp.com, a policy link and an expiry of 30 June 2028 (re-read on 1 November 2026).", "The API document says changes are announced in the Zoho Desk Developer APIs forum. The forum loads by script and no dated entry could be read. No other API changelog was found.", "status.zoho.com redirects to us.zohostatus.com, which lists a Zoho Desk component. On 1 November 2026 that host's robots.txt answered a 404 carrying an access-denied page, so we treat it as closed to our reader.", "RDAP for zoho.com gives a registration date of 2004-01-16." ], "score": 96 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zoho-desk.json", "live": { "slug": "zoho-desk", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.zoho.com", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-11-06T20:51:17.960075445Z" }, "githubStars": 2, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://zoho.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "expires": "2028-06-30T23:59:59.000Z", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:59:50.941776064Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "zoho.com", "registered": "2004-01-16", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/zoho.com", "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T14:25:40.832306171Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://help.zoho.com/portal/community/zoho-desk/zoho-desk-developer-apis", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:11:02.461917429Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-04T08:25:03.751924346Z", "fingerprint": "79b9e33c1f0b" }, { "url": "https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html", "kind": "pricing", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:38:09.228455713Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "0c4097a00828" } ], "github": { "repo": "zoho/zohodesk-oas", "checkedAt": "2026-11-02T09:40:52.86225395Z", "stars": 2, "archived": false, "issuesEnabled": true, "pushedAt": "2026-10-29T13:17:52Z", "openIssues": 1, "openPRs": 0, "issuesOpened90d": 0, "issuesClosed90d": 0, "prsMerged90d": 3, "replies": { "sampled": 1, "unanswered": 1 } }, "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T15:59:50.941776064Z" } }, "edges": [ { "by": 43, "category": "transparency", "leads": "zoho-desk", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "reasons": { "a": "AGPL-3.0 core, and the module page says the module is AGPL-3.0 too (30). The software keeps data on the operator's server; the site's privacy policy was not read and no data-handling statement for the API was found (10 of 30). No deprecation policy or dated notices (0). No telemetry statement or opt-out found (5 of 20, since self-hosted data stays with the operator). 30 + 10 + 0 + 5 = 45.", "b": "Closed service under the Zoho Terms of Service, last updated 2 March 2022. The OpenAPI repository has no licence file (15 of 30). The privacy policy of 22 December 2025 says data is deleted from the active database within six months of account termination and from backups three months later. The DPA is sent on request by email (24 of 30). The API document promises forum notice and a transition period for deprecations without stating a length, and marks deprecated fields without dates (8 of 20). A sub-processor page exists, but its directory loads by script and we could not read the list. The data centre page names regions and cities (15 of 20)." }, "scores": { "a": 36, "b": 79 } }, { "by": 40, "category": "payments", "leads": "zoho-desk", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "reasons": { "a": "Self-hosted rule, with pricing scored on the paid module the API needs. No x402, MPP or L402 (0). The module's price is drawn by the store's script and could not be read, so it scores as not found (0). The core is free, but no free route to the API exists (0). A person buys the module in a browser and installs it (0). 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 0.", "b": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Edition prices are public, $7 to $40 a user a month billed yearly, and extra API credits have a published rate from $4.20 a month per 1,000 daily credits (20). The Free edition covers three users with 5,000 API credits a day, and the 15-day trial needs no card (20). A person signs up in a browser, registers an OAuth client in the API console and approves scopes (0)." }, "scores": { "a": 0, "b": 40 } }, { "by": 37, "category": "schema", "leads": "zoho-desk", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "reasons": { "a": "No OpenAPI, Postman collection or other machine-readable contract found (0). No llms.txt (404) or Markdown docs (0). Each endpoint has a short description and parameter notes such as what `imported` and `embed` do (10 of 20). Parameters are marked required or optional with types, and few enums (8 of 15). curl, JavaScript and PHP examples for each endpoint, and a status-code table with an `errorCode` and `errors` body (12 of 15). Module versions and core releases are tagged, with no dated API changelog (5 of 15). 0 + 0 + 10 + 8 + 12 + 5 = 35.", "b": "zoho/zohodesk-oas on GitHub holds OpenAPI 3.1.0 files for 210 resources and 1,077 operations after the 29 October 2026 update (185 and 911 before) (25). No llms.txt at zoho.com or desk.zoho.com and no Markdown docs found (0). Every operation carries a description that states the purpose, often with a note on limits, and little on when not to use one (14 of 20). Parameters carry enums, patterns and length limits, and replies use a discriminated schema per channel. Custom fields make record bodies open (12 of 15). The API document has a curl sample and response per endpoint and a list of error codes, and 802 operations declare an error response (14 of 15). The version is in the path and a compatibility statement promises forum notice of changes, with no dated changelog found (7 of 15). 25+0+14+12+14+7 = 72." }, "scores": { "a": 35, "b": 72 } }, { "by": 36, "category": "security", "leads": "zoho-desk", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "reasons": { "a": "A global API key and personal keys that act with a user's permissions, sent in a header or Basic auth, with no scopes. The docs list an `api_key` query parameter as a way to authenticate, so 10 off (20 less 10, 10). Personal keys follow user roles, with no read-only key and no confirmation step for deletes (5 of 20). Conversations carry customer email, the security policy notes that external images in received email load by default, and no prompt-injection guidance was found (0). No API audit log found (0). SECURITY.md routes core reports through GitHub security advisories, CVEs are requested after fixes, and advisories are published, with no bug bounty or certification (15 of 20). 10 + 5 + 0 + 0 + 15 = 30.", "b": "OAuth 2.0 with scopes per module and operation, one-hour access tokens and revocable refresh tokens (30). Less 10 because Zoho's OAuth guide documents the refresh call with the refresh token and client secret in the URL query string as one of three options (20 of 30). READ-only scopes, calls bound by the user's profile permissions, a draft and send-for-review path for replies, and a 60-day recycle bin for deleted tickets. Spam deletion is permanent and no approval step guards bulk updates (15 of 20). Tickets hold customer-written text and no prompt-injection guidance was found (3 of 15). A ticket history endpoint lists actions per ticket and a dashboard shows credit use. A portal-wide audit log for Desk was not established (8 of 15). security.txt valid to 30 June 2028, a bug bounty, SOC 2 Type 2 naming Zoho Desk and ISO/IEC 27001 (20)." }, "scores": { "a": 30, "b": 66 } }, { "by": 17, "category": "ergonomics", "leads": "zoho-desk", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "reasons": { "a": "Responses can be sized with `embed` (threads, timelogs, tags) and `pageSize` (12 of 25). Page and pageSize paging, with conversation filters by mailbox, folder, status, state, type, assignee, customer email and phone (16 of 20). Errors return a status code, an `errorCode` and a list of messages, with each code explained (14 of 20). The docs say a timed-out call is safe to retry; no idempotency keys for creates (3 of 20). No official SDK; few required parameters on most calls (5 of 15). 12 + 16 + 14 + 3 + 5 = 50.", "b": "Graded on the REST API. Lists default to 10 records with at most 50, `include` adds related resources on request, and `fields` exists on some list calls only (18 of 25). `from` and `limit`, saved views, `sortBy` and module search with field filters. Deep offsets cost up to 100 credits a call and search stops at offset 4,999 (18 of 20). Errors carry `errorCode`, `message`, `errorType` and the field as a JSON Pointer (18 of 20). No idempotency key. Drafts can be saved before sending (6 of 20). One official SDK, for Java, and setup needs an hourly token refresh and the right regional host (7 of 15)." }, "scores": { "a": 50, "b": 67 } }, { "by": 7, "category": "maintenance", "leads": "freescout", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "reasons": { "a": "Core v1.8.249 tagged on 31 October 2026 (30). Twelve tags from 30 August to 31 October (20). Issue responsiveness was not read because the GitHub API refused us for its rate limit (10 of 25, unchecked). No official SDK, and no MCP server from the project (0). CI with tests on MySQL and PostgreSQL, and a Laravel dependency advisory taken on 31 October (10). 30 + 20 + 10 + 0 + 10 = 70.", "b": "The OpenAPI files were last changed on 29 October 2026, adding 176 operations and 25 resource files, three days before this check (30). Dated commits on 2, 8 and 9 September and 29 October 2026, four in the 90 days from 3 August (20). The developer forum named as the place for API notices loads by script, so replies and dates were unread, and no dated changelog was found (6 of 15). The only official SDK is for Java, version 1.3.0 for Java 7 and above, with no release date found (5 of 15). No public repository or CI for the SDK (2 of 10). 30+20+6+5+2 = 63." }, "scores": { "a": 70, "b": 63 } } ], "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "FreeScout", "b": "Zoho", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "API key", "b": "OAuth", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Freemium", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "AGPL-3.0", "b": "Proprietary service under Zoho's Terms of Service. The OpenAPI repository on GitHub has no licence file", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-31", "b": "2026-10-29", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "2022-03-02", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "2025-12-22", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "none", "b": "3.5/5 (4)", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Zoho Desk scores 66.6 (B) on agent readiness against FreeScout's 27.9 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. FreeScout leads on maintenance \u0026 community.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, FreeScout or Zoho Desk?" }, { "answer": "FreeScout needs an API key. Zoho Desk uses an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do FreeScout and Zoho Desk need an API key?" }, { "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for FreeScout. No hosted endpoint is listed for Zoho Desk.", "question": "Can an agent call FreeScout and Zoho Desk without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "FreeScout is open source (AGPL-3.0). No open-source release is listed for Zoho Desk.", "question": "Are FreeScout and Zoho Desk open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Maintenance \u0026 community, 70 against 63" ], "also": [ "Open source" ], "goodFor": "Small teams that want a free, self-hosted Help Scout alternative and can run PHP.", "slug": "freescout", "watchFor": "API keys carry no scopes, and the docs offer an `api_key` URL parameter" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 72 against 35", "Agent ergonomics, 67 against 50", "Security \u0026 auth, 66 against 30", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 0", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 79 against 36" ], "also": [ "Free to start without a card", "No incidents deducted, where FreeScout loses 15 points for them" ], "goodFor": "Teams already on Zoho who want an agent to read tickets, draft replies for review, add private comments and change status with narrow scopes, and small teams that want a free edition with API access.", "slug": "zoho-desk", "watchFor": "No SLA found, and the Terms of Service disclaim uninterrupted service" } ], "history": null, "job": { "capability": "support.tickets", "name": "Support tickets" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatwoot-vs-freescout.json", "title": "Chatwoot API vs FreeScout", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatwoot-vs-freescout" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatwoot-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Chatwoot API vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatwoot-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crisp-vs-freescout.json", "title": "Crisp API + MCP vs FreeScout", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crisp-vs-freescout" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crisp-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Crisp API + MCP vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crisp-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dixa-vs-freescout.json", "title": "Dixa vs FreeScout", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dixa-vs-freescout" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dixa-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Dixa vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dixa-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-freshdesk.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Freshdesk API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-freshdesk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-front.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Front API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-front" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-gorgias.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Gorgias API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-gorgias" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-help-scout.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Help Scout API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-help-scout" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-helpdesk.json", "title": "FreeScout vs HelpDesk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-helpdesk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-intercom.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Intercom API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-intercom" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-kustomer.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Kustomer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-kustomer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-liveagent.json", "title": "FreeScout vs LiveAgent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-liveagent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-plain.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Plain API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-plain" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-pylon.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Pylon API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-pylon" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zammad.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Zammad", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zammad" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zendesk.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Zendesk Support API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zendesk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freshdesk-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Freshdesk API + MCP vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freshdesk-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/front-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Front API + MCP vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/front-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gorgias-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Gorgias API + MCP vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gorgias-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/help-scout-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Help Scout API + MCP vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/help-scout-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/helpdesk-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "HelpDesk vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/helpdesk-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/intercom-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Intercom API + MCP vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/intercom-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kustomer-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Kustomer vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kustomer-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/liveagent-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "LiveAgent vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/liveagent-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plain-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Plain API + MCP vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plain-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pylon-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Pylon API + MCP vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pylon-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zammad-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Zammad vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zammad-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zendesk-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Zendesk Support API vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zendesk-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatway-mcp-vs-freescout.json", "title": "Chatway MCP vs FreeScout", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatway-mcp-vs-freescout" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatway-mcp-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Chatway MCP vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatway-mcp-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drag-vs-freescout.json", "title": "Drag vs FreeScout", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drag-vs-freescout" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drag-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Drag vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drag-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-gladly.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Gladly", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-gladly" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-missive.json", "title": "FreeScout vs Missive API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-missive" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladly-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Gladly vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladly-vs-zoho-desk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/missive-vs-zoho-desk.json", "title": "Missive API + MCP vs Zoho Desk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/missive-vs-zoho-desk" } ], "panel": null, "scores": [ { "by": 2, "edge": "zoho-desk", "freescout": 73, "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16, "zoho-desk": 75 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 37, "edge": "zoho-desk", "freescout": 35, "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13, "zoho-desk": 72 }, { "by": 17, "edge": "zoho-desk", "freescout": 50, "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13, "zoho-desk": 67 }, { "by": 36, "edge": "zoho-desk", "freescout": 30, "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14, "zoho-desk": 66 }, { "by": 40, "edge": "zoho-desk", "freescout": 0, "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10, "zoho-desk": 40 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 7, "edge": "freescout", "freescout": 70, "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7, "zoho-desk": 63 }, { "by": 43, "edge": "zoho-desk", "freescout": 36, "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7, "zoho-desk": 79 } ], "summary": "Zoho Desk scores 66.6 (B) on agent readiness against FreeScout's 27.9 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. FreeScout leads on maintenance \u0026 community. Both do support tickets.", "tasks": null, "tutorials": [], "verdicts": { "freescout": "FreeScout is a free, actively released AGPL help desk whose paid API module gives agents a documented REST API with filters, embeds and signed webhooks. Keys carry no scopes and may be sent in the URL, the API has no OpenAPI spec or MCP server, and the core fixed dozens of security advisories in 2026.", "zoho-desk": "Public OpenAPI 3.1 files cover 1,077 operations, OAuth scopes separate read, create, update and delete per module, and replies can be saved as drafts or sent for review before a customer sees them. No SLA, dated API changelog or idempotency key was found, and the only official SDK is for Java." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zoho-desk", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zoho-desk.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zoho-desk.md", "mcp": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zoho-desk.min.md" }, "markdown": "Zoho Desk scores 66.6 (B) on agent readiness against FreeScout's 27.9 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. FreeScout leads on maintenance \u0026 community. Both do support tickets.\n\n- FreeScout: grade F, 27.9/100, rank #1431 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/freescout.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/freescout.json\n- Zoho Desk: grade B, 66.6/100, rank #363 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zoho-desk.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zoho-desk.json\n- Best customer support and helpdesk APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/support/index.md\n- All 211 support comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/support/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### FreeScout (F)\n\nGood for: Small teams that want a free, self-hosted Help Scout alternative and can run PHP.\n\nAhead on:\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 70 against 63\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: API keys carry no scopes, and the docs offer an `api_key` URL parameter\n\n### Zoho Desk (B)\n\nGood for: Teams already on Zoho who want an agent to read tickets, draft replies for review, add private comments and change status with narrow scopes, and small teams that want a free edition with API access.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 72 against 35\n- Agent ergonomics, 67 against 50\n- Security \u0026 auth, 66 against 30\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 0\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 79 against 36\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Free to start without a card\n- No incidents deducted, where FreeScout loses 15 points for them\n\nWatch for: No SLA found, and the Terms of Service disclaim uninterrupted service\n\n\n## Why the edge\n\n### Transparency \u0026 trust: Zoho Desk +43\n\n- FreeScout (36): AGPL-3.0 core, and the module page says the module is AGPL-3.0 too (30). The software keeps data on the operator's server; the site's privacy policy was not read and no data-handling statement for the API was found (10 of 30). No deprecation policy or dated notices (0). No telemetry statement or opt-out found (5 of 20, since self-hosted data stays with the operator). 30 + 10 + 0 + 5 = 45.\n- Zoho Desk (79): Closed service under the Zoho Terms of Service, last updated 2 March 2022. The OpenAPI repository has no licence file (15 of 30). The privacy policy of 22 December 2025 says data is deleted from the active database within six months of account termination and from backups three months later. The DPA is sent on request by email (24 of 30). The API document promises forum notice and a transition period for deprecations without stating a length, and marks deprecated fields without dates (8 of 20). A sub-processor page exists, but its directory loads by script and we could not read the list. The data centre page names regions and cities (15 of 20).\n\n### Payments \u0026 pricing: Zoho Desk +40\n\n- FreeScout (0): Self-hosted rule, with pricing scored on the paid module the API needs. No x402, MPP or L402 (0). The module's price is drawn by the store's script and could not be read, so it scores as not found (0). The core is free, but no free route to the API exists (0). A person buys the module in a browser and installs it (0). 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 0.\n- Zoho Desk (40): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Edition prices are public, $7 to $40 a user a month billed yearly, and extra API credits have a published rate from $4.20 a month per 1,000 daily credits (20). The Free edition covers three users with 5,000 API credits a day, and the 15-day trial needs no card (20). A person signs up in a browser, registers an OAuth client in the API console and approves scopes (0).\n\n### Schema \u0026 documentation: Zoho Desk +37\n\n- FreeScout (35): No OpenAPI, Postman collection or other machine-readable contract found (0). No llms.txt (404) or Markdown docs (0). Each endpoint has a short description and parameter notes such as what `imported` and `embed` do (10 of 20). Parameters are marked required or optional with types, and few enums (8 of 15). curl, JavaScript and PHP examples for each endpoint, and a status-code table with an `errorCode` and `errors` body (12 of 15). Module versions and core releases are tagged, with no dated API changelog (5 of 15). 0 + 0 + 10 + 8 + 12 + 5 = 35.\n- Zoho Desk (72): zoho/zohodesk-oas on GitHub holds OpenAPI 3.1.0 files for 210 resources and 1,077 operations after the 29 October 2026 update (185 and 911 before) (25). No llms.txt at zoho.com or desk.zoho.com and no Markdown docs found (0). Every operation carries a description that states the purpose, often with a note on limits, and little on when not to use one (14 of 20). Parameters carry enums, patterns and length limits, and replies use a discriminated schema per channel. Custom fields make record bodies open (12 of 15). The API document has a curl sample and response per endpoint and a list of error codes, and 802 operations declare an error response (14 of 15). The version is in the path and a compatibility statement promises forum notice of changes, with no dated changelog found (7 of 15). 25+0+14+12+14+7 = 72.\n\n### Security \u0026 auth: Zoho Desk +36\n\n- FreeScout (30): A global API key and personal keys that act with a user's permissions, sent in a header or Basic auth, with no scopes. The docs list an `api_key` query parameter as a way to authenticate, so 10 off (20 less 10, 10). Personal keys follow user roles, with no read-only key and no confirmation step for deletes (5 of 20). Conversations carry customer email, the security policy notes that external images in received email load by default, and no prompt-injection guidance was found (0). No API audit log found (0). SECURITY.md routes core reports through GitHub security advisories, CVEs are requested after fixes, and advisories are published, with no bug bounty or certification (15 of 20). 10 + 5 + 0 + 0 + 15 = 30.\n- Zoho Desk (66): OAuth 2.0 with scopes per module and operation, one-hour access tokens and revocable refresh tokens (30). Less 10 because Zoho's OAuth guide documents the refresh call with the refresh token and client secret in the URL query string as one of three options (20 of 30). READ-only scopes, calls bound by the user's profile permissions, a draft and send-for-review path for replies, and a 60-day recycle bin for deleted tickets. Spam deletion is permanent and no approval step guards bulk updates (15 of 20). Tickets hold customer-written text and no prompt-injection guidance was found (3 of 15). A ticket history endpoint lists actions per ticket and a dashboard shows credit use. A portal-wide audit log for Desk was not established (8 of 15). security.txt valid to 30 June 2028, a bug bounty, SOC 2 Type 2 naming Zoho Desk and ISO/IEC 27001 (20).\n\n### Agent ergonomics: Zoho Desk +17\n\n- FreeScout (50): Responses can be sized with `embed` (threads, timelogs, tags) and `pageSize` (12 of 25). Page and pageSize paging, with conversation filters by mailbox, folder, status, state, type, assignee, customer email and phone (16 of 20). Errors return a status code, an `errorCode` and a list of messages, with each code explained (14 of 20). The docs say a timed-out call is safe to retry; no idempotency keys for creates (3 of 20). No official SDK; few required parameters on most calls (5 of 15). 12 + 16 + 14 + 3 + 5 = 50.\n- Zoho Desk (67): Graded on the REST API. Lists default to 10 records with at most 50, `include` adds related resources on request, and `fields` exists on some list calls only (18 of 25). `from` and `limit`, saved views, `sortBy` and module search with field filters. Deep offsets cost up to 100 credits a call and search stops at offset 4,999 (18 of 20). Errors carry `errorCode`, `message`, `errorType` and the field as a JSON Pointer (18 of 20). No idempotency key. Drafts can be saved before sending (6 of 20). One official SDK, for Java, and setup needs an hourly token refresh and the right regional host (7 of 15).\n\n### Maintenance \u0026 community: FreeScout +7\n\n- FreeScout (70): Core v1.8.249 tagged on 31 October 2026 (30). Twelve tags from 30 August to 31 October (20). Issue responsiveness was not read because the GitHub API refused us for its rate limit (10 of 25, unchecked). No official SDK, and no MCP server from the project (0). CI with tests on MySQL and PostgreSQL, and a Laravel dependency advisory taken on 31 October (10). 30 + 20 + 10 + 0 + 10 = 70.\n- Zoho Desk (63): The OpenAPI files were last changed on 29 October 2026, adding 176 operations and 25 resource files, three days before this check (30). Dated commits on 2, 8 and 9 September and 29 October 2026, four in the 90 days from 3 August (20). The developer forum named as the place for API notices loads by script, so replies and dates were unread, and no dated changelog was found (6 of 15). The only official SDK is for Java, version 1.3.0 for Java 7 and above, with no release date found (5 of 15). No public repository or CI for the SDK (2 of 10). 30+20+6+5+2 = 63.\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | FreeScout | Zoho Desk | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 73 | 75 | Zoho Desk +2 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 35 | 72 | Zoho Desk +37 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 50 | 67 | Zoho Desk +17 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 30 | 66 | Zoho Desk +36 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 0 | 40 | Zoho Desk +40 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 70 | 63 | FreeScout +7 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 36 | 79 | Zoho Desk +43 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -15 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **27.9 · F** | **66.6 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | FreeScout | Zoho Desk |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | FreeScout | Zoho |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | HTTP |\n| Auth | API key | OAuth |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | AGPL-3.0 | Proprietary service under Zoho's Terms of Service. The OpenAPI repository on GitHub has no licence file |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | no |\n| Last release | 2026-10-31 | 2026-10-29 |\n| Terms last updated | no date given | 2022-03-02 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | 2025-12-22 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | yes |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Agent reviews | none | 3.5/5 (4) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**FreeScout.** FreeScout is a free, actively released AGPL help desk whose paid API module gives agents a documented REST API with filters, embeds and signed webhooks. Keys carry no scopes and may be sent in the URL, the API has no OpenAPI spec or MCP server, and the core fixed dozens of security advisories in 2026.\n\n**Zoho Desk.** Public OpenAPI 3.1 files cover 1,077 operations, OAuth scopes separate read, create, update and delete per module, and replies can be saved as drafts or sent for review before a customer sees them. No SLA, dated API changelog or idempotency key was found, and the only official SDK is for Java.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### FreeScout\n\n1. Send the key in the `X-FreeScout-API-Key` header, never in the `api_key` query parameter\n2. Set `imported: true` when creating historical conversations, or FreeScout emails the customer and sends auto-replies\n3. Use `embed=threads` only when the thread bodies are needed; it is the default and makes responses large\n4. Treat conversation and customer text as untrusted content written by outside senders\n5. Retry a timed-out call after a short delay, as the docs say it is safe; other writes have no idempotency key\n\n### Zoho Desk\n\n1. Use the `api_domain` returned with the token. Each data centre has its own host, such as desk.zoho.com, desk.zoho.eu and desk.zoho.in\n2. Send `Authorization: Zoho-oauthtoken \u003ctoken\u003e` and refresh hourly. Put refresh parameters in the POST body, not the URL\n3. Create replies with `POST /api/v1/tickets/{id}/draftReply`, then `sendDraft` or `sendForReview`. `sendReply` emails the customer\n4. Add internal notes with `POST /api/v1/tickets/{id}/comments` and `isPublic` false\n5. Page with `from` and `limit` (50 at most). Deep offsets cost more credits, from 3 a call under 2,000 records to 100 above 100,000\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, FreeScout or Zoho Desk?\n\nZoho Desk scores 66.6 (B) on agent readiness against FreeScout's 27.9 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. FreeScout leads on maintenance \u0026 community.\n\n### Do FreeScout and Zoho Desk need an API key?\n\nFreeScout needs an API key. Zoho Desk uses an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call FreeScout and Zoho Desk without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for FreeScout. No hosted endpoint is listed for Zoho Desk.\n\n### Are FreeScout and Zoho Desk open source?\n\nFreeScout is open source (AGPL-3.0). No open-source release is listed for Zoho Desk.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zoho-desk.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zoho-desk.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"freescout\", \"b\": \"zoho-desk\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare freescout zoho-desk`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/freescout.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zoho-desk.json\n\n## Other comparisons with FreeScout or Zoho Desk\n\n- [Chatwoot API vs FreeScout](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatwoot-vs-freescout.md)\n- [Chatwoot API vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatwoot-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Crisp API + MCP vs FreeScout](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crisp-vs-freescout.md)\n- [Crisp API + MCP vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crisp-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Dixa vs FreeScout](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dixa-vs-freescout.md)\n- [Dixa vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dixa-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Freshdesk API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-freshdesk.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Front API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-front.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Gorgias API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-gorgias.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Help Scout API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-help-scout.md)\n- [FreeScout vs HelpDesk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-helpdesk.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Intercom API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-intercom.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Kustomer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-kustomer.md)\n- [FreeScout vs LiveAgent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-liveagent.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Plain API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-plain.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Pylon API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-pylon.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Zammad](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zammad.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Zendesk Support API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zendesk.md)\n- [Freshdesk API + MCP vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freshdesk-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Front API + MCP vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/front-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Gorgias API + MCP vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gorgias-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Help Scout API + MCP vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/help-scout-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [HelpDesk vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/helpdesk-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Intercom API + MCP vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/intercom-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Kustomer vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kustomer-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [LiveAgent vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/liveagent-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Plain API + MCP vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plain-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Pylon API + MCP vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pylon-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Zammad vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zammad-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Zendesk Support API vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zendesk-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Chatway MCP vs FreeScout](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatway-mcp-vs-freescout.md)\n- [Chatway MCP vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chatway-mcp-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Drag vs FreeScout](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drag-vs-freescout.md)\n- [Drag vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drag-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Gladly](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-gladly.md)\n- [FreeScout vs Missive API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-missive.md)\n- [Gladly vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gladly-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n- [Missive API + MCP vs Zoho Desk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/missive-vs-zoho-desk.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "attributionRequired": true, "credit": "CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link the page or API address you took it from (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-11-07", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.7", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "terms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "FreeScout vs Zoho Desk", "url": "" } ], "description": "Zoho Desk scores 66.6 (B) to FreeScout's 27.9 (F) for support tickets. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "FreeScout F 27.9", "Zoho Desk B 66.6", "scores" ], "h1": "FreeScout vs Zoho Desk", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/default.png", "path": "/compare/freescout-vs-zoho-desk", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "FreeScout vs Zoho Desk for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-11-07", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/freescout-vs-zoho-desk" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 4550, "slim": 2430 }, "version": 1 }