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Plain is turning Sidekick from an assist tool into an agent that acts across your stack.
Alternatives · customer support software
Zammad alternatives
The best Zammad alternatives in customer support software, ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score.
Updated Jul 14, 2026
Looking for the best alternatives to Zammad? Sparkpulse tracks and ranks 12 alternatives in customer support software by shipping velocity — how frequently each ships meaningful updates, verified from official changelogs. For reference, Zammad shipped 0 meaningful updates in the last 30 days and carries a velocity score of 2.5 out of 10 in 2026. The alternatives below are ranked the same way, so you're comparing real release momentum, not marketing claims.
About Zammad
Zammad inches toward 7.x on a slow alpha cadence with little feature signal
Zammad's visible changelog is sparse and maintenance-only. The recent entries are alpha version markers spaced months apart — 7.0.0-alpha in September 2025, 7.1.0-alpha in February 2026, 7.2.0-alpha in May 2026 — carrying little beyond version-info bumps and an earlier note about improved sensitive-data handling.
Velocity 2.5 · Last update 1mo ago
Top 12 alternatives to Zammad
Ranked by recent ship velocity. Tap any card for the full editorial breakdown, or pivot to a head-to-head.
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ServiceDesk Plus threads Zoho's Zia AI deeper into ITSM workflow authoring
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Hatz AI pairs a new artifacts surface with full audit logging, doubling down on governed AI for MSPs.
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Twilio grinds through platform-maturity work: RCS error hygiene, WhatsApp usernames, org-level identity APIs
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Respond.io absorbs WhatsApp's phone-free identity shift while thickening its AI agent.
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Thread is building an AI-and-voice-native service desk for MSPs
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LiveAgent runs a heavy maintenance cadence while quietly wiring in AI-agent billing
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Sleekplan bets its relaunch on feedback that triages itself
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Re:amaze matures its AI support agent with testing and visibility tools
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Desk365 leans into IT asset management and Teams-native ticketing on a monthly release cadence
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Formbricks grinds through 5.1→5.2 RCs, hardening an agent-writable survey API
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Richpanel is folding the ecommerce support stack into one inbox, integration by integration
Zammad vs alternatives — shipping velocity at a glance
Velocity score (0–10) and meaningful releases shipped in the last 30 days, from official changelogs. Higher = shipping faster.
| Product | Velocity | Sparks · 30d | Focus areas | Latest release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zammad (baseline) | 2.5 | 0 | help-deskopen-sourcealpha-releases | — |
| Plain | 7.5 | 1 | customer-supportai-agentsidekick | Sidekick can now take actions across connected tools |
| ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus | 6.3 | 1 | itsmzia-aiworkflow-automation | Workflow Assist goes GA; Zia generates workflows from images |
| Hatz AI | 6.3 | 1 | mspai-governancecompliance | Artifacts, Compliance & Logs, Search Hatz Docs From Hatz Chat, Fable 5 Re-Enabled, GPT-5.6 |
| Twilio | 6.3 | 0 | messagingrcswhatsapp | — |
| Respond.io | 6.3 | 1 | messagingwhatsappai-agents | WhatsApp usernames and Business-Scoped User IDs (BSUIDs) supported |
| Thread | 6.3 | 1 | mspvoice-aitriage-agent | Voice AI: outbound calling goes live |
| LiveAgent | 6.3 | 0 | customer supportmaintenancebug fixes | — |
| Sleekplan | 6.3 | 1 | feedback-managementai-automationproduct-rebuild | Sleekplan 2.0: A Feedback Loop that Manages Itself! |
| Re:amaze | 6.3 | 1 | customer-supportai-agenthelpdesk-automation | What’s New in Re:amaze: A Fresh Set of AI Customer Support Tools |
| Desk365 | 5.0 | 0 | helpdeskit asset managementmicrosoft teams | — |
| Formbricks | 5.0 | 0 | open-sourcesurveysmcp | — |
| Richpanel | 5.0 | 0 | integrationscustomer-supportecommerce | — |
The 12 best Zammad alternatives, in depth
1. Plain · velocity 7.5
Plain is turning Sidekick from an assist tool into an agent that acts across your stack.
Over the last 30 days Plain shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zammad's 0, most recently “Sidekick can now take actions across connected tools”. Its velocity score of 7.5/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, Plain focuses on customer support, ai agent and sidekick.
Over the last 30 days Plain has been shipping faster than Zammad — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
2. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus · velocity 6.3
ServiceDesk Plus threads Zoho's Zia AI deeper into ITSM workflow authoring.
Over the last 30 days ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zammad's 0, most recently “Workflow Assist goes GA; Zia generates workflows from images”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus focuses on itsm, zia ai and workflow automation.
Over the last 30 days ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus has been shipping faster than Zammad — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
Full ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus trajectory → · Compare Zammad vs ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus →
3. Hatz AI · velocity 6.3
Hatz AI pairs a new artifacts surface with full audit logging, doubling down on governed AI for MSPs.
Over the last 30 days Hatz AI shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zammad's 0, most recently “Artifacts, Compliance & Logs, Search Hatz Docs From Hatz Chat, Fable 5 Re-Enabled, GPT-5.6”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, Hatz AI focuses on msp, ai governance and compliance.
Over the last 30 days Hatz AI has been shipping faster than Zammad — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
4. Twilio · velocity 6.3
Twilio grinds through platform-maturity work: RCS error hygiene, WhatsApp usernames, org-level identity APIs.
Its velocity score of 6.3/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, Twilio focuses on messaging, rcs and whatsapp.
Twilio and Zammad have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
5. Respond.io · velocity 6.3
Respond.io absorbs WhatsApp's phone-free identity shift while thickening its AI agent.
Over the last 30 days Respond.io shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zammad's 0, most recently “WhatsApp usernames and Business-Scoped User IDs (BSUIDs) supported”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, Respond.io focuses on messaging, whatsapp and ai agents.
Over the last 30 days Respond.io has been shipping faster than Zammad — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
Full Respond.io trajectory → · Compare Zammad vs Respond.io →
6. Thread · velocity 6.3
Thread is building an AI-and-voice-native service desk for MSPs.
Over the last 30 days Thread shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zammad's 0, most recently “Voice AI: outbound calling goes live”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, Thread focuses on msp, voice ai and triage agent.
Over the last 30 days Thread has been shipping faster than Zammad — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
7. LiveAgent · velocity 6.3
LiveAgent runs a heavy maintenance cadence while quietly wiring in AI-agent billing.
Its velocity score of 6.3/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, LiveAgent focuses on customer support, maintenance and bug fixes.
LiveAgent and Zammad have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
8. Sleekplan · velocity 6.3
Sleekplan bets its relaunch on feedback that triages itself.
Over the last 30 days Sleekplan shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zammad's 0, most recently “Sleekplan 2.0: A Feedback Loop that Manages Itself!”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, Sleekplan focuses on feedback management, ai automation and product rebuild.
Over the last 30 days Sleekplan has been shipping faster than Zammad — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
9. Re:amaze · velocity 6.3
Re:amaze matures its AI support agent with testing and visibility tools.
Over the last 30 days Re:amaze shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zammad's 0, most recently “What’s New in Re:amaze: A Fresh Set of AI Customer Support Tools”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, Re:amaze focuses on customer support, ai agent and helpdesk automation.
Over the last 30 days Re:amaze has been shipping faster than Zammad — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
10. Desk365 · velocity 5.0
Desk365 leans into IT asset management and Teams-native ticketing on a monthly release cadence.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, Desk365 focuses on helpdesk, it asset management and microsoft teams.
Desk365 and Zammad have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
11. Formbricks · velocity 5.0
Formbricks grinds through 5.1→5.2 RCs, hardening an agent-writable survey API.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, Formbricks focuses on open source, surveys and mcp.
Formbricks and Zammad have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full Formbricks trajectory → · Compare Zammad vs Formbricks →
12. Richpanel · velocity 5.0
Richpanel is folding the ecommerce support stack into one inbox, integration by integration.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Zammad leans on help desk, open source and alpha releases, Richpanel focuses on integrations, customer support and ecommerce.
Richpanel and Zammad have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best alternatives to Zammad?
The top Zammad alternatives we currently track in customer support software are Plain, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, Hatz AI, Twilio, Respond.io, ranked by recent ship velocity.
How is this list of Zammad alternatives ranked?
Alternatives are ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score — release cadence + 30-day spark count + sector-relative ship rate.
Can I compare Zammad directly with one of these alternatives?
Yes — every card has a "Compare with Zammad" link to a side-by-side /compare page.