Free Support Portal Software — Open Source Helpdesk
Genius Support is a complete support portal built with Laravel and Laravel Reverb. Customer portal, agent dashboard, knowledge base, email-to-ticket automation, and real-time WebSocket updates — self-hosted, no per-agent fees, forever free.
MIT License · No account required · No credit card · No per-agent fees
6
Modules
3
User Roles
IMAP
Email-to-Ticket
WebSocket
Real-Time
PHP 8.2+
Backend
Free
Forever
See It in Action
Real screenshots from the application. Every screen shown is fully functional and included free.
What is Genius Support?
Genius Support is free, open-source support portal software built with Laravel. It provides a customer ticket portal, agent dashboard, admin panel, self-service knowledge base, and email-to-ticket automation — self-hosted on your own server, MIT licensed, with no per-agent fees.
Zendesk charges $19–$115 per agent per month. Freshdesk starts at $15 per agent per month and locks advanced features behind higher tiers. Genius Support is a one-time free download — full source code, deploy on any Linux VPS, no recurring cost regardless of team size.
The system ships with three distinct portals — a customer-facing ticket portal, an agent dashboard, and an admin panel — plus a self-service knowledge base and email-to-ticket automation via IMAP. Ticket updates are pushed in real time using Laravel Reverb, a self-hosted WebSocket server — no Pusher subscription required.
According to Zendesk research, 73% of customers say a good experience drives brand loyalty — yet most small teams pay $50–$200/month for helpdesk tools they could self-host for free. Genius Support gives those teams the same core workflow without the ongoing cost. Learn more about issue tracking systems ↗.
6 Modules. Full Support Lifecycle.
From first customer email to resolved ticket — every support workflow is built in and ready to use out of the box.
Ticket Management
- Create, assign, and prioritize tickets with one click
- Status workflow: Open → In Progress → Resolved → Closed
- Priority levels: Low, Medium, High, Urgent
- Real-time status updates via WebSocket (Laravel Reverb)
- Department-based ticket routing and reassignment
Customer Portal
- Self-service ticket submission and tracking
- Reply to agents directly from the portal
- Knowledge base search for instant self-help
- Resolution rating — customers rate every resolved ticket
- Profile management and ticket history
Agent Dashboard
- Unified ticket queue with filter and search
- Compose replies with rich text editor
- Internal notes visible only to agents
- Bulk actions — reassign, close, or change priority
- Real-time notifications for new and updated tickets
Admin Panel
- User management — customers, agents, and admins
- Department setup with dedicated agent assignment
- Custom email reply templates
- Branding — upload logo, set colour scheme, custom domain
- Analytics and reporting: ticket volume, response times, CSAT
Knowledge Base
- Author and publish self-service articles
- Category and tag organisation
- Full-text search for customers
- Reduce ticket volume with proactive answers
- Manage draft and published states per article
Email-to-Ticket (IMAP)
- Connect any IMAP inbox to auto-create tickets from emails
- Preserve email threading — replies stay linked
- Agent replies sent as emails from your domain
- Configurable polling interval and department mapping
- Works with Gmail, Outlook, and any IMAP-compatible mailbox
Genius Support vs Zendesk vs Freshdesk
Same core features. No per-agent fees. No SaaS contract. Your server.
| Feature | Genius SupportFree · Open Source | Zendesk | Freshdesk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free forever | $19–$115/agent/mo | $15–$79/agent/mo |
| Self-hosted | Yes — your server | No (SaaS only) | No (SaaS only) |
| Source code access | Full (MIT license) | No | No |
| Email-to-ticket (IMAP) | Built in | Built in | Built in |
| Real-time updates | Self-hosted WebSocket | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Knowledge base | Built in | Built in | Built in |
| Agent limit | Unlimited | Per-seat pricing | Per-seat pricing |
| Data ownership | Your server, your data | Zendesk servers | Freshdesk servers |
| White-label / branding | Full control | Limited | Limited |
| Vendor lock-in | None | High | High |
Zendesk and Freshdesk pricing as of 2025. Per-agent costs scale with team size — Genius Support does not.
From Download to Live in 3 Steps
Install on Your Server
Download Genius Support and run the guided installer on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. The script configures PHP 8.2+, MySQL 8.0, Nginx, Node.js 20, and Supervisor automatically. Setup takes under 30 minutes.
Configure Email and Departments
Connect your IMAP inbox so incoming customer emails automatically create tickets. Create departments, assign agents, and set up reply email templates — all from the admin panel.
Go Live
Share the customer portal URL. Customers submit and track tickets; agents resolve them in real time. The WebSocket server (Laravel Reverb) delivers instant updates to every open browser tab — no polling, no page refresh.
Three Roles. Every Perspective Covered.
Customers, agents, and admins each get a tailored experience — no shared interface, no permission confusion.
Admin
Full access — users, departments, email settings, branding, analytics, and all tickets
Agent
Handle ticket queue, reply to customers, create internal notes, bulk actions
Customer
Submit tickets, track status, reply to agents, search knowledge base, rate resolutions
Built on a Modern, Battle-Tested Stack
No proprietary runtime. No SaaS dependencies. Runs on standard Linux hosting.
Laravel
PHP backend, routing, ORM, queues
PHP 8.2+ (8.4 tested)
Application runtime
MySQL 8.0
Primary relational database
Laravel Reverb
Real-time WebSocket server
Nginx
Web server and reverse proxy
Supervisor
Queue worker and WebSocket process management
Server Requirements
Any standard Linux VPS. No Docker required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. MIT licensed. Every feature in the repository is included at no cost — no paid tier, no per-agent pricing, no feature locks. Deploy as many instances as you need.
Yes. Full source code is included. The MIT license places no restrictions on modification, redistribution, or commercial use. Fork it, customise it, build client projects on top of it.
Connect any IMAP mailbox (Gmail, Outlook, or a custom domain inbox) in the admin panel. Genius Support polls the inbox on a configurable interval and automatically creates a ticket for each new email. Agent replies are sent back as emails from your domain, so customers never need to log in if they prefer email.
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS with PHP 8.2+, MySQL 8.0, Node.js 20, and Nginx. A minimum of 2 GB RAM is recommended. Any standard VPS or cloud instance works — no managed services required. Supervisor manages background processes for queues and the WebSocket server.
Yes. You can create unlimited departments (for example, Billing, Technical Support, Sales). Each ticket is routed to a department, and each department has its own assigned agents. Tickets can be reassigned across departments at any time.
No. Genius Support uses Laravel Reverb, the official self-hosted WebSocket server from the Laravel team. Real-time ticket updates run entirely on your own server with no third-party WebSocket service required.
Zendesk and Freshdesk charge $19–$149 per agent per month. Genius Support is a one-time free download — self-hosted, MIT licensed, full source code, no per-agent fees and no monthly charges. Your data stays on your own server.
Yes. The MIT license permits commercial use including client deployments. You can replace the logo, set a custom colour scheme, and run it under your own domain. There is no "Powered by Genius Support" branding requirement.
Still have questions?
Check the documentation or open a pre-sale ticket.
Download the Free Support Portal
No account. No credit card. No per-agent fees. MIT license. Enter your email and get the download link instantly.
Need help setting it up? Contact Xgenious for installation service