Founded: 2014 by Martin Edenhofer
License: GNU AGPLv3 (open-source)
Owner: Zammad Foundation (since October 2014)
Commercial: Zammad GmbH offers support, training, and consulting
Repository: 5,500+ stars, 3.2M+ downloads
Positioning: Open-source alternative to Zendesk, Freshdesk, and ServiceNow
Current Stable: v7.0 (March 2026)
2013 – First lines of code
Martin Edenhofer, who previously created the OTRS helpdesk software, wrote the first line of source code for what would become Zammad in January 2013.
October 2014 – Zammad Foundation and GmbH founded
The Zammad Foundation was established as the home of the open-source project, while Zammad GmbH was founded to provide commercial services, training, and consulting. This dual structure ensures the open-source project remains independent while having commercial backing.
May 2015 – First paying customer
Zammad gained its first paying customer, validating the business model and demonstrating market demand for a modern open-source helpdesk solution.
October 2016 – Zammad 1.0 public release
The first stable public release of Zammad 1.0 was launched, introducing a modern web-based helpdesk with multi-channel support.
November 2016 – Bronze OSBAR Award
Zammad received the Bronze OSBAR Award 2016, recognizing its contribution to open-source business applications.
September 2017 – Zammad 2.0 release
Major version 2.0 brought significant improvements to the user interface, automation capabilities, and integration options.
June 2019 – Zammad 3.0 release
Version 3.0 introduced enhanced reporting, improved automation rules, and better ITIL process support.
March 2021 – Zammad 4.0 release
Zammad 4.0 brought a redesigned interface, improved performance, and expanded API capabilities.
December 2021 – Zammad 5.0 release
Version 5.0 introduced new automation features, enhanced knowledge base integration, and improved mobile experience.
June 2023 – Zammad 6.0 release
Zammad 6.0 brought significant architectural improvements, better scalability, and enhanced security features.
2025 – 3.2M+ downloads, 5,100+ GitHub stars
Zammad reached over 3.2 million downloads and 5,100+ GitHub stars, with 1,500+ paying customers worldwide.
2026 – Zammad 7.x stable
Current stable version 7.0 with Ruby 3.4+ and Rails 8.0, featuring AI-powered text suggestions via LLM integration.
Backend:
Frontend:
Infrastructure:
Deployment: