Bugzilla vs Request Tracker
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted helpdesk & ticketing options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Bugzilla
Time-tested bug tracking system from Mozilla
VS
Request Tracker
Enterprise-grade ticketing system from Best Practical
| Feature | Bugzilla | Request Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Perl | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 850 | ★ 1,141 |
| First released | 1998 | 1996 |
| Replaces | Jira | Zendesk, Jira Service Management |
Why pick each one
Choose Bugzilla if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Written in Perl
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Request Tracker if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Perl
Frequently asked questions
Is Bugzilla or Request Tracker better?
Neither is universally better. Request Tracker has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Bugzilla and Request Tracker free and open-source?
Yes. Bugzilla is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Request Tracker under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bugzilla and Request Tracker with Docker?
Bugzilla: check the project docs for container support. Request Tracker: check the project docs for container support.