GLPI vs Handesk
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?
GLPI
IT asset management and service desk
VS
Handesk
Laravel help desk and lead management application
| Feature | GLPI | Handesk |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,206 | ★ 1,450 |
| First released | 2003 | 2018 |
| Replaces | ServiceNow, Zendesk | Zendesk, Freshdesk |
Why pick each one
Choose GLPI if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.2k GitHub stars
- Written in PHP
Choose Handesk if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is GLPI or Handesk better?
Neither is universally better. GLPI has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are GLPI and Handesk free and open-source?
Yes. GLPI is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Handesk under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GLPI and Handesk with Docker?
GLPI: yes. Handesk: check the project docs for container support.