GLPI vs JIRA
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?
| Feature | GLPI | JIRA |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | GPL-3.0 | ⊘ Proprietary |
| Language | PHP | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,206 | — |
| First released | 2003 | 2020 |
| Replaces | ServiceNow, Zendesk | — |
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 JIRA if…
- Released under the ⊘ Proprietary license
- Written in Java
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is GLPI or JIRA 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 JIRA free and open-source?
Yes. GLPI is licensed under GPL-3.0 and JIRA under ⊘ Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GLPI and JIRA with Docker?
GLPI: yes. JIRA: check the project docs for container support.