GLPI vs Libredesk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted helpdesk & ticketing options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
GLPI
IT asset management and service desk
VS
Libredesk
Self-hosted open-source customer support desk
| Feature | GLPI | Libredesk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,382 | ★ 2,959 |
| First released | 2003 | 2024 |
| Replaces | ServiceNow, Zendesk | Zendesk, Intercom |
What are GLPI and Libredesk?
GLPI
GLPI is a free IT service management software combining a helpdesk ticketing system with IT asset and inventory management. It is widely used by IT departments.
- ITIL-aligned service desk
- Asset and inventory management
- Self-service portal
- Large plugin ecosystem
Libredesk
Libredesk is a self-hosted, open-source customer support tool. It offers shared inboxes, SLA management, automations, and reporting in a clean modern interface.
- Shared inbox and SLAs
- Automation rules
- Canned responses
- Single binary deployment
GLPI vs Libredesk: key differences
GLPI is written in PHP, while Libredesk is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for GLPI versus AGPL-3.0 for Libredesk. GLPI is the more established project (first released 2003), while Libredesk arrived in 2024. GLPI has the considerably larger community, at 6,382 GitHub stars versus 2,959.
Why pick each one
Choose GLPI if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.4k GitHub stars
- Written in PHP
Choose Libredesk if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is GLPI or Libredesk 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 Libredesk free and open-source?
Yes. GLPI is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Libredesk under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GLPI and Libredesk with Docker?
GLPI: yes. Libredesk: yes.