Handesk vs MantisBT
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?
Handesk
Laravel help desk and lead management application
VS
MantisBT
Open-source bug tracker for software teams
| Feature | Handesk | MantisBT |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,450 | ★ 1,794 |
| First released | 2018 | 2000 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Freshdesk | Jira, Bugzilla |
Why pick each one
Choose Handesk if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose MantisBT if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Handesk or MantisBT better?
MantisBT is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Handesk if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Handesk and MantisBT free and open-source?
Yes. Handesk is licensed under MIT and MantisBT under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Handesk and MantisBT with Docker?
Handesk: check the project docs for container support. MantisBT: yes.