Handesk vs Libredesk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted helpdesk & ticketing options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Handesk | Libredesk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 28 · At risk | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,452 | ★ 2,953 |
| First released | 2018 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Freshdesk | Zendesk, Intercom |
What are Handesk and Libredesk?
Handesk
Handesk is an open-source help desk and lead management application built with Laravel. It converts emails into tickets, supports internal notes, escalation, merging, agent mentions, and includes an API for tickets and leads.
- Email-to-ticket conversion
- Lead management with API
- Ticket escalation and merging
- Slack and email notifications
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
Handesk vs Libredesk: key differences
Handesk is written in PHP, while Libredesk is built with Go. Licensing differs — MIT for Handesk versus AGPL-3.0 for Libredesk. Handesk is the more established project (first released 2018), while Libredesk arrived in 2024. Libredesk has the considerably larger community, at 2,953 GitHub stars versus 1,452. Libredesk lists first-class Docker deployment; Handesk does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Handesk if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
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 Handesk or Libredesk better?
Neither is universally better. Libredesk has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Handesk and Libredesk free and open-source?
Yes. Handesk is licensed under MIT and Libredesk under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Handesk and Libredesk with Docker?
Handesk: check the project docs for container support. Libredesk: yes.