Handesk vs Trudesk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted helpdesk & ticketing options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Handesk | Trudesk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 28 · At risk | 55 · Fair |
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,452 | ★ 1,496 |
| First released | 2018 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Freshdesk | Zendesk, Freshdesk |
What are Handesk and Trudesk?
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
Trudesk
Trudesk is an open-source help desk and ticket management system. It provides a kanban-style ticket board, knowledge base, and real-time messaging built on Node.js.
- Kanban ticket board
- Built-in knowledge base
- Real-time chat and notices
- Mobile-friendly UI
Handesk vs Trudesk: key differences
Handesk is written in PHP, while Trudesk is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Handesk versus Apache-2.0 for Trudesk. Trudesk is the more established project (first released 2016), while Handesk arrived in 2018. Trudesk 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 Trudesk if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Handesk or Trudesk better?
Neither is universally better. Trudesk has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Handesk and Trudesk free and open-source?
Yes. Handesk is licensed under MIT and Trudesk under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Handesk and Trudesk with Docker?
Handesk: check the project docs for container support. Trudesk: yes.