ITFlow vs Request Tracker
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?
ITFlow
Open-source ITSM, documentation and ticketing for MSPs
VS
Request Tracker
Enterprise-grade ticketing system from Best Practical
| Feature | ITFlow | Request Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 966 | ★ 1,141 |
| First released | 2021 | 1996 |
| Replaces | ServiceNow, Jira Service Management | Zendesk, Jira Service Management |
Why pick each one
Choose ITFlow if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Request Tracker if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Perl
Frequently asked questions
Is ITFlow or Request Tracker better?
Neither is universally better. Request Tracker has the larger community, while ITFlow is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ITFlow and Request Tracker free and open-source?
Yes. ITFlow is licensed under MIT and Request Tracker under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ITFlow and Request Tracker with Docker?
ITFlow: yes. Request Tracker: check the project docs for container support.