osTicket vs Tiledesk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted helpdesk & ticketing options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
osTicket
Widely used open-source support ticket system
VS
Tiledesk
Open-source conversational customer support platform
| Feature | osTicket | Tiledesk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 81 · Excellent | 58 · Fair |
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Mustache |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,922 | ★ 322 |
| First released | 2003 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Freshdesk | Zendesk, Intercom |
What are osTicket and Tiledesk?
osTicket
osTicket is a widely used open-source support ticket system. It routes inquiries from email, web forms, and APIs into a simple, easy-to-use multi-user interface.
- Email and web ticket creation
- Custom fields and forms
- SLA and ticket routing
- Canned responses
Tiledesk
Tiledesk is an open-source customer support platform that combines live chat, chatbots, and a ticketing system. It routes conversations from multiple channels into a unified agent workspace with ticket tracking.
- Live chat and chatbots
- Omnichannel ticketing
- Unified agent workspace
- Conversation routing
osTicket vs Tiledesk: key differences
OsTicket is written in PHP, while Tiledesk is built with Mustache. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for osTicket versus MIT for Tiledesk. OsTicket is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Tiledesk. OsTicket is the more established project (first released 2003), while Tiledesk arrived in 2020. OsTicket has the considerably larger community, at 3,922 GitHub stars versus 322.
Why pick each one
Choose osTicket if…
- Mature and stable
- Easy for staff to learn
Watch out for
- Interface looks dated
Choose Tiledesk if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Written in Mustache
Frequently asked questions
Is osTicket or Tiledesk better?
Neither is universally better. osTicket has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are osTicket and Tiledesk free and open-source?
Yes. osTicket is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Tiledesk under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run osTicket and Tiledesk with Docker?
osTicket: yes. Tiledesk: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, osTicket or Tiledesk?
osTicket has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Tiledesk. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.