osTicket vs Zammad
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
osTicket
Widely used open-source support ticket system
VS
Zammad
Web-based helpdesk and customer support system
| Feature | osTicket | Zammad |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,871 | ★ 5,834 |
| First released | 2003 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Freshdesk | Zendesk, Freshdesk |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is osTicket or Zammad better?
Neither is universally better. Zammad has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are osTicket and Zammad free and open-source?
Yes. osTicket is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Zammad under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run osTicket and Zammad with Docker?
osTicket: yes. Zammad: yes.