osTicket vs UVdesk
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
UVdesk
Open-source helpdesk built on Symfony
| Feature | osTicket | UVdesk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 81 · Excellent | 55 · Fair |
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | CSS |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,922 | ★ 19,612 |
| First released | 2003 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Freshdesk | Zendesk, Freshdesk |
What are osTicket and UVdesk?
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
UVdesk
UVdesk is an open-source helpdesk system built on the Symfony framework. It offers ticket management, a knowledge base, email piping, and a customizable workflow engine.
- Email piping to tickets
- Workflow automation
- Knowledge base module
- Extensible app marketplace
osTicket vs UVdesk: key differences
OsTicket is written in PHP, while UVdesk is built with CSS. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for osTicket versus MIT for UVdesk. OsTicket is the more established project (first released 2003), while UVdesk arrived in 2018. UVdesk has the considerably larger community, at 19,612 GitHub stars versus 3,922.
Why pick each one
Choose osTicket if…
- Mature and stable
- Easy for staff to learn
Watch out for
- Interface looks dated
Choose UVdesk if…
- Full ticketing workflow
- Knowledge base included
- Email piping support
Watch out for
- PHP MySQL stack required
- Slower development pace
Frequently asked questions
Is osTicket or UVdesk better?
Neither is universally better. UVdesk has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are osTicket and UVdesk free and open-source?
Yes. osTicket is licensed under GPL-2.0 and UVdesk under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run osTicket and UVdesk with Docker?
osTicket: yes. UVdesk: yes.