osTicket vs Znuny
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?
osTicket
Widely used open-source support ticket system
VS
Znuny
Community-maintained OTRS fork for service desks
| Feature | osTicket | Znuny |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,871 | ★ 588 |
| First released | 2003 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Freshdesk | ServiceNow, Zendesk |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is osTicket or Znuny better?
osTicket is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Znuny if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are osTicket and Znuny free and open-source?
Yes. osTicket is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Znuny under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run osTicket and Znuny with Docker?
osTicket: yes. Znuny: check the project docs for container support.