MantisBT vs Redmine
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?
MantisBT
Open-source bug tracker for software teams
VS
Redmine
Flexible project management and issue tracking
| Feature | MantisBT | Redmine |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,794 | ★ 6,012 |
| First released | 2000 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Jira, Bugzilla | Jira |
Why pick each one
Choose MantisBT if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
Choose Redmine if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6k GitHub stars
- Written in Ruby
Frequently asked questions
Is MantisBT or Redmine better?
Neither is universally better. Redmine has the larger community, while MantisBT is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are MantisBT and Redmine free and open-source?
Yes. MantisBT is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Redmine under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MantisBT and Redmine with Docker?
MantisBT: yes. Redmine: yes.