MantisBT vs Trac
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted helpdesk & ticketing options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Trac
Integrated wiki and issue tracker for software projects
| Feature | MantisBT | Trac |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 75 · Good |
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | GPL-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,806 | ★ 545 |
| First released | 2000 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Jira, Bugzilla | Jira |
What are MantisBT and Trac?
MantisBT
MantisBT is a popular, open-source web-based bug tracking system. It is easy to set up and offers per-project access control, notifications, and issue workflows.
- Per-project bug tracking
- Email notifications
- Custom fields and workflows
- Plugin system
Trac
Trac is a minimalistic web-based software project management and bug tracking system. It integrates a wiki, an issue tracker, and version control browsing.
- Integrated wiki and tickets
- Version control browser
- Roadmap and milestones
- Plugin ecosystem
MantisBT vs Trac: key differences
MantisBT is written in PHP, while Trac is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for MantisBT versus BSD-3-Clause for Trac. MantisBT is the more established project (first released 2000), while Trac arrived in 2004. MantisBT has the considerably larger community, at 1,806 GitHub stars versus 545. MantisBT lists first-class Docker deployment; Trac does not.
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 Trac if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is MantisBT or Trac better?
MantisBT is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Trac if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are MantisBT and Trac free and open-source?
Yes. MantisBT is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Trac under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MantisBT and Trac with Docker?
MantisBT: yes. Trac: check the project docs for container support.