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.
Not the right match-up?
MantisBT
Open-source bug tracker for software teams
VS
Trac
Integrated wiki and issue tracker for software projects
| Feature | MantisBT | Trac |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 1,794 | ★ 541 |
| First released | 2000 | 2004 |
| 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 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.