OTOBO vs Trudesk
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?
OTOBO
Enterprise ticket system and service management
VS
Trudesk
Open-source helpdesk and ticketing for small teams
| Feature | OTOBO | Trudesk |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Perl | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 334 | ★ 1,492 |
| First released | 2019 | 2016 |
| Replaces | ServiceNow, Zendesk | Zendesk, Freshdesk |
Why pick each one
Choose OTOBO if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Perl
Choose Trudesk if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is OTOBO or Trudesk better?
Trudesk is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OTOBO if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are OTOBO and Trudesk free and open-source?
Yes. OTOBO is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Trudesk under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OTOBO and Trudesk with Docker?
OTOBO: yes. Trudesk: yes.