Request Tracker vs Telebugs
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?
Request Tracker
Enterprise-grade ticketing system from Best Practical
VS
Telebugs
Lightweight error tracker without a subscription (alternative to
| Feature | Request Tracker | Telebugs |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | GPL-2.0 | ⊘ Proprietary |
| Language | Perl | Docker |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,141 | — |
| First released | 1996 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Jira Service Management | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Request Tracker if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Perl
Choose Telebugs if…
- Released under the ⊘ Proprietary license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Docker
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Request Tracker or Telebugs better?
Neither is universally better. Request Tracker has the larger community, while Telebugs is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Request Tracker and Telebugs free and open-source?
Yes. Request Tracker is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Telebugs under ⊘ Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Request Tracker and Telebugs with Docker?
Request Tracker: check the project docs for container support. Telebugs: yes.