Libredesk vs Trudesk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted helpdesk & ticketing options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Libredesk | Trudesk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 62 · Good |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known in v2.8.0 | None known in v1.2.11 |
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,030 | ★ 1,496 |
| First released | 2024 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Intercom | Zendesk, Freshdesk |
What are Libredesk and Trudesk?
Libredesk
Libredesk is a self-hosted, open-source customer support tool. It offers shared inboxes, SLA management, automations, and reporting in a clean modern interface.
- Shared inbox and SLAs
- Automation rules
- Canned responses
- Single binary deployment
Trudesk
Trudesk is an open-source help desk and ticket management system. It provides a kanban-style ticket board, knowledge base, and real-time messaging built on Node.js.
- Kanban ticket board
- Built-in knowledge base
- Real-time chat and notices
- Mobile-friendly UI
Libredesk vs Trudesk: key differences
Libredesk is written in Go, while Trudesk is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Libredesk versus Apache-2.0 for Trudesk. Trudesk is the more established project (first released 2016), while Libredesk arrived in 2024. Libredesk has the considerably larger community, at 3,030 GitHub stars versus 1,496.
Why pick each one
Choose Libredesk if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
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 Libredesk or Trudesk better?
Neither is universally better. Libredesk has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Libredesk and Trudesk free and open-source?
Yes. Libredesk is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Trudesk under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Libredesk and Trudesk with Docker?
Libredesk: yes. Trudesk: yes.