TicketsBot vs Znuny
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted helpdesk & ticketing options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | TicketsBot | Znuny |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 0 · At risk | 75 · Good |
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 26 | ★ 596 |
| First released | 2018 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Zendesk | ServiceNow, Zendesk |
What are TicketsBot and Znuny?
TicketsBot
TicketsBot is a self-hostable ticket management bot that creates private support channels on demand and logs full transcripts. It is designed for community support teams that handle requests through chat platforms.
- On-demand support channels
- Full transcript logging
- Tag-based routing
- Staff claim system
Znuny
Znuny is an open-source ticketing system and service desk maintained as a free fork of OTRS Community Edition. It supports helpdesk and ITSM workflows.
- Maintained OTRS fork
- Helpdesk and ITSM
- Customizable workflows
- Active community support
TicketsBot vs Znuny: key differences
TicketsBot is written in Go, while Znuny is built with Perl. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for TicketsBot versus GPL-3.0 for Znuny. TicketsBot is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Znuny. TicketsBot is the more established project (first released 2018), while Znuny arrived in 2021. Znuny has the considerably larger community, at 596 GitHub stars versus 26. TicketsBot lists first-class Docker deployment; Znuny does not.
Why pick each one
Choose TicketsBot if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is TicketsBot or Znuny better?
Neither is universally better. Znuny has the larger community, while TicketsBot is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are TicketsBot and Znuny free and open-source?
Yes. TicketsBot is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Znuny under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run TicketsBot and Znuny with Docker?
TicketsBot: yes. Znuny: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, TicketsBot or Znuny?
TicketsBot has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Znuny. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.