osTicket Alternatives: 11 Open Source and Self-Hosted Options for 2026
osTicket Alternatives: 11 Open Source and Self-Hosted Options for 2026
Short answer: Zammad is the strongest open source upgrade from osTicket, with a modern interface, SLAs, a knowledge base and multi-channel support. FreeScout is the easiest switch if you want to stay on cheap PHP hosting. GLPI if your tickets are really about IT assets. Request Tracker or Znuny if you want something battle-tested and process-heavy. Chatwoot if conversations arrive over chat and social instead of email. And if you're done hosting a help desk altogether, Zoho Desk and Help Scout both have free hosted plans.
osTicket is the open source, self-hosted ticketing system that has run support queues for a very long time. It's PHP and MySQL, GPL-2.0 licensed, and still maintained: the repository's last push was 17 June 2026, matching its most recent releases. If you want osTicket without the server, the team also sells a hosted version, SupportSystem, starting at $12 per agent per month.
So why look elsewhere? The interface shows its age. Live chat, a modern knowledge base and multi-channel inboxes aren't core. And the GitHub issue count tells its own story: 1,218 open issues as of 24 October 2026. None of that makes osTicket bad. It does mean a lot of teams eventually want something that feels like it was built this decade.
Want to own your help desk outright? There's a build path
The Help Desk Kit is a Next.js help desk template with 110 screens: tickets, live chat, knowledge base, customer profiles, SLA tracking, automations with AI agent assist, CSAT surveys, QA scoring and team scheduling. Next.js 16, Tailwind CSS v4 and shadcn/ui. It's a modern frontend with mock seed data; you bring the backend, database and email handling. $131 solo, $199 team, $349 agency, one-time. Try the live demo.
Get the Help Desk Kit → or get every kit (18 total) for $749 via All UI Kits →
TL;DR: Quick Picks for 2026
| Need | Top pick | Licence | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modern, full-featured upgrade | Zammad | AGPL-3.0 | Free self-host |
| Easiest move, same PHP hosting | FreeScout | AGPL-3.0 | Free self-host |
| Tickets plus IT asset management | GLPI | GPL-3.0 | Free self-host |
| PHP/Symfony, unlimited agents | UVdesk | OSL-3.0 | Free self-host, cloud $8+/agent/mo |
| Battle-tested, process-heavy | Request Tracker | GPL-2.0 | Free self-host, cloud $15+/user/mo |
| OTRS-style ITSM | Znuny | GPL-3.0 | Free self-host |
| Chat and social first | Chatwoot | MIT, open core | Free self-host |
| Free, simple, not open source | Hesk | Proprietary | Free with branding, $49.99 one-time |
| Hosted, free for 3 users | Zoho Desk | Proprietary | Free for 3 users |
| Hosted, free for 5 users | Help Scout | Proprietary | Free for 5 users |
| Own the UI inside your product | Help Desk Kit | Commercial licence | $131 one-time |
What osTicket Actually Does Well
Credit where it's due. osTicket is free, it installs on ordinary PHP hosting, it doesn't cap agents, and it has been doing email-to-ticket support for so long that the core workflow is boringly reliable. Help topics, departments, SLA plans, canned responses and a customer portal all come in the box.
If your queue is mostly email, your team is happy, and someone keeps it patched, there's a perfectly good case for staying. The hosted SupportSystem edition is worth a look too, if the only thing you dislike is running the server.
When to Leave osTicket
Three signals:
- Agents complain about the interface. It's dated, and that shows up in adoption.
- You need more than email. Live chat, social and messaging channels aren't osTicket's strength.
- You want a real knowledge base, reporting or automation. These exist, but they're basic next to Zammad or a hosted desk.
Which of These Are Actually Alive
For self-hosted software, the repository tells you more than any review score. Pulled from the GitHub API on 24 October 2026:
| Project | Stars | Open issues | Last push | Licence | Stack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| osTicket | 3,990 | 1,218 | 17 Jun 2026 | GPL-2.0 | PHP |
| Chatwoot | 38,175 | 1,585 | 24 Oct 2026 | MIT, except enterprise/ |
Ruby |
| UVdesk | 19,637 | 82 | 7 Oct 2026 | OSL-3.0 | PHP (Symfony) |
| GLPI | 6,500 | 460 | 23 Oct 2026 | GPL-3.0 | PHP |
| Zammad | 6,028 | 473 | 23 Oct 2026 | AGPL-3.0 | Ruby |
| FreeScout | 4,615 | 27 | 24 Oct 2026 | AGPL-3.0 | PHP |
| Request Tracker | 1,163 | 81 | 23 Oct 2026 | GPL-2.0 | Perl |
| Znuny | 605 | 128 | 23 Oct 2026 | GPL-3.0 | Perl |
| OTOBO | 337 | 231 | 24 Oct 2026 | GPL-3.0 | Perl |
| Peppermint | 3,160 | 99 | 21 Sep 2025 | Archived | TypeScript |
Two things stand out. First, everything on our list pushed code within the last few weeks, which is the best single sign that a project isn't quietly dying. UVdesk is worth calling out: its repository went quiet for about a year before a push on 7 October 2026, so it's moving again, though we'd watch it for a few months.
Second, skip Peppermint for now. It still shows up in osTicket alternative roundups, but the repository is archived and read-only, and the last push was September 2025. It's a nice Next.js app; an archived one just isn't a safe home for your support history.
1. Zammad
The most complete open source upgrade from osTicket.
Strengths:
- Modern interface agents actually like
- Email, chat, social and phone channels in one place
- SLAs, knowledge base, customer portal, reporting
- AGPL-3.0, very active
Weaknesses:
- Rails with Elasticsearch, Redis and background workers, so it's heavier to run than osTicket
- Migration from PHP hosting means new infrastructure
- Hosted plans and support packages are priced in euros
Pricing: Free to self-host. Hosted plans are €7, €16 and €25 per agent per month on annual billing (€9, €18 and €27 monthly), excluding VAT. Self-hosted support packages start at €2,999 a year.
Best for: Teams who want the biggest jump in capability and have someone comfortable with Docker.
2. FreeScout
The easiest move, because it runs on the same kind of hosting.
Strengths:
- PHP and MySQL, so it installs where osTicket already runs
- Clean shared mailbox interface
- Paid modules add knowledge base, live chat and workflows with lifetime licences
- Small open issue count for its size
Weaknesses:
- Email first
- Features arrive through modules, some paid
- No customer portal out of the box
Pricing: Free to self-host under AGPL-3.0. Modules are open source too, with some sold as one-time licences.
Best for: Small teams who want a modern-feeling inbox without changing hosting.
3. GLPI
An IT service management suite that includes a help desk.
Strengths:
- Tickets linked to hardware, software and licence inventory
- Strong for internal IT support
- GPL-3.0, active, large community
Weaknesses:
- Overkill for customer support
- Interface is built for IT admins
- Commercial support and cloud are sold separately in euros
Pricing: Free to self-host. GLPI Network sells cloud and support plans; we couldn't load their pricing page reliably, so check it directly.
Best for: IT teams whose tickets are about laptops, servers and licences.
4. UVdesk
Symfony-based, unlimited agents, with a cheap cloud option.
Strengths:
- PHP stack similar to osTicket's
- Unlimited agents on the open source edition
- Cloud version if you want out of hosting
Weaknesses:
- Repository was quiet for about a year before October 2026
- Smaller ecosystem than Zammad
- Cloud plans need at least 2 agents
Pricing: Open source edition free forever. Cloud Medium Scale is $8 per agent per month billed annually or $11 monthly; Large Scale $15 annually or $18 monthly.
Best for: PHP and Symfony teams who want unlimited agents.
5. Request Tracker (RT)
The veteran, still very much maintained.
Strengths:
- Extremely flexible workflows, scrips and custom fields
- GPL-2.0, active (pushed to on 23 October 2026)
- Hosted Cloud RT if you'd rather not run it
Weaknesses:
- Perl stack, fewer people know it
- Interface and setup favour admins over agents
- Steep learning curve
Pricing: Free to self-host. Cloud RT Starter is $15 per user per month billed annually (from 5 users) and Business $29 (from 10 users).
Best for: Technical teams who want maximum workflow control.
6. Znuny (and OTOBO)
The community continuations of OTRS.
Strengths:
- Mature ITSM-style processes, queues and permissions
- GPL-3.0, both projects active
- Familiar to anyone who ran OTRS
Weaknesses:
- Perl stack and complex configuration
- Heavy for a small customer support team
- Interface feels enterprise-traditional
Pricing: Both are free to self-host. Commercial support is available from the maintainers on request.
Best for: Teams with structured service processes, especially former OTRS users.
7. Chatwoot
The open source pick when conversations come through chat and social.
Strengths:
- Website chat, email, WhatsApp and social channels in one inbox
- Modern interface
- Largest community on this list by stars
Weaknesses:
- Lighter on formal ticketing than osTicket
- Rails, Redis and Docker to run
- Open core: Community Edition leaves out Captain AI, SLA policies and SSO
Pricing: Self-hosted Community Edition is free. Cloud starts free for 2 agents, then $19, $39 or $99 per agent per month. More in Zendesk Alternatives.
Best for: Teams whose support moved from email to chat.
8. Hesk
Free and simple, though it isn't open source.
Strengths:
- Lightweight PHP help desk that's easy to install
- Actively maintained
- Cheap one-time licence to remove branding
Weaknesses:
- Proprietary, so it won't meet an open source requirement
- Free version carries "Powered by Hesk" branding
- Fewer features than Zammad
Pricing: Free to download with branding. A one-installation licence is $49.99 one-time, and a five-installation licence is $199.99. Hesk Cloud is also offered.
Best for: Small teams that want a simple, free desk and don't need an open source licence.
9. Zoho Desk (hosted)
The cheap way out of self-hosting.
Strengths:
- Free plan for 3 users
- Multi-channel, SLAs and Zia AI on paid tiers
- Tight Zoho CRM integration
Weaknesses:
- Dense interface
- Proprietary and cloud only
- Paid tiers show regional currency pricing
Pricing: Free for 3 users. Paid tiers showed in Indian rupees from our region with no USD option, so check from your location. More in Zoho Desk Alternatives.
Best for: Tiny teams who want to stop running a server and pay nothing.
10. Help Scout (hosted)
A friendly hosted desk with a real free plan.
Strengths:
- Free for 5 users, 1 inbox and 100 contacts a month
- Clean inbox that feels like email to customers
- Docs knowledge base included
Weaknesses:
- Free plan's 100 contacts a month runs out fast
- Proprietary and cloud only
- AI Answers costs $0.75 per resolution
Pricing: Free for 5 users. Standard $25, Plus $45 and Pro $75 per user per month billed annually. See Help Scout Alternatives.
Best for: Small teams who want something modern and hosted without a bill on day one.
11. Build Your Own with the Help Desk Kit
There's a third path between "self-host an open source app" and "rent a SaaS desk": build the help desk into your own product. That's the right call when support is part of what you sell. A customer portal inside your app, white-labeled support for your clients, or a workflow none of the tools above fits.
The catch with every option above is the interface. You inherit someone else's design, data model and upgrade schedule. The Help Desk Kit gives you a modern frontend to start from instead. From the product config:
- 110 screens: dashboard, tickets, live chat, knowledge base, customers, reports, team, automations and settings
- Tickets (17 screens): list, detail, Kanban board, SLA, macros, merge, spam, tags, saved views
- Knowledge base (10 screens): Markdown editor, categories, internal articles, versions, search analytics
- Automations (10 screens): AI assist, escalations, SLA policies, triggers, workflows
- Operations: CSAT surveys, QA scoring, team scheduling
- Stack: Next.js 16, Tailwind CSS v4, shadcn/ui, light and dark mode
Here's the part that matters if you're coming from osTicket: it ships no backend. No database or API logic, no email or SMS notification delivery backend (so no email piping like osTicket's), no WebSocket or real-time messaging infrastructure, and no AI chatbot or NLP logic. Every screen runs on mock seed data. You're buying a polished UI layer you own outright, and you build or connect everything behind it.
Price: $131 solo, $199 team, $349 agency, one-time. Live demo.
For the build walkthrough, read How to Build a Help Desk in Next.js, and for other starting points, Best Help Desk Templates.
Picking Between the Open Source Options
| Zammad | FreeScout | GLPI | UVdesk | Request Tracker | Znuny | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best at | Full help desk | Shared inbox | IT + assets | Unlimited agents | Workflow control | ITSM processes |
| Stack | Ruby on Rails | PHP (Laravel) | PHP | PHP (Symfony) | Perl | Perl |
| Runs on shared PHP hosting | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Licence | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 | OSL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Hosting effort | Moderate to high | Low | Moderate | Low to moderate | Moderate to high | High |
Recommendation by Profile
| You | Pick |
|---|---|
| Want the biggest upgrade | Zammad |
| Want to keep cheap PHP hosting | FreeScout |
| Tickets are about IT hardware | GLPI |
| PHP shop, want unlimited agents | UVdesk |
| Technical team, complex workflows | Request Tracker |
| Coming from OTRS | Znuny or OTOBO |
| Support moved to chat | Chatwoot |
| Want free and simple, licence doesn't matter | Hesk |
| Done with servers, tiny team | Zoho Desk or Help Scout free plans |
| Support belongs inside your product | Build with the Help Desk Kit |
| Happy with email tickets and the UI | Stay on osTicket |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is osTicket still maintained?
Yes. The repository's last push was 17 June 2026, and the project ships releases on its own steady cadence. It also has 1,218 open issues, which is a lot, and worth knowing before you commit to it long term.
What is the best open source alternative to osTicket?
Zammad for most teams. It's AGPL-3.0, very active, and adds a modern interface, SLAs, a knowledge base and multi-channel support. FreeScout is the better pick if you want to stay on cheap PHP hosting.
Is there a free alternative to osTicket?
Zammad, FreeScout, GLPI, UVdesk, Request Tracker, Znuny and Chatwoot are all free to self-host. If you'd rather not host anything, Zoho Desk is free for 3 users and Help Scout is free for 5.
Should I use Peppermint instead of osTicket?
Not for a new deployment. Peppermint's repository is archived and read-only, with the last push in September 2025. We cover this in more depth in Open Source Ticketing Systems.
Can I migrate from osTicket without losing history?
Usually, with some effort. Check whether your target has an importer for osTicket or can take API imports, and plan on scripting the gaps. Test on a copy of your database and check attachments, custom fields and closed tickets before you cut over. Running both systems in parallel for a few weeks is cheap insurance.
The Honest Take
osTicket still works, and if your team is happy on it, there's no prize for switching. Most teams that leave want a modern interface, more channels, or less server babysitting.
Zammad gives you the biggest step up if you can run it. FreeScout is the low-friction move. GLPI, Request Tracker and Znuny suit process-heavy IT teams. And if you're done hosting entirely, the free tiers at Zoho Desk and Help Scout are hard to argue with.
If support is part of your product, though, the interface is worth owning. That's what the Help Desk Kit is for.
Want it shipped without hiring a developer?
The build path above assumes you have engineers. If you don't, the team behind thefrontkit does done-for-you launches: we deploy the kit, apply your branding, and wire it to your stack. Fixed quotes, most builds ship in 2-4 weeks, from $1,999.
