Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

iTop VS OTRS ITSM

Compare iTop VS OTRS ITSM and see what are their differences

iTop logo iTop

By your side to ­empower your team and bring your ­customer service to another level

OTRS ITSM logo OTRS ITSM

OTRS ITSM is a fundamental solution for IT Service Management organizations.
  • iTop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-04

iTop is an Open Source web application for the day to day operations of an IT environment. iTop was designed with the ITIL best practices in mind but does not dictate any specific process, the application is flexible enough to adapt to your processes whether you want rather informal and pragmatic processes or a strict ITIL aligned behaviour.

The belief behind iTop is that a CMDB must be an operational tool. The only way for a CMDB to be accurate and up to date is to be used day-to-day by the IT teams (support agents, IT engineers, etc.). Moreover, the more the CMDB is integrated with other IT tools (monitoring systems, reporting tools, automated inventory, etc.), the better.

iTop features, what you can do with it:

  • Document your IT infrastructure and all the relationships between the various pieces and stakeholders of the infrastructure (servers, applications, network devices, virtual machines, contacts, locations…)
  • Manage incidents, user requests, planned outages…
  • Document IT services and contracts with external providers including service level agreements
  • Export all the information in a manual or scripted manner
  • Mass import (manually and using scripts) or synchronize/federate any data from external systems

iTop can be used by different types of persons:

  • Help Desk agents
  • Support engineers (1st level, 2nd level…)
  • Service managers
  • IT managers
  • End-users: a simplified “portal” interface is available to let them submit their requests directly.
  • OTRS ITSM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-16

iTop features and specs

  • Open Source
    iTop is an open-source software, meaning it's free to use and can be customized and modified to fit specific needs.
  • Comprehensive ITSM Features
    iTop offers a wide range of IT service management features including incident management, problem management, change management, and more.
  • Flexibility
    iTop is highly flexible and can be adapted to suit various organizational needs and processes.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The platform is designed with a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and manage IT services.
  • Community Support
    As an open-source tool, iTop has a strong community of users and developers who contribute to its growth and provide support.

Possible disadvantages of iTop

  • Customization Complexity
    Though customizable, the process can be complex and may require significant technical knowledge and resources.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to some paid ITSM solutions, iTop may lack some advanced features that are necessary for complex IT environments.
  • Performance
    Depending on the size of data and usage, iTop may experience performance issues, particularly in larger organizations.
  • Documentation
    While there is documentation available, it may not be as comprehensive or as detailed as that found for commercial software.
  • Development Resources
    Organizations may need to invest in development resources to maximize the potential of iTop, which can offset some of the cost benefits of it being open source.

OTRS ITSM features and specs

  • Customizability
    OTRS ITSM is highly customizable, allowing organizations to tailor the software to their specific processes and workflows. This flexibility makes it suitable for a wide range of IT service management needs.
  • Comprehensive ITIL Support
    The system supports numerous ITIL processes, including incident management, problem management, and change management, helping organizations to implement ITIL-based best practices effectively.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    OTRS ITSM features a user-friendly interface that facilitates easy navigation and operation, which can enhance user satisfaction and productivity.
  • Strong Community Support
    Being open-source software, OTRS enjoys strong community support, which can be a valuable resource for troubleshooting and finding customized solutions.
  • Cost-Effective
    The open-source nature of OTRS means that it can be a more cost-effective solution compared to proprietary ITSM tools, especially for organizations with limited budgets.

Possible disadvantages of OTRS ITSM

  • Complexity in Setup
    Due to its high level of customizability, setting up OTRS ITSM can be complex and may require a significant time investment to configure it according to organizational requirements.
  • Need for Technical Expertise
    Implementing and maintaining OTRS ITSM can require technical expertise, which might necessitate hiring specialized staff or investing in training.
  • Limited Out-of-the-Box Features
    While OTRS ITSM supports many ITIL processes, it may have fewer out-of-the-box features compared to other ITSM solutions, requiring additional customization to meet all organizational needs.
  • Performance Issues with Large Data
    Some users report performance issues when handling large volumes of data, which can impact the efficiency of the system, especially in large organizations.
  • Less Frequent Updates
    Compared to some other ITSM tools, the updates and new feature rollouts for OTRS may be less frequent, potentially leaving users waiting for needed enhancements.

iTop videos

iTOP Electronic Spinning Top! Review

More videos:

  • Review - iTop Review: GTA San Andreas
  • Review - ITop Electronic Spinner Game Review for Character Options age 8+

OTRS ITSM videos

OTRS 3: Installing OTRS ITSM

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to iTop and OTRS ITSM)
Monitoring Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Help Desk
50 50%
50% 50
Log Management
100 100%
0% 0
Customer Support
45 45%
55% 55

User comments

Share your experience with using iTop and OTRS ITSM. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

What are some alternatives?

When comparing iTop and OTRS ITSM, you can also consider the following products

Zendesk - Zendesk is a beautiful, lightweight help-desk solution.

RackTables - Racktables is a nifty and robust solution for datacenter and server room asset management.

OpenSupports - Simple open source ticket system with user system and modern design.

NetBox - NetBox is an open source web application designed to help manage and document computer networks. NetBox was developed specifically to address the needs of network and infrastructure engineers.

Freshdesk - Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer support software that lets you support customers through traditional channels like phone and email, social channels like Facebook and Twitter, and your own branded community

DCImanager - DCImanager is a platform for managing physical equipment. Connect any physical equipment to a single platform. Use the platform to manage your servers, switches, PDU as well as physical and virtual networks.