Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

osTicket VS Zendesk

Compare osTicket VS Zendesk and see what are their differences

osTicket logo osTicket

osTicket is a widely-used open source support ticket system.

Zendesk logo Zendesk

Zendesk is a beautiful, lightweight help-desk solution.
  • osTicket Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-21

  • Zendesk Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-05-06

osTicket features and specs

  • Open Source
    osTicket is open-source, which means it is free to use and allows for extensive customization.
  • Customizable Fields and Forms
    The platform provides the ability to add custom fields and forms, making ticket management flexible to meet specific business needs.
  • Email Integration
    osTicket supports email integration, allowing users to create tickets directly from incoming emails.
  • Multi-Language Support
    The system supports multiple languages, making it suitable for international teams.
  • Ticket Filters
    Powerful ticket filtering allows for better organization and prioritization of incoming tickets.
  • Reports and Dashboards
    Built-in reporting tools and dashboards help track performance metrics and identify trends.
  • User and Role Management
    Fine-grained user and role management allows administrators to control who has access to different parts of the system.
  • Community Support
    Having a large community of users and developers can be a great resource for troubleshooting issues and sharing best practices.

Possible disadvantages of osTicket

  • Complex Setup
    Initial setup and configuration can be complicated, especially for users without technical expertise.
  • Limited Advanced Reporting
    While osTicket includes basic reporting features, it may not be robust enough for more advanced analytics needs.
  • User Interface
    The user interface is functional but might appear outdated and less intuitive compared to newer platforms.
  • Self-Hosted Only
    As an open-source solution, it requires self-hosting, which may necessitate additional resources for server management and maintenance.
  • Lack of Real-Time Updates
    osTicket does not offer real-time updates, which can delay the notification of ticket changes.
  • No Mobile App
    There is no official mobile app, making it less convenient to manage tickets on the go.
  • Limited Integration Options
    Unlike some commercial products, osTicket has fewer options for integrating with third-party applications.

Zendesk features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Zendesk offers an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users of varying technical expertise. This reduces the learning curve and increases efficiency.
  • Multi-Channel Support
    Zendesk supports various customer interaction channels, including email, chat, phone, and social media. This allows businesses to provide consistent support across multiple platforms.
  • Customizability
    The platform is highly customizable with options to create custom workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and integrate with a wide range of third-party applications.
  • Robust Reporting and Analytics
    Zendesk offers powerful reporting and analytics tools, enabling businesses to track key performance metrics, analyze customer interactions, and make data-driven decisions.
  • Scalability
    The platform is designed to grow with your business, offering various tiers of service and options that cater to both small businesses and large enterprises.

osTicket videos

What's New in osTicket Version 1.14?

More videos:

  • Review - OSTicket: a Customer Support solution for online communities
  • Review - OsTicket - Pretty much cover everything!

Zendesk videos

Zendesk Overview Demo

More videos:

  • Review - Introduction to Zendesk Support (for beginners)
  • Review - Zendesk Review
  • Review - ZenDesk vs FreshDesk - Which One Is Better?
  • Review - Zendesk Review: Customer Service Made Easier
  • Review - Zendesk Review
  • Review - Ultimate Zendesk Review 2024 | What Does It Do? [1/10]

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to osTicket and Zendesk)
Customer Support
12 12%
88% 88
Help Desk
12 12%
88% 88
Customer Service
22 22%
78% 78
CRM
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare osTicket and Zendesk

osTicket Reviews

The 20 Best Help Desk Apps and Knowledge Base Tools for Customer Support
Want a free support tool that can run on your own servers? osTicket is the app for you. It's an open source support tool that includes everything—you can answer support emails, assign tickets to other team members, create support forms, and write your help documentation all on your own server, for free. You can even tweak osTicket, by digging into its code or installing...
Source: zapier.com

Zendesk Reviews

  1. Clunky & awful customer service

    Would give them 0/5 if I could!

    🏁 Competitors: HubSpot, Freshdesk
    👎 Cons:    Customer support|Ux/ui|Limited features

10 Best Freshdesk Alternatives for Businesses in 2024
Zendesk is a robust customer support software suitable for enterprise companies. It is a customer service and engagement platform that provides various tools and software solutions to help businesses manage customer support, interactions, and relationships.
Top 11 Freshdesk Alternatives for 2024 (Ranked & Rated)
Zendesk is a great customer satisfaction software for enterprise, but there could be better options for small businesses. If you have a small business or want something a bit more personal, then our breakdown of the best Zendesk alternatives can help you find the right software for you.
9 Best ManyChat Alternatives & Competitors in 2024
Zendesk is the second-largest live chat technology company by market share. This ManyChat competitor offers one of the most diverse ranges of features and one of the largest selections of languages to choose from. It also provides integrations with Salesforce and Microsoft Teams for easier connectivity between software if your company is already using these systems.
Source: www.tidio.com
Top 13 Freshdesk alternatives and competitors for 2024
Companies choose Zendesk over Freshdesk because Zendesk is a trusted solution and an authority in customer service software. Our software is CX-centered and we understand what it takes to deliver an exceptional and personalized customer experience. Our Zendesk vs. Freshdesk page provides deeper information about how they compare.
Source: www.zendesk.com
Best 25 Software Documentation Tools 2023
Zendesk is a cloud-based knowledge management and self-service help center software that allows teams to create, organize, and share documentation and knowledge base articles for customer support.
Source: www.uphint.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, osTicket should be more popular than Zendesk. It has been mentiond 38 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

osTicket mentions (38)

  • Ask HN: Helpdesk/ticketing software for small SaaS company
    You can try osTicket https://osticket.com The UI is very tho dated, but we're working on a rewrite with modern UI. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Looking for a ticketing system
    Check out https://osticket.com/ I used earlier on my career. It’s free to use it worked great for a small team and it has everything you need. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Help tickets
    We use https://osticket.com/ It's not a groundbreaking ticket system but it's rock solid, user-friendly, and free. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • I would like to find a free software for tickets in my household
    Another option, for a dedicated ticketing/helpdesk system, is osTicket. Self-hosted is completely free, and I had it up and running inside of an hour, from creating a fresh Debian LXC, installing Apache/MariaDB/PHP8.1, and uploading the requisite files for osTicket followed by the initial setup. Going off your mention of snaps, I'm assuming you're on Ubuntu or a derivative, if you'd like I should be able to... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • MSP opensource ticketing tool -ITSM
    GLPI (https://glpi-project.org/) or osTicket (https://osticket.com/) are open source ticketing systems but I highly doubt they're what a MSP need. You need a PSA. Source: almost 2 years ago
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Zendesk mentions (7)

  • The Ultimate Guide to Building Internal Tools in 2024
    Popular solutions ****include Zendesk and Help Scout. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • is this scam
    That's not a reddit a url. zendesk.com is the url, whatever the hell that is. Source: about 2 years ago
  • [HELP] Can't log in to upload SSL due to expired SSL
    Had my new SSL delivered at around the same time as my old one expired and now I can't log in due to it having expired. Is there an alternative URL I can get to, to log in? I've tried zendesk.com and hoped for a backend route through there but no cigar. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Special trick to get support for battery replacement ?
    Seven hours later and I have still not received a new email from "BOOXHelp help@boox.com via zendesk.com" (or other boox/onyx email). The last human-generated email I got from there was two days ago (Wed, Aug 31, 3:15 PM). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Here's how I'd figure out the go-to-market for a Customer Support SaaS
    My way of doing marketing starts with figuring out what my overall project will (or will not) be. In this case, I looked at the vendors like Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, or Help Scout. They all have whizbang features such as live-chat, collaboration stuffs, automations and workflows. They bill per contact and addons. I’d emphasize a straightforward, fuss-free angle instead. Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing osTicket and Zendesk, you can also consider the following products

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

Intercom - Intercom is a customer relationship management and messaging tool for web businesses. Build relationships with users to create loyal customers.

LiveAgent - LiveAgent is a fully-featured web-based live chat and help desk software. It harnesses the power of a universal inbox, real-time live chat, built-in call center, and a robust customer service portal. Start your free 1 month trial today!

tawk.to - tawk.to is a free live chat app that lets you monitor and chat with visitors on your website or from a free customizable page

HelpScout - Help Scout is a simple, straightforward way to provide excellent support

JivoChat - JivoChat is a live chat that enables you to talk to visitors on your website