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OTRS ITSM VS osTicket

Compare OTRS ITSM VS osTicket and see what are their differences

OTRS ITSM logo OTRS ITSM

OTRS ITSM is a fundamental solution for IT Service Management organizations.

osTicket logo osTicket

osTicket is a widely-used open source support ticket system.
  • OTRS ITSM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-16
  • osTicket Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-21

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.

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.

Analysis of osTicket

Overall verdict

  • Overall, osTicket is a good choice for organizations looking for a reliable and customizable support ticket system without wanting to incur the costs associated with commercial solutions. Its open-source nature allows for flexibility and adaptability to various business needs.

Why this product is good

  • osTicket is renowned for being a robust, open-source support ticket system that is easy to set up and scale. It offers a wide range of features such as auto-responses, ticket filters, customizable fields, and reporting. Additionally, its user-friendly interface and active community support make it an appealing choice for businesses seeking a cost-effective solution.

Recommended for

  • Small to medium-sized businesses
  • Organizations requiring open-source solutions
  • Teams needing a customizable and scalable ticketing system
  • Businesses seeking to improve customer support without incurring excessive software costs

OTRS ITSM videos

OTRS 3: Installing OTRS ITSM

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!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OTRS ITSM and osTicket)
Help Desk
15 15%
85% 85
Customer Support
10 10%
90% 90
Customer Service
12 12%
88% 88
Help Desk And Ticketing
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

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

OTRS ITSM Reviews

We have no reviews of OTRS ITSM yet.
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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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, osTicket seems to be more popular. 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.

OTRS ITSM mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of OTRS ITSM yet. Tracking of OTRS ITSM recommendations started around Mar 2021.

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: about 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: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

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

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.

ServiceNow - ServiceNow automates and manages global enterprise service relationships. Create a single system of record for enterprise services, automate manual tasks, consolidate legacy ITIL systems.

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!

Freshservice - Freshservice: the one-stop cloud solution for all your IT management needs.