What is osTicket used for?

osTicket is an open-source support ticket system that collects requests from email, phone and web forms in one multi-user web interface. It is a good fit for running a small company help desk and replacing a shared support inbox.

Is osTicket open source?

Yes. osTicket is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at osTicket/osTicket and is written mainly in PHP.

Yes. osTicket is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host osTicket?

Yes. osTicket can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is osTicket an alternative to?

osTicket is an open-source alternative to Zendesk, Freshdesk, Help Scout and LiveAgent. Other open-source alternatives to Zendesk include FreeScout, UVdesk and Zammad.

Is osTicket actively maintained?

The most recent commit to osTicket was on 17 June 2026, and the latest release is v1.18.4, published on 17 June 2026. The project has 3.9k stars on GitHub.

osTicket: open-source alternative to Zendesk, Freshdesk

About osTicket

osTicket is an open-source support ticketing system. It gathers customer requests that arrive by email, phone or web forms into one multi-user web interface, so agents can manage, organize and archive requests and replies in a single place. The project describes it as a lightweight, simple alternative to costlier and more complex customer support systems.

The workflow is straightforward: users create tickets through the website, by email or by phone, incoming tickets are saved and assigned to agents, and agents help users resolve their issues. The project states that the software is completely free.

osTicket is written in PHP and licensed under GPL-2.0. It needs an Apache or Microsoft IIS web server, PHP 8.2 to 8.4 with the mysqli extension, and MySQL 5.5 or later, plus several recommended PHP extensions. Installation can be done by cloning the public repository and deploying it to the web root with the included manage script, which also makes tracking updates easier.

Key features

Tickets from email, phone and web forms
Assignment of tickets to support agents
Multi-user web interface for agents
Archive of requests and responses
Runs on Apache or IIS with MySQL

Good fit for

→Running a small company help desk
→Replacing a shared support inbox

Built with: PHP
Tags: helpdesk; ticketing; customer-support; php; mysql; self-hosted; support-desk

osTicket: questions and answers

What is osTicket used for?: osTicket is an open-source support ticket system that collects requests from email, phone and web forms in one multi-user web interface. It is a good fit for running a small company help desk and replacing a shared support inbox.
Is osTicket open source?: Yes. osTicket is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at osTicket/osTicket and is written mainly in PHP.
Is osTicket free?: Yes. osTicket is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host osTicket?: Yes. osTicket can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is osTicket an alternative to?: osTicket is an open-source alternative to Zendesk, Freshdesk, Help Scout and LiveAgent. Other open-source alternatives to Zendesk include FreeScout, UVdesk and Zammad.
Is osTicket actively maintained?: The most recent commit to osTicket was on 17 June 2026, and the latest release is v1.18.4, published on 17 June 2026. The project has 3.9k stars on GitHub.