TL;DR - osTicket
- Free open-source support ticketing system used by 15,000+ businesses
- Routes inquiries from email, web forms, and API into one dashboard
- Cloud-hosted option at $12/agent/month with managed infrastructure
Pricing: Free plan available
Best for: Growing teams
4.3/5 across review platforms
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely free and open-source for self-hosting
- Used by 15,000+ businesses worldwide
- Affordable cloud hosting at $12/agent/month
- Full source code access for customization
- Active community with plugins and extensions
- Supports email, web, and API ticket creation
Cons
- Self-hosted version requires server management expertise
- UI feels dated compared to modern help desk tools
- Limited native integrations out of the box
- No built-in live chat or chatbot functionality
- Documentation could be more comprehensive
Ratings Across the Web
4.3(119 reviews)
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Key Features
Centralized ticket management from email, web forms, and APIAuto-assignment and routing to departmentsConfigurable SLA management with business hoursCustomer self-service portalDashboard with real-time help desk analyticsTicket filtering and custom queuesCanned responses and knowledge baseAgent collision detectionCustom fields and forms for ticket typesRich text and file attachment support
Pricing
Freemium
osTicket offers a generous free tier with optional paid upgrades for advanced features.
About osTicket
By Toolradar Team·
osTicket is a widely used open-source support ticketing system that routes customer inquiries from email, web forms, and API into a centralized help desk. It provides ticket filtering, auto-assignment, SLA management, and a customer self-service portal. Used by 15,000+ businesses and 5+ million users worldwide, osTicket is free to self-host with full source code access. A cloud-hosted version is available at $12/agent/month with managed infrastructure, backups, and official support.
Reviews
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osTicket FAQ
Is osTicket really free?
Yes. The self-hosted open-source version is completely free with unlimited agents and full feature access. You only need to provide your own server. The cloud-hosted version costs $12/agent/month with managed infrastructure.
What channels does osTicket support?
osTicket accepts tickets from email, web forms, and API. All inquiries are routed into a centralized dashboard regardless of the source channel.
Can I customize osTicket?
Yes. As open-source software, you have full access to the source code. The community also provides plugins and extensions for added functionality like LDAP authentication, Slack notifications, and more.
How does osTicket compare to Zendesk?
osTicket is free and open-source, making it ideal for budget-conscious organizations. Zendesk offers more features (live chat, AI, marketplace) and a polished UI but costs significantly more. osTicket is best for teams that need straightforward ticket management.
Does osTicket offer a cloud-hosted option?
Yes. The cloud-hosted version at $12/agent/month includes managed hosting, guaranteed uptime, daily backups, automatic upgrades, and official email/phone support.
What industries use osTicket?
osTicket serves diverse industries including education, healthcare, technology, government, hospitality, manufacturing, finance, legal services, NGOs, and retail businesses.
Source: osticket.com