Best 3 Open Source Ticketing Tools in 2025: Top Solutions for ITSM & Support
In the modern digital landscape, efficient customer support and IT service management are critical for businesses to thrive. Ticketing systems help organizations streamline support processes, manage service requests, and maintain transparency across teams.
However, premium tools can be costly. That’s where open-source ticketing systems come in — offering powerful features without licensing fees.
In this guide, we explore the top open-source ticketing tools in 2025 that can help your business improve workflow efficiency, reduce downtime, and deliver excellent customer support.
Table of content
What Is a Ticketing System?
A ticketing system is a software tool that manages service requests, incidents, and customer inquiries. It creates a "ticket" every time an issue is reported — assigning it to a relevant person or team, tracking its status, and ensuring resolution.
Ticketing systems are used in:
! IT Service Management (ITSM)
! Customer Support/Help Desks
! Software Development (bug tracking)
! Facilities and HR request management
Benefits of Using Open Source Ticketing Tools
Choosing an open-source solution offers multiple advantages:
! Cost Efficiency: No licensing or subscription fees
! Flexibility: Modify the codebase as per your needs
! Scalability: Easily adapts to growing team or project size
! Community Support: Large user bases, forums, and contributions
! Transparency: Access to the full source code for audits and compliance
Let’s now dive into the top tools you can deploy today.
1. iTop – Open Source ITSM & Asset Management
iTop (IT Operations Portal) is a comprehensive ITSM and IT Asset Management tool built to help organizations manage their internal infrastructure, tickets, services, and configurations efficiently.
🌟 Key Features:
✔️ Incident Management
$ Create and track incidents with detailed logging
$ Assign to technicians and monitor ticket lifecycle
$ SLA tracking with escalation rules and automated alerts
✔️ Problem Management
$ Identify recurring incidents and root causes
$ Conduct trend analysis to reduce repeat issues
✔️ Change Management
$ Log change requests and approval workflows
$ Track implementation progress and post-deployment reviews
✔️ SLA & Service Management
$ Define Service Level Agreements (SLAs) per customer or contract
$ Monitor response and resolution times
✔️ Asset & Configuration Management
$ Track all hardware/software assets
$ Manage CI relationships and dependencies
$ Full CMDB (Configuration Management Database) capabilities
✔️ Customization & Integrations
$ Easily create custom fields, forms, and workflows
$ REST/JSON API available for third-party tool integration
✔️ Reporting & Dashboards
$ Prebuilt reports and customizable dashboards
$ Real-time performance tracking
🏷️ Best For:
$ IT departments, managed service providers, and internal support teams
$ Organizations needing a centralized ITIL-compliant ticketing system
🌐 Website:
2. osTicket – Full-Featured Help Desk Software
osTicket is a widely-used open-source support ticket system that lets organizations manage customer queries from multiple channels under one roof. With over 15,000 downloads per month, it’s a proven solution for businesses of all sizes.
🌟 Key Features:
✔️ Multi-Channel Ticketing
$ Accept tickets from email, web forms, and APIs
$ Centralized dashboard for all incoming tickets
✔️ Automated Workflow Rules
$ Auto-assign tickets based on department, topic, or urgency
$ Define triggers, SLA alerts, and custom filters
✔️ Internal Notes and Collaboration
$ Team members can add private notes
$ Collaborate internally before responding to customers
✔️ Custom Forms and Fields
$ Build dynamic forms for different request types
$ Use conditional logic to collect relevant information
✔️ Knowledge Base & FAQs
$ Create self-help articles and FAQs
$ Suggest answers directly in ticket forms
✔️ Reporting & Insights
$ Visual dashboards for ticket volume, agent performance, and SLA adherence
$ Exportable reports for analytics
🏷️ Best For:
$ Customer support teams, small to mid-sized businesses
$ Teams looking for a robust help desk without recurring fees
🌐 Website:
3. MantisBT – Bug Tracking for Developers
MantisBT (Bug Tracker) is a lightweight, PHP-based open-source issue tracking tool designed for software development teams. It’s fast, reliable, and supports full customization and collaboration.
🌟 Key Features:
✔️ Issue Management
$ Log, update, and prioritize issues
$ Assign bugs to users and track status updates
✔️ Custom Fields and Statuses
$ Define your own status flow (e.g., Open → In Progress → QA → Closed)
$ Use custom fields for metadata like platform, version, module, etc.
✔️ User Permissions and Roles
$ Granular access control based on roles
$ Public and private issue visibility
✔️ Email Notifications
$ Notify developers, testers, and stakeholders of issue changes
✔️ Git/SVN Integration
$ Link commits and branches to specific issues
$ Supports integration with GitHub and other VCS
✔️ Plugin Support
$ Extend functionality with community-built plugins
🏷️ Best For:
$ Software developers, QA testers, and agile teams
$ Anyone looking for a bug tracker with minimal setup and maintenance
🌐 Website:
Comparison Table
| Tool | Best For | Key Features | Language | UI Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iTop | IT teams, MSPs | CMDB, SLA, Incident & Change Mgmt | PHP | Moderate |
| osTicket | Help desks, customer support | Multi-channel, auto-routing, KB | PHP | Easy |
| MantisBT | Dev teams, QA | Bug tracking, Git integration | PHP | Simple |
Final Thoughts
Each of these open-source ticketing tools brings a unique set of strengths:
$ Choose iTop if you need full-scale ITSM and asset tracking.
$ Choose osTicket for customer-facing support across multiple channels.
$ Choose MantisBT if you’re a development team looking to squash bugs and track issues.
All three tools are free, actively developed, and supported by vibrant open-source communities — making them excellent choices for growing teams and tech-savvy organizations.
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