osTicket review 2026: the free open-source help desk ticketing system. Compare self-hosted, cloud and enterprise pricing, features and alternatives.
osTicket is an open-source customer support ticketing system that has been actively developed since 2003, making it one of the most established open-source help desk platforms available today. It is maintained by Enhancesoft, a software company based in Alexandria, Louisiana.
The platform is available as a completely free, self-hosted, GPL-licensed edition, as well as paid Cloud-Hosted and Enterprise tiers for organizations that want managed infrastructure and additional support without giving up the underlying osTicket codebase.
osTicket converts emails, web forms, and API submissions into trackable support tickets, with customizable filters and routing rules that direct tickets to the right department or agent automatically. SLA and business-hours management help teams enforce response-time policies.
The platform also includes a customer self-service portal with knowledge base articles, configurable help topics and custom forms, and department- and agent-level management, giving support teams the core building blocks of a full help desk without a mandatory subscription.
The self-hosted, open-source edition of osTicket is entirely free to download and run, with community-only support and no artificial limits on the number of agents.
The Cloud-Hosted plan starts at $12 per agent per month and includes managed infrastructure, daily backups, uptime guarantees, and email/phone support, while the Enterprise/Virtual Appliance tier offers custom pricing for organizations needing full customization alongside managed hosting.
Yes. The self-hosted, open-source edition of osTicket is completely free to download and use, with no per-agent licensing fees. Paid Cloud-Hosted and Enterprise tiers are available for organizations that want managed infrastructure and support.
osTicket's Cloud-Hosted plan starts at $12 per agent per month and includes managed infrastructure, daily backups, uptime guarantees, and email/phone support, with a free trial available.
osTicket is maintained by Enhancesoft, a software company headquartered in Alexandria, Louisiana, with an additional office in Eldoret, Kenya.
osTicket has been in continuous development since 2003, making it one of the longest-running open-source help desk ticketing systems still actively maintained.
Yes, osTicket supports multi-channel ticket intake, automatically converting emails, web form submissions, and API requests into trackable support tickets.
SupportSystem is Enhancesoft's separately branded, fully managed cloud version of osTicket, built on the same underlying codebase but delivered as a managed service rather than self-hosted software.
Common alternatives include Zendesk, Freshdesk, Zammad, and OTRS/OTOBO, though osTicket differentiates itself with a genuinely free, unlimited self-hosted edition.