OTRS alternatives: 6 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 30, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave OTRS: no public prices; every plan goes through a sales quote, and the free Community Edition is gone; free self-hosting now means a fork like Znuny. We ranked 6 alternatives by how directly each one replaces OTRS, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Znuny currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#	App	Pricing	Open source	Platforms	Verified facts	Score
1	Zammad	Open source	Yes	Web, Self-hosted	3 of 3	64.8
2	osTicket	Open source	Yes	Web, Self-hosted	4 of 4	59.4

1. ZammadTop pick
Best for: Organisations, especially in Europe, that want a full help desk they can self-host
Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted
64.8
score / 100
Why switch from OTRS
Open-source help desk with a more modern interface, self-hosted for free or as a hosted service.
Pros
Full help desk at no licence cost when self-hosted
Modern, fast agent interface
Hosted option in certified European data centres
Cons
Smaller integration ecosystem than commercial suites
Self-hosting needs Elasticsearch and upkeep
Less chat-first than Intercom-style tools
Visit Zammad Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.387
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Zammad a good OTRS alternative?
Verified facts
3 of 3 verified
Open source
Yes, 100% open source
Checked Oct 29, 2026zammad.com(opens source in a new tab)
Hosted starting price
From €7 per agent/month (Starter, max 5 agents)
Checked Oct 29, 2026zammad.com(opens source in a new tab)
Self-hosting
Yes, alongside hosted plans
Checked Oct 29, 2026zammad.com(opens source in a new tab)
2. osTicket
Best for: Budget-conscious IT and support teams that need classic email ticketing they can host
Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted
59.4
score / 100
Why switch from OTRS
Simple, free open-source ticketing for teams that don't need full ITIL processes.
Pros
Free and open source with a long track record
Runs on common PHP and MySQL hosting
Custom forms, SLAs and help topics
Cons
Dated interface
No built-in live chat or social channels
Few modern AI or automation features
Visit osTicket Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.369
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is osTicket a good OTRS alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
Open source
Yes
Checked Oct 29, 2026osticket.com(opens source in a new tab)
Cloud price
From $12 per agent/month
Checked Oct 29, 2026osticket.com(opens source in a new tab)
Cloud free trial
30 days
Checked Oct 29, 2026osticket.com(opens source in a new tab)
Requirements
Apache or IIS, PHP, MySQL
Checked Oct 29, 2026osticket.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best OTRS alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Best OTRS alternative for most people

Znuny

The open-source fork of the old OTRS Community Edition, so the data model and admin feel stay familiar and it's free.

Best OTRS alternative for a free option

Zammad

Open-source help desk with a more modern interface, self-hosted for free or as a hosted service.

Best OTRS alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Jira Service Management

ITSM service desk with published per-agent pricing and tight links to Jira for engineering teams.

Best OTRS alternative for open source

osTicket

Simple, free open-source ticketing for teams that don't need full ITIL processes.

Best OTRS alternative for self-hosting

Zammad

Open-source help desk with a more modern interface, self-hosted for free or as a hosted service.

Best OTRS alternative for iPhone and Android

Freshdesk

Cloud help desk with a free tier and public pricing, quicker to set up than OTRS.

Best OTRS alternative for working in the browser

Zendesk

Widely used cloud support suite with a large app marketplace for customer-facing teams.

OTRS alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to OTRS?

Znuny ranks first right now. The open-source fork of the old OTRS Community Edition, so the data model and admin feel stay familiar and it's free. Zammad and Jira Service Management follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to OTRS?

Yes. Znuny (open source), Zammad (open source), Jira Service Management (free plan + paid) and osTicket (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to OTRS?

Yes: Zammad and osTicket. Zammad and osTicket can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from OTRS?

The complaints we hear most: no public prices; every plan goes through a sales quote; the free Community Edition is gone; free self-hosting now means a fork like Znuny; setup and configuration usually need training or partner help.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces OTRS, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.