Freshservice
8.1/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- $19/agent/mo
- Reviews
- 4.6/5 (~1.2k G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Internal IT teams wanting modern ITSM with strong automation
Best ITSM / Help Desk Ticketing Software · 2026
Freshservice vs 
osTicket Freshservice vs osTicket: on our data-weighted scoring, Freshservice edges ahead (8.1 vs 7.7/10). Freshservice starts at $19/agent/mo and is best for internal IT teams wanting modern ITSM with strong automation; osTicket starts at Free tier available and is best for teams wanting a free, open-source, self-hosted ticketing system. Choose Freshservice for the stronger overall track record; consider osTicket if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.
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osTicket
7.7/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- Free tier available
- Reviews
- 4.4/5 (~44 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- Free tier + 30 days
- Deployment
- Cloud + self-host
- Best for
- Teams wanting a free, open-source, self-hosted ticketing system
Strengths at a glance
Six criteria, each scored 0–10 on the same scale from real review data, public pricing and feature coverage. See our methodology →
| Criterion | Freshservice | osTicket |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 8.1 | 7.7 |
| User reviews | 9.2 | 8.8 |
| Adoption | 8.2 | 4.4 |
| Affordability | 3.5 | 9.5 |
| Feature breadth | 5.0 | 6.0 |
| Ease of trial | 6.0 | 10.0 |
Freshservice vs osTicket: head-to-head
| Freshservice | osTicket | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $19/agent/mo | Free tier available |
| Pricing model | per technician | per user |
| Free trial / tier | 14 days | Free tier + 30 days |
| Best for | Internal IT teams wanting modern ITSM with strong automation | Teams wanting a free, open-source, self-hosted ticketing system |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud + self-host |
| G2 rating | 4.6/5 (1200) | 4.4/5 (44) |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 8.1 | 7.7 |
Choose Freshservice if…
You need internal it teams wanting modern itsm with strong automation.
✓ Pros
- Clean modern UI
- Strong automation
- Good ITIL features
✕ Cons
- Per-agent costs climb
- Some features only on Pro+
- Aimed at internal IT not MSP
Choose osTicket if…
You need teams wanting a free, open-source, self-hosted ticketing system.
✓ Pros
- Free
- mature open-source core
- No per-agent fees self-hosted
- Highly customizable
✕ Cons
- Requires LAMP stack + self-management
- Dated UI
- Support is paid/community-only
In depth
Pricing: Freshservice vs osTicket
Freshservice bills on a per agent model from $19/agent/mo (14 days trial), while osTicket uses a per user model from Free tier available (free tier available). Because the models differ, the cheaper option flips depending on your fleet size — model both at your seat/endpoint count.
Features & deployment
Freshservice ships 5 headline capabilities (ITSM ticketing, Asset management, Workflow automation, AI (Freddy)) and deploys Cloud. osTicket ships 6 (Open-source self-hosted core, Custom fields + ticket filters, Email piping + ticketing, SLA + agent collision avoidance), deploying Cloud + self-host.
Ratings & verdict
Freshservice holds 4.6/5 (~1.2k G2 reviews); osTicket holds 4.4/5 (~44 G2 reviews). On our data-weighted score, Freshservice edges ahead (8.1 vs 7.7/10). Pick osTicket instead when teams wanting a free, open-source, self-hosted ticketing system. See Freshservice alternatives or osTicket alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- Freshservice vs osTicket: which is better?
- Freshservice vs osTicket: on our data-weighted scoring, Freshservice edges ahead (8.1 vs 7.7/10). Freshservice starts at $19/agent/mo and is best for internal IT teams wanting modern ITSM with strong automation; osTicket starts at Free tier available and is best for teams wanting a free, open-source, self-hosted ticketing system.
- Is Freshservice cheaper than osTicket?
- Freshservice starts at $19/agent/mo and osTicket starts at Free tier available (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of September 17, 2026. Sources: freshworks.com, osticket.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.