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
Best ITSM / Help Desk Ticketing Software · 2026
osTicket vs 
Zendesk osTicket vs Zendesk: on our data-weighted scoring, Zendesk edges ahead (7.8 vs 7.7/10). osTicket starts at Free tier available and is best for teams wanting a free, open-source, self-hosted ticketing system; Zendesk starts at $19/agent/mo and is best for customer-support-heavy teams wanting a polished ticketing/CX platform. Choose Zendesk 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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Zendesk
7.8/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- $19/agent/mo
- Reviews
- 4.3/5 (~6k G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Customer-support-heavy teams wanting a polished ticketing/CX platform
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 | osTicket | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 7.7 | 7.8 |
| User reviews | 8.8 | 8.6 |
| Adoption | 4.4 | 10.0 |
| Affordability | 9.5 | 3.5 |
| Feature breadth | 6.0 | 5.0 |
| Ease of trial | 10.0 | 6.0 |
osTicket vs Zendesk: head-to-head
| osTicket | Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free tier available | $19/agent/mo |
| Pricing model | per user | per technician |
| Free trial / tier | Free tier + 30 days | 14 days |
| Best for | Teams wanting a free, open-source, self-hosted ticketing system | Customer-support-heavy teams wanting a polished ticketing/CX platform |
| Deployment | Cloud + self-host | Cloud |
| G2 rating | 4.4/5 (44) | 4.3/5 (6000) |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 7.7 | 7.8 |
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
Choose Zendesk if…
You need customer-support-heavy teams wanting a polished ticketing/cx platform.
✓ Pros
- Polished and scalable
- Huge integration ecosystem
- Strong CX features
✕ Cons
- Pricey at scale
- More CX than ITSM/MSP
- Add-ons add cost
In depth
Pricing: Zendesk vs osTicket
Zendesk 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
Zendesk ships 5 headline capabilities (Omnichannel ticketing, Knowledge base, Automation + AI, Reporting) 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
Zendesk holds 4.3/5 (~6k G2 reviews); osTicket holds 4.4/5 (~44 G2 reviews). On our data-weighted score, Zendesk edges ahead (7.8 vs 7.7/10). Pick osTicket instead when teams wanting a free, open-source, self-hosted ticketing system. See Zendesk alternatives or osTicket alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- osTicket vs Zendesk: which is better?
- osTicket vs Zendesk: on our data-weighted scoring, Zendesk edges ahead (7.8 vs 7.7/10). osTicket starts at Free tier available and is best for teams wanting a free, open-source, self-hosted ticketing system; Zendesk starts at $19/agent/mo and is best for customer-support-heavy teams wanting a polished ticketing/CX platform.
- Is osTicket cheaper than Zendesk?
- osTicket starts at Free tier available and Zendesk starts at $19/agent/mo (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of September 17, 2026. Sources: osticket.com, zendesk.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.