Apache Answer vs osTicket

Comparing two open source alternatives to Zendesk. Use the comparison below to decide which one fits your needs.

Apache Answer

Apache-2.0

Open-source Q&A platform for communities, help centers, and internal team knowledge bases, with voting, reputation, and a plugin system.

GPL-2.0

Open-source help desk ticketing system. Routes emails, web forms, and phone requests into a unified agent workspace. Self-hosted, PHP, GPL-2.0.

	Apache Answer	osTicket
License	Apache-2.0	GPL-2.0
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
GitHub Stars	15,701	3,990
Forks	1,378	1,849
Open Issues	136	1,218
Last Commit	Oct 21, 2026	Jun 17, 2026
First Released	Sep 29, 2022	Aug 12, 2013
Categories	Forums & Q&A Internal Knowledge Base Knowledge Management Tools	Help Desk & Ticketing Software
Tags	#forum #community #knowledge-base #q-and-a	#help desk #customer support #ticketing #email #open-source

Apache Answer15,701

osTicket

A free and open-source Laravel CRM for SMEs and enterprises with full customer lifecycle management.

Open-source, AI-native project management platform — a self-hostable alternative to Jira, Linear, Monday, and ClickUp.

Open-source CRM with native AI agent support, 30 MCP tools, REST API, and self-hosting capabilities.

Self-hostable project management for dev teams: issues, cycles, modules, pages, and analytics. Go + React alternative to Jira and Linear.

Open source CRM with unlimited users, built by the Frappe team for lead, deal and sales pipeline management.

A free and open-source ERP and CRM platform for businesses, foundations, and freelancers of any size.