The best self-hosted ITSM and helpdesk software in 2026

At a glance

Checked on 8 November 2026 from each project's licence file, release tags and official pricing pages.

Zammad

Best for: customer-support teams that want omnichannel ticketing (email, chat, phone, social) on their own servers.

Watch for: Vendor support for self-hosted installs starts at 2,999 EUR per year, so smaller teams usually rely on community help. [2]

GLPI

Best for: iT teams that need ITIL service desk plus asset inventory, licence tracking and contract management.

Watch for: Features such as OAuth SSO, SCIM, Advanced Dashboard and Data Injection are listed as part of the paid subscriptions. [5]

iTop

Best for: iT operations teams that want an ITIL-aligned service desk built around a customisable CMDB.

Watch for: Subscription prices are not published, and some features such as advanced service management (time tracking, satisfaction surveys) are listed as optional extras in paid offers. [8]

Frappe Helpdesk

Best for: customer-support teams that want agent and customer portals, SLAs and a knowledge base, especially alongside Frappe apps.

Watch for: Its documented features (portals, SLAs, knowledge base) cover customer support ticketing; it does not include IT asset or CMDB management like GLPI or iTop. [13]

How to choose

• Decide first whether you are running an IT service desk (needs CMDB and change management) or a customer support desk (needs channels and SLAs).
• Check where SSO sits: GLPI lists OAuth SSO and SCIM in paid subscriptions.
• Budget for support if the tool is business-critical; Zammad support for self-hosted starts at 2,999 EUR a year.

Where OwnITSM fits

OwnITSM is a commercial product, not open source. It covers incident, problem, change, request and knowledge, plus a CMDB, with AI-assisted triage and evidence collection for DPDP, ISO 27001 and SOC 2. It is sold as a perpetual licence or a managed subscription and runs on-premise, in your private cloud or air-gapped.

Choose an open-source option above if you want no licence cost and have the team to run it. Choose Own360 if you want one supported product across functions, bought outright, on your own infrastructure.

Questions buyers ask

What is the best self-hosted ITSM and helpdesk software?

For IT service management with asset tracking, GLPI and iTop are the strongest self-hosted options, because both include a CMDB. For customer support ticketing, Zammad and Frappe Helpdesk fit better; paid subscriptions add SSO and vendor support in most of them.

Are these options really free?

The software in the open-source editions is free to run, but hosting, upgrades and support are not, and several projects keep features such as SSO, payroll or reporting in paid editions. Check each Watch for note above.

Is Own360 open source?

No. OwnITSM is a commercial product sold as a perpetual licence or a managed subscription, deployed on your own infrastructure.

Read next

• Own360 vs ServiceNow