OSTicket: Track Your Company's Technical Issues with this Free Ticket-Tracking System

A lot of small companies have a need for some sort of ticket-tracking software, but oftentimes, they don't have the big budget to shell out money for expensive, corporate-ticketing software. Well, you are in luck, because OSTicket offers an easy-to-use, Web-based, ticket-tracking software program that is totally free to use. That's right: it's FREE.

OSTicket is an open-source support ticket system that integrates inquiries made via email and web-based forms into a simple to use web interface. Within this web interface you can easily manage, organize, track and archive all of your support requests. OSTicket is written mostly in PHP.

Now the good, the bad and the ugly parts of OSTicket

The Good

- This is a totally free software program that is easy to install, configure and use. You can go to the OSTicket website to get the program.

- The OSTicket creators have also posted loads of great information about their software on their site. There is a forum for users to share knowledge and information on how to install, configure and use OSTicket. There is a Wiki with more good info about installation and setup of the program and there is a support page where if you need a more tailor made installation you can contact the OSTicket creators and they will help you out, of course commercial support doesn't come free.

- The OSTicket webpage is easy to navigate and very useful. They even have a contact page where you can ask questions and they will get you an answer quickly. I tested it and got a response in about 24 hours, not to bad for a free service.

- The forums are a great tool for users to talk to other users and solve problems and even OSTicket developers get into the support forums for major issues and help resolve them.

The Bad

- You have to be able to install and configure the program on your own, if you can't and you seek help from OSTicket you will have to pay for support, thus eliminating the FREE price tag of OSTicket.

- OSTicket is very basic, it does basically three things, allows users a web interface to submit support requests, allows admins to look at the requests and claim them, and allows admins to close tickets and alert the submitter that the support request was taken care of. That is pretty much it.

- Limited support means you will need someone who knows PHP if you want to make any major changes to the software program.

I didn't find anything I would consider UGLY in OSTicket, it's a nice little program that will allow you the basic functions of a ticket tracking software program. It's not robust and not a corporate solution in my mind but if you just want a free program that will allow users to submit web requests this might work for you.

Being a free software package sure does give it a lot of points in my book, it does what it's supposed to and that is track support requests, it might not be pretty and in-depth but it works.