Bugzilla vs Redmine (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Redmine grades higher than Bugzilla: 3.0 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Redmine grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Bugzilla if
- Fits if your team can host its own server and wants a free bug tracker
- Works for teams that only track defects
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a hosted version, as none exists
- Too light for project planning: no boards, timelines or Gantt
- Tight if you need support: it is community-run by a small nonprofit
- Watch out: the download page recommends a source checkout over a packaged release
Pick Redmine if
- Fits if your team can install and look after its own server software
- Works for teams that want issues tied to Git or Subversion repositories across many projects
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if nobody on the team can set up Ruby and a database, because there's no hosted version
- Skip it if you need someone to call when it breaks, since help comes from community forums and volunteers
- Tight if you live on your phone, as the mobile clients are community tools the project doesn't support
- Watch out: SQLite is supported, but the install guide says it isn't for multi-user production use
- Too light for detailed time reporting, as the built-in time report is a simple one
How we grade them
| 2.0GPABugzillaFair | 3.0GPARedmineVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. | AFree and substantial: GPL v2, no paid edition, no hosted tier, in a category where the middle plan is $8 a member a month. Your only cost is the server and whoever looks after it. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree to download with no caps, no trial and no account. You supply the server. | AFree outright. The complete application is a download, with nothing kept back for a paid tier: roles, workflows, custom fields, the wiki and the REST API are all in it. Help is free too, though it's community forums, an IRC channel and volunteers. |
| Features | CSearch, reports and charts, custom fields, email filing, time tracking. It does defect tracking fully, but that is a smaller job than project management. | BIt covers the whole job. Issues across many projects with statuses, types and workflows you define per role, a Gantt chart and calendar built from issue dates, time tracking, a wiki and forums per project, and a browser for Git or Subversion repositories. The time report is a simple one, mind. |
| Ease of use | DInstall from a source checkout on your own server, per the download page. | DYou host it yourself, and that's what pins this down. The project offers downloads, not hosting, and an install wants Ruby and a database such as PostgreSQL or MySQL. Then the statuses, roles and workflows are all the administrator's to build. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with extensions and web services but no integrations list. | BWeb, with a REST API serving XML or JSON, and it attaches to Git, Subversion, Mercurial, Bazaar and CVS repositories and to LDAP. No app of its own on any phone or desktop. The clients listed on its site are community tools the project doesn't support. |
| Best for | tracking software defects on your own server | a free issue tracker on your own server |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bugzilla and Redmine. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bugzilla has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Redmine has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Redmine scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other project management tools on the chart, none scores higher than Bugzilla for less, and none scores higher than Redmine for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Bugzilla also covers reports.
- Redmine also covers wiki, Gantt & timelines and time tracking.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostablePublic APIIssue tracking
At a glance
| Bugzilla | Redmine | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | None | Free and open source under the GNU GPL v2. Releases are downloaded from redmine.org and run on your own server; the site lists no paid plans or hosting of its own. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Zarro Boogs Corporation | Jean-Philippe Lang and community volunteers |
| Price read from | bugzilla.org | redmine.org |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bugzilla
- It must be installed on your own server; the project describes no hosted version.
- It is built around tracking defects, and the project says it is not aiming to become a project management tool.
- The download page recommends installing from a source code checkout rather than a packaged release.
- Support is community-run: the project is managed by a small nonprofit and appeals for sponsors to hire a developer.
Redmine
- The project offers downloads rather than hosting: you install it yourself, which needs Ruby and a database such as PostgreSQL or MySQL.
- Redmine itself is a web application. The mobile and desktop clients listed on its site are community tools that the project does not support.
- Help comes from community forums, an IRC channel and an unofficial Slack workspace; the project is maintained by volunteers.
- SQLite is supported as a database, but the install guide says it is not for multi-user production use.
Key features
Bugzilla
- Advanced search
- A plain full-text search for new users, plus a query builder that supports time-based conditions and saved, shareable searches.
- Reports and charts
- Cross-tabulate bugs by any two fields and view the result as a table, line graph, bar graph or pie chart, or have reports emailed on a schedule.
- Custom fields and workflow
- Administrators can add custom fields, define their own workflow, and control who sees or edits bugs through groups.
- Email notifications and filing by email
- Users choose which changes they are emailed about, and bugs can be filed or modified by email.
- Time tracking and requests
- Bugs can carry time estimates and actuals, and a request system lets users ask others for reviews or information.
- Extensions and web services
- An extension mechanism customizes installations, and XML-RPC and JSON-RPC interfaces let other programs work with the data.
Redmine
- Configurable issue tracking
- Statuses and issue types are defined by the administrator, and workflow transitions are set for each issue type and role from the web administration interface.
- Gantt chart and calendar
- Both views are generated automatically from the start and due dates entered on issues.
- Time tracking
- Time can be entered at project or ticket level, with a simple report of time per user, issue type, category or activity.
- Per-project wiki and forums
- Each project can have its own wiki, with diff and annotate views, alongside forums, news, documents and file management.
- Repository browser
- Existing Subversion, Git, Mercurial, Bazaar or CVS repositories can be attached to a project to browse their contents, search changesets and view diffs.
- Roles, custom fields and REST API
- Roles and permissions are user-defined, custom fields cover issues, time entries, projects and users, and a REST API serves data as XML or JSON.
Plans
Bugzilla
Open source$0
Free to download and run on your own server under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. There is no hosted edition.
Redmine
Redmine$0
The complete application, downloaded as a .tar.gz or .zip release or checked out from the source repository, and installed on your own server.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bugzilla or Redmine?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Bugzilla and Redmine are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Bugzilla or Redmine?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Bugzilla and Redmine have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.