osTicket vs UVdesk (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, UVdesk grades higher than osTicket: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
UVdesk grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
osTicket
Open-source support ticketing, self-hosted or as a cloud edition
UVdesk
Open-source help desk for online stores with hosted Pro and Enterprise
Which one is for you
Pick osTicket if
- Fits if you have a server and someone to run it and want no per-agent fee
- Works for an internal team that is happy with email, forms and an API
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to host, patch and back up your own server
- Not for you if you want chat or social channels, as the site lists email, forms and API
- Tight if you want vendor support, since the free edition has community support only
- Watch out: the cloud edition runs on a separate product, SupportSystem, and its $12 price shows no billing period
- Watch out: the virtual appliance has no published price
Pick UVdesk if
- Fits if you sell online and want a help desk tied to your store
- Works for a developer who can run a PHP app on their own server
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to run a server, as the free edition is self-managed
- Tight if you're one person on hosted, because it needs at least 2 agents
- Watch out: the pricing page shows Pro and Enterprise feature lists in short form, so check the plan comparison
- Watch out: full portal customization and unlimited mailboxes need Enterprise at $15 an agent
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAosTicketFair | 2.6GPAUVdeskGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe cloud edition is $12 per agent a month, inside the cheapest quarter ($19), but the page gives no billing period. The free edition needs your own server. | BHosted Pro is $8 per agent a month billed annually, but sold in a minimum of 2 agents, so the floor is $16 a month, inside the cheapest quarter ($19). One person pays that. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe full software is free to download and a 30-day cloud trial needs no card, though the free edition has community support only. | BThe open-source edition is free with unlimited agents, and Pro and Enterprise have a 30-day trial. Self-hosting means you pay for the server. |
| Features | CEmail, web-form and API tickets routed to departments and agents. The listing's gap: chat and social channels aren't listed. | CTicketing aimed at ecommerce sellers, with ecommerce integrations, agent reports and a form builder on Pro. The pricing page shows the feature lists only in short form. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record, and the free edition means a server, an installation, upgrades and backups of your own. | CNo store rating on record, and the free edition is a PHP app you install and keep running yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations or apps. | BWeb only, with 8 listed integrations. No phone or desktop app on record. |
| Best for | a free ticket system you host yourself | an ecommerce help desk you can host yourself |
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: osTicket and UVdesk. How we grade
Price against what you get
osTicket starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. UVdesk starts at $8 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
UVdesk scores higher and starts $4 a month lower. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 8 score higher than osTicket for less, and 3 score higher than UVdesk 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
- osTicket also covers workflow automation.
- UVdesk also covers forms and help center.
At a glance
| osTicket | UVdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per agent / month, for the cloud-hosted edition (billing basis not stated) | $8 per agent / month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Open Source edition: free to download and host yourself, with community support. | UVdesk Open Source: free to download and host on your own server, with unlimited agents. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of the cloud-hosted edition | 30-day free trial of Pro and Enterprise |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Enhancesoft | Webkul Software Pvt Ltd |
| Price read from | osticket.com | uvdesk.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
osTicket
- The free edition is self-hosted: you provide the server, installation, upgrades and backups, and support is community-only.
- The cloud-hosted edition runs on a separate product, SupportSystem, and its $12 per agent price is shown without a billing period.
- The site lists email, web forms and API as channels; chat and social channels are not listed.
- The virtual appliance has no published price.
UVdesk
- Hosted plans need at least 2 agents.
- Free open-source installs are self-managed: you run the server and updates.
- The pricing page shows the Pro and Enterprise feature lists in short form, so check the plan comparison before choosing.
Key features
osTicket
- Tickets from email, web forms and API
- Requests arrive by email, a customer support portal or an API and are turned into tickets.
- Ticket filters
- Rules route incoming tickets to a department or agent, and can reject a ticket or send an automatic canned response.
- Help topics and custom forms
- Web tickets are routed by help topic, and each topic can carry its own form. Custom fields and lists add more data to a ticket.
- Custom queues and columns
- Agents build their own ticket views by criteria and choose which columns show.
- Service level agreements
- Business hours and SLA plans are set up in the admin settings.
- Dashboard reports
- A dashboard shows help desk statistics. Agent collision avoidance is among the listed features.
UVdesk
- Ticket management
- Email, website forms and marketplace messages become tickets, with workflow rules, saved replies and agent privileges.
- Ecommerce order lookup
- Apps fetch order details from stores such as Magento, Shopify, OpenCart, PrestaShop and WordPress so agents see the order beside the ticket.
- Marketplace channels
- Connects marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Flipkart, plus mailboxes like Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail.
- Form builder
- Design contact, feedback and suggestion forms for a website; the form builder app comes with Pro.
- Knowledgebase
- A knowledgebase is part of the product; the Enterprise plan makes it unlimited.
Plans
osTicket
Open Source$0
The full software, which you host yourself. Community support only; the vendor says it has no feature tiers.
Cloud-hosted$12
per agent / month, billing basis not stated
Hosted by the vendor on its SupportSystem platform, with email and phone support, managed upgrades, daily backups and a free walk-through session.
Virtual ApplianceCustom
Customized to fit a business's needs, with the cloud edition's support and maintenance. Contact the vendor for pricing.
UVdesk
Open Source$0
Free forever with unlimited agents. You host it on your own server and manage it yourself.
Pro$8
per agent / month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly)
Hosted, minimum 2 agents. Adds ecommerce multichannel integration, agent performance reports, form builder and file viewer apps, and data import.
Enterprise$15
per agent / month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly)
Hosted, minimum 2 agents. Adds full portal customization, unlimited mailboxes and an unlimited knowledgebase.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, osTicket or UVdesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, UVdesk is cheaper to start with: $8 a month for each person, against $12 a month for each person for osTicket. osTicket starts at $12 per agent / month, for the cloud-hosted edition (billing basis not stated), and UVdesk starts at $8 per agent / month, billed annually ($11 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, osTicket or UVdesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both osTicket and UVdesk 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.