Bugzilla review (2026): is it any good?
Free open source bug tracker you run on your own server
Bugzilla report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for tracking software defects on your own server
Bugzilla is a free open-source bug tracker with search, reports, custom fields and email notifications. You run it on your own server, there is no hosted edition, and the project says it won't become a project-management tool.
Who Bugzilla is for
- Fits if your team can host its own server and wants a free bug tracker
- Works for teams that only track defects
Who Bugzilla is not for
- 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
Why Bugzilla gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyFree under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server.
- BFree plan and trialFree to download with no caps, no trial and no account. You supply the server.
- CFeaturesSearch, reports and charts, custom fields, email filing, time tracking. It does defect tracking fully, but that is a smaller job than project management.
- DEase of useInstall from a source checkout on your own server, per the download page.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with extensions and web services but no integrations list.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Zarro Boogs Corporation's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/bugzilla#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/bugzilla.svg" alt="Bugzilla: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Bugzilla stands among project management tools
Bugzilla's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 6 of the 111 other project management tools we grade, and level with 15.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 77 of 111) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Bugzilla has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 112 project management tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Bugzilla’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 27 of 111, level with 57
- BFree plan and trialAbove 77 of 111, level with 24
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 111, level with 48
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 111, level with 6
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 111, level with 14
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 104 project management tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Bugzilla, or make your own?
Keep it
Bugzilla is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 90 of the 111 other project management tools grade higher.
What you could make
- Issue tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- An API that other software can build on.
What this rests on. Bugzilla’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Bugzilla?
Bugzilla is a long-running defect-tracking system, first released as open source in 1998 for the Mozilla project. It is a web application that you install on your own server and use to file, search, assign and report on bugs and change requests. It is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Bugzilla pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Bugzilla is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | $0 | Free to download and run on your own server under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. There is no hosted edition. |
Read from bugzilla.org on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Bugzilla before you buy.
Bugzilla alternatives
- Bugzilla vs YouTrack
Free plan · from $4.50/mo
- Bugzilla vs Trac
Free
- Bugzilla vs OpenProject
Free plan · from $7.25/mo
Common questions
Does Bugzilla have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Bugzilla is listed for Web.
Does Bugzilla have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Bugzilla is listed for Web.
Is Bugzilla open source?
Yes. Bugzilla is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Bugzilla have an API?
Yes. Bugzilla offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.