Bugzilla vs Launchpad
Bugzilla
bugzilla.org
Launchpad
launchpad.netSide by side
| Figure | Bugzilla | Launchpad |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Game Bug Tracking Software | 8.5 (#5) | 8.4 (#7) |
| Intended users | The project describes Bugzilla as a system for software defect tracking and says organizations may turn to it when they need workflow management, bug visibility controls, or custom fields. | The manual describes Launchpad as a platform for open-source projects and community contributors. |
| Maker | The Bugzilla Project is managed by Zarro Boogs Corporation, a US non-profit incorporated in Michigan in 2023. | The Launchpad site identifies Canonical Ltd. in its copyright notice. |
| Purpose | Bugzilla is a defect-tracking system for tracking bugs, issues, enhancements, and other change requests in products. | Launchpad is a software collaboration and hosting platform for software projects. |
| Security | The project says Bugzilla uses Perl taint mode to help prevent SQL injection, has protections against cross-site scripting, hides group-restricted information, and locks accounts after a few failed password guesses. | Launchpad's security documentation says traffic is secured by TLS except package downloads, which are cryptographically verified on the client side. |
| Support | Bugzilla is community supported; help is available through a mailing list and chat rooms, while the project says it does not directly offer commercial support. | Launchpad provides community support through Answers and links to Launchpad Support and a user guide. |
Plans
In their own words
Bugzilla
Bugzilla is a self-hosted, web-based system for tracking defects, issues, enhancements, and other product change requests. It is free and open source, and runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with API access. Its search ranges from full-text queries to advanced searches, including time-based criteria. Users can choose which bug-change emails they receive, and scheduled search reports can be sent as often as every fifteen minutes. Reports can include tables and graphs, and can be exported as CSV. Administrators can tailor workflows, statuses, resolutions, and fields, then extend an installation with templates and extensions. Groups control who can view or edit bugs; an insider group can make comments and attachments private. Bugzilla supports XML-RPC and JSON-RPC services, several authentication methods, and MySQL, PostgreSQL, or Oracle databases. Its Patch Viewer connects with LXR, CVS, and Bonsai. Support is community-based through mailing lists and chat rooms; the project does not directly provide commercial support.
Launchpad
Launchpad is a free platform for open-source collaboration, with tools to build and publish software. Projects can host Git repositories, review and merge changes, and link code changes to bug reports. Bug tracking can also integrate reports from Bugzilla, Trac, GitLab, and Mantis. Teams can build and distribute Debian packages, snaps, rocks, charms, and OCI images; documented architectures include AMD64, AMD64v3, ARM, and RISC-V. Localization tools support importing, exporting, and sharing translations, while blueprints help track project ideas and work. Launchpad Answers supports community help requests and FAQs. Automation options include a REST-style API, the launchpadlib Python client, and webhooks. The platform is available through the web, Linux, API, and self-hosted options. Commercial projects can request private branches, bugs, teams, mailing lists, and PPAs, but these features require Canonical authorization. Security documentation describes least-privilege access, restrictive networking, and fine-grained permissions; it also says automatic security monitoring was not in place as of July 2023.