FreeITSM vs GLPI
FreeITSM
freeitsm.co.uk
GLPI
glpi-project.orgSide by side
| Figure | FreeITSM | GLPI |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | €19/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 13 |
| Spec score · IT Change Management Software | 9.0 (#6) | 9.2 (#2) |
| Spec score · IT Knowledge Base Software | 8.9 (#9) | 9.1 (#3) |
| Spec score · IT Problem Management Software | 9.0 (#7) | 9.1 (#4) |
| Spec score · IT SLA Management Software | 8.9 (#11) | 9.1 (#4) |
| API | An external API endpoint allows automated agents to submit software inventory data. | GLPI provides a legacy REST API, a newer high-level API with OAuth2 grants, Swagger documentation and a GraphQL wrapper. |
| Asset management | Assets tracks custody, locations, warranties and QR labels and can synchronize VMware vCenter, Proxmox, VMware Cloud Director and Intune data. | GLPI manages hardware, software and licenses, network equipment, certificates, domains, clusters, and databases. |
| Integrations | Official pages document Microsoft 365, Google Workspace/Gmail, VMware vCenter, Microsoft Intune, WhatsApp through Twilio or Meta, and optional chat channels. | Official integrations include Azure/Entra ID, Google SSO, GLPI Inventory and webhooks. |
| Knowledge base | Knowledge supports rich-text articles, folders, audience visibility, review workflows, semantic search and AI chat. | A knowledge-base module centralizes internal procedures and public FAQs for user self-service. |
| Licence | The project is released under the MIT License. | GLPI is distributed under GPL-3.0-or-later and remains free and open source. |
| Security controls | System security features include OIDC SSO, TOTP MFA, password expiry, account lockout, IP brute-force bans, trusted devices and encrypted settings. | Cloud infrastructure uses OVH anti-DDoS firewalls, HTTPS-only access, VPN-authenticated maintenance, daily backups and 30-day retention. |
| Self-hosting | Supported deployment methods are Docker or manual installation on WAMP, XAMPP, LAMP, IIS or another PHP-capable server. | Self-hosted deployments support Apache, Nginx, Lighttpd or IIS with PHP and MySQL or MariaDB. |
| Support | The maker describes FreeITSM as a solo passion project with no formal support and directs users to GitHub to report bugs or ideas. | The download page says partners can provide configuration and customization support plus L1 and L2 support. |
| System requirements | Manual installation requires PHP 7.4–8.4, MySQL 8.0 or newer, PDO MySQL, cURL, OpenSSL and mbstring; MariaDB 10.5+ is also listed on the getting-started page. | GLPI 12 requires at least PHP 8.3 with MariaDB 10.11 or MySQL 8.0, and plugins must be compatible with the major release. |
| What it does | FreeITSM is a self-hosted web IT service-management platform for running a service desk and related IT operations. | GLPI is free asset and IT-management software combining ITIL service desk, inventory, configuration management, license tracking and software auditing. |
Plans
GLPI
- Public Cloud€19 a month
- Private Cloud€21 a month
- CustomPrice not published
- GLPI Network Basic€100 a month
- Self-hosted Basic€100 a month
- GLPI Network Standard€300 a month
- Self-hosted Standard€300 a month
- GLPI Network Advanced€1,000 a month
- Self-hosted Advanced€1,000 a month
- GLPI Network Enterprise€4,500 a month
In their own words
FreeITSM
FreeITSM is an open-source IT service management platform with 23 integrated modules for running a service desk. Its Tickets module connects Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace mailboxes for email ticketing, assignment, prioritisation, replies, attachments and audit trails. Assets tracks physical and virtual equipment and can discover VMware virtual machines through vCenter. Listed service-management tools include risk assessment, approval workflows, change calendars and change audit trails. Optional AI features provide knowledge answers, ticket-reply cleanup, form assistance, workflow authoring and problem detection. They use a customer-provided Anthropic, OpenAI or OpenRouter key, and provider usage may cost extra. FreeITSM runs with Docker on Linux or Windows, or through IIS with PHP or WAMP and MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.5+. Security options include OpenID Connect SSO, AES-256-GCM key management, TOTP multi-factor authentication, account lockout, brute-force protection and trusted devices. The project has no formal support.
GLPI
GLPI is an IT management platform for helpdesk tickets, asset inventory, and service management. Users can create incident or request tickets and assign them to a group, profile, or individual. Its service workflows include problem and change management, planning, recurring tickets, statistics, and custom forms. Asset records cover hardware, software and licenses, network equipment, certificates, domains, clusters, and databases. Other tools include project workflows with Gantt or Kanban views, a knowledge base, reservations, reports, and saved searches. GLPI offers eight profile types and standard or self-service interfaces; its self-service interface is free for end users. Organizations can choose cloud or on-premise deployment. The public-cloud offer has a 45-day trial without obligation or a credit card. Public Cloud costs €19 a month per IT agent, with one billed agent minimum; Private Cloud costs €21 a month per agent and requires at least 25 billed agents. The FAQ says on-premise GLPI has no licensing fees or limit on users or technicians.