FreeITSM vs Runbooks
FreeITSM
freeitsm.co.ukRunbooks
runbooks.comSide by side
| Figure | FreeITSM | Runbooks |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $25/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · IT Knowledge Base Software | 8.9 (#9) | 7.1 (#52) |
| Asset management | Assets tracks custody, locations, warranties and QR labels and can synchronize VMware vCenter, Proxmox, VMware Cloud Director and Intune data. | ITAM features include inventory and lifecycle management, warranty tracking, software and subscription management, QR code asset tracking, and service management. |
| Audience | The maker describes it as a platform built by an IT professional for IT professionals to run a service desk. | The product is for internal IT departments, managed service providers, and growing organizations supporting 50 to 5,000 users. |
| Integrations | Official pages document Microsoft 365, Google Workspace/Gmail, VMware vCenter, Microsoft Intune, WhatsApp through Twilio or Meta, and optional chat channels. | The maker says the product's modules work together in one integrated platform without bolt-on integrations. |
| Product | FreeITSM is an open-source IT service management platform with 23 integrated modules. | Runbooks is an all-in-one platform for IT teams and IT service providers to manage service delivery, assets, and business operations. |
| 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 homepage describes Runbooks support as top rated. |
Plans
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.