The best free issue tracking software is not the same for everyone. It is often selected depending on who you are because issue tracking doesn't have the same meaning across different teams.
Think about it. For an engineer, an issue is a bug. Therefore, they want a free bug tracker that fits into their code workflow, something like GitHub Issues or an open-source tool. For an IT or ops team, an issue is an internal request, or something broken that someone needs fixed. Same word, completely different need. Right?
Then there is the word "free." Some of these tools are genuinely free and open source. Others are free only up to a point, a few users or a few projects, and after that, you pay. So "free" is not always as free as it looks.
So in this guide, we have split the 10 best free issue tracking tools by who they are actually for, what you really get on the free plan, and when you outgrow it.
So, let's get started.
What is issue tracking software?
Issue tracking software is a tool for logging problems and requests, keeping track of them, and seeing them through to a fix. It structures the issue tracking process to ensure it gets logged, prioritized, assigned to the right agent, and kept updated on its status.
As said earlier, the work of the tool depends on the team. For the engineering team, it will be a bug tracker, and for IT, it will be a ticketing system similar to a help desk.
What does "free" actually mean in issue tracking?
Free is the word these tools market and sell themselves on, but it has a lot of terms to be known. There are 4 types of free software, and not all of them are meant for the same purpose.
The first is open-source and self-hosted. These tools have zero cost, but you have to host them on your own servers. Indeed, there is no license fee, but you have to invest in time, the hosting bill, and the upkeep. So, it is free as in no invoice, not free as in no effort.
The second is open-source but cloud-hosted, where the provider of the software runs a hosted version for you and charges for the convenience. The free version is usually the one you host yourself, and the paid tier is the managed one.
The third and most common type is freemium. The tool has a free version with a limited number of features, users, or issues a month. So, it works well until you exceed the freemium, and then you have to pay. It is a must for you to have an understanding of your requirements, and you will soon have to upgrade to the paid tier.
The fourth is completely free but ad-supported, where the tool really is free, and the company makes its money from ads instead of from you.
At a glance: Comparison table of Free Tracking Software
Here we have compiled a list of the 10 best free issue tracking software for both engineering and IT teams.
How do we evaluate these tools?
We have evaluated each of the tools mentioned below based on the following factors:
- What the free plan offers. Does the tool have a forever-free plan, or a freemium one with limitations?
- What kind of issue can be handled well? Be code bugs, repos, branches, or IT requests? So you can choose the one according to your needs.
- Integrations to ensure that the tool can connect with the existing tools, creating a unified source of truth for issue tracking.
- Set up and learn to ensure you can choose a platform that you can manage, and your team can get the value out of it.
- When the free tier needs to be upgraded, support is behind it to ensure that your business can continue its operations.
How to choose a free issue tracking tool?
The selection of the right free issue tracking software must be based on your needs and the scalability you are expecting in the coming days. Here is how you can weigh the tool against your requirements.
- Are you tracking code defects or operational issues? If you are tracking bugs in code, then you should choose a developer tool. Similarly, if needed to handle IT requests, then choose a solution that has capabilities similar to a help desk.
- How comfortable are you with self-hosting? Open-source tools are free, but most of them you have to install and run yourself. So, if you have the expertise to do the same, then only you should choose them.
- How many users and projects do you have? Freemium limits are usually about size, a cap on users, projects, or issues. Count your team and your active work first, because that number decides which free tiers will actually fit and which you will outgrow in a month.
- Do you need integrations? If the tracker has to talk to GitHub, GitLab, or Slack, check that the free tier includes those connections, since integrations are often the first thing you might need.
- What happens when you outgrow the free tier? Assume you will. Look at the paid plan you would move up to, and what it costs, before you commit.
The best free issue tracking software in 2026
Best for engineering/bug tracking
GitHub Issues
As the name suggests, it is the best tool for tracking bugs in the code written inside GitHub. It will help you have a tool that tracks bugs directly where you write the code.
- Best for: Teams already working in GitHub.
- Audience: Dev.
- Free type: Forever-free, bundled with GitHub.
- Free tier limits: Included with a free GitHub account, no cap on issues, and private repos are free now too.
- Self-hosted option: No, unless you pay for GitHub Enterprise Server.
- Key features: Issues tied directly to commits and pull requests, labels and milestones, and basic project boards.
- Scale threshold: It can support teams of all sizes. However, it might disappoint when working with heavy workflows where SLAs or non-code tracking are involved.
- Watch-out: It would be the right choice if you are on GitHub only.
Jira (Free plan)
Jira has a free plan, but it is often considered a tool for enterprise dev issues tracking. For small teams, it has a free plan, making it easy to get started with it.
- Best for: Agile dev teams that want structured workflows.
- Audience: Dev.
- Free type: Freemium.
- Free tier limits: Up to 10 users and 2GB of storage, with no time limit.
- Self-hosted option: No, it has only a cloud option available.
- Key features: Customizable workflows, agile boards and backlogs, and a huge marketplace of integrations.
- Scale threshold: Works well for a team under 10 users. If you need more users to add, it is a must to upgrade to the paid tier.
- Watch out: Although it is powerful but heavy small teams often find it more of a process than they wanted.
Linear
Linear is yet another free, fast, and modern issue tracking software for small teams.
- Best for: Growing product and engineering teams.
- Audience: Dev.
- Free type: Freemium.
- Free tier limits: Unlimited members, but capped at 250 active issues and 2 teams.
- Self-hosted option: No.
- Key features: An intuitive user interface, keyboard-driven workflows, and GitHub and Slack integration.
- Scale threshold: Best for a small or early team. It has a limitation of 250 issues; once you reach that, you have to upgrade.
- Watch out: The issue cap is low, so an active team can hit it within weeks.
Bugzilla
Bugzilla is open-source and one of the oldest issue-tracking software systems. So, if you are looking for a client that has been there for years and is still being used, then Bugzilla might be the right choice.
- Best for: Teams looking for a trusted open-source bug tracking software.
- Audience: Dev.
- Free type: Open-source.
- Free tier limits: Free with no user or issue caps, since you run it yourself.
- Self-hosted option: It is the only free model available.
- Key features: Detailed bug fields and workflows, powerful search, and email notifications.
- Scale threshold: Since it is hosted on the on-premises server, it can scale as far as your server does.
- Watch out: The interface looks its age, and you own the setup and upkeep.
MantisBT
MantisBT is a lighter open-source bug tracker, a good middle ground between bare-bones and heavyweight.
- Best for: Small teams that want simple open-source bug tracking.
- Audience: Dev.
- Free type: Open-source.
- Free tier limits: Free and self-hosted, with no caps. A paid hosted version exists if you do not want to run it.
- Self-hosted option: Yes.
- Key features: Simple bug workflows, per-project access control, and plugins for extra features.
- Scale threshold: Fine for small and mid-size teams. Very large or complex projects tend to outgrow it.
- Watch-out: It is functional rather than pretty, and like any self-hosted tool, the upkeep is on you.
Best for IT / internal issue tracking
Spiceworks
Spiceworks is the go-to free help desk for IT teams with no budget, and it has been for years.
- Best for: Small IT teams running on zero budget.
- Audience: IT.
- Free type: Forever-free, ad-supported.
- Free tier limits: Free Core plan with unlimited tickets, paid for by ads rather than by you.
- Self-hosted option: No, it runs in the cloud now that the on-premise version is retired.
- Key features: Ticketing, basic asset and inventory tools, and a large, active IT community.
- Scale threshold: Fine for a small IT team. It gets thin on automation and depth as the team grows.
- Watch out: The ads are always there, and the product moves slowly.
GLPI
GLPI is an open-source IT service management with strong asset tracking built in, and it costs nothing if you host it yourself.
- Best for: IT teams that want open-source ITSM and asset management together.
- Audience: IT.
- Free type: Open-source.
- Free tier limits: Free and self-hosted, with no user or ticket caps.
- Self-hosted option: Yes.
- Key features: Ticketing, IT asset and inventory management, ITIL-aligned features, and plugins.
- Scale threshold: It scales with your server and handles mid-size IT well. The limit is the effort to run it, not a plan.
- Watch out: The setup and admin take real work, and the learning curve is steep.
osTicket
osTicket is a long-running open-source ticketing tool, simple and free to self-host.
- Best for: IT teams that want straightforward open-source ticketing.
- Audience: IT.
- Free type: Open-source, with a paid hosted version (SupportSystem).
- Free tier limits: Free and self-hosted, with no caps. The cloud version is paid.
- Self-hosted option: Yes.
- Key features: Email-to-ticket, custom fields and queues, and SLA support.
- Scale threshold: Fine for small and mid-size IT teams. It starts to feel dated as your needs grow.
- Watch out: The interface looks old, and the hosting and upkeep are on you.
Best for self-hosted and open-source
Vikunja
Vikunja is a newer open-source tracker that keeps coming up when people want a free, self-hostable option, and it works for both dev and IT-style tracking.
- Best for: Teams that want a modern open-source tool they can host, for either bugs or general issues.
- Audience: Both.
- Free type: Open-source.
- Free tier limits: Free and self-hosted with no caps, and there is a free hosted tier if you would rather not run it.
- Self-hosted option: Yes.
- Key features: Tasks and projects with list, kanban, and Gantt views, labels and filters, and a clean, modern interface.
- Scale threshold: Best for small and mid-size teams. It is lighter on deep developer features than the dedicated bug trackers.
- Watch out: It is younger than the others, so the community and plugin ecosystem are smaller.
Redmine
Redmine is a long-standing open-source project and issue tracker, flexible enough that dev and IT teams both use it.
- Best for: Teams that want a flexible, free, self-hosted tracker across projects.
- Audience: Both.
- Free type: Open-source.
- Free tier limits: Free and self-hosted, with no user or issue caps.
- Self-hosted option: Yes.
- Key features: Multi-project issue tracking, Gantt charts and calendars, wikis, and a large plugin library.
- Scale threshold: It scales with your server and handles plenty of projects. The limit is the effort to host and maintain it.
- Watch out: The interface feels dated, and the Ruby setup and upkeep take real effort.
Best for Slack and Teams-native issue tracking
Suptask
Suptask handles issues and tickets inside Slack or Teams, so for chat-first teams, the work happens where they already are, not in a separate tool.
- Best for: IT and ops teams that are working in Slack or Teams.
- Audience: IT.
- Free type: Freemium, trial only. To be honest, there is no forever-free tier here, just a free trial.
- Free tier limits: It is a free trial, and paid starts at $15 per agent per month.
- Self-hosted option: No.
- Key features: Tickets created from Slack or Teams messages, agents working in-thread, and AI thread summaries with SLA tracking.
- Scale threshold: Good for small and mid-size chat-first teams. Since it is not free long-term, it suits teams ready to pay for the Slack-native fit.
- Watch out: It is not actually free beyond the trial, and it is built around Slack and Teams rather than a standalone portal. For the paid side, see Suptask issue tracking.
When "free" stops working — paid alternatives to consider
As included in each tool, every free plan has certain limitations. So, you can only use the free plan until your requirements are within the limitations. Furthermore, free plans have no SLAs, and support is not available, therefore, when you need help from the software team, you must upgrade.
For the engineering team, the best bug tracking software is to use the tools offered with the tools they already use. Jira has a free plan supporting up to 10 users, similarly, other tools have certain limitations. So, if you are already on the pain plan, refer to the free tools available with it.
For IT teams, the move is usually toward a real ticketing or service tool, like Zendesk, Freshservice, or the paid version of Suptask for Slack-native support. If that is where you are headed, the best ticketing system comparison goes through the options. The automated ticketing systems guide covers the automation side specifically.
Final thoughts
The right free issue tracker comes back to the split we started with. If you are tracking code bugs, the developer tools like GitHub Issues, Linear, and the open-source trackers are where to look. If you are tracking IT and internal requests, the help-desk-style and open-source IT tools fit better.
Start with the free option that matches your work, and keep an eye on where its limits kick in. When you outgrow it, Suptask issue tracking is worth a look for Slack-native IT teams. For broader IT tooling, the best ticketing system comparison covers the options. And for engineering teams going deeper on bugs, the best bug tracking software roundup is the place to go.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between issue tracking and bug tracking?
Bug tracking is a type of issue tracking. Bug tracking is specifically about defects in code, used by engineering teams. Issue tracking is the wider term, covering bugs but also IT requests, tasks, and anything else a team needs to log and resolve. So all bug tracking is issue tracking, but not all issue tracking is bug tracking.
Can I self-host an issue tracker for free?
Yes. Open-source tools like Bugzilla, MantisBT, GLPI, osTicket, Redmine, and Vikunja are free to self-host, with no license fee. The catch is that "free" here means no invoice, not no effort. You provide the server, the setup, and the ongoing maintenance, which is real work even when the software itself costs nothing.
Do I need a separate tool for issues and tickets?
Usually not. For most IT teams, issues and tickets are the same thing under different names, and one tool handles both. Engineering teams are the exception, since a code bug tracker and an IT help desk are built for different work. If you have both needs, two tools can make sense.
What's the best free issue tracking software for small teams?
It depends on what you track. For a small dev team, GitHub Issues or Linear's free plan are easy starts. For a small IT team, Spiceworks is free, and GLPI or osTicket are strong open-source options if you can host them. Match the tool to whether you are tracking code or requests.
Are free issue trackers good enough for a growing team?
For a while, yes. Free tiers cover the early days well, but most have a ceiling, a user cap, an issue limit, or missing automation. A growing team usually hits that wall and moves to a paid plan. The free tool is a good place to start, not always the place to stay.
