In this blog post, we’ll look at some of the best open-source bug tracking tools on the market—complete with features and best use cases.
Every website, app, or piece of software that anyone has ever developed has bugs.
Bugs and errors are an unfortunate fact of website and software development, even when you’ve got experienced developers and engineers working on a project.
Left unchecked, these bugs could become serious problems for your clients and their users or customers.
Customers click elsewhere. Delete downloads. Abandon carts.
Like pest control in restaurants, a whole software industry has emerged to tackle this problem: bug tracking tools.
While we’ve got a comprehensive list of bug tracking tools already, this post focuses on open-source solutions.
Let’s have a look!
14 Best Open-Source Bug Tracking Tools
Here’s a list of the best open source bug trackers in 2023.
Whether you’re looking for Gantt charts, repositories, version control, or any other type of functionality—we’re bound to have it.
And if you’re looking for a solution to automatically collect feedback from your clients (or end-users) and push it in real-time to your project management tool of choice, check out Marker.io—which integrates with a few of the tools below.
1. BugZilla
Web-based, open-source, lightweight bug tracking system.
Bugzilla is the bug tracking tool many SaaS companies and dev agencies use in their tech stacks. Its features include:
- Advanced search—to find exactly what you’re looking for;
- Categorize issues based on products and components, fully customizable;
- Milestones—to keep the entire team on track.
Since Bugzilla is 100% open-source, it’s free!
2. Redmine
Open-source issue tracking tool with custom fields and email issue creation.
Redmine is a flexible, free, open-source bug tracking tool. With this tool, development teams can:
- Create new issues via email;
- Customize it several ways and integrate it with other tools;
- Thanks to their huge community, get the support when you need it via forums, a chatroom, and an unofficial Slack channel.
3. MantisBT
Customizable, easy-to use defect tracking tool with email notifications.
MantisBT is a web-based bug tracking solution that provides a strong balance between simplicity and power.
- Customize it as necessary so it works in your tech stack;
- Send email notifications to keep clients and stakeholders in the loop;
- Maintain access control so clients don’t make a mess of your tracking system.
Pricing: Free
4. Request Tracker
Bug tracking with automations and email integration.
Next on our list of open source tools is Request Tracker. You can host it on their servers for $125/mo., or host it yourself for free.
- Integrate it with email so that you can create and track issues that way;
- Automate bug tracking with Scripts and Actions;
- Take reporting to the next level with a visual lifecycle configuration and charting interface, and loads more!
5. Trac
Minimalist issue tracking with wiki, roadmap, and milestones.
Trac (The Trac Project) is a minimalist, lightweight bug tracking software. With this tool, you can:
- Link and reference between bugs, tasks, and changesets
- Timeline to keep track of projects (and even use Git for version tracking)
- Keep and update a roadmap for upcoming milestones
6. Fossil
An open-source project management solution with bug tracking.
Fossil is a free, open-source, high-reliability, distributed software configuration management system that includes bug tracking. With this tool, you can:
- Report bugs using a “ticket” system;
- Manage bug tracking tickets through the web interface;
- Make it easy for devs to respond to tickets and confirm when a bug has been fixed.
Pricing: Free
7. OTRS
Extensive suite of ITSM solutions, including an issue tracker tool.
OTRS is a help desk ticketing solution system that includes bug tracking. With this tool, you can:
- Have customers report bugs to an IT help desk;
- Create and customize your own workflows;
- Support your customers with an extensive knowledge base;
- Integrate with your existing CRM tools.
It’s available open-source with OTRS Community Edition.
8. The Bug Genie
Intuitive bug and defect tracking.
The Bug Genie is an open-source project with plenty of project management features:
- Create planning boards using Scrum or Kanban;
- Keep your team on the same page with a feature-rich documentation editor;
- Intelligent wiki andd source code management;
- Customize workflows with visualization;
- Includes automated bug tracking, and lots more!
9. Jira
Bug tracking plus a whole suite of project management solutions.
Jira is one of the leading bug and issue tracking systems on the market. With this software, you can:
- Create your own custom workflows;
- Create and manage bug reports;
- Assign tasks and priorities for every ticket;
- Integrate it with other software solutions.
While Jira is primarily used a SaaS, cloud-based solution, there is a self-host option for small teams (up to 10 users) .
Want to collect website issues directly into Jira? See how Jira/Marker.io integration works.
10. TestLink
Open-source test management and bug tracking.
TestLink is an open-source test management suite. This software allows you to:
- Track and report bugs and issues;
- Create your own customized test management environment;
Because it’s open source, you can directly contribute to its development via GitHub.
11. OpenProject
OpenProject is a web-based, open-source software development tool.
OpenProject is open-source when you use the community version, which of course includes bug tracking.
- Use a comprehensive suite of features, including both issue reporting and issue tracking;
- Connect with a large, global community of users for support and tips on usage.
12. Taiga
A free, open-source project management tool for agile teams.
Taiga is another open-source project management tool that includes bug tracking. With this tool, you can:
- Create project management boards using Scrum, Kanban, and other methodologies;
- Log and track bug reports and issues;
- Update team members and clients when bugs have been fixed.
13. Tuleap
Create regulatory-compliant software with this agile project management suite.
Tuleap is a product management suite that includes bug tracking. With this tool, you can:
- Implement Agile planning, project tracking, product management, test management, and loads more;
- Receive updates on issues from customers, users, and colleagues;
- Stay compliant with regulatory requirements, making it useful for software dev teams that work with healthcare, government, or financial sector clients.
14. Phabricator
A code review tool that helps devs spot bugs before software commits go live.
Phabricator is an open-source, pre-commit code review solution.
The platform also offers bug tracking capabilities with a task management system that includes defect tracking, feature requests, and other task types.
- Look at the code other devs on your team are writing:
- Leave comments;
- Create, assign, and review bug reports.
So there you have it: a comparison of 14 of the best open-source bug-tracking tools on the market.
We hope this post helped you decide on a tool that’s right for you.
Let us know if we missed something!
