head to head · open source
OpenProject vs django-helpdesk
OpenProject has 16,132 GitHub stars, 3,486 forks, 224 open issues and last shipped yesterday. django-helpdesk has 1,685 stars, 699 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. OpenProject leads on adoption by 857% (16,132 vs 1,685 stars). OpenProject is written in Ruby under GPL-3.0; django-helpdesk is written in Python under BSD-3-Clause. OpenProject has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, django-helpdesk 41%. OpenProject was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (kanban), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| OpenProject | django-helpdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 1.7K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | Ruby | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.5K | ⑂ 699 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenProject if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Ruby
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick django-helpdesk if
- You want the django-helpdesk feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and django-helpdesk fits your workflow better
About OpenProject
OpenProject is a web based open source project management software for teams and organizations that need transparency, flexibility, and data sovereignty. It lives in the open source project management ecosystem, with Ruby as the repository language and Angular as a listed topic. The project is positioned as an open alternative to Asana and Basecamp, and the README also compares it with Jira, MS Project, Monday, and YouTrack.
read the full OpenProject overview →
About django-helpdesk
django helpdesk is a Django application for managing tickets in an internal helpdesk. It was formerly known as Jutda Helpdesk, and its description presents it as a ticket tracker for small businesses. The project lives in the Python and Django ecosystem, and it is distributed under the BSD 3 Clause license.
read the full django-helpdesk overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenProject or django-helpdesk more popular?
OpenProject has 16,132 GitHub stars and django-helpdesk has 1,685. OpenProject has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenProject and django-helpdesk free?
Both are open source. OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0 and django-helpdesk under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenProject and django-helpdesk?
OpenProject is written in Ruby and django-helpdesk in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, OpenProject or django-helpdesk?
Choose OpenProject if you want the larger community (16,132 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose django-helpdesk if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.