Grist
osTicket
| Feature | Grist | osTicket |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10/mo | Free / from $12/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
| Best For | developers, data-teams, non-profits, open-source-advocates | small-businesses, budget-conscious-teams, self-hosted-advocates, it-departments |
| Founded | 2019 | 2003 |
| Relational Data | ✓ | ✗ |
| Python Formulas | ✓ | ✗ |
| Custom Widgets | ✓ | ✗ |
| Access Rules | ✓ | ✗ |
| Incremental Imports | ✓ | ✗ |
| Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ticket Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Email Piping | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Fields | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sla Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Agent Collision Avoidance | ✗ | ✓ |
| Knowledge Base | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Grist Pros
- Fully open-source (Apache 2.0)
- Python formulas instead of spreadsheet formulas
- Self-hostable
- Strong access control and permissions
✗ Grist Cons
- Fewer integrations than Airtable
- Smaller template library
- Less intuitive for non-technical users
✓ osTicket Pros
- Completely free self-hosted version
- Active open-source community
- Highly customizable
- Supports multiple departments
✗ osTicket Cons
- Dated user interface
- Requires server management
- Limited automation compared to paid tools
The Verdict
Grist is built for developers and data teams, with a focus on relational-data and python-formulas. osTicket targets small businesses and budget conscious teams and leads with ticket-management and email-piping.
Pricing is close: Grist starts at $10/mo versus $12/mo for osTicket — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Bottom line: Grist has a slight overall edge — but if completely free self-hosted version matters most to you, osTicket may still be the right call.