# OTOBO — IT Service Management

OTOBO by Rother OSS GmbH holds a panel rating of 3/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 3/5), as of 2026-11-02. Provenance: EU-Made; sovereignty: not determined.

- Vendor: Rother OSS GmbH (https://otobo.io/de/)
- Category: [IT Service Management](https://whats-best.ai/software/itsm.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): EU-Made
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/itsm/otobo
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/itsm/otobo/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/itsm/otobo/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-11-06 · evaluated 2026-11-02 · oldest source captured 2026-11-01

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: Rother OSS GmbH
- Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026
- Data hosting: Default not stated; pages mention Germany and Switzerland [S10]
- Free plan: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026
- Starting price: “Entry 3.900€ pro Jahr” (vendor’s words) [S7]

## The panel's verdict

OTOBO, from Rother OSS GmbH of Leiblfing, Germany (Amtsgericht Straubing, HRB 12744), is an open-source IT service management platform with published support tiers of Entry 3.900€, Professional 9.900€ and Enterprise 24.500€ pro Jahr, each with unlimited service agents and incidents. The bench scored it strongest on service desk at 6 to 7, sovereignty at 6 to 8, and deployment and integration at 6 to 7: tickets arrive by email, phone and portal with calendar-based SLA escalations and a free load-balancer add-on, the codebase is fully downloadable, and on-premise operation is documented to keep full control over all data. Assets and CMDB and the self-service portal both sit at 6. The clear weak point is change and problem management, the only criterion scored 4, where modules, approvals and tamper-proof logging exist but the judges found no public information on change types, risk assessment, a change calendar or a CAB. The flagged split analysis found none; the widest spread, sovereignty 6 to 8, sets missing public certification detail against the documented on-premise chain, and pricing transparency spans 6 to 7.

**Speaks for it:**
- Published flat annual tiers — Entry 3.900€ pro Jahr, Professional 9.900€ pro Jahr, Enterprise 24.500€ pro Jahr — with unlimited service agents and incidents on every tier and no agent-based pricing
- 100 per cent open-source codebase, free to download, with on-premise operation documented to keep full control over all data
- Integrated CMDB with pre-built CI categories and relationship mapping, populated continuously via REST/SOAP
- Self-service portal with an entitlement-based catalog spanning IT, HR, facilities and fleet, multi-step approvals and knowledge-base suggestions during ticket creation
- Step-by-step OTRS migration documented with database and operating-system switches, and per-version release support of at least three years

**Held against it:**
- Change and problem management scored 4, with change documentation located only in the ITSM Change Management package manual
- We found no public information on time tracking on tickets, a mobile agent app, or chat or Teams intake
- We found no public information on where the managed cloud hosts customer data, security certifications such as ISO 27001, or a customer data processing agreement
- We found no public information on minimum contract term, VAT treatment, or prices for the managed cloud, consulting or training
- Tiers cap service requests at 10, 35 and 100, and we found no public information on the cost of exceeding a quota

**Best for:**
- You are migrating from OTRS and want a documented step-by-step migration tool that preserves all data
- You want to self-host a licence-free platform where on-premise operation is documented to keep full control over all data
- You serve multiple customers or organisational units and need ticket, service and knowledge visibility restricted per tenant
- Your team grows and you need unlimited service agents and incidents on every published tier

**Avoid if:**
- You must show auditors change types, risk assessment, a change calendar or a CAB workflow
- Your service-request volume will exceed the published caps of 10, 35 or 100 per tier
- You need a workflow engine or Kanban board now rather than as planned items
- You plan to use the managed cloud and the captured pages show hosting locations only for the vendor's own website, email and support portal

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v1). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price, or the judge found no public information on that criterion.

| Criterion | The Service Desk Lead | The MSP Owner | The Change & Configuration Manager | The Municipal IT Lead | The Solo IT Admin | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Service desk, incidents & requests | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Change, problem & release management | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Assets, CMDB & discovery | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Self-service portal & service catalog | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Deployment, integrations & multi-client operation | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| European sovereignty | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 4/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 |
| Pricing transparency | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 |
| **Weighted verdict** | **3/5** | **3/5** | **3/5** | **3/5** | **3/5** | **3/5** |

### The judges

- **The Service Desk Lead** (v1.0): Leads a team of eight agents at a machine builder with 1,400 employees across three plants in Germany and one in Poland. Most tickets still arrive by email, and the same printer and VPN questions come in every Monday. Wants incidents and requests told apart, SLAs that escalate on their own, a portal with a catalog people actually use, answers that deflect the Monday tickets, and reports the IT director reads without a spreadsheet.
- **The MSP Owner** (v1.0): Owns a managed service provider with twenty-two technicians and sixty client companies, from dental practices to a logistics firm with nine sites. Every client has its own contract, its own SLA and its own devices, and every hour has to end up on an invoice. Wants one desk with client data kept apart, the RMM and remote support tool connected, time and contracts billed, a portal per client, and a price per technician that still works when the team doubles.
- **The Change & Configuration Manager** (v1.0): Change and configuration manager at a regional bank that answers to BaFin and, since January 2025, to DORA. Chairs the weekly change advisory board and has to show an auditor who approved which change, which services it touched and which incident it caused. Wants change types with real approvals, risk read from a CMDB that knows how systems depend on each other, problem records tied to incidents, and an audit trail that can be exported.
- **The Municipal IT Lead** (v1.0): Runs IT for a district administration with 900 staff, schools included, on servers in the municipal data centre. Follows BSI IT-Grundschutz and buys through public tenders, and the data protection officer will not sign off staff and device data on a US cloud. Wants an on-premise or open-source edition that is documented and maintained, a portal for teachers and clerks, assets linked to tickets, and a contract and price list the procurement office can put into a tender.
- **The Solo IT Admin** (v1.0): The whole IT department of a 160-person engineering firm, with a part-time trainee on Thursdays. Requests come in by email, Teams and in the corridor, and the asset list is a spreadsheet nobody trusts. Has no time for an ITIL project: wants email and Teams turned into tickets, a simple portal with answers to the common questions, laptops and licences found automatically, a setup that takes days rather than months, and a price they can read off the website.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): Has seen "ITIL-certified" on a tool whose change management is a status field, a "CMDB" that is a list of devices without a single relationship, and an "AI agent" that searches the knowledge base. Reads that a product runs on premise and asks whether that edition gets the same features, which of the asset packs are extra, where the tickets and attachments are stored — and how ten years of ticket history would leave.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: not determined.

| Dimension | Finding | Points | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Not determined | — | — |
| Hosting location | Not determined | — | — |
| Hosting options | Not determined | — | — |
| Open source | Not determined | — | — |
| Data processing agreement | Not determined | — | — |
| Transfer impact assessment | Not determined | — | — |

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Compliance**
- DSGVO: yes [S7]
- GDPR support: yes [S8]
- Google analytics anonymization: Google Analytics · yes · yes [S10]
- Google DPA: yes · Google [S10]
- Rapidmail DPA: yes · Rapidmail [S10]
- Security contact: security@otobo.org [S19]
- Security contact: security@otobo.org · yes [S14]

**Data**
- Application deletion: 2 [S10]
- Blog comment ip retention: 2 [S10]
- Forum ip retention: 3 [S10]
- Newsletter double optin: yes [S10]
- Newsletter no ad sharing: no [S10]
- Server log retention: 7 · 14 [S10]

**Hosting**
- Deployment options: yes · yes [S19]
- DPA with providers: Hosting-Anbieter · yes [S10]
- Forum location: Deutschland · Schweiz [S10]
- Server location: Deutschland · Schweiz · Website · E-Mail-System · Supportportal [S10]

**Integrations**
- Data sources: auto-discovery · inventory · asset management · directory services · product databases [S15]
- Design package: yes [S20]
- Existing tools: Integration with existing service management tools and platforms [S11]
- Github: yes [S6]
- Github: yes [S3]
- Github: yes [S11]
- Github: yes [S20]
- Import export rest soap: REST · SOAP · web services · yes [S15]
- Otrs migration: yes [S11]
- Rest soap API: REST · SOAP [S5]
- Rest soap API: REST · SOAP [S17]

**Legal**
- Address: Leiblfing · Oberwalting 31 · Deutschland · 94339 [S9]
- Company: 2026 · Rother OSS GmbH [S14]
- Company name: Rother OSS GmbH [S9]
- Privacy policy date: 2019-12-13 [S10]
- Register: Amtsgericht Straubing · HRB 12744 [S9]
- Seat: Leiblfing [S9]
- Security contact: security@otobo.org [S18]
- Security contact: security@otobo.org [S9]
- Security contact: security@otobo.org [S8]
- Social media profiles: https://twitter.com/rother_oss · https://www.facebook.com/RotherOSS · https://www.linkedin.com/company/rother-oss-gmbh/ [S9]
- Source code owner: Source Code Owner and Maintainer of OTOBO [S20]
- VAT id: DE322806897 [S9]

**Pricing**
- Enterprise price: 24500 · per year [S7]
- Entry price: 3900 · per year [S7]
- Load balancer free: OTOBO package manager, Third Party Addons directory · yes [S12]
- Professional price: 9900 · per year [S7]

**Product**
- Access control: yes · yes [S8]
- Additional capabilities: Categorizing services · Meaningful service descriptions · Defining access authorizations for services · Keep track of your Service Level Agreements (SLA) · Setting up approval processes · Search for and filter services · Keep users informe… [S18]
- Addon categories: ITSM Add-on Features · Add-on Features · 3rd Party Add-on Features [S6]
- Addon open source: yes · no [S6]
- Analytics reporting: Analytics and reporting [S11]
- Asset lifecycle management: procurement to retirement, IT and non-IT assets · yes [S15]
- Asset lifecycle management: status · changes · commercial history · incidents · contracts · yes · procurement to retirement [S4]
- Audit readiness: yes · yes [S8]
- Audit trail: yes [S8]
- Audit trail: compliance and audit readiness · yes [S4]
- Authentication: Active Directory · LDAP · Kundendatenbank · yes [S5]
- Authentication integration: Active Directory · LDAP · customer database [S17]
- Auto notifications: yes · yes [S3]
- Auto priorization: yes · yes · yes · yes [S3]
- Availability: yes [S5]
- Availability 24 7: yes [S17]
- Benefits list: Enhanced Transparency · Accessibility · Improved Service Quality · Self-Service · Increased Efficiency · Enhanced Customer Satisfaction [S18]
- Brute force protection: yes [S8]
- Case study migration otrs6: Clausthal University of Technology · OTOBO · OTRS 6 [S20]
- Change management: Change Management [S11]
- Ci import export: yes · webservice · REST · SOAP · Auto-Discovery System · Inventory · Asset Management · Directory Services · Produktdatenbanken [S4]
- Ci prebuilt categories: yes · Location · Infrastructure · Network · Software · Contract · Workplace [S15]
- Ci predefined categories: Location · Infrastructure · Network · Software · Contract · Workplace · yes · yes [S4]
- Ci relationship mapping: yes [S15]
- Ci relationship visualization: yes [S15]
- Ci visualization tree: hierarchical tree structure [S4]
- Ci yaml editor: yes [S15]
- Ci yaml editor: headlines · multi-column CI forms · custom field order · read-only fields · yes [S4]
- Cmdb audit compliance: yes [S15]
- Cmdb csm support: yes [S15]
- Cmdb integrated: yes [S15]
- Cmdb integrated: CMDB is integrated in OTOBO, managing configuration items and their relationships [S4]
- Cmdb itsm integration: Incident Management · Problem Management · Change Management · Knowledge Management · Service Level Management [S15]
- Cmdb open source: yes [S15]
- Cmdb open source: yes [S4]
- Community: Global developer and user community contributes improvements [S11]
- Complete data migration: messages · relationships · users · yes [S20]
- Compliance standards mentioned: DSGVO · HIPAA [S8]
- Corporate design customization: yes · yes [S5]
- Corporate design customization: yes [S17]
- Csm integration: yes [S18]
- Csm integration: yes [S17]
- Csm module: Customer Service Management (CSM) [S3]
- Csm support: Produktdaten · Verträge · Assets · yes [S4]
- Current major releases: 11.1 · 11 · Docker Image [S6]
- Customer portal: hotline · email · customer_portal · yes [S20]
- Dashboard reporting: yes · yes [S3]
- Dashboard widgets: Wissensdatenbank · Service-Katalog · Ticketübersicht · Neues Ticket erstellen · Zentraler News-Ticker · Statistiken · Links · Bildkacheln [S5]
- Dashboard widgets: yes [S17]
- Data sovereignty: customer retains data sovereignty [S1]
- Demo and download: yes · yes · yes [S9]
- Demo available: yes [S11]
- Description: Service Management-Plattform [S9]
- Docker installation recommended: yes [S6]
- Docker migration: yes · 10.0.7 [S19]
- Download free: yes · yes [S11]
- Download sources: Docker Hub · Sourcen · FTP [S6]
- Dynamic ticket forms: yes [S5]
- Encrypted email filtering: yes [S8]
- Encryption: yes · yes · yes [S8]
- Enterprise channels: email · phone · self-service portal [S7]
- Enterprise ha cluster: yes [S7]
- Enterprise response time: Mission Critical Incidents · 0.5 [S7]
- Enterprise support hours: 24/7/365 [S7]
- Entry channels: email · self-service portal [S7]
- Entry patch update: on order [S7]
- Entry response time: Mission Critical Incidents · 4 [S7]
- Entry support hours: Mo-Fr 9:00-17:00 [S7]
- Esm module: Enterprise Service Management (ESM) [S3]
- Esm platform: yes [S15]
- Esm platform: yes [S17]
- Esm support: yes [S4]
- Faq module: yes [S20]
- Flexible ticket forms: yes [S17]
- Github: yes [S9]
- Incident management: Incident Management [S11]
- Incidents unlimited: yes · yes · yes [S7]
- Integrated knowledge base: yes · yes [S3]
- Itsm access: yes [S17]
- Itsm change package: OTOBO::ITSM Change Management package exists with its own documentation [S13]
- Itsm changes archiving question: no · Whether ITSM-Changes can be archived like tickets, hiding closed ones without deleting history [S14]
- Itsm integration: incident management · service requests · change requests · configuration management · service level management · knowledge database [S18]
- Itsm integration: Incident Management · Problem Management · Change Management · Knowledge Management · Service Level Management [S4]
- Itsm linked processes: problem_management · change_management · configuration_management · service_level_management [S3]
- Knowledge base access: yes · yes [S5]
- Knowledge base access: yes [S17]
- Knowledge base ticket suggestions: yes [S17]
- Knowledge base widget: yes [S17]
- Knowledge management: Knowledge Management [S11]
- Latest version: OTOBO 11.1 [S1]
- Load balancer availability permission rule: logged-in and active agents with Owner or RW permissions for the queue [S12]
- Load balancer capabilities rule: yes [S12]
- Load balancer configurable: yes · yes [S12]
- Load balancer developer: Ayté · community [S12]
- Load balancer distribution criteria: availability and permissions · ticket priority · current workload · optional: agents' service capabilities [S12]
- Load balancer exception rules: yes [S12]
- Load balancer priority weights: 20 · 40 · 30 · 10 · 50 [S12]
- Load balancer purpose: Automatic ticket distribution based on clear criteria, no manual dispatching [S12]
- Load balancer scaling: yes [S12]
- Load balancer working hours rule: yes [S12]
- Load balancer workload weighting: yes [S12]
- Major incident processes: yes · yes · yes [S3]
- Manual priorization: yes [S3]
- Master ticket linking: yes · yes [S3]
- Migration data preserved: no · yes [S19]

**Subprocessors**
- Newsletter provider: Rapidmail · Deutschland · Newsletter-Versand · Deutschland [S10]

**Support**
- Channels: Support Portal · Consulting · Training · Support · Managed Services · Customizing · OTRS Migration · Find a Partner [S18]
- Channels offered: Support Portal · Consulting · Training · Support · Managed Services · Customizing · OTRS Migration · Find a Partner [S15]
- Docs download: yes [S11]
- Documentation: https://doc.otobo.org · yes · yes [S6]
- Forum free: yes [S11]
- Intro services: consulting · extensions · training · support · managed_service [S11]
- Managed services: yes [S11]
- Migration scheduling: Migration can be scheduled evenings/weekends to avoid downtime [S19]
- Migration service: yes [S19]
- Performance optimization: yes [S19]
- Portal: yes [S7]
- Portal login cookie: 7 · 365 [S10]
- Security contact: security@otobo.org [S6]
- Security contact: security@otobo.org [S17]
- Security contact: security@otobo.org [S11]
- Security contact: security@otobo.org [S20]
- Security email: security@otobo.org [S5]
- Security email: security@otobo.org · security issue reporting [S15]
- Security reporting: security@otobo.org [S3]
- Service offerings: Support Portal · Consulting · Training · Support · Managed Services · Customizing · OTRS Migration · Find a Partner [S20]
- Services: Support-Portal · Beratung · Training · Support · Managed Services · Erweiterung · OTRS Migration [S6]
- Support portal: support_portal · consulting · training · support [S11]

80 more facts on the canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/itsm/otobo

## Questions

### Is OTOBO European?

Yes. whats-best.ai classifies OTOBO as EU-Made.

### Where does OTOBO store data?

The default storage location for customer data is not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026. The vendor’s pages mention Germany and Switzerland as hosting locations, per [the vendor’s page captured 1 Nov 2026](https://whats-best.ai/evidence/15295).

### Does OTOBO have a free plan?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026.

### What are the best alternatives to OTOBO?

As of 2 Nov 2026, the panel rates [ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/itsm/manageengine-servicedesk-plus), [Xurrent ITSM (3/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/itsm/xurrent) and [GLPI (3/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/itsm/glpi) highest among the other 14 IT Service Management products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [GLPI](https://whats-best.ai/software/itsm/glpi) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [OTOBO alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/itsm/otobo/alternatives).

## Head-to-head

- [OTOBO vs GLPI](https://whats-best.ai/compare/glpi-vs-otobo.md)

## What this page leaves out

- 15 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 13 legal facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 5 support facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 3 integrations facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 2 compliance facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 hosting fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 3 sovereignty dimensions could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and are shown as unknown.

## Sources

- [S1] Vendor homepage: https://otobo.io/de/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S2] Features page (ITSM): https://otobo.io/de/service-management-plattform/it-service-management-itsm/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S3] Features page (incident management): https://otobo.io/de/service-management-plattform/incident-management/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S4] Features page (CMDB): https://otobo.io/de/service-management-plattform/configuration-management-database-cmdb/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S5] Features page (self-service portal): https://otobo.io/de/service-management-plattform/self-service-portal/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S6] Download page (open-source edition): https://otobo.io/de/service-management-plattform/otobo-download/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S7] Support plans page (no prices): https://otobo.io/de/services/support/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S8] Security / trust page: https://otobo.io/de/service-management-plattform/sicherheit-und-compliance/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S9] Legal notice: https://otobo.io/de/impressum/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S10] Privacy policy: https://otobo.io/de/datenschutz/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S11] Service desk, incidents & requests — found from sitemap: https://otobo.io/de/open-source-ticketsystem/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S12] Service desk, incidents & requests — found from sitemap: https://otobo.io/en/otobo-ticket-load-balancer/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S13] Change, problem & release management — found from sitemap: https://otobo.io/forums/topic/change-approval-process/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S14] Change, problem & release management — found from sitemap: https://otobo.io/forums/topic/itsm-changes-ausblenden/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S15] Assets, CMDB & discovery — found from sitemap: https://otobo.io/en/service-management-platform/configuration-management-database-cmdb/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S16] Assets, CMDB & discovery — found from sitemap: https://otobo.io/en/otobo-cmdb-add-on/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S17] Self-service portal & service catalog — found from sitemap: https://otobo.io/en/service-management-platform/self-service-portal/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S18] Self-service portal & service catalog — found from sitemap: https://otobo.io/en/service-management-platform/service-catalog/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S19] Deployment, integrations & multi-client operation — found from sitemap: https://otobo.io/en/services/otrs-migration-to-otobo/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S20] Deployment, integrations & multi-client operation — found from sitemap: https://otobo.io/en/otobo-migration-tu-clausthal-otrs-6/ (checked 2026-11-01)

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Cite as: whats-best.ai, "OTOBO — IT Service Management", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-11-06. https://whats-best.ai/software/itsm/otobo

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/1329?target=page