Request TrackervsShields
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Request Tracker | Shields | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 65/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 9 in Helpdesk | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 1 164 | 27 332 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +5 | +126 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 | 0 |
| Latest release | rt-5.0.10 · 1 Jun 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Perl | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
Shields scores 80/100 against 65/100 for Request Tracker, so it is the safer default.
Request Tracker ships more often: 2 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.
If you want the quickest setup, Shields is easier to run; Request Tracker needs more configuration.
Shields is growing faster right now (+126 stars in 30 days).
Request Tracker details →Shields details →
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