GLPI

GLPI is an IT management platform for helpdesk tickets, asset inventory, and service management. Users can submit incident or request tickets and route them to a group, profile, or individual. Its service workflows include problem and change management, planning, recurring tickets, statistics, and custom forms. The inventory can track hardware, software and licenses, network equipment, certificates, domains, clusters, and databases. Other tools include project workflows with Gantt or Kanban views, a knowledge base, reservations, reports, and saved searches. GLPI provides eight profile types and both standard and self-service interfaces; its self-service interface is free for end users. Integrations listed include Azure/Entra ID, Google SSO, GLPI Inventory, webhooks, Active Directory, CAS, and an API. Organizations can choose cloud or on-premise deployment. Public Cloud starts at €19.00 per user per month, billed per IT agent with one billed agent minimum; its trial lasts 45 days and requires no credit card. The FAQ says on-premise GLPI has no licensing fees or user or technician limit.

GLPI combines ticketing, asset inventory, and service workflows, with a choice of deployment models. Review the agent minimums and listed availability for cloud plans before selecting one.

GLPI suits organizations managing service requests and IT assets, especially those choosing between cloud hosting and on-premise deployment. The self-service interface is available to end users at no charge.

GLPI brings helpdesk, IT service workflows, and asset inventory into one IT management platform. It is best suited to organizations with dedicated IT staff that need more than a ticket queue and can choose between managed cloud hosting and self-hosting. Its breadth is compelling, but cloud agent minimums and the operational demands of self-hosting make deployment choice central.

Overview

Incident and request tickets can be assigned to a group, profile, or individual, while problem and change management, planning, recurring tickets, statistics, custom forms, approval workflows, and SLA management support more structured service operations. This makes GLPI a stronger fit for teams coordinating ongoing IT work than for those seeking only a basic intake inbox.

Asset management covers hardware, software and licenses, network equipment, certificates, domains, clusters, and databases. Project workflows provide Gantt and Kanban views, with a knowledge base, reservations, reports, and saved searches alongside them. The range can consolidate related work, but organizations looking for a narrow tool may find this breadth unnecessary.

Key features

• Ticketing and access: Tickets can be routed to groups, profiles, or an individual. Eight profile types and standard and self-service interfaces give organizations distinct access patterns; the self-service interface is free for end users.
• Service workflows: Problem and change management, planning, recurring tickets, approvals, SLAs, and custom forms suit teams with repeatable processes and oversight needs.
• Inventory and projects: GLPI tracks a wide range of IT assets and pairs inventory with project views, a knowledge base, reservations, reporting, and saved searches.
• Integrations and authentication: The integrations catalog includes Azure/Entra ID, Google SSO, GLPI Inventory, webhooks, Active Directory, CAS, and API integration. External authentication can use LDAP, mail servers, CAS, X.509 certificates, or delegated web-server authentication.

Pricing

GLPI is freemium: on-premise use has no licensing fees and no limit on users or technicians. Organizations needing vendor network services or managed hosting should weigh the paid options against the infrastructure and support they require.

• Public Cloud: €19 a month per IT agent, from one billed agent. It includes 5 GB disk, a 20 MB maximum attachment size, shared CPU/RAM, and 97% annual availability. This is the lowest-friction paid entry for a small team, but the shared resources, storage allowance, and availability commitment may not suit demanding operations. A 45-day public-cloud trial requires no obligation or credit card.
• Private Cloud: €21 a month per IT agent, with a minimum of 25 billed agents. It provides 50 GB disk, 20 MB maximum attachments, dedicated CPU/RAM, and 99% annual availability. Dedicated resources and higher stated availability suit larger teams, but the 25-agent floor means it is a poor fit for smaller ones.
• Custom: Custom quote. The Custom Cloud option also uses custom pricing and offers custom availability, unlimited disk space, and custom RPO/RTO for organizations needing tailored cloud terms.
• GLPI Network Basic: €100 a month (excl. VAT), self-hosted, for up to 10 technical staff and 500 assets, with one production and one test instance and unlimited N3 support. It is the smallest paid network tier, though the asset and staff caps matter as deployments grow.
• GLPI Network Standard: €300 a month (excl. VAT), self-hosted, for up to 50 technical staff and 5,000 assets, with two production and two test instances and unlimited N3 support. It gives expanding teams more room and instances than Basic.
• GLPI Network Advanced: €1,000 a month (excl. VAT), self-hosted, for more than 50 technical staff and more than 5,000 assets, with four production and four test instances and unlimited N3 support. It fits larger environments that outgrow Standard.
• GLPI Network Enterprise: €4,500 a month (excl. VAT), self-hosted, with unlimited assets and instances, priority N3 support, and three places on official training courses. Its unrestricted scale and priority support target organizations with substantial deployment needs, not smaller teams.

Platforms

GLPI supports Android, API, Linux, macOS, web, Windows, and self-hosted deployment. Cloud is aimed at quick setup with minimal maintenance; on-premise is aimed at organizations with specific security or customization needs and an IT team. The cloud security policy says the OVHCloud firewall permits HTTPS only and blocks other protocols before they reach instances. Public-cloud backups are daily and retained for 30 days; private-cloud backups are daily with hourly increments.

Who it's for

GLPI is a sensible choice for IT departments that want ticketing, asset tracking, and formal service workflows in one system, especially when they can match a cloud tier to their agent count or operate an on-premise environment. A small team that wants managed hosting can start at one public-cloud agent, while organizations with specific security or customization needs may prefer self-hosting. Partner services can provide configuration and customization support as well as L1 and L2 support.

It is less suitable for teams that need high cloud availability without a 25-agent commitment, or that want a lightweight helpdesk without the overhead of a broad IT management platform.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Helpdesk, service workflows, and extensive asset coverage share one platform, reducing the need to separate these operational tasks.
• Pro: Free on-premise licensing has no user or technician limit, making it viable where the organization can supply its own infrastructure and IT expertise.
• Pro: The self-service interface is free for end users, while eight profile types support differentiated access.
• Con: Private Cloud requires 25 billed agents even though its per-agent price is only modestly above Public Cloud.
• Con: Public Cloud has shared CPU/RAM and 97% annual availability; teams needing dedicated resources and 99% availability must meet Private Cloud's minimum.
• Con: Self-hosting avoids licensing fees but puts infrastructure operation on the organization, and paid network tiers cap staff, assets, or instances until the Enterprise tier.

Alternatives

For a different emphasis, consider these options:

• Organizations comparing asset and configuration management products can browse CMDB Software.
• Teams selecting a catalog-centered service tool can browse IT Service Catalog Software.
• For a narrower focus on change workflows, see IT Change Management Software; for problem workflows, see IT Problem Management Software.
• Teams prioritizing documentation can browse IT Knowledge Base Software, while those focused on finding assets can browse IT Asset Discovery Software.
• Hornbill IT Asset Management is another paid option with a free plan, Android, API, iOS, web, and Windows support, and personalized pricing through scalable packages.
• BeaverFlow CMDB may suit buyers seeking a paid CMDB with a free trial: its Growth plan is $24 a month for up to 50 users and includes CMDB, with Cloud Shared or Cloud Dedicated deployment.
• Freshservice is a paid, trial-bearing alternative whose Starter plan is $19 a month billed annually and includes knowledge management, task management, a support portal, and omnichannel support.
• Matrix42 FastViewer is another paid option with a free trial and a listed price of €540 a year per concurrent session, plus 19% VAT.
• Alloy Navigator offers a free trial and an Explorer plan at $19 a month billed annually for up to three technicians and unlimited requesters, with cloud or on-premises deployment.
• Octopus ITSM is a paid alternative at $95 a month per active user, with active technicians and agents, all modules except AI Assistant, technical support, and unlimited end-user access.
• SolarWinds Service Desk is a paid alternative with a free trial; Essentials costs $39 a month billed annually per technician and includes unlimited users.
• TOPdesk is a paid alternative with a free trial; its Essential plan is £51 per agent/month and includes unlimited assets, tickets, and end users, 100GB free storage, and a 2GB file upload limit.

Verdict

Choose GLPI if your IT organization wants ticketing, broad inventory, and service workflows together, and can either manage self-hosting or accept the agent and availability terms of cloud hosting. Its no-license-fee on-premise option is especially attractive for capable IT teams. Look elsewhere if you need a simple helpdesk or higher cloud availability without committing to at least 25 agents.