What it does
MantisBT is an open-source issue tracker for teams and clients. It organizes issues by project and supports configurable issue fields and workflows, email notifications, role-based access control, and self-hosted installation.
Use projects and customizable issue workflows to record bugs, requests, and work items, with notifications for comments and status changes. MantisBT is intentionally straightforward and can be hosted on an organization’s own PHP and database infrastructure; the vendor also lists hosting options. See the official MantisBT site and source repository.
Strengths
- Open-source issue tracking can be self-hosted.
- Per-project role-based access and customizable fields support team workflows.
- Email notifications keep clients and teammates informed.
Watch out for
- Issue tracking is the core use case; it is not a full portfolio-planning suite.
- Self-hosted installations require PHP, a web server, and a supported database.
Best for
- Software teams tracking bugs and requests by project
- Organizations wanting a customizable self-hosted issue tracker
Sources
- Mantis Bug Tracker (Oct 25, 2026)
- Mantis Bug Tracker (MantisBT) (Oct 25, 2026)