What Bugzilla does

Bugzilla is a web-based open-source defect and bug tracking system originally written in Tcl by Terry Weissman for Netscape/Mozilla and released as open source on August 26, 1998; it was subsequently ported to Perl and has been continuously maintained for over 25 years. The software runs on Linux/Unix environments with Apache and supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, or Oracle backends. Its core feature set centers on Advanced Search, product/component categorization, and milestone-based release tracking, with the modernized Harmony codebase previewed in 2023 (release 5.9.1) positioned as the foundation for Bugzilla 6.0.

The project is governed and legally held by Zarro Boogs Corporation, a Michigan-registered 501(c)(4) non-profit formed in mid-2023 by core developers to independently manage the Bugzilla project under a Mozilla Foundation trademark license. Bugzilla operates on a freemium/donation model: the software is free under the Mozilla Public License, distributed via self-serve download from bugzilla.org and a public GitHub repository, with funding coming from voluntary donations through GitHub Sponsors and Liberapay plus a small set of named monthly sponsors (e.g., Cendio AB at $150+/month). Paid consulting, installation, and administration services are delivered exclusively through a directory of independent third-party contractors, from which the project takes no commission.

Bugzilla's user base spans thousands of organizations globally, anchored by high-visibility open source adopters (Linux Kernel, Mozilla, Apache, Eclipse, KDE, LibreOffice, Red Hat, SUSE, Gentoo) and extending into US government (NASA) and large enterprise (Oracle) usage. Its go-to-market is community-led and organic — developer mailing lists, IRC, Discord, Matrix, GitHub, blog, YouTube, Twitch, and social channels — with no paid sales motion, no pricing tiers, and no enterprise licensing.

Name

Bugzilla

Legal name

Zarro Boogs Corporation

Website

https://bugzilla.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bugzilla is a 25-year-old open-source web-based defect and bug tracking system written in Perl, managed by Zarro Boogs Corporation and used by thousands of organizations including Linux Kernel, Mozilla, Apache, and NASA for software issue tracking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mountain View

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: Bugzilla is free open source software. Revenue comes from voluntary donations via GitHub Sponsors and Liberapay. The project is managed by Zarro Boogs Corporation, a non-charitable non-profit (US IRS 501(c)(4)) that uses donations for operational expenses and funding developers.
2. Paid Consulting Referrals: Bugzilla maintains a list of third-party contractors available for paid consulting work, but takes no commission. This drives users to consultants while keeping Bugzilla free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bugzilla is a free, web-based open-source defect and bug tracking system written in Perl that helps software development teams log, organize, prioritize, search, and resolve bugs, issues, and feature requests across product releases. It is self-hosted on the user's own infrastructure, supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, or Oracle database backends, and is distributed under the Mozilla Public License. The product is funded entirely through community donations to Zarro Boogs Corporation.

Product overview

Bugzilla is a single, unified open-source defect tracking system (bug-tracking software). The product consists of one core platform — Bugzilla — which is available in multiple version branches (currently 5.2 as the stable release, with 5.9.1 as a Harmony developer preview leading to version 6.0). It is managed by Zarro Boogs Corporation, a nonprofit corporation formed in 2023 to oversee the Bugzilla Project. Bugzilla is free to download and use, with optional paid consulting support available through third-party contractors listed on the project website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bugzilla Free, web-based, open-source defect and bug tracking system that allows individuals or groups of developers to log, manage, and track outstanding bugs and issues in their software products. Written in Perl with support for MySQL, PostgreSQL, or Oracle databases, it is self-hosted by users under the Mozilla Public License and is targeted at software development teams, open source projects, and government agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Widely regarded as one of the top defect-tracking systems available

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mozilla FoundationcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMozilla Foundation licenses the Bugzilla trademark to Zarro Boogs Corporation, enabling the project to operate independently while maintaining brand identity. Bugzilla was originally created at Netscape and later moved to mozilla.org.
• Zarro Boogs CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZarro Boogs Corporation (ZBC) is the legal entity formed in mid-2023 to manage the Bugzilla Project. It is a non-charitable non-profit organization (US IRS 501(c)(4) status) registered in Michigan. The name comes from the phrase Bugzilla returns when a search returns no results: 'Zarro Boogs found.'

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Trac: Open-source wiki and issue tracking system used by many open source projects. Comparable to Bugzilla as an integrated wiki + bug tracker for software projects.
• Jira: Atlassian's flagship issue and project tracking platform. The dominant commercial bug/issue tracker that Bugzilla directly competes with, especially in enterprise settings where self-hosted OSS is evaluated against paid alternatives.
• GitHub Issues: Integrated issue tracking inside the GitHub platform. A direct substitute for open source projects that previously relied on standalone Bugzilla instances, offering tighter coupling with code, PRs, and CI.
• Phabricator: Open-source suite of code review and project management tools including a Maniphest task tracker. A self-hosted alternative targeting software development teams with overlapping functionality to Bugzilla.
• Launchpad: Canonical's open-source project hosting and bug tracking platform. A free, web-based alternative used by major open source projects (notably Ubuntu), directly comparable to Bugzilla in serving large OSS communities.
• MantisBT: Another long-running open-source, self-hosted web-based bug tracker written in PHP. Directly comparable to Bugzilla as a free, self-hosted defect tracking system with similar target users and feature set.
• Linear: A modern, opinionated issue tracker popular with software teams for its speed and keyboard-first UX. Represents the next generation of bug/issue tracking that Bugzilla's Harmony modernization is trying to catch up to.
• GitLab Issue Tracking: Issue boards inside GitLab's DevOps platform. Competes for the same self-hosted, integrated-development-workflow use case as Bugzilla, often displacing it in organizations adopting GitLab end-to-end.
• YouTrack: JetBrains' issue tracking and project management tool. Offers both cloud and self-hosted editions, positioning itself as a modern commercial alternative to Bugzilla for software development teams.
• Redmine: Open-source project management web application including issue tracking. Overlaps with Bugzilla as a self-hostable, free alternative that combines bug tracking with project planning features.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bugzilla
• GitHubgithub.com/bugzilla
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bugzillaproject
• Facebookfacebook.com/BugzillaProject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bugzilla-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bugzilla