Erxes vs Handesk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted helpdesk & ticketing options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Erxes
Open-source experience operating system with ticketing
VS
Handesk
Laravel help desk and lead management application
| Feature | Erxes | Handesk |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,058 | ★ 1,450 |
| First released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Intercom, HubSpot | Zendesk, Freshdesk |
Why pick each one
Choose Erxes if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (4.1k GitHub stars)
Choose Handesk if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Erxes or Handesk better?
Neither is universally better. Erxes has the larger community, while Handesk is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Erxes and Handesk free and open-source?
Yes. Erxes is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Handesk under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Erxes and Handesk with Docker?
Erxes: yes. Handesk: check the project docs for container support.