Erxes vs OTOBO
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
OTOBO
Enterprise ticket system and service management
| Feature | Erxes | OTOBO |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Helpdesk & Ticketing | Helpdesk & Ticketing |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,058 | ★ 334 |
| First released | 2017 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Intercom, HubSpot | ServiceNow, Zendesk |
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 OTOBO if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Perl
Frequently asked questions
Is Erxes or OTOBO better?
Neither is universally better. Erxes has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Erxes and OTOBO free and open-source?
Yes. Erxes is licensed under GPL-3.0 and OTOBO under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Erxes and OTOBO with Docker?
Erxes: yes. OTOBO: yes.