What KIX does

KIX Service Software GmbH, headquartered in Chemnitz, Germany, and founded in 2006, develops and markets an open source IT Service Management (ITSM) and Enterprise Service Management (ESM) platform under the brand name KIX. The product is built on Docker container architecture with a PostgreSQL backend, exposes a REST API for integration, and supports both on-premises deployment and a managed cloud offering (KIX Cloud) hosted on German servers operated by managedhosting.de. The platform spans a free open source edition (KIX Start), a paid subscription tier (KIX Pro), add-on modules (ITIL Practices, Connect integrations for Baramundi, OPSI, Webservice, and Database, plus Kanban Boards and Maintenance Planning), a Self Service Portal, and a mobile Field Agent App for iOS and Android. KIX Pro is a PeopleCert-accredited ITIL tool vendor, giving it differentiated positioning for ITIL-compliant service management.

The company sells exclusively to business customers across the DACH region and beyond, serving IT departments, managed service providers, and public sector organizations. It uses a hybrid go-to-market: direct enterprise field sales for large accounts, regional implementation partners (notably Tech Bull GmbH as exclusive partner for Austria), an e-commerce online shop for self-service mid-market purchases, and community-led growth through open source distribution, documentation, and forums. Marketing combines digital content, webinars, email newsletters, social media (LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram), and event participation at it-sa, Smart Country Convention, Bechtle IT Forum, and Open Source Experience Paris. Named customers include Regierung Oberbayern, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Hamburger Sparkasse, R. Stahl, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Aucotec, Stadt Freiburg, Europa-Universität Flensburg, and the Senatsverwaltung Berlin.

Revenue is generated through subscription licensing for KIX Pro, managed cloud subscriptions for KIX Cloud, professional services for implementation and training, and add-on module licensing. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held and bootstrapped, with two Managing Directors (Rico Barth and Thomas Maier) and a headcount of 11-50 employees serving an installed base of over 400 customers, positioning KIX as a leading German open source ITSM alternative to Atlassian's Jira Service Management, particularly ahead of Atlassian's Data Center end-of-life in March 2029, which KIX actively targets with an automated migration tool claiming up to 80% data transfer.

Name

KIX

Legal name

KIX Service Software GmbH

Website

https://kixdesk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KIX Service Software GmbH is a German vendor of open source IT Service Management and Enterprise Service Management software, serving over 400 B2B customers across public sector, education, financial services, and manufacturing through subscription, cloud, and professional services revenue streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Service Management (ITSM) Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Other Computer Related Services (541519)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Employee Experience (DEX) & IT Experience Management (ITXM) Platforms (HDAEALAL)

Keywords

• IT service management
• Open source software
• ITSM platform
• Helpdesk software
• Enterprise service management

Headquarters

HQ city

Chemnitz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses and Maintenance Subscriptions: KIX Pro and KIX Start are offered as subscription products with maintenance subscriptions covering software updates, patches, and support. The software is available as on-premises installation or cloud-hosted service.
2. Professional Services: Consulting services for implementation, customization, and custom development. Training services for administrators and service staff users of KIX.
3. Cloud Hosting: KIX Cloud provides hosted service on German servers (managedhosting.de) with highest performance and security standards, offered as an alternative to on-premises deployment.
4. Add-on Modules: Additional modules and extensions including ITIL Practices, Connect integrations (Baramundi, Opsi, Webservice, Database), Kanban Boards, and Maintenance Planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

KIX is an open-source IT Service Management (ITSM) and Enterprise Service Management (ESM) software platform that provides ticketing, helpdesk, asset management, CMDB, and ITIL-certified workflows for IT departments and managed service providers. The platform is available as a free community edition (KIX Start) or as a subscription product (KIX Pro) deployed On-Premises via Docker or as a managed cloud service (KIX Cloud) hosted on German servers. KIX offers modular add-ons including ITIL Practices, Connect integrations, Kanban Boards, Maintenance Planning, a Self Service Portal, and a Field Agent mobile app.

Product overview

KIX is an open-source service management software platform available in two tiers: KIX Start (free community version) and KIX Pro (professional subscription). The platform provides core ITSM, ESM, and technical customer service capabilities through a modular architecture. Key sub-products include the Self Service Portal for customer self-service and the Field Agent App for mobile field service. Add-on modules extend functionality including ITIL Practices (certified process workflows), Connect integrations (Baramundi, Database, OPSI, Webservice), Kanban Boards, and Maintenance Planning. KIX can be deployed On-Premises via Docker containers or as a managed KIX Cloud service. A REST API enables developer integrations. The platform is marketed as a digital sovereign alternative to Jira Service Management with up to 80% automated data migration capability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KIX Start: Entry-level version of KIX open source ITSM software
• KIX Pro
• KIX Cloud
• KIX Field Agent App
• Self Service Portal

Products and services

• KIX Start Free open-source version providing core ITSM and ticket management functionality as a foundation for IT service management, distributed via GitHub and online documentation.
• KIX Pro Professional subscription tier offering extended ITSM/ESM features beyond KIX Start, including Self Service Portal, advanced configuration, professional support tiers with SLAs, and access to add-on modules. Available as On-Premises or Cloud deployment.
• KIX Cloud Managed cloud deployment option of KIX hosted on German servers with high performance and security standards, operated by managedhosting.de.
• KIX On-Premises On-premises installation option for organizations that want to keep data on internal servers while maintaining flexibility and customizability, deployed via Docker containers.
• Self Service Portal Customer-facing portal allowing end users to submit tickets, view assets, access FAQ, and manage their own service requests independently.
• Field Agent App Mobile application for field service technicians supporting iOS and Android devices, enabling ticket management, asset handling, time tracking, and geolocation data on location.
• ITIL Practices Add-On Certified ITIL extension implementing ITIL best practices through pre-configured workflows including service request, incident, problem, change request, and emergency plan processes.
• Kanban Boards Visual ticket management board enabling team-based workflow organization and transparent progress tracking for service desk operations.
• Wartungsplan (Maintenance Plan) Maintenance scheduling module for planning and managing asset maintenance activities with automated ticket creation based on defined intervals.
• KIX REST API Comprehensive REST API enabling system integration, automation, and third-party connectivity with configurable request rate limiting and file size restrictions for developer-built integrations.
• KIX Online Shop E-commerce platform at shop.kixdesk.com offering software licenses, consulting packages, training courses, and event/webcast registrations for business customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97%+ customer satisfaction with support quality (from 300+ surveyed customers)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.

• GreenbonestrategicTechnology or IntegrationStrategic technology partnership creating a digitally sovereign, auditable process for security vulnerability remediation. The integration combines KIX service management with Greenbone vulnerability scanning for automated ticket creation and security remediation workflows.
• Tech Bull GmbH (Austria)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExclusive distribution and implementation partner for Austria, providing local sales expertise and implementation competence for ITSM deployments. Combines KIX software with Tech Bull's local service delivery capabilities.
• managedhosting.deminorOthersCloud hosting infrastructure provider for KIX Cloud deployments. Servers located in Germany providing high performance and security standards for cloud customers requiring German data residency.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Zendesk Support: Customer service and ticketing platform with growing ITSM ambitions. Overlaps with KIX in technical customer service and field service use cases rather than deep ITIL enterprise ITSM.
• iTop (Combodo): Open source ITSM platform with CMDB, helpdesk, and ITIL modules, also positioning as a Jira alternative. Compared to KIX, it is earlier-stage, smaller in DACH commercial reach, and commercial-via-managed-service rather than SaaS.

Broad incumbents

• BMC Helix ITSM: Long-standing enterprise ITSM suite (formerly Remedy) with cognitive and ITIL-certified capabilities. Comparable on ITIL-certified process depth and large-enterprise footprint, though typically much heavier than KIX.
• ServiceNow ITSM: Enterprise ITSM/ESM platform leader with deep workflows and a global install base. KIX competes primarily in the value-conscious European mid-market and public sector that find ServiceNow TCO excessive.
• Ivanti Service Manager / Neurons for ITSM: Unified endpoint and service management vendor competing in the same ITSM/ESM space. Overlaps with KIX in ticketing, asset management, and helpdesk capabilities within mid-market and enterprise accounts.

Direct peers

• TOPdesk: Dutch ITSM/ESM vendor strongly established across the Benelux and Western Europe. Operates in a very similar mid-market and public sector niche to KIX and represents the most credible European open-platform ITSM peer.
• ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho): Cost-effective ITIL-ready ITSM offering on-prem and cloud with strong traction among European SMBs. Competes head-on with KIX on price-sensitive ITSM and asset/CMDB use cases.
• Atlassian Jira Service Management: Atlassian's flagship ITSM product and the explicit migration target KIX positions against. Overlapping ITIL-style ticketing, asset/CMDB, automation, and self-service portal capabilities make it the most direct competitive benchmark.
• Freshservice (Freshworks): Modern SaaS ITSM aimed at mid-market and SMB, targeting the same Jira Service Management and ServiceNow displacement use cases as KIX, with a primarily cloud-delivered model.
• Matrix42 (SMAX): German enterprise service management vendor with strong DACH public-sector and enterprise footprint. Closely comparable to KIX on geo focus, ESM positioning, and ITIL-certified workflows, though heavier and more legacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/kix-service-software
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@KIXServiceSoftware
• Facebookfacebook.com/kixdesk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kix-service-software
• Instagraminstagram.com/kixservicesoftware
• Xx.com/kix_desk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 KIX