Output Desk
Output Desk, developed by India's Srimax, provides a self-hosted help desk and ticketing platform with built-in CRM and live chat for small and medium businesses, sold via a $1,499 perpetual or $599 annual license with unlimited operators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersSivakasi, India
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Output Desk does
Output Desk is a self-hosted help desk and ticketing system developed and operated by Indian software company Srimax, headquartered in Sivakasi, India. The product consolidates customer communications from email, live chat, web forms, and social media into a single ticket management platform and adds integrated CRM functionality for managing customers and leads, positioning it as an all-in-one, budget-friendly alternative to per-agent SaaS help desk solutions for small and medium businesses.
The platform is built on a Node.js runtime with a MongoDB database backend and supports deployment on Windows and Linux (CentOS) servers for on-premise customers, with a cloud option also available. Core features include unified ticketing, real-time live chat (including WordPress and Joomla plugins), built-in CRM, visitor monitoring, tag-based grouping, ticket and chat rules, SLA policies with escalation, canned responses, collision detection, internal notes with @mentions, a self-service customer portal, and a knowledge base. In June 2025 the company added WhatsApp integration via the Wati platform, extending channel coverage to the WhatsApp Business API. The most recent major platform release, Output Desk V2, shipped in June 2019 as a complete redesign merging email ticketing and live chat in a single bundle.
Output Desk operates a product-led growth model with a 30-day free trial that requires no credit card and a self-serve download flow from its website. The company monetizes via two on-premise tiers: a $1,499 USD one-time perpetual license and a $599 USD annual subscription, both inclusive of unlimited operators, alongside related products under the Srimax umbrella (Output Messenger, Output Time, Output Books). The company is privately held, bootstrapped without disclosed external funding, and competes in the global SMB help desk category against much larger SaaS incumbents.
Output Desk firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Output Desk
- Legal name
- Srimax
- Website
- https://outputdesk.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Output Desk, developed by India's Srimax, provides a self-hosted help desk and ticketing platform with built-in CRM and live chat for small and medium businesses, sold via a $1,499 perpetual or $599 annual license with unlimited operators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Output Desk industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Help Desk Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- IT Knowledge Management & Service Desk Platforms (HDAEALAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Service Desk & Help Desk Services (BPAEAJAA)
Keywords
Where Output Desk is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sivakasi
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Output Desk business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- On-Premise Perpetual License: One-time payment of $1,499 USD for lifetime valid license. Customer owns the software and data indefinitely on their own server.
- On-Premise Annual Subscription: Annual payment of $599 USD for valid one-year license. Simplified on-premise help desk ticketing software.
- Free Trial: 30-day free trial available with no credit card required to drive product adoption and conversion to paid plans.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | On-Premise Perpetual License - $1,499 USD |
| Subscription | Annual | On-Premise Annual Subscription - $599 USD |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Output Desk product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Output Desk is a self-hosted help desk and ticketing system that centralizes customer communication across multiple channels — email, live chat, web/contact forms, and social media messages — into a single unified ticket management platform. It includes an integrated CRM for managing customers and leads, live chat functionality with proactive chat invitations, and supports both on-premise and cloud deployment options. The software is sold as a one-time perpetual license ($1,499) or annual subscription ($599).
Product overview
Output Desk is a unified customer support platform combining help desk software, live chat, and CRM functionality. The core product is the Self-Hosted Help Desk Software (available in perpetual and annual licensing tiers) which manages customer communication across email, live chat, web forms, and social media as tickets. Key features include Ticket Management System, Live Chat (with WordPress and Joomla plugins), integrated CRM for customer/lead management, and an Internal Ticketing System variant for employee support. Related products from parent company Srimax include Output Messenger (instant messenger), Output Time (project management), and Output Books (accounting software). The platform is available as On-Premises deployment with MongoDB database.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Output Desk: Self-hosted internal ticketing system and on-premise help desk software with live chat and CRM capabilities.
Products and services
- Output Desk Help Desk Software Self-hosted help desk software that combines ticketing and live chat for customer support. Organizes emails, live chats, web forms, and social media messages under one platform as tickets, with built-in CRM functionality for managing customers and leads. Targeted at small to medium businesses needing budget-friendly, all-in-one customer support software.
- Output Desk Internal Ticketing System
Quantifiable outcome
- 30-day free trial with no credit card required to reduce friction in customer acquisition
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Output Desk
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Output Desk technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature16 records
Output Desk partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- WaticoreOutput Desk integrates with Wati, an official WhatsApp Business API provider, enabling centralized ticket management from WhatsApp alongside other channels. The integration provides chatbot capabilities for instant replies, conversation tracking for reporting and analysis, and data privacy compliance via Wati's official WhatsApp Business API. Configuration requires setting up webhooks in Wati dashboard and entering API credentials in Output Desk settings.
- WordPresscoreOutput Desk offers a native Live Chat plugin for WordPress websites, available from the official WordPress plugin directory. This allows WordPress site owners to easily integrate Output Desk live chat functionality without coding.
- JoomlacoreOutput Desk provides a Live Chat extension for Joomla websites, listed on the official Joomla Extensions Directory. This enables Joomla site owners to add Output Desk live chat capabilities through a simple plugin installation.
- Gmail / GooglecoreOutput Desk integrates with Gmail for email-based ticket management. Supports POP3 for incoming emails (with SSL option) and SMTP for outgoing emails. Requires App Password creation for Gmail authentication (2-Step Verification must be enabled).
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Output Desk competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LiveAgent: Cloud-based help desk and live chat platform with omnichannel ticketing targeting SMBs. Directly comparable feature set (ticketing, live chat, automation) and customer segment to Output Desk.
- Help Scout: Customer support platform combining shared inbox, knowledge base, and ticketing aimed at SMBs. Competes with Output Desk in the same SMB email-and-chat support category with similar bundled approach.
- osTicket: Open-source self-hosted ticketing system widely used by small businesses and IT teams. Most directly comparable to Output Desk on deployment model (self-hosted), target customer (SMB), and core feature scope (email ticketing).
- Kayako: Omnichannel customer service platform with shared inbox, live chat, and ticketing. Comparable to Output Desk in core ticketing-plus-chat functionality and SMB-mid-market positioning.
- Freshdesk: Freshworks' flagship help desk product offering cloud-based omnichannel ticketing for SMBs and enterprises. Direct competitor to Output Desk in the customer support ticketing category, with broader scale and brand recognition.
- HappyFox: Help desk and ticketing platform offering cloud-based and on-premise deployment options for SMB and mid-market support teams. Closely comparable to Output Desk across deployment models, feature scope, and SMB targeting.
Broad incumbents
- HubSpot Service Hub: HubSpot's customer service product bundled with its broader CRM and marketing suite. Competes with Output Desk's bundled help-desk-plus-CRM approach, but at a much larger scale and with deeper marketing automation.
- Zendesk: Market-leading cloud-based customer service and engagement platform serving SMBs through enterprises. Operates broadly across the help desk category and competes with Output Desk for SMB and mid-market customers, though with a much larger portfolio and AI capabilities.
- Zoho Desk: Zoho's help desk product bundled into its broader business software suite. Comparable to Output Desk's bundled approach (help desk + CRM), and similarly positioned toward cost-conscious SMBs globally.
- Intercom: Customer messaging platform with live chat, ticketing, and AI-powered support. Competes with Output Desk in live chat and ticketing but targets higher-end SMBs and mid-market with AI-first positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Output Desk social profiles
Digital presenceOutput Desk financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Output Desk leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Output Desk funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Output Desk M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Output Desk
What does Output Desk do?
Output Desk is a self-hosted help desk and ticketing system that centralizes customer communication across multiple channels — email, live chat, web/contact forms, and social media messages — into a single unified ticket management platform. It includes an integrated CRM for managing customers and leads, live chat functionality with proactive chat invitations, and supports both on-premise and cloud deployment options. The software is sold as a one-time perpetual license ($1,499) or annual subscription ($599).
Is Output Desk a public or private company?
Output Desk is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Output Desk founded?
Output Desk was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Output Desk based?
Output Desk is headquartered in Sivakasi, India, in the Asia region.
How does Output Desk make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. On-Premise Perpetual License is the primary driver. The others are on-Premise Annual Subscription and free Trial.
Who are Output Desk's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LiveAgent, Help Scout, osTicket, Kayako, Freshdesk and HappyFox. Broad incumbents are HubSpot Service Hub, Zendesk, Zoho Desk and Intercom.
Does Output Desk have an API?
No public API is recorded for Output Desk.
What industry is Output Desk in?
Output Desk's product category is Help Desk Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEALAH, IT Knowledge Management & Service Desk Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAEAJAA, Service Desk & Help Desk Services. Its NAICS code is 51821 and its SIC code is 7372.