KIX

Overview

KIX is open-source service management software for organizations handling internal IT services, enterprise operations, customer support, or field service. It is a strong fit for teams that need ticket work linked to assets and service levels and want a choice between cloud and on-premises deployment. Its breadth is useful, but the free Start edition omits support and maintenance, making it a constrained choice for production teams that need dependable assistance.

Key features

Teams can work tickets together in list or Kanban views and keep searchable records of internal and external communications. That gives service teams a shared history of requests, while SLA management, a knowledge base, an employee portal, and approval workflows support processes beyond a basic help desk queue.

Assets connect to related tickets and SLAs, and integrations with inventory tools such as baramundi and opsi can help teams keep service records tied to their existing asset environment. A REST API, Connect add-ons, web services, and database access provide several integration paths. That flexibility is a strength for organizations with established systems, although it also means the value depends on the integrations and setup they need.

KIX states certification in 16 ITIL practices, but the ITIL Practices add-on is chargeable for Pro editions and unavailable in Start. Pro also includes security options unavailable in Start: LDAP/AD synchronization, OpenID Connect and Kerberos single sign-on, S/MIME, and multifactor authentication. Buyers should therefore assess the edition, not just the product's overall feature set, when evaluating compliance or access-control needs.

Cloud and on-premises deployments give organizations control over where the service runs. KIX says its Full Managed Service is hosted in Germany, ISO/IEC 27001 certified, and has 99.9% availability. Regular single-instance on-premises operation requires an AMD64 host running Debian or Ubuntu, so teams without that Linux environment should favor cloud or account for the infrastructure requirement.

Pricing

KIX Start is free. It is the no-cost way to assess the software or serve a team that can operate without support and maintenance, but limited functionality and unavailable add-ons make it a poor fit where those capabilities are essential.

KIX Pro Business Cloud is €33 a month per agent. It includes 12 hours / 5 days per week service time, a 4-hour response for critical failure, 24 calls per year, and a 24-hour response to service and feature requests. This is the clearest priced option for teams wanting managed cloud and defined support coverage, though the per-agent charge scales with staffing.

KIX Pro Business On-Prem is €3,690, paid once, with packages of 10–250 agents and a support and maintenance contract. It suits organizations committed to self-hosting and buying in a package rather than paying a monthly cloud rate; the package structure means it may be a poor match for very small teams.

KIX Pro Enterprise Cloud has custom pricing, billed on request from 30 agents. It provides 12 hours, 7 days per week service time, a 1-hour response for critical failure, 48 calls per year, and a 12-hour response to service and feature requests. Its wider coverage is aimed at larger teams that need faster response commitments.

KIX Pro Enterprise On-Prem has custom pricing, billed on request from 250 agents, and includes a support and maintenance contract. KIX also offers a no-obligation trial with full access for 30 days, which gives teams a defined period to assess the paid product before choosing a plan.

Platforms

KIX lists Android, iOS, Linux, API, web, and self-hosted availability. The KIX Field Service App supports iOS 17 and later and Android 13 and later, making mobile field work an option for teams on current-enough devices. Support is provided directly by the manufacturer, including implementation, training, technical help, and user support.

Who it's for

KIX is best suited to service organizations that want ticketing, asset relationships, SLAs, and integration flexibility in one system, particularly those with the capacity to select and manage a cloud or Linux-based on-premises deployment. It is less suitable for teams seeking a fully supported free edition, or a small organization that wants a low-commitment self-hosted package.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Ticket records, assets, and SLAs are connected, giving service teams context beyond the request queue.
• Pro: Cloud and on-premises options, plus API and integration routes, accommodate different infrastructure and system environments.
• Pro: The Enterprise Cloud plan specifies broader service hours and faster response commitments than Business Cloud.
• Con: Start has limited functionality, no support or maintenance, and lacks several add-ons, including ITIL Practices.
• Con: Pro security options are unavailable in Start, so teams requiring the named authentication and security capabilities need a paid edition.
• Con: On-premises use requires a Debian- or Ubuntu-based AMD64 host, and the Business package begins at 10 agents.

Alternatives

Choose Desk365 if a free tier capped at 50 tickets per month or its paid Standard plan at $12 a month billed annually better fits your budget and ticket volume. FreeITSM is a free alternative for teams that want a Linux or self-hosted option and do not need a free trial. iTop is another free, on-premises choice, with a Community offer and an Atelier option for operational service management.

QueueDesk is worth considering if a web-based service with a free Starter tier for 3 agents and 50 QueAssist credits suits the team. Vivantio is a paid alternative with a published range of $49–$99 per agent per month billed annually and all features included. Nova-Suite offers a free, self-hosted Standard plan with unlimited agents and a full feature set. SlaMetric is a web-based alternative focused on service inventories, SLA contracts, and metric categories. GLPI offers a freemium option across web, desktop, mobile, and self-hosted platforms, with Public Cloud from €19 a month per IT agent.

For narrower comparisons, see IT SLA Management Software, IT Help Desk Software, and IT Incident Management Software.

Verdict

Choose KIX if your service team needs connected ticket, asset, and SLA workflows with both cloud and on-premises routes. Its integration breadth and paid-plan support make it a serious option for established service operations; look elsewhere if you need a supported free edition or want to avoid the infrastructure and per-agent or package commitments.