Comparison
Open source or SaaS?
An open source ticketing system costs no licence and runs on your own server. A SaaS system costs per agent and runs with the provider. The difference lies less in the price than in who is responsible for keeping it running.
The comparison by criteria
No brand names. The criteria hold for any open source solution and any SaaS offering you are looking at.
| Criterion | Open source, self-hosted | SaaS like 5sDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Server, database, mail server connection, certificates, backups. Days to weeks, depending on experience. | Create an account, connect a mailbox, choose a plan. The first ticket is there in minutes. |
| Operation and updates | Your own responsibility for updates, security patches, monitoring and backups. Needs someone who does this permanently. | With the provider. New features are available with no update work. |
| Security | As good as your own configuration and upkeep. | Encrypted credentials, two-factor by email code, file checks by content. |
| Data protection | Full control over where the data is stored. No DPA needed, and the responsibility lies entirely with you. | Hosted in Germany, DPA, self-service export and deletion. AI only with your own key. |
| Cost over time | No licence, but a server, working time for operation and updates, and when in doubt paid support or extensions. | From €29 per agent per month, every module included, AI at no extra cost. Predictable. |
| Scope of features | Often strong as a ticketing system; CRM, boards, time tracking and appointment booking as add-on modules or not at all. | Ticketing system, CRM, boards, sales, appointments, forms, customer portal, time tracking and AI in one system. |
| Customisation | Source code can be changed, with your own development work. | Custom fields, departments, boards, canned responses and deadlines without development. REST API and webhooks from Basic. |
| Leaving | The data is with you. | Export of settings, customers, users, canned responses and departments; self-service deletion of the organisation. |
Evidence
The first day with 5sDesk
Step 1: Create your account
Company, name, preferred subdomain, email address. Your organisation runs at your-company.5sdesk.com.
Step 2: Connect a mailbox
With Microsoft 365 by signing in, or with IMAP and SMTP. The connection is tested before it is saved. Take over the history from a start date.
Step 3: Department and deadline
Create the Service department, assign the mailbox, set a deadline for the first response. Automatic assignment distributes new tickets.
Step 4: Handle the first request
It arrives as a ticket with a number. Reply, create a card, start the timer. All without a server, an update or a backup plan.
When SaaS is the better choice
For teams that want to organise customer communication, not servers.
- Nobody on the team should be permanently responsible for operation and updates
- Hosting in Germany with a DPA is enough as the basis for data protection
- CRM, boards, time tracking or appointments are needed alongside the ticketing system
- Costs should be predictable per agent
- The team should be productive in days, not weeks
Frequently asked questions
Isn't open source always cheaper?
Where is my data stored with 5sDesk?
Can I host 5sDesk myself?
No server, no updates, no backup plan
Create an account, connect a mailbox, try it for 30 days.