Self-hosted helpdesk software.
Connect a mailbox. Triage tickets next to tasks. Keep customer data on your own infrastructure.
Ekso is a self-hosted helpdesk that runs on your own infrastructure. Connect a mailbox and inbound email becomes a support ticket within five minutes of installation. Ekso combines a customer-facing Help Desk and an internal Service Desk in the same workspace as tasks, docs, and time tracking — with flat-rate pricing for unlimited agents and no per-seat fees. Core service data stays on infrastructure you operate; connected services follow the integrations you configure.
Last reviewed May 2026
A helpdesk built into the same workspace as the work
Ekso is an enterprise operations platform with a built-in helpdesk. Unlike standalone helpdesk tools such as Zendesk or Freshdesk, Ekso’s Help Desk and Service Desk sit in the same workspace as project tasks, documentation, time logs, and financial reporting. A support agent and a developer work in the same tool, against the same data, without switching applications.
The helpdesk is self-hosted by design — deployed on your own public cloud, private cloud, or on-premise hardware.
Ekso helpdesk vs cloud helpdesk tools
| Feature | Ekso (self-hosted) | Zendesk / Freshdesk (cloud) |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Your own infrastructure | Vendor’s cloud |
| Customer data residency | Stays in your environment | Processed on vendor infrastructure |
| Pricing | Flat-rate, unlimited agents | Per-agent per month ($19–$115+ on Zendesk Suite) |
| Help Desk (external) | Built in | Built in |
| Service Desk (internal) | Built in, same workspace | Separate product or tier |
| Task & project management | Built in, same workspace | Not available |
| Time tracking | Built in | Third-party add-on required |
| Financial reporting | Cost and margin per ticket / team | Not available |
| AI / MCP server | 100+ tool MCP server ships in the box | AI add-ons, vendor-hosted |
| GDPR boundary | Customer-operated infrastructure and controls | Data processing agreement required |
| Restricted-network planning | Reviewed for the chosen configuration | Not available |
| Mailbox setup to first ticket | ~5 minutes | ~5 minutes |
Mailbox in. Tickets out.
Connect any mailbox in the Ekso Settings panel. Any email sent to that address is automatically converted into a Help Desk ticket with the sender’s details, subject line, and message body preserved. Replies sent from within Ekso are delivered back to the customer via the same mailbox. The entire conversation thread is stored within your own infrastructure.
Internal service desk requests follow the same pattern using a separate mailbox and queue. Both ticket types appear in the same workspace as project tasks, so a developer can see a customer-reported bug and the related sprint task in a single view.
SLA management and workflow automation
Ekso supports SLA policies with configurable response and resolution targets, business clocks (working hours and holidays), and automated escalation rules. Workflow rules trigger on ticket events — field changes, SLA breaches, incoming replies — and can update fields, assign agents, send webhooks, or create linked tasks. All configuration is click-and-configure. No code or scripting.
Migrate from Zendesk in two commands
Ekso’s CLI migrates from Zendesk with attribution preserved. Dry-run anything. Resume if interrupted.
ekso migrate zendesk collect --config migration.config.json --project ACME ekso migrate zendesk apply --config migration.config.json --process <process-id> --dry-run ekso migrate zendesk apply --config migration.config.json --process <process-id>
Ticket history, comments, attachments, and user attribution are preserved. The migration supports dry-run mode and is resumable if interrupted. Full documentation: ekso.dev/cli/migrate/overview.
Your boundary. Not a vendor promise.
Ekso runs on infrastructure you operate, giving your team control over the core application data boundary. Compliance is still determined by the complete system: hosting, identity, mail, AI endpoints, access controls, retention, contracts, and operating procedures.
Flat-rate. Unlimited agents.
Ekso charges a flat-rate annual license with no per-agent fees. Zendesk Suite charges $55–$115 per agent per month as of 2026. A support team of 20 agents on Zendesk Suite Professional costs roughly $26,400 per year. Ekso covers the same team — plus project management, time tracking, and financial reporting — for a single flat annual fee.
Frequently asked questions
Ekso is a self-hosted helpdesk that combines customer-facing Help Desk and internal Service Desk in the same workspace as tasks, time tracking, and financial reporting. It runs on your own infrastructure with flat-rate pricing for unlimited agents and a 100+ tool MCP server for AI integration.
A self-hosted helpdesk runs on infrastructure you operate. Core application data can stay in that environment; connected mail, identity, AI, and notification services follow the integrations you configure. A cloud helpdesk processes application data on the vendor’s infrastructure.
Approximately five minutes from installation to receiving the first inbound ticket. Connect a mailbox in Settings, configure the queue, and any email to that address creates a ticket automatically.
Yes. Ekso covers the core Zendesk feature set — inbound email triage, SLA management, workflow automation, and reporting — in a self-hosted installation with no per-agent fees. It also includes task management, time tracking, and financial reporting in the same workspace. Migration from Zendesk uses ekso migrate zendesk collect.
Yes. Ekso ships both a Help Desk (external, customer-facing) and a Service Desk (internal staff requests) in the same workspace, with separate mailboxes, queues, SLA policies, and routing rules for each.
Customer-operated hosting can support a GDPR program, but it does not make the system compliant automatically. Your organization must assess the full deployment, integrations, contracts, retention, access controls, and operating procedures.
See the full Zendesk head-to-head: Ekso vs Zendesk →