The Best Help Desk Software in 2026
We researched help desk software from official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Products are ranked on ticketing, value for money, and verified features—not hands-on testing.
Our top picks
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Top ranked
Tidio#1 of 1009.4/10An all-in-one help desk with live chat, the Lyro AI agent and Flows automation in one inbox, from a free plan.
Free plan · 7-day trial
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Runner-up
Freshdesk#2 of 1009.3/10A mature omnichannel help desk with ticketing, automation, AI, and analytics.
14-day trial
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Top-ranked free plan
Zoho Desk#3 of 1009.2/10A broad help desk with a free plan, multichannel support, automation, SLAs, and self-service tools.
Free plan · 15-day trial
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 100 tools, best first · page 1 of 2
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Best forSMBs and online stores that want chat, AI and ticketing together
An all-in-one help desk with live chat, the Lyro AI agent and Flows automation in one inbox, from a free plan.
- Shared inbox
- Ticket automation
- API access
9.4/10★★★★★Visit Tidio -
Best forGrowing teams needing mature omnichannel support
A mature omnichannel help desk with ticketing, automation, AI, and analytics.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
9.3/10★★★★★Visit Freshdesk -
Best forTeams wanting broad help desk value
A broad help desk with a free plan, multichannel support, automation, SLAs, and self-service tools.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
Free plan · 15-day trial Our Zoho Desk verdict → Visit Zoho DeskFor vendors Sponsor this spot · #3 · $79/mo →9.2/10★★★★★Visit Zoho Desk -
Best forEnterprises needing deep service operations
A deeply capable service platform whose higher tiers carry significant per-user costs.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
9.1/10★★★★★Visit Salesforce -
Best forEnterprise teams prioritizing AI case resolution
A deep enterprise case-management suite with AI agents and contact-sales pricing.
- Customer portal
- SLA management
- Help center
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit ServiceNow -
Best forProduct teams prioritizing chat and AI support
A strong fit for product teams combining chat, AI, ticketing, and omnichannel support.
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Intercom -
Best forOdoo users wanting an integrated help desk
A capable help desk for Odoo teams that want support inside a broader business suite.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Odoo -
Best forContact centers needing structured case workflows
A focused help desk for teams managing cases, queues, SLAs, and omnichannel service.
- Customer portal
- SLA management
- Help center
8.6/10★★★★☆Try Creatio Service -
Best forSmall teams wanting free support for five seats
A broad help desk with a practical free tier for teams of up to five users.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Help Scout -
Best forSmall teams wanting low-cost core help desk tools
A low-cost help desk with core ticketing, automation, portals, SLAs, and AI summaries.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Teamwork Desk -
Best forSmall teams wanting CRM-linked support
A CRM-linked help desk with a useful free plan and broad support workflows.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Vtiger -
Best forOmnichannel teams seeking a free starting plan
A broad omnichannel help desk with a free account and paid plans from $15 per user monthly.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit LiveAgent -
Best forTeams managing many business conversations
A broad help desk for teams coordinating customer conversations across channels.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Front -
Best forTeams wanting broad channels and AI assistance
A broad help desk for teams that need shared queues, automation, SLAs, and AI.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit HappyFox -
Best forOrganizations needing self-hosted deployment options
A broad help desk with self-hosting, automation, AI, and multichannel support.
- Shared inbox
- SLA management
- Help center
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Deskpro -
Best forTechnical teams wanting open-source help desk control
A flexible help desk for technical teams that want open-source control.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Zammad -
Best forTeams wanting usage-based AI support
Kayako combines multichannel ticketing with usage-based AI support.
- Shared inbox
- SLA management
- Help center
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Kayako -
Best forOpen-source teams needing mature ticket operations
A flexible open-source help desk with mature ticket, queue, SLA, and portal tools.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit Znuny -
Best forBudget-conscious self-hosted support teams
A flexible free help desk for teams willing to manage a self-hosted system.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit FreeScout -
Best forChat-first teams wanting self-hosting
A flexible, chat-first help desk for teams that value self-hosting and APIs.
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Chatwoot -
Best forEcommerce teams needing affordable ticketing
Affordable ecommerce help desk with ticketing, automation, portals, and commerce integrations.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit UVdesk -
Best forTeams wanting straightforward email-focused ticketing
A practical email-first help desk with automation, AI, reporting, and a $19 entry plan.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit HelpDesk -
Best forMicrosoft-centric teams needing ITSM extras
A Microsoft-focused help desk with ticketing, ITSM workflows, assets, and AI.
- SLA management
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Desk365 -
Best forEcommerce brands needing order-aware support
A commerce-focused help desk with order actions, automation, AI, and broad store integrations.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit Gorgias -
Best forTeams already using the ManageEngine ecosystem
A broad help desk suite with a free tier and paid plans starting at $100 per technician monthly.
- Customer portal
- SLA management
- Help center
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit ManageEngine -
Best forTeams wanting affordable feature-rich ticketing
Feature-rich omnichannel ticketing with a five-agent minimum and no free plan.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit BoldDesk -
Best forTeams wanting help desk inside team email
A flexible help desk for teams that want shared inboxes, workflows, and support tools in Gmail.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Hiver -
Best forEcommerce support teams needing marketplace context
A commerce-focused help desk with marketplace context, automation, AI, and live chat.
- Shared inbox
- SLA management
- Help center
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit eDesk -
Best forITSM teams needing CMDB and service catalogs
A broad ITSM platform with CMDB depth, service catalogs, and one paid plan.
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Vivantio -
Best forSmall teams wanting affordable guided help desk
An affordable help desk with core ticketing, automation, AI, and a free single-agent plan.
- Shared inbox
- SLA management
- Help center
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit ProProfs -
Best forTeams needing unified customer timelines
A configurable help desk for teams that need unified customer context across channels.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Kustomer -
Best forTechnical teams wanting customizable open-source queues
A customizable, open-source help desk with queues, automation, SLAs, and self-hosting.
- Customer portal
- SLA management
- Help center
6.2/10★★★☆☆Try Request Tracker -
Best forGame studios needing in-app player support
A specialized help desk for in-game support, messaging, automation, and player engagement.
- SLA management
- Help center
- Ticket automation
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit Helpshift -
Best forProduct teams wanting a free support workspace
A free support workspace with ticketing, automation, SLAs, portals, analytics, and AI.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit DevRev -
Best forIT teams needing self-hosting and asset tracking
A capable help desk with asset tracking and self-hosting, but a high entry price.
- SLA management
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit Jitbit -
Best forTeams consolidating Slack, Teams, and email support
A broad B2B help desk for teams unifying Slack, Teams, email, and more.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
5.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Pylon -
Best forRetail brands needing conversation-centric support
A conversation-centric help desk for retail brands managing support across many channels.
- Shared inbox
- SLA management
- Help center
5.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Gladly -
Best forContact centers prioritizing voice and supervisor tools
A voice-led contact center with broad channels and deeper supervisor tooling.
5.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Comm100 -
Best forTeams prioritizing branded messaging experiences
A strong fit for branded messaging, but a costly choice for general help desk coverage.
- Customer portal
- SLA management
- Help center
5.6/10★★★☆☆Visit Zendesk -
Best forLarge-scale social and WhatsApp service
A broad enterprise help desk for social, WhatsApp, voice, and digital service.
- Shared inbox
5.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Sprinklr -
Best forLarge enterprises automating complex service resolution
A broad enterprise service platform for automating resolution across channels and teams.
- API access
5.4/10★★★☆☆Visit Pega -
Best forDevelopers wanting low-cost open-source support
A low-cost, customizable help desk for developers who want open-source control.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
5.3/10★★★☆☆Try Frappe Helpdesk -
Best forLow-cost teams needing self-hosted deployment
A flexible help desk with self-hosted options, automation and SLA tools.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
5.3/10★★★☆☆Try Vision Helpdesk -
Best forEcommerce teams combining chat and support
A chat-centered help desk for ecommerce teams that need commerce-aware support channels.
5.2/10★★★☆☆Visit Re:amaze -
Best forTeams needing affordable IT help desk controls
A broad IT help desk feature set with accessible per-agent pricing.
- SLA management
5.1/10★★★☆☆Visit Mojo Helpdesk -
Best forOracle-centric enterprises with field-service needs
A broad Oracle service platform for enterprises managing support, portals, workflows, and field operations.
- Customer portal
- SLA management
- Help center
5.0/10★★☆☆☆Visit Oracle Service -
Best forBusinesses needing omnichannel case management
A broad omnichannel help desk for teams that need structured case operations.
- Customer portal
- SLA management
- Help center
5.0/10★★☆☆☆Visit Sugar Serve -
Best forOrganizations needing mature self-hosted service workflows
A mature help desk with broad service workflows and self-hosted deployment.
- Shared inbox
- Customer portal
- SLA management
4.9/10★★☆☆☆Visit HelpSpot -
Best forSmall teams wanting open-source affordability
A flexible help desk with open-source deployment, ticketing, SLAs, portals, APIs, and AI.
- Shared inbox
- SLA management
- Help center
4.8/10★★☆☆☆Visit Faveo -
Best forTechnical teams wanting free self-hosting
A feature-rich free help desk for technical teams comfortable managing infrastructure.
- Shared inbox
- SLA management
- Help center
4.8/10★★☆☆☆Visit LibreDesk
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Shared inbox | SLA management | Help center | Ticket automation | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tidio | Yes | $24.17/mo | Yes | Yes | 9.4 | ||
| 2 | Freshdesk | No | $19/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.3 |
| 3 | Zoho Desk | Yes | ₹420/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.2 |
| 4 | Salesforce Service Cloud | No | $25/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.1 |
| 5 | ServiceNow Customer Service Management AI Agents | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.9 | ||
| 6 | Intercom | No | $29/seat/mo | 8.8 | ||||
| 7 | Odoo Helpdesk | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.7 | |
| 8 | Creatio Service | No | $15/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.6 | |
| 9 | Help Scout | Yes | $25/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.5 |
| 10 | Teamwork Desk | No | $9.50/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.4 |
| 11 | Vtiger Help Desk | Yes | $12/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.3 |
| 12 | LiveAgent | Yes | $15/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.2 |
| 13 | Front | No | $25/seat/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.1 |
| 14 | HappyFox Help Desk | No | $24/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.0 |
| 15 | Deskpro | No | $39/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.9 |
| 16 | Zammad | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.8 |
| 17 | Kayako | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.7 | ||
| 18 | Znuny | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.6 |
| 19 | FreeScout | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.5 |
| 20 | Chatwoot | Yes | $19/user/mo | 7.4 | ||||
| 21 | UVdesk | Yes | $96/user/yr | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.3 |
| 22 | HelpDesk | No | $19/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.2 |
| 23 | Desk365 | Yes | $12/user/mo | Yes | 7.1 | |||
| 24 | Gorgias | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.0 | |
| 25 | ManageEngine SupportCenter Plus | Yes | $100/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.9 | |
| 26 | BoldDesk | No | $99/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.8 |
| 27 | Hiver | No | $25/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 |
| 28 | eDesk | No | $39/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.6 |
| 29 | Vivantio | No | $49/user/mo | 6.5 | ||||
| 30 | ProProfs Help Desk | Yes | $23.88/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.4 |
| 31 | Kustomer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.3 | ||
| 32 | Request Tracker | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.2 | |
| 33 | Helpshift | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.1 | ||
| 34 | DevRev | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.0 | |
| 35 | Jitbit Helpdesk | No | $24/mo | Yes | 6.0 | |||
| 36 | Pylon | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5.9 | |
| 37 | Gladly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5.8 | ||
| 38 | Comm100 Contact Center | No | $22/user/mo | 5.7 | ||||
| 39 | Zendesk Messaging | No | $55/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5.6 | |
| 40 | Sprinklr Service | No | Yes | 5.5 | ||||
| 41 | Pega Customer Service | 5.4 | ||||||
| 42 | Frappe Helpdesk | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5.3 | |
| 43 | Vision Helpdesk | No | $8/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5.3 |
| 44 | Re:amaze | No | $29/user/mo | 5.2 | ||||
| 45 | Mojo Helpdesk | No | $14/user/mo | Yes | 5.1 | |||
| 46 | Oracle Service | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5.0 | |||
| 47 | Sugar Serve | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5.0 | ||
| 48 | HelpSpot | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4.9 | |
| 49 | Faveo Helpdesk | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4.8 | |
| 50 | LibreDesk | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4.8 |
Head-to-head All 25 comparisons →
- Freshdesk vs Zoho Desk
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- Freshdesk vs Odoo Helpdesk
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How we rank help desk software
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update