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Short answer
Zendesk is our top pick among the 7 help desk tools we ranked, scoring 87/100. Paid plans start at $19/agent/mo.
Zendesk (87/100): best for growing teams that need every channel.
Zoho Desk (85/100): best value for multichannel support.
Freshdesk (83/100): best for teams that want AI and SLAs at a mid-range price.
Intercom (82/100): best for AI-first support and in-app messaging.
HubSpot Service Hub (78/100): best for teams already on HubSpot CRM.
A help desk turns customer emails, chats and calls into tickets your team can assign, track and answer on time. Most tools now sell AI agents that resolve tickets on their own, and that's where pricing gets harder to compare: the seat price is only part of the bill once AI resolutions are charged per outcome.
We scored seven help desks on six weighted criteria. For each one we list the entry price, the plan where live chat, SLAs and automation start, and how AI is billed.
The shortlist
1Zendesk Best for growing teams that need every channel87/100Review
Starting prices are the cheapest paid plan on each vendor's pricing page on Oct 26, 2026, billed annually where shown. Zoho Desk showed prices in euros for our region. Help Scout's listed price is monthly, with 16% off annual billing. AI resolutions are billed on top of seats for most vendors.
Zendesk is a customer service platform. Support Team ($19 per agent billed annually) covers email ticketing, routing and automations; Suite Team ($55) adds AI agents, a knowledge base, live chat, messaging and telephony.
Who it's best for
Support teams that handle email, chat, social and phone at volume and expect to grow.
Why it made the shortlist
It's the most complete help desk here, with omnichannel routing, a large app marketplace and AI agents included from Suite Team.
Strengths
Every channel, from email to voice, in the Suite plans
AI agents included from Suite Team, with 5 to 10 automated resolutions per agent per month
Large integration marketplace
Watch-outs
Live chat and knowledge base need Suite Team ($55), not Support Team
Extra AI resolutions cost $1.50 to $2.00 each
More setup than lighter tools
Skip it if: You're a small team answering mostly email; a simpler shared inbox will do.
Zoho Desk is a help desk from the Zoho suite. Express covers email and social ticketing and workflows; Standard adds live chat, messaging apps, a knowledge base and custom reports; Professional adds telephony and Zia AI.
Who it's best for
Budget-conscious teams that want live chat, a knowledge base and automation without enterprise pricing.
Why it made the shortlist
It offers more channels and automation per euro than anything else here, with a free plan for 3 agents.
Strengths
Free plan for up to 3 agents
Live chat, WhatsApp and a knowledge base from Standard
Fits the wider Zoho suite
Watch-outs
Interface is busier than lighter tools
Telephony and Zia AI need Professional
Skip it if: You want the cleanest, simplest inbox for a small team.
Score breakdown
Ticketing & workflows (25%)4.5/5
Channels & self-service (20%)4.5/5
AI & automation (15%)3.5/5
Reporting (10%)4/5
Ease of use (15%)3.5/5
Price & value (15%)5/5
3
Freshdesk
Best for teams that want AI and SLAs at a mid-range price
Freshdesk is the help desk from Freshworks. Growth includes ticketing, a shared inbox, a customer portal and knowledge base, plus 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions; Pro adds multiple SLA policies, custom reporting and intelligent routing.
Who it's best for
Growing support teams that want SLAs, routing and an AI agent without Zendesk Suite pricing.
Why it made the shortlist
It includes an AI agent allowance and a knowledge base on its entry plan, and multiple SLA policies on Pro.
Strengths
500 AI agent sessions included
Knowledge base and customer portal from Growth
Multiple SLA policies on Pro
Watch-outs
Freddy AI Copilot is a $29 per agent add-on
No free plan listed
Skip it if: You need deep telephony in the same tool.
Intercom combines a shared inbox and ticketing with Messenger and its Fin AI agent, billed per resolved outcome. Advanced ($85 per seat) adds workflow automation and round-robin assignment; Expert ($132) adds SLAs and SSO.
Who it's best for
SaaS and digital businesses that support customers inside their product and want AI to resolve most questions.
Why it made the shortlist
Its AI agent and in-app Messenger are the most advanced here, and the AI is available on every plan.
Strengths
Fin AI agent available on all plans
In-app Messenger for product support
Free Lite seats on Advanced and Expert
Watch-outs
AI is billed per outcome, so costs grow with volume
SLAs need the $132 Expert plan
Skip it if: Your volume is mostly email and phone, not in-app chat.
HubSpot Service Hub adds ticketing, a help desk, knowledge base and customer feedback tools to HubSpot's CRM. The full help desk workspace and knowledge base are on Professional, which carries a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee.
Who it's best for
Companies whose sales and marketing teams already use HubSpot and want support on the same customer records.
Why it made the shortlist
Support, sales and marketing share one customer database, so agents see the full history without a sync.
Strengths
Same customer records as HubSpot sales and marketing
Free tools to start
Strong reporting dashboards
Watch-outs
Professional has a required $1,500 onboarding fee
Big price jump from Starter to Professional
Skip it if: You don't use HubSpot for anything else.
Score breakdown
Ticketing & workflows (25%)4/5
Channels & self-service (20%)4/5
AI & automation (15%)3.5/5
Reporting (10%)4.5/5
Ease of use (15%)4/5
Price & value (15%)3.5/5
6
Front
Best for email-heavy teams that want a shared inbox
Front is a shared inbox that turns email and other channels into collaborative tickets. Professional ($65) adds omnichannel support, macros and advanced analytics; Enterprise ($105) includes AI Copilot, QA and CSAT.
Who it's best for
Operations, account management and support teams that work mostly in email and need to collaborate on threads.
Why it made the shortlist
It feels like email, so teams adopt it quickly, and it has the highest G2 rating among these seven.
Strengths
Email-like interface that teams adopt fast
Rated 4.6/5 on G2
14-day trial of Professional features
Watch-outs
Starter supports a single channel type and up to 10 seats
Automation rules are capped below Enterprise
Skip it if: You need a full customer portal and community forum.
Score breakdown
Ticketing & workflows (25%)4/5
Channels & self-service (20%)3.5/5
AI & automation (15%)3.5/5
Reporting (10%)3.5/5
Ease of use (15%)4.5/5
Price & value (15%)3.5/5
7
Help Scout
Best for small teams that want simple, friendly support
Help Scout is a shared inbox with a knowledge base, live chat and an AI agent (Envoy) billed at $0.75 per resolution. The free plan covers 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site.
Who it's best for
Small and growing teams that want customer support to feel personal rather than ticket-driven.
Why it made the shortlist
It's the easiest tool here to set up and use, with a free plan for 5 users.
Strengths
Very easy to set up and use
Free plan for 5 users
AI agent free for the first 3 months
Watch-outs
Fewer advanced workflows than Zendesk or Freshdesk
Extra inboxes cost $10 to $12 per month each
Skip it if: You run a large, multi-team support operation with complex routing.
Score breakdown
Ticketing & workflows (25%)3.5/5
Channels & self-service (20%)3.5/5
AI & automation (15%)3.5/5
Reporting (10%)3/5
Ease of use (15%)5/5
Price & value (15%)4/5
How we scored help desk software
Each tool gets a 0 to 5 rating on every criterion. We weight the ratings below, convert the total to a score out of 100, and only rank tools that score 70 or higher. Open any tool's Score breakdown to see its ratings. Full process on our methodology page.
Ticketing & workflows25%
Channels & self-service20%
AI & automation15%
Reporting10%
Ease of use15%
Price & value15%
How to choose help desk software
Price the plan with your channels. Zendesk's live chat and knowledge base start on Suite Team, Zoho Desk's on Standard. Compare the plan that covers the channels you use.
Model AI costs at your volume. Intercom bills AI per outcome, Zendesk charges for resolutions above the included amount, and Help Scout charges $0.75 per resolution. Estimate monthly volume before comparing.
Check where SLAs start. Freshdesk includes multiple SLA policies on Pro; Intercom's SLAs are on Expert.
Watch for onboarding fees. HubSpot Service Hub Professional requires a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee.
Trial with real tickets. Forward a week of real customer email into the trial and see how fast agents find, assign and answer it.
Help desk FAQ
What is the best help desk software?
Zendesk scores highest in our ranking for teams that need every channel. Zoho Desk is the best value, and Freshdesk is a strong middle ground with AI and SLAs at a lower price.
What is the best free help desk software?
Zoho Desk has a free plan for 3 agents, Help Scout for 5 users with 1 inbox, and HubSpot offers free service tools for up to 2 users.
How much does Zendesk cost?
Zendesk Support Team is $19 per agent per month billed annually ($25 monthly). Suite Team, which adds AI agents, live chat and a knowledge base, is $55 billed annually ($69 monthly).
How do AI agents change help desk pricing?
Many vendors now charge per AI resolution on top of seats: Intercom from $0.99 per outcome, Help Scout $0.75 per resolution, and Zendesk $1.50 to $2.00 per resolution above the included amount.