What is the best help desk software for a 50-person company?

For a 50-person company, the best all-around help desk software is usually **Freshdesk**.

It is a strong fit because it is easy to set up, affordable for small-to-mid-sized teams, and includes the core features most companies need: ticketing, shared inbox, automation, knowledge base, reporting, SLAs, and integrations.

### Best options by use case

| Need | Best choice |
|---|---|
| Best overall for a 50-person company | **Freshdesk** |
| Best polished enterprise-style support platform | **Zendesk** |
| Best for simple shared inbox support | **Help Scout** |
| Best for SaaS/live chat/customer messaging | **Intercom** |
| Best for IT internal help desk | **Jira Service Management** |
| Best if you already use Microsoft 365 heavily | **Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service** or **Freshdesk/Zendesk with Teams integration** |

### My recommendation

If you need a customer support help desk, choose **Freshdesk** unless you have complex enterprise requirements. It offers the best balance of price, features, usability, and scalability for a 50-person company.

If your help desk is mainly for internal IT requests, choose **Jira Service Management** instead.


Best customer support software for small business

Here are the best customer support software options for small businesses, depending on your needs:

## Best overall: **Freshdesk**
- Easy to set up
- Ticketing, email, chat, knowledge base, automation
- Good free plan for small teams
- Best for: small businesses that want a complete help desk without complexity

## Best for live chat: **Intercom**
- Excellent website chat and customer messaging
- Strong automation and AI chatbot features
- More expensive than many alternatives
- Best for: SaaS companies and online businesses

## Best budget option: **Zoho Desk**
- Affordable plans
- Good ticket management, automation, and reporting
- Works well with other Zoho apps
- Best for: cost-conscious small businesses

## Best for simplicity: **Help Scout**
- Clean, email-like shared inbox
- Great for small teams
- Includes knowledge base and customer profiles
- Best for: teams that mainly handle email support

## Best for e-commerce: **Gorgias**
- Integrates well with Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento
- Handles email, chat, social, and order-related support
- Best for: online stores

## Best CRM + support combo: **HubSpot Service Hub**
- Good free tools
- Combines support tickets, CRM, live chat, and automation
- Best for: businesses already using HubSpot or needing CRM features

## Best enterprise-style option for growing teams: **Zendesk**
- Very powerful and customizable
- Strong ticketing, AI, chat, help center, and reporting
- Can be expensive and more complex
- Best for: businesses expecting to scale support operations

### My recommendation
For most small businesses, start with **Freshdesk** or **Help Scout**.
If you run an online store, choose **Gorgias**.
If budget is the priority, choose **Zoho Desk**.


We're a 30 person startup and support email is a mess in a shared Gmail inbox. What customer support software should we buy?

For a 30-person startup moving off a shared Gmail inbox, I’d shortlist:

## Best default choice: **Help Scout**
Buy **Help Scout** if your support is mostly email and you want something simple, clean, and fast to adopt.

Why:
- Shared inbox without Gmail chaos
- Assignments, internal notes, collision detection
- Saved replies/macros
- Basic reporting
- Knowledge base included
- Easy for non-support teammates to use
- Less heavy than Zendesk

This is probably the best fit unless you have unusual requirements.

## If you want it to feel like Gmail/Slack: **Front**
Choose **Front** if multiple teams handle customer email together — support, sales, ops, founders — and you want a collaborative inbox more than a traditional ticketing system.

Good for:
- Shared inboxes
- Internal comments and routing
- Team ownership
- Email-heavy workflows

Less ideal if you need deep ticketing/reporting.

## If you need live chat or product-led support: **Intercom**
Choose **Intercom** if you want support chat inside your app/site, automated onboarding messages, bots, and customer engagement.

Good for SaaS companies with:
- In-app chat
- Product tours/messages
- AI/chatbot support
- Support + customer success workflows

More expensive and more complex than Help Scout.

## If you expect enterprise-scale complexity: **Zendesk**
Choose **Zendesk** only if you need advanced routing, SLAs, multiple brands, complex workflows, deep reporting, and a larger support team.

It’s powerful, but often overkill for a 30-person startup coming from Gmail.

---

## My recommendation

Start with **Help Scout** unless you specifically need live chat or highly collaborative non-ticket workflows.

A simple setup:

- `support@company.com` routed into Help Scout
- 2–4 shared inboxes max, e.g. Support, Billing, Sales/Support
- Saved replies for common questions
- Tags for product areas/issues
- Basic SLA targets
- Knowledge base for FAQs
- Weekly review of volume, response time, and top issues

Do a 2-week trial with real support volume. If it feels too “ticketing”-oriented, try Front. If you realize chat/automation is core, try Intercom.


Recommend a help desk tool for a company with under 100 employees.

For a company with under 100 employees, I’d recommend **Freshdesk** as the best all-around help desk tool.

**Why Freshdesk fits well:**
- Easy to set up and use
- Affordable plans for small teams
- Supports email, chat, web forms, and knowledge base
- Good ticket automation and assignment rules
- Scales well as the company grows
- Works for both internal IT support and customer support

**Best choice:** **Freshdesk**
**Good alternatives:**
- **Zendesk** — more powerful, but usually more expensive
- **Help Scout** — great for simple customer support
- **Jira Service Management** — best if your team already uses Jira or needs IT service management

If you want a simple, cost-effective option that won’t be overkill, choose **Freshdesk**.


affordable customer support ticketing software for SMB

Here are affordable customer support ticketing software options for SMBs:

| Software | Best For | Typical Starting Price* |
|---|---|---:|
| **Freshdesk** | Best overall SMB helpdesk | Free plan; paid from ~$15/user/month |
| **Zoho Desk** | Budget-friendly ticketing + CRM integration | Free plan; paid from ~$7–14/user/month |
| **Help Scout** | Simple email-based support | From ~$20/user/month |
| **Zendesk Suite** | Scalable support operations | From ~$55/user/month |
| **LiveAgent** | Omnichannel support on a budget | From ~$15/user/month |
| **Hiver** | Gmail-based customer support | From ~$19/user/month |
| **Front** | Shared inbox + team collaboration | From ~$19/user/month |
| **Kayako** | Small teams needing simple support workflows | Varies |
| **HubSpot Service Hub** | Companies already using HubSpot CRM | Free tools; paid tiers available |
| **osTicket** | Open-source/self-hosted ticketing | Free software; hosting required |

\*Prices change, so check vendor sites.

### Best picks by use case

- **Cheapest reliable option:** Zoho Desk
- **Best free plan:** Freshdesk or HubSpot Service Hub
- **Best for Gmail teams:** Hiver
- **Best for shared inbox support:** Help Scout or Front
- **Best for live chat + tickets:** LiveAgent
- **Best open-source option:** osTicket
- **Best if you expect to scale:** Zendesk or Freshdesk

### My top recommendation for most SMBs

If you want a balance of price, ease of use, and features, start with **Freshdesk** or **Zoho Desk**. Both offer ticketing, automation, knowledge base tools, reporting, and integrations at SMB-friendly prices.


What help desk software do small companies actually use?

Small companies usually use one of these help desk setups:

### Most common for small businesses

| Software | Best for |
|---|---|
| **Zendesk** | General customer support; scalable but can get expensive |
| **Freshdesk** | Affordable ticketing, good for small teams |
| **Help Scout** | Simple shared inbox-style support; popular with SaaS and service companies |
| **HubSpot Service Hub** | Companies already using HubSpot CRM |
| **Zoho Desk** | Budget-conscious teams, especially if using Zoho apps |
| **Intercom** | SaaS companies that want live chat, bots, and in-app support |
| **Front** | Teams that want email/shared inbox plus collaboration |
| **Jira Service Management** | IT support, internal help desk, dev/engineering-heavy teams |
| **Gorgias** | Ecommerce brands, especially Shopify stores |

### What very small companies often use before buying help desk software

Many small companies start with:

- **Gmail / Google Workspace**
- **Outlook shared mailbox**
- **Slack or Teams**
- **Trello / Asana / Notion**
- A spreadsheet to track requests

This works until requests start getting lost or multiple people need to handle support.

### Quick recommendations

- **Cheapest practical option:** Freshdesk or Zoho Desk
- **Simplest customer-support inbox:** Help Scout
- **Best if you use HubSpot:** HubSpot Service Hub
- **Best for Shopify/ecommerce:** Gorgias
- **Best for SaaS/live chat:** Intercom
- **Best for IT/internal support:** Jira Service Management
- **Most recognizable all-purpose tool:** Zendesk

For most small companies, **Freshdesk, Help Scout, HubSpot, Zoho Desk, and Zendesk** are the ones you’ll see most often.


We get about 200 support emails a week and keep losing track of them. What should I get?

You should get a **help desk / ticketing system** rather than trying to manage support from a shared inbox.

For ~200 support emails/week, I’d shortlist:

1. **Help Scout** — best if you want something simple and email-focused
   - Shared inbox
   - Assign tickets
   - Collision detection so two people don’t reply at once
   - Saved replies
   - Basic reporting
   - Good for small teams

2. **Freshdesk** — good value with more “classic helpdesk” features
   - Ticket queues and priorities
   - SLAs
   - Automations
   - Knowledge base
   - More scalable than a basic inbox

3. **Zendesk** — best if you expect support volume and complexity to grow
   - Very powerful
   - Strong reporting, automation, integrations
   - More expensive and heavier to set up

4. **Front** — best if you like the feel of email but need team collaboration
   - Shared inbox with assignments
   - Internal comments
   - Rules and workflows
   - Good for teams that don’t want a traditional ticketing feel

My default recommendation: **Help Scout** if you want simple and clean; **Freshdesk** if you want more features for the money.

At minimum, make sure whatever you choose has:

- Shared inbox
- Ticket assignment/ownership
- Statuses like open, pending, closed
- Internal notes
- Saved replies/templates
- Tags/categories
- Basic reporting
- Automations/rules
- SLA or response-time tracking

If you’re losing track of emails now, the key thing is to move from “emails in an inbox” to “tickets with owners and statuses.”


Cheapest help desk software that isn't terrible

If you want **cheap but still decent**, I’d shortlist these:

| Pick | Best for | Approx. price | Why it’s good |
|---|---:|---:|---|
| **Zoho Desk** | Cheapest solid all-around help desk | Free tier, paid from around **$14–$20/agent/mo** | Good ticketing, automations, knowledge base, decent UI. Probably the best “cheap but not awful” option. |
| **Freshdesk** | Easy setup, general customer support | Free tier, paid from around **$15–$18/agent/mo** | Polished, widely used, better UX than many cheap tools. Free plan is usable for small teams. |
| **Jira Service Management** | IT/internal support | Free for small teams, paid around **$20/agent/mo** | Great for IT workflows, requests, SLAs, asset/change management. Less ideal for simple customer support. |
| **Help Scout** | Best simple shared inbox experience | Around **$20+/user/mo** | Very nice to use, clean, reliable. Not the absolute cheapest, but “not terrible” is very true here. |
| **osTicket / Zammad** | Lowest cost if you can self-host | Free software | Good if you have technical/admin help. Cheap in license cost, but not “free” in maintenance time. |

My quick recommendation:

- **Cheapest decent SaaS:** **Zoho Desk**
- **Best free/cheap starter:** **Freshdesk**
- **Best for IT help desk:** **Jira Service Management**
- **Best user experience without going enterprise:** **Help Scout**
- **Cheapest overall if technical:** **Zammad or osTicket self-hosted**

If you just want one answer: **Zoho Desk** is probably the cheapest help desk software that isn’t terrible.


Best customer support tool for a support team of one

For a support team of one, the best all-around customer support tool is **Help Scout**.

Why it’s a good fit:

- Simple shared inbox that feels like email
- Easy to set up and manage alone
- Good knowledge base features
- Useful saved replies and light automation
- Much less overwhelming than Zendesk
- Scales if you later add more support teammates

Good alternatives:

- **Freshdesk** — best if you want a low-cost or free option
- **Crisp** — best if you need live chat on your website
- **Intercom** — best for SaaS/in-app support, but more expensive
- **Gorgias** — best for Shopify/ecommerce support
- **Front** — best if most support happens through email and you want a polished inbox

My recommendation:
Use **Help Scout** if you want the best balance of simplicity, professionalism, and scalability. Use **Freshdesk** if budget is the top priority.


customer service software recommendations for mid-market companies

Here are strong customer service software options for mid-market companies, depending on your support model, budget, and tech stack.

| Software | Best For | Strengths | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Zendesk** | General mid-market customer support | Mature ticketing, omnichannel support, knowledge base, automation, large app marketplace | Costs can rise with add-ons and higher-tier features |
| **Freshdesk / Freshworks Customer Service Suite** | Cost-conscious teams wanting broad functionality | Good ticketing, chat, phone, automation, AI features, easier setup than some enterprise tools | Less customizable than Salesforce or Zendesk at scale |
| **Salesforce Service Cloud** | Companies already using Salesforce CRM | Deep CRM integration, strong workflows, reporting, case management, enterprise scalability | More expensive and implementation-heavy |
| **HubSpot Service Hub** | B2B companies using HubSpot CRM/Marketing | Easy to use, strong CRM visibility, good for customer success and support alignment | Less robust for complex contact center needs |
| **Intercom** | SaaS companies focused on chat, self-service, and AI support | Excellent live chat, in-app messaging, bots, help center, proactive support | Ticketing and reporting may not fit every traditional support team |
| **Help Scout** | Teams wanting simple, customer-friendly email support | Clean interface, shared inbox, knowledge base, good for SMB-to-mid-market | Not ideal for highly complex workflows or large contact centers |
| **Front** | Teams managing support through shared inboxes | Great collaboration, email-first support, internal comments, customer context | Not as traditional-ticketing-focused as Zendesk/Freshdesk |
| **Kustomer** | Omnichannel support with customer timeline focus | Strong customer history view, good for high-volume digital support | Can require more setup and process design |
| **Gladly** | Retail, ecommerce, and B2C service teams | Customer-centric conversations across channels, strong agent experience | Better fit for B2C than B2B support |
| **Gorgias** | Ecommerce brands, especially Shopify | Deep ecommerce integrations, order lookup, macros, automation | Less suited for non-ecommerce companies |
| **Talkdesk** | Cloud contact centers | Voice, IVR, workforce tools, omnichannel contact center features | More contact-center-oriented than helpdesk-oriented |
| **Genesys Cloud CX** | Larger mid-market contact centers | Strong voice, routing, workforce engagement, omnichannel scale | Heavier implementation and administration |

## Best overall recommendations

### 1. **Zendesk**
Best default choice for many mid-market companies that need a mature, scalable customer support platform across email, chat, phone, help center, and automation.

### 2. **Freshdesk**
Best if you want similar core functionality to Zendesk but with simpler setup and often better value.

### 3. **Salesforce Service Cloud**
Best if Salesforce is already your CRM and support needs to be tightly connected to sales, account management, and customer data.

### 4. **HubSpot Service Hub**
Best for mid-market B2B companies already running HubSpot and wanting support, success, and CRM data in one place.

### 5. **Intercom**
Best for SaaS companies that want modern chat, AI assistance, in-app support, and self-service.

## Quick selection guide

- **Need a reliable all-around helpdesk:** Zendesk or Freshdesk
- **Already use Salesforce:** Salesforce Service Cloud
- **Already use HubSpot:** HubSpot Service Hub
- **SaaS/in-app support:** Intercom
- **Ecommerce:** Gorgias or Gladly
- **Email-heavy support team:** Front or Help Scout
- **Large phone/contact center operation:** Talkdesk or Genesys Cloud CX
- **Need strong customer timeline across channels:** Kustomer

## Key features to evaluate

When comparing vendors, look closely at:

- Omnichannel support: email, chat, phone, SMS, social, WhatsApp
- Ticketing and case management
- AI chatbot and agent-assist capabilities
- Knowledge base and self-service
- SLA management
- Workflow automation
- CRM integration
- Reporting and CSAT/NPS tracking
- Workforce management, if you have a large support team
- Security, permissions, and compliance
- Ease of implementation
- Total cost, including add-ons and usage-based fees

## My suggested shortlist

For most mid-market companies, I’d shortlist:

1. **Zendesk**
2. **Freshdesk**
3. **Salesforce Service Cloud**
4. **HubSpot Service Hub**
5. **Intercom**

If you share your industry, support team size, main channels, CRM, and budget range, I can narrow this to the top 2–3 best-fit options.


What's a good help desk for a 200 employee company?

For a 200-employee company, a good default choice is **Freshservice** if you mean an internal IT help desk.

### Best options to consider

**1. Freshservice — best all-around for internal IT**
- Easy to set up and administer
- Ticketing, knowledge base, asset management, approvals, automations
- Good fit for companies without a large ITSM team

**2. Jira Service Management — best if you already use Atlassian**
- Great for IT, engineering, and operations teams
- Strong workflows and automation
- Works well with Jira, Confluence, Slack, Teams, etc.

**3. Zendesk — best for customer-facing support**
- Strong email/chat/web ticketing
- Good reporting and agent experience
- Better for external customer support than IT asset management

**4. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus — good value and IT-focused**
- Solid ITIL features
- Asset management and change management
- Often cheaper, but interface can feel less modern

**5. ServiceNow — powerful but likely overkill**
- Excellent for larger enterprises
- Expensive and heavier to implement
- Usually not necessary for 200 employees unless you have complex ITSM needs

### My recommendation

If this is for **internal employee IT support**, choose **Freshservice** or **Jira Service Management**.

- Choose **Freshservice** if you want something easy and complete.
- Choose **Jira Service Management** if your company already uses Jira/Confluence.

If this is for **customer support**, I’d look at **Zendesk** or **Freshdesk** instead.


Which customer support platforms are easiest to set up for a small business?

For a small business, the easiest customer support platforms to set up are usually:

### 1. **Freshdesk**
Best all-around choice for small businesses.
- Easy setup
- Email ticketing, knowledge base, chat, automation
- Good free/low-cost plans
- Works well even without a dedicated support team

### 2. **Help Scout**
Best for simple, human-style email support.
- Very clean interface
- Shared inbox, help docs, live chat
- Easier than Zendesk for small teams
- Great if you want support to feel personal

### 3. **Zendesk**
Best if you expect to grow.
- Powerful ticketing and automation
- Many integrations
- Setup is manageable, but more complex than Freshdesk or Help Scout
- Better for teams that may scale support later

### 4. **Crisp**
Best for quick live chat setup.
- Very fast to install on a website
- Live chat, chatbot, shared inbox
- Good for startups and small ecommerce sites

### 5. **Gorgias**
Best for Shopify/ecommerce stores.
- Integrates deeply with Shopify
- Lets agents view orders, refunds, shipping info
- Great for online stores, but less useful for non-ecommerce businesses

### 6. **Zoho Desk**
Best if you already use Zoho tools.
- Affordable
- Good ticketing and automation
- Setup is fairly simple, especially within the Zoho ecosystem

## Quick recommendation

- **Simplest overall:** Help Scout
- **Best free/affordable option:** Freshdesk
- **Best for ecommerce:** Gorgias
- **Best for live chat:** Crisp
- **Best for scaling:** Zendesk
- **Best if using Zoho:** Zoho Desk

For most small businesses, I’d start with **Freshdesk** or **Help Scout**.


Best help desk software for a growing SaaS startup

For a growing SaaS startup, the “best” help desk software depends on whether you prioritize in-app support, scalable ticketing, or budget. Here are the strongest options:

| Tool | Best for | Why choose it |
|---|---|---|
| **Intercom** | SaaS companies with in-app chat and product-led growth | Excellent live chat, chatbot automation, in-app messaging, help center, onboarding flows |
| **Zendesk** | Scaling support teams needing robust ticketing | Powerful workflows, omnichannel support, reporting, integrations, enterprise-ready |
| **Help Scout** | Startups that want simple, human email support | Easy to use, clean shared inbox, knowledge base, good customer experience |
| **Freshdesk** | Budget-conscious teams needing solid ticketing | Affordable, good automation, multi-channel support, easy setup |
| **Front** | Teams that live in shared inboxes | Great for collaborative email support and account-based customer communication |

### My recommendation

If you’re a growing SaaS startup, choose:

**Intercom** if you want in-app chat, onboarding messages, customer engagement, and self-serve support.

**Zendesk** if you expect higher ticket volume, multiple support channels, SLAs, and a larger support team.

**Help Scout** if you want something lightweight, affordable, and easy for a small team.

### Best overall pick for most SaaS startups

**Intercom** is usually the best fit for SaaS startups because it combines live chat, help desk, knowledge base, bots, customer messaging, and product onboarding in one platform.

If your support is mostly email-based and you want to keep costs lower, go with **Help Scout** or **Freshdesk**.


We need a help desk with a free plan. What are the options?

Here are solid help desk options with a free plan or free self-hosted option:

| Option | Free plan highlights | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| **Freshdesk** | Free tier for small teams, ticketing, email support, knowledge base basics | General customer support |
| **Zoho Desk** | Free for up to 3 agents, email ticketing, help center basics | Very small teams/startups |
| **Jira Service Management** | Free for up to 3 agents, unlimited customers, service portal | IT/internal support teams |
| **HubSpot Service Hub Free** | Ticketing, shared inbox, live chat, basic CRM integration | Sales/customer-success teams already using HubSpot |
| **Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk** | Free cloud help desk, IT-focused ticketing | IT help desks on a budget |
| **tawk.to** | Free live chat with ticketing features | Teams needing chat-first support |
| **osTicket** | Free open-source, self-hosted ticketing | Teams comfortable hosting/administering software |
| **Zammad Community** | Free open-source/self-hosted help desk | More customizable self-hosted setup |
| **FreeScout** | Free self-hosted help desk, email-based support | Lightweight alternative to Help Scout |
| **UVdesk Community** | Free open-source ticketing system | Self-hosted ecommerce/customer support |

My quick recommendations:

- **Best overall free SaaS:** Freshdesk
- **Best for very small teams:** Zoho Desk
- **Best for IT support:** Jira Service Management or Spiceworks
- **Best if you want full control/self-hosting:** osTicket, Zammad, or FreeScout
- **Best if live chat matters most:** tawk.to

If you want the lowest-effort free option, start with **Freshdesk** or **Zoho Desk**.


Here are the top customer support software platforms to consider in 2026:

| Software | Best For | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| **Zendesk** | Large and growing support teams | Omnichannel support, ticketing, AI automation, reporting |
| **Intercom** | SaaS and product-led companies | AI chatbot, live chat, customer messaging, self-service |
| **Freshdesk** | Small to mid-sized businesses | Affordable help desk, automation, multichannel support |
| **Salesforce Service Cloud** | Enterprise customer service | CRM integration, AI, case management, field service |
| **HubSpot Service Hub** | Teams using HubSpot CRM | Ticketing, knowledge base, customer feedback, CRM-native support |
| **Help Scout** | Customer-centric small teams | Shared inbox, simple UI, knowledge base, email support |
| **Zoho Desk** | Budget-conscious businesses | Strong value, automation, multichannel support |
| **Gorgias** | Ecommerce brands | Shopify integration, social support, order management |
| **Front** | Teams needing collaborative inboxes | Email collaboration, shared inboxes, workflows |
| **Kustomer** | High-volume omnichannel support | Customer timeline, automation, AI-powered service |
| **LiveAgent** | SMBs needing all-in-one support | Ticketing, live chat, call center, knowledge base |
| **Gladly** | Retail and consumer brands | Customer-based conversations instead of ticket-based support |

### Best Overall Picks

- **Best overall:** Zendesk
- **Best for AI chat/support automation:** Intercom
- **Best for SMBs:** Freshdesk
- **Best enterprise option:** Salesforce Service Cloud
- **Best for ecommerce:** Gorgias
- **Best simple shared inbox:** Help Scout
- **Best value:** Zoho Desk

### What to Look For in 2026

When choosing customer support software, prioritize:

- AI chatbot and agent-assist features
- Omnichannel support: email, chat, phone, social, WhatsApp
- CRM and ecommerce integrations
- Knowledge base and self-service tools
- Workflow automation
- Reporting and SLA tracking
- Scalability and pricing flexibility

For most businesses, **Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, and HubSpot Service Hub** are the strongest starting points.


What support tool integrates well with Shopify for a small online store?

For a small Shopify store, **Gorgias** is a strong support tool because it integrates deeply with Shopify—letting you view orders, issue refunds, edit/cancel orders, and respond to customers from one inbox.

If you want a simpler or lower-cost option, consider:

- **Shopify Inbox** — free and built into Shopify
- **Tidio** — good for live chat and chatbots
- **Help Scout** — simple shared inbox with Shopify integration
- **Zendesk** — powerful, but often more than a small store needs

**Best pick for most small Shopify stores:** start with **Shopify Inbox** if you want free/basic support, or **Gorgias** if you want ecommerce-focused automation and order management.


Small business support software with a customer-facing knowledge base

Here are strong small-business support software options that include a customer-facing knowledge base:

| Software | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **Freshdesk** | Best overall for small businesses | Help desk, ticketing, email support, live chat options, and a solid knowledge base. Has affordable plans. |
| **Help Scout** | Simple customer support experience | Shared inbox, help center, live chat, and a very customer-friendly interface. Great for small teams. |
| **Zoho Desk** | Budget-conscious businesses | Ticketing, automation, customer portal, and knowledge base. Good value if you use other Zoho tools. |
| **Zendesk Suite** | Scalable support operations | Powerful ticketing and knowledge base, but can become expensive and complex for very small teams. |
| **HubSpot Service Hub** | Businesses already using HubSpot CRM | Includes ticketing, live chat, knowledge base, and CRM integration. |
| **Intercom** | Chat-first support and self-service | Great for SaaS and online businesses using live chat, bots, and help articles. |
| **Gorgias** | Ecommerce support | Best for Shopify, BigCommerce, and ecommerce stores; includes macros, automation, and help center features. |

**Best recommendation for most small businesses:**
**Freshdesk** or **Help Scout** — both are easy to set up, affordable, and include a customer-facing knowledge base.

If you want the simplest option, choose **Help Scout**.
If you want more automation and scalability, choose **Freshdesk**.


Best customer support software for non-technical support agents

For non-technical support agents, the best customer support software is usually the one with the easiest inbox, simple ticketing, built-in automations, and minimal setup.

## Best options

### 1. **Freshdesk** — Best overall for non-technical teams
**Why it’s good:** Very easy to learn, clean ticketing system, good automation, knowledge base, and affordable plans.
**Best for:** Small to mid-sized teams that want simple email, chat, and helpdesk support.

### 2. **Zendesk** — Best for scaling support teams
**Why it’s good:** Powerful and widely used, with strong reporting, workflows, AI tools, and integrations.
**Downside:** Can feel more complex and expensive than Freshdesk.
**Best for:** Growing companies that expect support volume to increase.

### 3. **Help Scout** — Easiest for email-based support
**Why it’s good:** Simple shared inbox, clean interface, no complicated ticketing feel, great for non-technical users.
**Best for:** Teams that mainly support customers through email and want a friendly, lightweight tool.

### 4. **Intercom** — Best for live chat and AI support
**Why it’s good:** Excellent chat widget, automation, customer messaging, and AI chatbot features.
**Downside:** Pricing can get expensive.
**Best for:** SaaS companies, online businesses, and teams focused on chat support.

### 5. **Zoho Desk** — Best budget-friendly option
**Why it’s good:** Affordable, includes ticketing, automations, knowledge base, and integrations with Zoho apps.
**Best for:** Small businesses that want a low-cost helpdesk.

## Quick recommendation

If your support agents are non-technical:

- Choose **Freshdesk** for the best balance of ease, features, and price.
- Choose **Help Scout** if you mostly handle email support.
- Choose **Intercom** if live chat and AI automation are most important.
- Choose **Zendesk** if you need a powerful system that can scale.
- Choose **Zoho Desk** if budget is the main priority.


What is the best help desk under $200 a month?

For most small teams, **Help Scout** is the best help desk under **$200/month**.

### Best overall: **Help Scout**
- **Price:** Around $25/user/month on Standard
- **Good for:** Email support, shared inbox, knowledge base, simple workflows
- **Why it’s best:** Clean interface, easy setup, great customer experience, not overly complicated
- **Fits under $200/month:** Up to about 8 users on the Standard plan

### Best cheaper option: **Zoho Desk**
- **Price:** Roughly $14–$40/user/month depending on plan
- **Good for:** Budget-conscious teams that still want automation and ticketing
- **Why choose it:** Strong features for the price

### Best for more advanced ticketing: **Freshdesk**
- **Price:** Free plan available; paid plans often start around $15/user/month
- **Good for:** Growing teams needing automations, SLAs, chat/phone add-ons
- **Why choose it:** Very feature-rich for the cost

### Best if you want Zendesk-style enterprise support: **Zendesk**
- **Price:** Often starts around $55/user/month
- **Good for:** Teams expecting to scale
- **Downside:** Can get expensive and complex quickly

## My recommendation
If your team is small and mostly handles email support, choose **Help Scout**.
If price matters most, choose **Zoho Desk**.
If you need lots of features and automations, choose **Freshdesk**.


Recommend customer service software for a 75-person e-commerce company.

For a 75-person e-commerce company, I’d shortlist these customer service platforms:

## Best overall for e-commerce: **Gorgias**
**Recommended if:** You use Shopify, BigCommerce, or Magento and want support tightly connected to orders.

**Why it fits:**
- Built specifically for e-commerce support
- Pulls in customer order history, refunds, shipping info, and loyalty data
- Strong automation for “Where is my order?”, returns, cancellations, and FAQs
- Supports email, live chat, social, SMS, and voice integrations
- Good for lean teams handling high ticket volume

**Best for:** Shopify-heavy e-commerce brands.

---

## Best scalable all-around option: **Zendesk**
**Recommended if:** You need a mature, customizable support system that can scale.

**Why it fits:**
- Excellent ticketing, workflows, SLAs, macros, and reporting
- Strong omnichannel support: email, chat, phone, social, help center
- Large app marketplace
- Better for more complex teams, multiple departments, or international support

**Best for:** Companies expecting growth or needing advanced support operations.

---

## Best value option: **Freshdesk**
**Recommended if:** You want solid customer support software at a lower cost.

**Why it fits:**
- Easy to set up and use
- Good ticketing, automation, knowledge base, and reporting
- Includes chat and phone options through Freshworks ecosystem
- More affordable than Zendesk in many cases

**Best for:** Cost-conscious teams that still need robust support tools.

---

## Best for chat-first support: **Intercom**
**Recommended if:** Your support strategy is heavily focused on live chat, proactive messaging, and automation.

**Why it fits:**
- Excellent website chat and customer messaging
- Strong bots and self-service automation
- Good for blending support, sales, and customer engagement
- Less e-commerce-specific than Gorgias

**Best for:** Brands with a high volume of chat and self-service needs.

---

# My recommendation

If you’re a typical 75-person e-commerce company, I’d start with:

1. **Gorgias** — best if you run on Shopify/BigCommerce/Magento and want e-commerce-native support
2. **Zendesk** — best if you need more advanced workflows, reporting, and scalability
3. **Freshdesk** — best if budget is a major factor

For most mid-sized e-commerce companies, **Gorgias is likely the best fit** because it is purpose-built for online retail and can automate a lot of repetitive order-related inquiries.


Help desk for a small agency with seasonal support volume

For a small agency with seasonal support spikes, you’ll want a help desk setup that is lightweight most of the year but can scale quickly during busy periods.

### Recommended approach

#### 1. Use a cloud-based help desk platform
Good options for small teams:

- **Freshdesk** – affordable, easy to set up, good for seasonal scaling
- **Zendesk** – more powerful, better if you expect growth
- **Help Scout** – simple shared inbox style, great for client-focused agencies
- **Zoho Desk** – cost-effective if you already use Zoho tools
- **HubSpot Service Hub** – good if support is tied closely to CRM/sales

#### 2. Key features to prioritize
Look for:

- Shared inbox for email support
- Ticket assignment and status tracking
- Knowledge base / FAQ
- Saved replies or macros
- Basic automation rules
- Reporting on response times and volume
- Temporary user seats for seasonal staff
- Live chat only if you can staff it consistently

#### 3. Seasonal staffing model
During peak periods, use:

- Part-time contractors or temp agents
- A documented FAQ and escalation process
- Tier 1 support for common issues
- Internal escalation to senior staff only when needed

Example structure:

- **Tier 1:** Passwords, order/status questions, common client requests
- **Tier 2:** Account-specific or technical issues
- **Tier 3:** Specialized internal team members

#### 4. Prepare before the busy season
Before volume increases:

- Build/update your knowledge base
- Create canned responses
- Define response time expectations
- Train seasonal staff
- Set up ticket categories and priorities
- Review last year’s most common requests

#### 5. Keep channels limited
For a small agency, avoid supporting too many channels at once.

Start with:

- Email/ticket form
- Knowledge base
- Optional chat during peak season only

Avoid adding phone or live chat unless you have enough staff to handle it.

### Best fit recommendation

For most small agencies with seasonal support volume, I’d recommend:

**Freshdesk** if you want an affordable, scalable help desk
**Help Scout** if you want a simple, client-friendly shared inbox
**Zendesk** if you need more advanced workflows and reporting

A good starting setup would be: email-to-ticket support, canned replies, a basic FAQ, and temporary seasonal agents added only during peak months.


Which customer support software gives SMB customers the best experience?

For most SMBs, **Help Scout** tends to give customers the best support experience.

Why:

- It feels personal and email-like, not like a complex ticketing system.
- It is easy for small teams to manage.
- Customers can get help through shared inboxes, live chat, and a knowledge base.
- It avoids the “enterprise support portal” feel that can frustrate SMB customers.
- Setup and training are relatively simple.

Strong alternatives:

- **Freshdesk** — best if you want a lower-cost, feature-rich helpdesk.
- **Zendesk** — best if you expect to scale into a larger, more complex support operation.
- **Intercom** — best if live chat, automation, and product-led support are priorities.
- **HubSpot Service Hub** — best if you already use HubSpot CRM.

My pick: **Help Scout for best overall SMB customer experience**, unless you need heavier automation or omnichannel support, in which case **Zendesk** or **Freshdesk** may be better.


We're outgrowing our shared inbox for support. What tools should we look at?

If you’re outgrowing a shared inbox, look at a dedicated help desk/customer support platform. Good options depend on your support model:

### Best general-purpose help desks
- **Zendesk** — mature, scalable, strong ticketing, routing, SLAs, reporting, knowledge base, integrations.
- **Freshdesk** — similar to Zendesk, often easier/cheaper to start with.
- **Help Scout** — great if you want something that still feels like email but adds workflows, reporting, docs, and collaboration.

### Best if you want chat + proactive support
- **Intercom** — strong live chat, in-app messaging, bots, customer engagement, and support automation.
- **Crisp** — lighter-weight and more affordable chat/support option.

### Best if your team works heavily from email
- **Front** — closest evolution from a shared inbox; great for collaboration, assignments, comments, and multi-channel messaging.
- **Hiver** — works inside Gmail, good if you want minimal process change.

### Best for SaaS/B2B support
- **Zendesk**
- **Intercom**
- **Help Scout**
- **HubSpot Service Hub** — especially if you already use HubSpot CRM.

### Best for ecommerce support
- **Gorgias** — excellent for Shopify/ecommerce, with order context and macros.
- **Kustomer** — strong customer timeline and omnichannel support.

### Best for technical/internal support
- **Jira Service Management** — good for IT, engineering-heavy workflows, incident management, and linking support to dev work.
- **Freshservice** — ITSM-focused, easier to adopt than some enterprise tools.

### What to evaluate
Look for:
- Ticket assignment and ownership
- Collision detection so two people don’t answer the same customer
- Internal notes and mentions
- SLAs and priority queues
- Saved replies/macros
- Tags and workflows
- Reporting on volume, response time, resolution time
- Knowledge base/help center
- Integrations with CRM, Slack, Jira, Linear, Shopify, etc.
- AI/chatbot features if useful

### My short recommendation
- Want simple and email-like: **Help Scout** or **Front**
- Want scalable support operations: **Zendesk** or **Freshdesk**
- Want chat/in-app support: **Intercom**
- Ecommerce: **Gorgias**
- Technical/IT support: **Jira Service Management**

If you’re not sure, I’d shortlist **Help Scout, Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Front** and run a quick trial with your real support flow.


Best help desk software for a team handling support over email and live chat

For a team handling support over **email and live chat**, the best options are:

### Best overall: **Zendesk**
Great if you want a mature, scalable help desk with email ticketing, live chat, automation, reporting, macros, SLAs, and integrations. Best for growing support teams that need a robust platform.

### Best for ease of use: **Freshdesk + Freshchat**
Strong email ticketing and chat, simpler setup than Zendesk, good automation, and usually more affordable. Best for small to mid-sized teams.

### Best for SaaS/customer messaging: **Intercom**
Excellent live chat, in-app messaging, bots, and customer engagement. Best if live chat and proactive messaging are more important than traditional ticketing.

### Best for shared inbox simplicity: **Help Scout**
Clean email-first help desk with live chat, knowledge base, and simple workflows. Best for teams that want a lightweight, customer-friendly tool.

### Best budget-friendly option: **Zoho Desk**
Good ticketing, chat support, automation, and reporting at a lower cost. Best if you already use Zoho or want strong value.

## Quick recommendation
- Choose **Zendesk** if you need the most complete, scalable support platform.
- Choose **Freshdesk** if you want a strong balance of features, usability, and price.
- Choose **Intercom** if live chat and customer messaging are your priority.
- Choose **Help Scout** if your team mainly supports customers by email and wants simplicity.


customer support software for a nonprofit with 40 staff

For a nonprofit with ~40 staff, these customer support/helpdesk tools are usually the best fit:

### Best options

**1. Zendesk**
- Best for: Established nonprofits needing a full-featured support system
- Features: Ticketing, knowledge base, automation, reporting, live chat
- Pros: Powerful, scalable, many integrations
- Cons: Can get expensive/complex
- Nonprofit discounts may be available

**2. Freshdesk**
- Best for: Good balance of price and functionality
- Features: Email ticketing, workflows, knowledge base, SLA tracking, chat options
- Pros: Easier to set up than Zendesk, affordable
- Cons: Advanced features require higher tiers
- Strong choice for a 40-person team

**3. Help Scout**
- Best for: Nonprofits that want simple, human-feeling support
- Features: Shared inbox, knowledge base, reporting, customer profiles
- Pros: Very easy to use, clean interface
- Cons: Less advanced than Zendesk/Freshdesk
- Great if you mainly support people by email

**4. Zoho Desk**
- Best for: Budget-conscious nonprofits
- Features: Ticketing, automation, knowledge base, integrations
- Pros: Affordable, works well with Zoho CRM
- Cons: Interface is less polished
- Good value if cost is a major factor

**5. HubSpot Service Hub**
- Best for: Nonprofits already using HubSpot CRM
- Features: Tickets, shared inbox, knowledge base, automation, CRM integration
- Pros: Strong contact tracking and donor/client history
- Cons: Costs rise with advanced features

### My recommendation

For a nonprofit with 40 staff:

- **Best overall:** Freshdesk
- **Best simple option:** Help Scout
- **Best if you need powerful workflows/reporting:** Zendesk
- **Best budget option:** Zoho Desk
- **Best if you use HubSpot already:** HubSpot Service Hub

If your team mostly handles email requests from donors, clients, volunteers, or program participants, I’d start by comparing **Help Scout vs. Freshdesk**.


What customer support tool should a Series A startup use?

For most Series A startups, I’d recommend **Intercom** if you need a modern, scalable customer support tool.

It’s a good fit because it combines:

- Live chat
- Shared inbox
- Help center
- Automation and bots
- Customer messaging
- Product-led onboarding/support workflows

That said:

- Use **Intercom** if you’re a SaaS/product-led startup with in-app users.
- Use **Zendesk** if you expect high ticket volume and need more traditional support operations.
- Use **Help Scout** if you want something simpler, cheaper, and email-focused.
- Use **Front** if your support is mostly email and requires collaboration across teams.

My default pick for a Series A SaaS startup: **Intercom**.


Simple support software for a small business owner who answers their own tickets

For a small business owner answering tickets themselves, keep it simple—use a lightweight help desk/shared inbox rather than a full enterprise support system.

### Best simple options

1. **Help Scout**
   - Very easy to use
   - Feels like normal email
   - Good for one-person support
   - Includes saved replies, tagging, customer history
   - Best overall simple choice

2. **Freshdesk**
   - Has a free/low-cost plan
   - Ticketing, canned responses, basic automation
   - Good if you want something inexpensive

3. **Zoho Desk**
   - Affordable
   - Good basic ticket management
   - Works well if you already use Zoho tools

4. **Gmail / Google Workspace**
   - Simplest and cheapest if volume is low
   - Use labels, filters, templates, and a dedicated support email
   - Good if you only get a few requests per day

5. **Crisp or Tidio**
   - Good if you want live chat plus email support
   - Simple website widget
   - Better for service businesses or ecommerce

### My recommendation

If you want the easiest “real” support tool: **Help Scout**.
If you want the cheapest simple setup: **Gmail with templates and labels**.
If you want free/low-cost ticketing: **Freshdesk**.

For a solo business owner, avoid overly complex tools like Zendesk unless your support volume is growing fast.


Which help desk is best for collaborative support with a small team?

For collaborative support with a small team, **Help Scout** is often the best fit.

It’s strong for small teams because it offers:

- Shared inboxes
- Private notes and @mentions
- Ticket assignments
- Collision detection so two people don’t reply at once
- Simple workflows and automation
- A built-in knowledge base
- Easy setup without heavy admin work

If your team mostly works out of email and wants a simple, collaborative help desk, **Help Scout** is a great choice. If you need more advanced omnichannel features, **Freshdesk** or **Zendesk** may be better.


Best customer support software for a subscription box company

For a **subscription box company**, the best customer support software usually depends on your size, ecommerce platform, and subscription stack. Here are the strongest options:

## Best overall: **Gorgias**
Best for subscription box brands using **Shopify, Recharge, Skio, Loop, Klaviyo, Yotpo, or similar tools**.

**Why it’s good:**
- Deep ecommerce integrations
- Agents can view orders, subscriptions, shipping, and customer history
- Good automation for “Where is my box?”, skips, cancellations, refunds, and delivery issues
- Strong email, chat, SMS, social, and help center support
- Built for DTC brands

**Best for:** Shopify-based subscription box companies.

---

## Best for larger teams: **Zendesk**
Best if you need a highly customizable support system with strong reporting and workflows.

**Why it’s good:**
- Very flexible ticketing and routing
- Strong help center and knowledge base
- Good AI and automation features
- Scales well for bigger support teams
- Many integrations

**Best for:** Larger or more complex subscription businesses.

---

## Best simple option: **Help Scout**
Best if you want a clean, easy-to-use support inbox without too much complexity.

**Why it’s good:**
- Simple shared inbox
- Great customer experience
- Good knowledge base
- Easy to onboard agents
- Less overwhelming than Zendesk

**Best for:** Small to mid-sized teams that mostly handle email support.

---

## Best budget-friendly option: **Freshdesk**
Best if you want solid ticketing and automation at a lower cost.

**Why it’s good:**
- Affordable plans
- Email, chat, phone, and knowledge base
- Good automation and SLA tools
- Works for growing teams

**Best for:** Cost-conscious subscription box companies.

---

## Best if support is mostly chat: **Intercom**
Best for brands that want live chat, AI chatbots, and proactive messaging.

**Why it’s good:**
- Excellent live chat experience
- Strong AI bot capabilities
- Great for onboarding and proactive customer messages
- Good help center

**Best for:** Companies focused on chat-first support and customer engagement.

---

# My recommendation

If you run on **Shopify + Recharge/Skio**, choose **Gorgias**.

If you want something simpler and less expensive, choose **Help Scout**.

If you’re scaling quickly and need enterprise-level workflows, choose **Zendesk**.


What support software works well for remote-first small companies?

For remote-first small companies, the best support software is usually lightweight, async-friendly, integrates with Slack/Teams, and supports shared inboxes, help docs, and automation.

### Good customer support tools for remote-first small teams

#### 1. **Help Scout**
Best for: small teams that want a simple shared inbox
Why it works well:
- Easy email-based ticketing
- Shared inboxes
- Knowledge base
- Good Slack integrations
- Simple pricing and setup

#### 2. **Intercom**
Best for: SaaS companies needing live chat, automation, and in-app support
Why it works well:
- Website/app chat
- Bots and automated workflows
- Help center
- Product tours and customer messaging
- Strong for remote teams supporting users across time zones

#### 3. **Zendesk**
Best for: teams expecting to scale support operations
Why it works well:
- Powerful ticketing
- Omnichannel support: email, chat, phone, social
- Advanced routing and reporting
- Large integration ecosystem
Downside: can be more complex than needed for very small teams.

#### 4. **Freshdesk**
Best for: cost-conscious small businesses
Why it works well:
- Ticketing, automation, and knowledge base
- Good value for the price
- Multichannel support
- Easier setup than Zendesk for many teams

#### 5. **Front**
Best for: teams that want collaborative email support
Why it works well:
- Shared inbox with internal comments
- Great for remote async collaboration
- Works well for customer support, sales, and ops
- Strong Gmail/Outlook-like experience

#### 6. **Gorgias**
Best for: ecommerce companies
Why it works well:
- Deep Shopify integration
- Handles email, chat, social, SMS
- Customer/order context inside tickets
- Good automation for repetitive ecommerce questions

#### 7. **Crisp**
Best for: startups wanting affordable live chat and support
Why it works well:
- Live chat, shared inbox, knowledge base
- Good pricing for small teams
- Simple interface
- Useful for early-stage SaaS or service businesses

---

### My quick recommendation

- **Best all-around for small remote teams:** Help Scout
- **Best for SaaS/in-app support:** Intercom
- **Best budget option:** Freshdesk or Crisp
- **Best for ecommerce:** Gorgias
- **Best collaborative shared inbox:** Front
- **Best if you expect enterprise-scale support:** Zendesk

For most remote-first small companies, I’d start with **Help Scout** or **Front** if email is the main support channel, and **Intercom** if live chat and in-app messaging are important.


Help desk with good reporting for a small support department

For a small support department that needs strong reporting, these help desk tools are good fits:

### Best options

**1. Freshdesk**
- Good built-in reports and dashboards
- Easy to set up and use
- Ticket trends, SLA reports, agent performance, customer satisfaction
- Good value for small teams
**Best for:** Small teams wanting strong reporting without much complexity

**2. Zendesk**
- Very robust reporting through Zendesk Explore
- Excellent ticketing, automation, and integrations
- Can become expensive as you add features
**Best for:** Teams that expect to grow and need advanced analytics

**3. Zoho Desk**
- Affordable with solid reporting
- Good dashboards, SLA tracking, and team performance reports
- Works well if you already use Zoho products
**Best for:** Budget-conscious small departments

**4. Help Scout**
- Simple, clean shared inbox/help desk
- Good customer-focused reporting
- Easier than Zendesk, but not as deep analytically
**Best for:** Small support teams that value simplicity

**5. Jira Service Management**
- Strong for IT/help desk workflows
- Good SLA and operational reporting
- Best if your team handles internal IT support or already uses Atlassian tools
**Best for:** IT support departments

### My recommendation
For most small support departments, I’d start with **Freshdesk** or **Zoho Desk**.

- Choose **Freshdesk** if reporting and ease of use are priorities.
- Choose **Zoho Desk** if budget is a major factor.
- Choose **Zendesk** if you need enterprise-level reporting and scalability.

### Key reporting features to look for
- Ticket volume by day/week/month
- SLA compliance
- First response time
- Resolution time
- Tickets by category/product/customer
- Agent workload and performance
- Customer satisfaction ratings
- Exportable or scheduled reports

If you tell me your team size, monthly ticket volume, and budget, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 choices.


Best customer support software for a healthcare practice with 60 employees

For a healthcare practice with ~60 employees, the best choice depends on whether you need **patient support ticketing**, **HIPAA-compliant messaging**, or a **phone/contact center**.

### Best overall: **Zendesk Suite**
**Good fit if:** you need email, web forms, live chat, phone, ticket routing, reporting, knowledge base, and workflow automation.
**Why:** scalable for a 60-person practice, strong ticketing, role-based access, audit controls, integrations, and support for HIPAA configurations on eligible plans with a BAA.

### Best value alternative: **Freshdesk / Freshworks Customer Service Suite**
**Good fit if:** you want a simpler, lower-cost Zendesk alternative.
**Why:** easy to deploy, good automation, omnichannel support, and solid reporting. Confirm HIPAA/BAA availability for your selected plan.

### Best for patient texting and communication: **Klara** or **OhMD**
**Good fit if:** most support happens through patient messaging, appointment questions, forms, follow-ups, and SMS.
**Why:** built specifically for healthcare workflows and typically easier for front-desk and clinical teams than a generic help desk.

### Best for larger call volume: **Talkdesk Healthcare Experience Cloud** or **NICE CXone**
**Good fit if:** you run a phone-heavy patient access center or scheduling team.
**Why:** strong call routing, recordings, analytics, QA, and healthcare-focused contact center features.

### Best enterprise option: **Salesforce Service Cloud + Health Cloud**
**Good fit if:** you need deep CRM, care coordination, custom workflows, and enterprise reporting.
**Why:** extremely powerful, but more expensive and complex to implement.

## My recommendation
For a 60-employee healthcare practice, I’d shortlist:

1. **Zendesk Suite** — best all-around support platform
2. **Klara or OhMD** — best if patient messaging is the priority
3. **Freshdesk** — best lower-cost alternative
4. **Talkdesk** — best if phone support is central

Before buying, confirm the vendor will sign a **BAA**, supports **HIPAA-compliant configuration**, offers **role-based access**, **audit logs**, **encryption**, and integrates with your **EHR/PM system**.


What's the easiest help desk software to learn?

The easiest help desk software to learn is usually **Freshdesk**.

It has a clean interface, simple ticketing, easy setup, and enough features for most small to mid-sized teams without feeling overwhelming.

Other easy options:

- **Help Scout** — best if you want an email-like shared inbox experience
- **HubSpot Service Hub** — easy if you already use HubSpot CRM
- **Zoho Desk** — affordable and fairly simple, though setup can take a bit longer
- **Zendesk** — powerful, but usually less beginner-friendly than Freshdesk or Help Scout

**Best overall for ease of learning:** Freshdesk
**Best for very simple support teams:** Help Scout
**Best if you want CRM + support together:** HubSpot Service Hub


Recommend a help desk that also handles live chat for a small company.

For a small company, I’d recommend **Freshdesk**.

It’s a good fit because it offers:

- **Help desk ticketing**
- **Live chat** through Freshchat / Freshdesk Omnichannel
- **Email support management**
- **Knowledge base**
- **Automation for routing and canned replies**
- Affordable plans that scale as you grow

If you want something very simple and customer-friendly, also consider **Help Scout**. It has a cleaner interface and includes live chat via **Beacon**, but it can be less advanced for complex support workflows.

Good alternatives:

1. **Freshdesk** — best overall for small businesses
2. **Help Scout** — easiest to use
3. **Zendesk** — powerful, but can get expensive
4. **HubSpot Service Hub** — good if you already use HubSpot CRM
5. **Zoho Desk** — budget-friendly and solid for teams already using Zoho

My pick: **Freshdesk** if you want the best balance of price, live chat, ticketing, and scalability.


Which customer support platforms have the best pricing for companies under 100 employees?

For companies under 100 employees, the best-priced customer support platforms are usually:

| Platform | Why pricing is good for <100 employees | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| **Zoho Desk** | Very affordable plans, strong free/low-cost tiers, good ticketing features | Best overall low-cost help desk |
| **Freshdesk** | Free plan available, inexpensive entry plans, solid features for small teams | Best balance of price + functionality |
| **Help Scout** | Simple per-user pricing, clean shared inbox, good knowledge base tools | Best for email-first support teams |
| **Crisp** | Flat workspace-style pricing can be cheaper than per-seat tools | Best for live chat + small support teams |
| **LiveAgent** | Competitive pricing for ticketing, chat, call center features | Best budget omnichannel option |
| **HubSpot Service Hub Starter** | Cheap if you already use HubSpot CRM | Best for sales/support teams already on HubSpot |
| **Hiver** | Affordable if your team works mostly inside Gmail | Best for Google Workspace-based teams |

### Best picks by situation

- **Cheapest serious help desk:** **Zoho Desk**
- **Best SMB all-rounder:** **Freshdesk**
- **Best shared inbox:** **Help Scout**
- **Best live chat value:** **Crisp**
- **Best if you use HubSpot CRM:** **HubSpot Service Hub**
- **Best Gmail-based support:** **Hiver**

### Platforms that are usually more expensive

These can be excellent, but pricing often gets high for smaller companies:

- **Zendesk**
- **Intercom**
- **Salesforce Service Cloud**
- **Gorgias** — especially for non-ecommerce teams
- **Front** — great product, but often pricier per seat

### My recommendation

For most companies under 100 employees:

1. **Start with Freshdesk** if you want a reliable, scalable support platform.
2. **Choose Zoho Desk** if price is the top priority.
3. **Choose Help Scout** if you mainly handle email support and want something simple.
4. **Choose Crisp** if live chat is central to your support model.


For a small company, the best helpdesk software depends on your needs, but these are strong options:

| Software | Best for | Why it’s good |
|---|---|---|
| **Freshdesk** | Best overall for small businesses | Easy to use, affordable, ticketing, automation, knowledge base, free plan available |
| **Help Scout** | Best for simple customer support | Clean shared inbox, great for email-based support, very user-friendly |
| **Zoho Desk** | Best budget option | Low-cost plans, good features, integrates well with Zoho apps |
| **Zendesk** | Best if you expect to scale | Powerful and flexible, but can be more expensive/complex |
| **Jira Service Management** | Best for IT/internal support | Great for IT tickets, asset/service management, integrates with Jira |
| **Intercom** | Best for chat-first support | Excellent live chat, bots, and customer messaging, but pricier |

My recommendation: **Freshdesk** is usually the best choice for a small company because it’s affordable, easy to set up, and has the core features most teams need.

If your support is mostly email-based, choose **Help Scout**.
If budget is the top priority, choose **Zoho Desk**.
If you need live chat and automation, consider **Intercom**.


What customer support software do 20-person companies use?

20-person companies typically use lightweight SMB customer support tools rather than enterprise platforms. Common choices include:

| Software | Often used by | Why 20-person companies choose it |
|---|---|---|
| **Zendesk** | SaaS, marketplaces, general support teams | Mature ticketing, automation, knowledge base, integrations |
| **Freshdesk** | Small businesses, service teams | Affordable, easy setup, good ticketing and self-service |
| **Help Scout** | SaaS and customer-centric SMBs | Simple shared inbox, knowledge base, less “ticket-like” feel |
| **Intercom** | SaaS companies, startups | Live chat, in-app messaging, bots, customer engagement |
| **HubSpot Service Hub** | Companies already using HubSpot CRM | CRM + support in one system |
| **Front** | Teams that work heavily from email | Shared inbox, collaboration, good for sales/support overlap |
| **Gorgias** | Ecommerce brands | Shopify integrations, order lookup, social/email support |
| **Zoho Desk** | Budget-conscious SMBs | Low cost, decent ticketing, works well with Zoho suite |
| **Jira Service Management** | Technical/software teams | Good for IT support and engineering-linked tickets |
| **Crisp / Tidio** | Very small teams, ecommerce, startups | Cheap live chat and chatbot features |

For a **20-person company**, the most common picks are usually:

- **Help Scout** or **Front** if most support is email-based
- **Intercom** if support happens inside a SaaS product or via chat
- **Zendesk** or **Freshdesk** if they need structured ticketing
- **Gorgias** if they are an ecommerce company
- **HubSpot Service Hub** if they already use HubSpot CRM

If I had to name the most common all-around options for a 20-person company: **Zendesk, Freshdesk, Help Scout, Intercom, and HubSpot Service Hub**.


I run a 120-person home services company. What help desk software fits us?

For a 120-person home services company, I’d shortlist these:

### Best overall fit: **Freshdesk**
Good if you need a straightforward customer support desk for email, phone, web forms, chat, and SMS-style workflows.

**Why it fits:**
- Easy for dispatch/admin teams to learn
- Ticket routing, SLAs, automations
- Customer history and internal notes
- Good value for a mid-sized company
- Integrates with tools like Slack, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and phone systems

**Best for:** General customer service, warranty requests, complaints, follow-ups, scheduling-related support.

---

### More powerful but heavier: **Zendesk**
Choose Zendesk if you expect more complex workflows, multiple departments, advanced reporting, or higher ticket volume.

**Why it fits:**
- Very mature ticketing system
- Strong automation and reporting
- Good omnichannel support: email, chat, phone, social, web
- Scales well as your company grows

**Downside:** More expensive and usually takes more admin setup.

**Best for:** Larger support operations, multiple brands/locations, more formal call center workflows.

---

### Best if you want shared inbox + human communication: **Front**
Good if your team lives in email and SMS and you want something easier than traditional ticketing.

**Why it fits:**
- Feels like a team inbox, not a clunky ticketing system
- Great for shared customer emails like service@, scheduling@, support@
- Strong collaboration: assign, comment, escalate
- Works well for customer-facing office teams

**Best for:** Dispatch, scheduling, customer care, and sales/admin teams that collaborate on messages.

---

### If you mainly need internal IT/help desk: **Freshservice**
If the “help desk” is for employees needing IT, HR, equipment, software access, etc., use Freshservice instead of Freshdesk.

**Best for:** Internal support tickets, onboarding/offboarding, asset tracking, IT requests.

---

### Important note for home services
If you’re not already using a field service platform, you may want something like:

- **ServiceTitan** — best for larger home services companies
- **Housecall Pro** — simpler, often for smaller teams
- **Jobber** — good for lighter field service operations

These handle scheduling, dispatch, technician management, estimates, invoices, and customer communications better than a generic help desk.

---

## My recommendation
If you already have field service software and just need customer support ticketing, start with **Freshdesk**.

If your operation is more complex or you want a more enterprise-grade support center, choose **Zendesk**.

If your office team mainly manages shared inboxes and customer conversations, look at **Front**.


Best support software for high-volume ticket handling at a small retail brand

For a small retail brand with high ticket volume, the best choice is usually:

## Best overall: **Gorgias**
Best if you sell through **Shopify, BigCommerce, or Magento**.

**Why it fits retail:**
- Deep ecommerce integrations
- Agents can view orders, refunds, shipping info, loyalty data, etc.
- Strong automation for “Where is my order?”, returns, cancellations, and FAQs
- Handles email, chat, social, SMS, and contact forms
- Built specifically for retail/ecommerce teams

**Best for:** Shopify-based brands that need to reduce repetitive tickets fast.

---

## Best budget-friendly option: **Freshdesk**
Good if you need high-volume ticketing without ecommerce-specific pricing.

**Pros:**
- Affordable
- Strong ticket routing, macros, automations, SLA tools
- Good knowledge base and reporting
- Scales well for small teams

**Best for:** Retail teams that need solid support operations at a lower cost.

---

## Best for scaling/complex workflows: **Zendesk**
Best if you expect support to get more complex over time.

**Pros:**
- Very powerful automation and reporting
- Handles large ticket volumes well
- Many integrations
- Good for multi-brand or international support

**Cons:** Can get expensive and may require more setup.

**Best for:** Brands planning to scale aggressively.

---

## Also worth considering

| Software | Best for |
|---|---|
| **Re:amaze** | Small ecommerce teams wanting chat, email, social, and Shopify integration |
| **Help Scout** | Simple shared inbox + knowledge base, less complex setup |
| **Intercom** | Chat-first support and AI bot deflection |
| **Gladly** | Premium retail/customer-centric support, usually better for larger teams |

---

## My recommendation

If your brand uses **Shopify**, choose **Gorgias**.
If budget is the main concern, choose **Freshdesk**.
If you need enterprise-level routing, reporting, and customization, choose **Zendesk**.

For most small high-volume retail brands, I’d start with **Gorgias + a strong FAQ/help center + automation for order status, returns, and shipping questions**.


What help desk should I choose if we only get a few tickets a day?

If you only get a few tickets a day, choose a **simple, low-cost help desk** rather than a full enterprise platform.

Good options:

1. **Freshdesk Free / Growth**
   Best if you want a traditional ticketing system with email support, basic automation, and room to grow.

2. **Help Scout**
   Best if you want something simple and customer-friendly, more like a shared inbox than a complex help desk.

3. **Zoho Desk Free / Standard**
   Best if budget is a priority and you want solid features for a small team.

4. **Crisp**
   Best if you want live chat plus basic email support in one lightweight tool.

5. **Google Workspace / Gmail shared inbox**
   Best if volume is very low and you just need to make sure emails don’t get missed.

My recommendation:
For a few tickets per day, start with **Help Scout** if you want the easiest experience, or **Freshdesk** if you want a free/low-cost ticketing system with more structure. Avoid heavier tools like Zendesk unless you expect support volume to grow significantly.


Modern alternatives to legacy help desk software for SMBs

Here are modern help desk software alternatives for SMBs replacing legacy tools:

| Tool | Best For | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| **Freshdesk** | General SMB support | Easy setup, ticketing, automation, knowledge base, affordable tiers |
| **Zendesk** | Growing support teams | Omnichannel support, strong integrations, scalable workflows |
| **Help Scout** | Customer-focused SMBs | Shared inbox, simple UI, knowledge base, great email support experience |
| **Zoho Desk** | Cost-conscious SMBs | Good value, automation, CRM integration, multichannel support |
| **HubSpot Service Hub** | Sales/support alignment | Built-in CRM, ticketing, live chat, customer portal |
| **Intercom** | SaaS and product-led companies | Live chat, in-app support, AI chatbot, customer messaging |
| **Front** | Teams using email heavily | Shared inbox, collaboration, customer communication workflows |
| **Gorgias** | Ecommerce businesses | Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce integrations; order-aware support |
| **Jira Service Management** | IT support and internal help desk | ITSM workflows, asset/change management, developer-friendly integrations |
| **LiveAgent** | SMBs needing many channels | Email, chat, phone, social media, and ticketing in one platform |
| **Groove** | Small teams wanting simplicity | Lightweight help desk, shared inbox, knowledge base |
| **Crisp** | Startups and small businesses | Live chat, chatbot, shared inbox, affordable pricing |
| **Hiver** | Google Workspace teams | Help desk built directly into Gmail |
| **Zammad** | Open-source option | Self-hosted or cloud, ticketing, email/chat/social support |
| **FreeScout** | Low-cost self-hosted help desk | Open-source, lightweight alternative to Help Scout |

### Best picks by need

- **Best overall SMB option:** Freshdesk
- **Best for simplicity:** Help Scout or Groove
- **Best for ecommerce:** Gorgias
- **Best for SaaS/in-app support:** Intercom
- **Best for IT help desk:** Jira Service Management
- **Best budget option:** Zoho Desk
- **Best Gmail-based option:** Hiver
- **Best open-source option:** Zammad or FreeScout

When replacing legacy help desk software, prioritize: ease of migration, automation, omnichannel support, reporting, integrations with CRM/email/chat tools, and AI/self-service capabilities.


Best customer support software for a professional services firm under 100 people

For a professional services firm under 100 people, the best customer support software usually depends on how formal your support process is and what tools you already use.

## Best overall picks

### 1. **Help Scout** — Best for client-focused professional services
Best if your firm handles support mostly through email and wants a polished, personal client experience.

**Good for:**
- Consulting firms, agencies, accounting firms, legal/professional services
- Shared inboxes
- Client-friendly email support
- Knowledge base
- Simple workflows without too much complexity

**Why choose it:** Easy to implement, clean interface, and feels less “ticketing system” to clients.

---

### 2. **Zendesk** — Best if you need mature ticketing and scale
Best if you have a higher volume of requests or need stronger automation, SLAs, reporting, and multi-channel support.

**Good for:**
- Formal support teams
- SLA tracking
- Knowledge base
- Client portals
- Reporting and workflow automation

**Why choose it:** Powerful and proven, but can be more complex and expensive than smaller firms need.

---

### 3. **Freshdesk** — Best value alternative to Zendesk
Best if you want many Zendesk-like features at a more approachable price.

**Good for:**
- Ticketing
- Automations
- SLAs
- Knowledge base
- Email, chat, and phone support

**Why choose it:** Strong feature set for the price and easier to manage than Zendesk for many small firms.

---

### 4. **HubSpot Service Hub** — Best if you already use HubSpot CRM
Best if client support should be closely tied to sales, account management, and marketing data.

**Good for:**
- Firms already using HubSpot
- CRM-connected support
- Client history visibility
- Ticket pipelines
- Customer success workflows

**Why choose it:** Excellent if you want one system for CRM and support.

---

### 5. **Front** — Best for high-touch client communications
Best if your support is less “ticket queue” and more relationship-based communication across email, SMS, and shared inboxes.

**Good for:**
- Account management teams
- Client service teams
- Shared inbox collaboration
- Email-heavy professional services

**Why choose it:** Great for managing client conversations while keeping a personal feel.

---

## My recommendation

For most professional services firms under 100 people:

- Choose **Help Scout** if you want simple, polished client support.
- Choose **Freshdesk** if you want structured ticketing, SLAs, and good value.
- Choose **HubSpot Service Hub** if you already use HubSpot.
- Choose **Front** if your support is relationship-driven and email-heavy.
- Choose **Zendesk** only if you need advanced support operations or expect to scale significantly.

## Shortlist

| Software | Best For |
|---|---|
| **Help Scout** | Best overall for small professional services firms |
| **Freshdesk** | Best value ticketing platform |
| **HubSpot Service Hub** | Best CRM-connected support |
| **Front** | Best shared inbox/client communication |
| **Zendesk** | Best enterprise-grade option |

If I had to pick one for a typical professional services firm under 100 people, I’d start with **Help Scout** or **Freshdesk**.


What help desk has the best mobile app for small business support teams?

For most small business support teams, **Freshdesk** is the best help desk choice if the **mobile app** is a priority.

Why Freshdesk stands out:

- Strong iOS and Android apps
- Easy ticket viewing, replying, assigning, and closing
- Push notifications for new or urgent tickets
- Good team collaboration features
- Affordable plans for small teams
- Easier to set up than Zendesk

Best options by use case:

| Help desk | Best for |
|---|---|
| **Freshdesk** | Best overall mobile app for small business support |
| **Zendesk** | More advanced support teams that need customization |
| **Help Scout** | Simple shared inbox and customer-friendly support |
| **Zoho Desk** | Budget-conscious teams already using Zoho |
| **Intercom** | Live chat and conversational support |

My recommendation: **Choose Freshdesk** if you want a capable mobile help desk app without too much complexity or enterprise-level pricing.


Which customer support software is best value for money for a small company?

For most small companies, **Freshdesk** is usually the best value for money.

It offers a strong mix of:

- Free/low-cost plans
- Email and ticket management
- Knowledge base features
- Automation
- Team collaboration tools
- Live chat and omnichannel options on higher plans
- Easier setup than many enterprise tools

### Best value picks by use case

| Use case | Best option |
|---|---|
| Best overall value | **Freshdesk** |
| Very small team on a tight budget | **Zoho Desk** |
| Simple, human-style email support | **Help Scout** |
| Sales + support in one place | **HubSpot Service Hub** |
| More advanced/enterprise needs | **Zendesk** |

### My recommendation

If you’re a small company and want something affordable, easy to use, and scalable, choose **Freshdesk**.

If price is the main concern, compare it with **Zoho Desk**, which is often cheaper and still very capable.

If your support is mostly email-based and you want a clean, customer-friendly experience, consider **Help Scout**.


What is the best help desk software for a 50-person company?

For a **50-person company**, the best help desk software is usually **Freshdesk** if you want the strongest balance of ease of use, pricing, and room to grow; for a more advanced IT-style service desk, **HaloITSM** is a strong alternative, and **Zendesk** is often the premium choice if you need deeper enterprise features.[1][5][7][8]

A practical way to choose is:

- **Freshdesk** — best all-around fit for a 50-person team, especially if budget matters and you want a straightforward rollout.[2][7][8]
- **Help Scout** — good if your team wants a simpler, customer-support-focused inbox experience rather than a heavy ITSM platform.[8][11]
- **Zendesk** — best if you expect more complex workflows, integrations, and higher support volume, but it is often more than a small company needs.[8][13][15]
- **HaloITSM** — best if your “help desk” is really internal IT support and you want a very capable service desk with transparent pricing and strong usability.[5]
- **Jira Service Management** — best if your support team is tightly connected to engineering/DevOps workflows.[8][13]

What to prioritize for a 50-person company:
- **Ticketing and shared inbox** for email, chat, and web requests.[1][10]
- **Automation** for routing, tagging, and SLAs.[1][12]
- **Reporting** so you can track response times and workload.[1][20]
- **Integrations** with your CRM, identity tools, and internal systems.[1][10]
- **Pricing that scales** without forcing you into enterprise tiers too early.[1][2][7]

If you want one direct recommendation: **Freshdesk** is the safest default choice for most 50-person companies, while **HaloITSM** is better if your primary use case is internal IT support.[2][5][7]


Best customer support software for small business

For most small businesses, **Help Scout** is the safest default if you want a simple shared inbox with a gentle learning curve.[1] If your business is already handling a lot of repeat tickets and wants more automation, **Freshdesk** or **Zoho Desk** are stronger value options, while **Gorgias** is often the best fit for Shopify-heavy ecommerce support.[1][5][6]

A practical way to choose is:

- **Help Scout** — best for a small team that mainly needs a clean, easy shared inbox.[1]
- **Freshdesk** — best if you want an affordable, broader helpdesk with more room to grow.[1][10]
- **Zoho Desk** — best if you want multichannel support plus workflow automation at a lower cost.[5][10]
- **Gorgias** — best for ecommerce, especially Shopify stores with chat-first automation.[1][6]
- **HubSpot Service Hub** — best if you already use HubSpot and want tight CRM integration.[10]

If you want the **simplest recommendation**, start with **Help Scout**.[1] If you want the **best value for a growing support volume**, compare **Freshdesk** and **Zoho Desk** next.[1][5][10]


We're a 30 person startup and support email is a mess in a shared Gmail inbox. What customer support software should we buy?

For a **30-person startup** with a messy **shared Gmail inbox**, the safest default buy is **Freshdesk** if you want to move fast with email-first support, or **Help Scout** if you want the simplest “shared inbox that feels like email” experience. Freshdesk is repeatedly recommended for small teams centralizing inquiries across channels with automation and SLA workflows, while Help Scout is commonly positioned as a lightweight, email-centric support tool for startups and small businesses.[2][4][13]

If you want a quick shortlist:

| Tool | Best fit | Why it’s a strong choice |
|---|---|---|
| **Freshdesk** | Best all-around for a growing 30-person team | Centralizes support across email/chat/phone/social and adds automation, SLA controls, and escalation workflows.[2][4][7] |
| **Help Scout** | Best if you want “better Gmail” | Best for teams that want a simple shared inbox, low friction, and less of a ticketing-system feel.[13] |
| **Zendesk** | Best if you expect complexity soon | Strong omnichannel ticketing, automation, and SLA control, but usually feels heavier than Freshdesk or Help Scout for early-stage teams.[1][12] |
| **HubSpot Service Hub** | Best if CRM context matters a lot | Good when support should be tied closely to customer records and pipeline context.[1] |
| **Zoho Desk** | Best budget/value option | Often recommended for small businesses needing multichannel handling with workflow automation and AI assistance.[2] |

My recommendation for your situation:
- Choose **Freshdesk** if you want the best balance of **structure, automation, and scalability** without jumping straight to an enterprise-heavy tool.[2][7]
- Choose **Help Scout** if your team mainly wants to **clean up shared email support** with minimal process change and a gentler learning curve.[13]
- Choose **Zendesk** only if you already know you need **advanced routing, SLAs, and more formal support operations** soon.[1][12]

A practical rule of thumb for a team your size is that entry-level help desk plans often start around **$10–$30 per user per month**, with more advanced automation and analytics pushing higher.[11][15]

If you want, I can give you a **2-minute decision** between **Freshdesk vs Help Scout vs Zendesk** based on your volume, channels, and budget.


Recommend a help desk tool for a company with under 100 employees.

For a company with **under 100 employees**, I’d recommend **Help Scout** as the safest default choice: it is repeatedly positioned as a top option for small businesses, with a **shared inbox**, **automation**, **AI assistance**, and an interface designed to be easy to use.[7][12]

If your team is especially cost-sensitive, **Zoho Desk** is the best budget-first alternative, while **Featurebase** is a strong pick for product-led SaaS teams that want support, a knowledge base, and feedback in one tool.[5][16]

A simple way to choose:

- **Help Scout** — best overall for small teams that want a clean, email-first help desk with room to grow.[7][12]
- **Zoho Desk** — best if **affordability** matters most.[5][16]
- **Featurebase** — best if you run a **product-led SaaS** and want support plus product feedback in one platform.[5]
- **Zendesk** — best if you expect **more complex workflows** and routing later.[5][16]
- **Hiver** — best if your team lives in **Google Workspace** and wants a shared inbox model.[5][16]

If you want one recommendation without extra context: **Help Scout** is the best all-around fit for most sub-100-person companies.[7][12]


affordable customer support ticketing software for SMB

For an **affordable customer support ticketing system for SMBs**, the strongest value picks are **Zoho Desk**, **Freshdesk**, and **Help Scout**. If you want the lowest entry cost, **Zoho Desk** starts at **$7/agent/month**, **Freshdesk** at **$15/agent/month** with a free tier, and **Help Scout** at **$25/user/month** with a free tier.[1][6][11]

A practical short list:

- **Zoho Desk** — best budget choice for SMBs, especially if you already use Zoho; pricing starts at **$7/agent/month** and it has a free plan for up to **3 agents**.[1][6][11]
- **Freshdesk** — best all-around low-cost option for growing teams; starts at **$15/agent/month** and includes a free plan for small teams.[1][7][11]
- **Help Scout** — best for email-first support and a simple shared inbox; starts at **$25/user/month** and offers a free tier.[1][11]
- **JitBit** — low-cost option for technical support teams; starts at **$29/month** for 1 agent.[1]
- **osTicket** — best if you want a **free self-hosted** option and have the technical resources to run it.[1][6][8]

If your team is very small, free plans can be enough to start: **Freshdesk** offers a free plan, **Zoho Desk** has a free plan for 3 users, and **osTicket** is free if self-hosted.[1][6][19]

A simple way to choose:
- Choose **Zoho Desk** if price is the top priority and you want solid ticket management.[1][6][11]
- Choose **Freshdesk** if you want the best balance of affordability, ease of use, and growth room.[1][7][11]
- Choose **Help Scout** if your support is mostly handled through email and you want a lighter workflow.[1][11]
- Choose **osTicket** if you prefer no license cost and can handle hosting/admin work.[1][6][8]

For SMB support budgets, many tools cluster around **$10–$30 per user per month**, with free plans often suitable for very small teams or low ticket volumes.[11][20]


What help desk software do small companies actually use?

Small companies most often use **Help Scout, Freshdesk, Zoho Desk, HubSpot Service Hub, Front, Hiver, and Zendesk**—with the “best” choice usually depending on whether they want an email-first inbox, omnichannel ticketing, or a tighter CRM/workspace fit.[2][4][7][15]

The pattern across the small-business roundups is pretty consistent:

- **Help Scout** for teams that want a simple shared inbox and a more personal, email-first support style.[2][4][8][12][15]
- **Freshdesk** for growing teams that need straightforward ticketing plus automation and omnichannel support.[2][4][7][13][15]
- **Zoho Desk** for budget-conscious companies, especially those already using Zoho tools.[2][4][7][12][17]
- **HubSpot Service Hub** for companies already living in HubSpot CRM.[2][4][15]
- **Front** for collaborative inbox workflows and customer-facing teams handling shared conversations.[2][4][7][15]
- **Hiver** for teams working directly from Gmail or Google Workspace.[2][7][15]
- **Zendesk** for companies that expect to scale into more advanced workflows and customization.[3][12][15]

If you want the most practical “what do they actually use?” answer, it’s usually a mix of **Freshdesk, Help Scout, and Zoho Desk** for small businesses that care about price and ease of use, while **Zendesk** shows up when the company is growing fast or needs deeper workflows.[2][4][7][15]

If you want, I can also break this down by **very small teams (1–10 people)**, **ecommerce**, **B2B SaaS**, or **IT support**.


We get about 200 support emails a week and keep losing track of them. What should I get?

If you’re losing track of **support emails**, you should get a **shared inbox/help desk**, not just a personal email organizer. Tools like **Help Scout**, **Zendesk**, or **Front** are designed for team inboxes, assignment, collision avoidance, and tracking so messages don’t get lost.[1][8][13]

For your volume, the best fit depends on how formal your support process is:

| Best fit | Get this if... | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **Help Scout** | You want a straightforward customer support inbox | It’s positioned as a full customer support help desk and starts at $25/user/month.[1] |
| **Zendesk** | You need ticketing, routing, and stronger support operations | It’s listed as email management software for customer experience and employee service.[8] |
| **Front** | You want a shared inbox with team collaboration | It’s recommended for teams sharing addresses like support@ and ops@.[13] |
| **Missive** | You want a simpler team inbox that also supports chat/SMS/WhatsApp | It’s built for team collaboration across channels and starts free for 3 users.[1] |

If your main problem is simply *keeping track* of 200 emails a week, I’d start with **Help Scout** for customer support or **Front** if you want a shared inbox that feels lighter-weight.[1][13]

A few practical rules from high-volume email guidance also matter: use a clear process for **delete, delegate, defer, or do**, batch email checking instead of constantly monitoring, and only add AI automation after the workflow is defined.[2][5]


Cheapest help desk software that isn't terrible

If you want the **cheapest help desk software that still has a decent reputation**, the best bets are **Freshdesk Free** and **Zoho Desk Free** for SaaS/cloud, and **FreeScout** or **HESK** if you’re okay with self-hosting.[1][2][11]

- **Best free cloud option:** **Freshdesk Free** — free for up to **10 agents**, and one source specifically calls it the best free tier if you want a polished SaaS helpdesk.[1][2]
- **Best free cloud option for smaller teams:** **Zoho Desk Free** — free for up to **3 agents**, often described as a strong budget-friendly all-around choice.[1][11][18]
- **Cheapest truly $0 option overall:** **FreeScout** — open-source and self-hosted, so the software itself is free, but you pay for hosting and maintenance.[1][11]
- **Cheapest “paid but still affordable” option:** **HESK** — self-hosted with roughly **$10/month hosting** cited in one comparison, making it extremely cheap if you can manage setup.[2]

A practical rule of thumb:
- Choose **Freshdesk Free** if you want the **least hassle** and up to 10 agents.[1][2]
- Choose **Zoho Desk Free** if you have **3 or fewer agents** and want a low-cost, established product.[1][11][18]
- Choose **FreeScout** if you want **lowest possible cash cost** and can handle self-hosting.[1][11]
- Avoid the ultra-cheap options only if you need heavy workflows, advanced automation, or polished onboarding; many paid plans start around **$9–$15 per user/agent/month**.[6][9][15][16]

If you want, I can narrow this to the **best option for 1–3 agents**, **best for email-only support**, or **best for Shopify/SaaS support**.


Best customer support tool for a support team of one

For a **support team of one**, the best customer support tool is usually **Help Scout** if you mainly handle email and want something simple, fast, and low-overhead.[6][11] If you need a more feature-rich, scalable help desk with heavier automation and omnichannel support, **Freshdesk** or **Zendesk** are stronger options.[1][13]

A practical way to choose:

| Best fit | Tool | Why it stands out |
|---|---|---|
| **Best overall for a team of one** | **Help Scout** | Commonly recommended for small, email-first teams because it is simpler and easier to manage than enterprise tools.[6][11] |
| **Best budget-friendly small-team help desk** | **Freshdesk** | Frequently ranked as a strong small-business option with a broader help desk feature set.[9][13] |
| **Best if you expect to grow quickly** | **Zendesk** | Best suited to teams that need depth, customization, and more advanced workflows.[6][1] |
| **Best for chat-led product support** | **Intercom** | Better if most support happens through in-app chat and product messaging.[6] |
| **Best for Shopify/ecommerce** | **Gorgias** | Designed around ecommerce support workflows.[6] |

If you are truly solo, the key decision is usually this:

- **Pick Help Scout** if you want the least friction and mostly answer support via email.[6][11]
- **Pick Freshdesk** if you want more help desk structure without jumping straight to enterprise complexity.[9][13]
- **Pick Zendesk** only if you already know you need advanced customization, automation, or multiple channels from day one.[1][6]

If you want, I can also give you a **1-tool recommendation based on your support channel**: email, live chat, or ecommerce.


customer service software recommendations for mid-market companies

For **mid-market companies**, the strongest customer service software options are usually **Freshdesk**, **Zendesk**, and **Nextiva** because they balance omnichannel support, automation, and pricing better than most enterprise-first tools.[2][8][14]

- **Freshdesk** — Best **feature-to-price ratio** for mid-market support teams; it offers strong automation and is called out as a mid-market-friendly choice with pricing from **$19/agent/month** billed yearly.[2]
- **Zendesk** — Best if you need a more mature **omnichannel** helpdesk with broad integrations and room to scale; it is consistently listed as a top all-round platform for teams of all sizes.[2][8][14]
- **Nextiva** — Best if your support operation is tightly tied to **voice/telephony** and you want a unified communications plus CX platform.[8]
- **CloudTalk** — Best for **contact center** use cases in mid-market teams that want AI, CRM depth, and routing rather than a classic helpdesk.[13]
- **Help Scout** — Good for teams that want a simpler, customer-friendly support stack with a lighter operational footprint.[16]
- **Five9** — Better for larger mid-market teams that need **AI-driven inbound and outbound call center** capabilities at scale.[13]

A practical short list for most mid-market buyers would be:

| Need | Best fit |
|---|---|
| Best overall value | **Freshdesk** |
| Most scalable helpdesk | **Zendesk** |
| Voice-heavy support | **Nextiva** |
| Contact-center depth | **CloudTalk** |
| Simple, lean support ops | **Help Scout** |

If you want, I can narrow this to the **best 3 options** for your team based on channels, headcount, and budget.


What's a good help desk for a 200 employee company?

For a **200-employee company**, a good default choice is **Freshdesk** if you want a modern, easy-to-use help desk with solid automation and multichannel support at a relatively low starting price.[4] If your need is specifically **internal IT help desk / ITSM**, **HaloITSM** is a strong overall pick, and **Console** is positioned well for small IT teams supporting a few hundred employees.[2][6]

A practical short list:

- **Freshdesk** — best if you want a balance of **affordability, ease of use, and scalability** for a company of your size.[4]
- **HaloITSM** — best if you need a more complete **IT service management** platform rather than just ticketing.[2]
- **Zendesk** — best if you expect to grow into **advanced features** and can support higher per-user pricing.[3][12]
- **Console** — best if you have a **lean IT team** and want automation to reduce manual work.[6]
- **Help Scout** — good if your support workflow is simpler and you want something straightforward for a small team.[5][7]

If this is for **employee IT support** rather than customer support, the key features to look for are **ticket routing, automations, SLA management, employee portals, asset tracking, and change management**.[1][15]

For most 200-person companies, I’d start with:
- **Freshdesk** if budget and simplicity matter most.[4]
- **HaloITSM** if you need formal ITSM processes.[2]
- **Zendesk** if you want a more enterprise-ready platform and can pay more.[3][12]

If you want, I can narrow it to the **best 3 options** based on whether this is for **IT**, **HR**, or **customer support**.


Which customer support platforms are easiest to set up for a small business?

For a **small business**, the easiest customer support platforms to set up are usually **Freshdesk**, **Zoho Desk**, **HubSpot Service Hub**, and **Tidio**. Freshworks says Freshdesk and Zoho Desk are “simple to set up” and “intuitive to use,” while G2 notes HubSpot Service Hub is “easy to set up and navigate,” and Zendesk lists Tidio as best for small businesses.[4][12][7]

A practical shortlist by setup simplicity:

- **Tidio** — fastest if you mainly want **live chat** and lightweight automation; Zendesk positions it as best for small businesses.[7]
- **Freshdesk** — a strong choice for **fast setup** and a familiar ticketing workflow; Freshworks highlights it as especially popular with small businesses because it is simple to set up.[4][5]
- **Zoho Desk** — good if you want a **budget-friendly** help desk with straightforward setup; Freshworks and ProProfs both place it among small-business-friendly options.[4][18]
- **HubSpot Service Hub** — easiest if you already use **HubSpot CRM**; G2 says it is easy to set up and navigate, with strong CRM integration.[12]
- **Help Scout / Front / Hiver** — often recommended for teams that want a **clean interface** and minimal learning curve; Front and Venture Harbour emphasize quick setup and a low learning curve.[13][14]

If you want the **absolute easiest** setup for a very small team, the best fit is usually:

- **Tidio** for quick website chat
- **Freshdesk** for a simple full help desk
- **HubSpot Service Hub** if you already run your business in HubSpot

For most small businesses, basic setup can take **a few hours to a couple of days**, and some tools can be live within an hour if you only need email routing and a few canned replies.[5][8]


Best help desk software for a growing SaaS startup

For a **growing SaaS startup**, the safest default choices are **Intercom** if you are product-led and want in-app chat plus AI, **Help Scout** if you want the simplest shared inbox, and **Freshdesk** if you want broader features at a lower price point.[1][2]

A practical way to choose is by support motion:

| Best fit | Software | Why it stands out |
|---|---|---|
| Product-led SaaS, in-app support, AI | **Intercom** | Strong for in-app messaging and product-led support; cited as the standard choice for PLG SaaS.[1][2] |
| Simple email-style support | **Help Scout** | Best for calm, easy shared-inbox workflows and team-friendly support.[2][13] |
| Budget-conscious growth | **Freshdesk** | Good value with broad features; also noted for practical pricing and phone support.[1][2] |
| B2B SaaS in Slack/Teams | **Pylon** or **Plain** | Better fit when customers talk to you in Slack or Teams.[1] |
| Heavier operations and future scale | **Zendesk** | Stronger if you expect more structured workflows, SLAs, and scaling complexity.[1][2] |

If you want one recommendation without more context: **Intercom** is the best overall pick for most modern SaaS startups that support users inside the product, while **Help Scout** is the best low-friction alternative and **Freshdesk** is the best value option.[1][2]

The main decision point is your customer communication channel: if support happens inside the app, choose **Intercom**; if it is mostly email, choose **Help Scout**; if cost matters most, choose **Freshdesk**; and if support lives in Slack, choose **Pylon** or **Plain**.[1][2]

If you want, I can also give you a **shortlist by headcount and budget** such as “best for 5-person team,” “best under $100/month,” or “best replacement for Zendesk.”