Best Help Desk Software & Ticketing System Comparison

Quick Summary:

In the world of customer support, the right help desk software can make all the difference, as it ensures quick, personalized support, reduces team workload, and boosts customer loyalty and brand reputation.

In this article, we compare the top 26 help desk software and ticketing systems, making your decision-making process a breeze.

Providing excellent customer support used to be a nice-to-have for companies. However, in a fast-paced business world, customers expect not only quality support but also super-fast response times. And, if your company can't provide this, your customers are more likely to turn to your competitors.

Whether resolving customer queries swiftly, never losing track of support tickets, or ensuring seamless communication across various channels, the right help desk software becomes your frontline solution. With businesses grappling with high customer interactions and the need for personalized support, these software solutions are designed to alleviate all potential challenges your customer support team might face.

Not only will help desk software enhance your customer loyalty and strengthen your brand's reputation, but it will also make the lives of your support team easier. Let's explore the best help desk software solutions on the market that can transform your customer service experience and reduce your team's workload!

What is Help Desk Software?

Help desk software is a solution that manages and streamlines customer service inquiries and issues. It serves as a point of contact between service providers and users, tracking and prioritizing requests through what is known as a ticketing system. This software allows companies to tackle both internal and external issues.

Now that we've answered the question "what is a help desk," another question hangs in the air, "what is ticketing?" In short, it's a method of organizing customer inquiries (tickets) based on various factors like urgency, type of issue, or customer status. This system helps service teams track, prioritize, and solve customer issues effectively and efficiently.

These software solutions often come with features such as automation, reporting, and integration with other tools, which further enhance the customer support process. They are designed to boost customer satisfaction, increase the efficiency of support teams, and provide critical insights for business improvement.

Whether you're a small business or a large corporation, help desk software can be a game-changer. It makes handling customer issues easier and helps build stronger relationships with your clients by providing timely and efficient support.

What Are the Different Types of Help Desk Software?

Here are some of the most common types of help desk software: 

• IT Service desk software

• Ticketing help desk software

• On-premise help desk software

• Cloud-based help desk software

• Enterprise help desk software

• Customer service software

• Open-source help desk software
   

1. IT Service Desk Software

This type of software is explicitly designed to manage IT services within a company. It usually includes features such as incident management, problem management, change and release management, and asset management. It aims to provide a single point of contact for all IT-related concerns.
 

2. Ticketing Help Desk Software

This system handles and tracks customer service requests, often called 'tickets.' It manages the entire lifecycle of a ticket, from its creation to resolution, to ensure every customer issue is effectively addressed and nothing slips through the cracks.
 

3. On-Premise Help Desk Software

This software is installed and runs on the servers within the company's premises. While it may require more upfront investment and maintenance than cloud-based solutions, it offers greater control over the data and customizability and typically performs better due to local hosting.
 

4. Cloud-Based Help Desk Software

This type is hosted on the provider's server and accessed via the Internet. It's highly scalable and often more cost-effective, which makes it a popular choice for many businesses.
 

5. Enterprise Help Desk Software

This software type is designed to handle the high volume and complex needs of large corporations. It typically includes advanced features such as multichannel support, detailed analytics, and robust integration capabilities.
 

6. Customer Service Software

While similar to help desk software, this focuses more on customer-facing issues and often includes customer relationship management (CRM) features.
 

7. Open Source Help Desk Software

This type of software is customizable as its source code is publicly accessible. It's a good option for businesses with specific needs and the technical expertise to modify the software.

Help Desk Software Comparison Chart (Top 10 Highest Rated)

Here's a quick peek at our top 10 help desk ticketing system comparison. It shows what the top 10 tools are best for, their cost, and a link to their website where you can discover more. Let's take a look!

What is the Best Help Desk Software? Here's Our Top 26 List:

It's finally time to dive into our curated list of help desk software for 2023 for enhancing support and customer service. We'll uncover the top pick, the finest options for small businesses and SMBs, the best software for IT teams, and more. 

Let's begin!
 

1. Zendesk for Service (Best Help Desk Software Overall)

Why we chose it:

Zendesk's service desk platform is designed to simplify tasks for support reps and expedite customer response times.

It supports various channels, including live chat, social media, and phone calls, while AI-powered bots automate routine tasks. Its intelligent workflows route specific tickets to the right representative, and users can be directed to self-service knowledge bases for quick solutions.

Additionally, the Zendesk MonkeyLearn integration makes this software highly versatile and practical. At the same time, comprehensive reporting and compatibility with Microsoft Teams add to its functionality, making it one of the top help desk software options.

As you can learn in our detailed Zendesk review, pricing starts at $19 per user/month, billed annually, with more advanced plans and enterprise packages available.

Pros:

• Enables handling of customer interactions across multiple platforms.

• Streamlines support with automated routine tasks.

• Efficiently routes tickets to the appropriate service representative.

• Allows users to find solutions via self-help knowledge bases.

• Provides comprehensive insights into service operations.

Cons:

• It can be pricey, especially for small businesses.

• It requires time to understand and use its full feature set.

• Its customization options may be insufficient for unique service needs.

Pricing:

• Support Team, $19/agent/month, billed annually 

• Support Professional, $49/agent/month, billed annually 

• Support Enterprise, $99/agent/month, billed annually 

• Suite Team, $49/agent/month, billed annually 

• Suite Growth, $79/agent/month, billed annually 

• Suite Professional, $99/agent/month, billed annually 

• Suite Enterprise, $150/agent/month, billed annually 

• Suite Enterprise Plus, $215/agent/month, billed annually 

Visit Site
^{Go to Zendesk for Service's official website}

2. Zoho Desk (Best Small Business Ticketing System)

Why we chose it:

Zoho Desk is an all-in-one help desk solution and the best ticketing system for small businesses. It streamlines ticketing and includes automation features to simplify service agent tasks.

Zoho Desk supports multichannel customer interactions, and its AI assistant, Zia, can interact with customers, analyze sentiment, and tag tickets automatically.

Knowledge-based tools enable self-service, and seamless integration with Zoho CRM enhances agent productivity. It offers robust analytics and real-time reports.

Another thing that makes it one of the best ticketing systems for small businesses is its pricing. Pricing ranges from a free version offering basic features to the $40 enterprise plan, all billed annually per user.

Free trials are also available.

Pros:

• Allows customer interactions across different platforms.

• It comes with an AI assistant that can automate tasks.

• Provides self-help knowledge bases for customers.

• Seamlessly integrates with Zoho CRM for increased productivity.

• Offers comprehensive analytics and real-time reports

Cons:

• Some users might find navigating its extensive features complex.

• Some users have reported slow response times from customer support.

Pricing:

• Free plan

• Zoho Desk Express, $7/user/month, billed annually 

• Standard, $14/user/month, billed annually 

• Professional, $23/user/month, billed annually 

• Enterprise, $40/user/month, billed annually 

Visit Site
^{Go to Zoho Desk's official website}

3. Freshdesk (Best Help Desk CRM Ticketing System)

Why we chose it:

Freshdesk is the best CRM helpdesk ticketing system that features a ticket management system with AI automation, including Freddy. This AI tool functions as a chatbot and routes tickets to the most suitable agents.

The platform supports an omnichannel approach, accommodating email, phone, chat, and more.

Additional features like help widgets, web forms, and rage-click detection help you improve user experience, while customizable reporting and knowledge base analytics provide valuable insights.

You can learn more about this tool in our latest Freshdesk review.

Pros:

• It has an excellent AI tool that improves ticket routing and can function as a chatbot.

• Allows customer interactions across multiple platforms.

• It enhances collaboration and facilitates the creation of canned responses.

• Offers web forms, personalized content, and rage-click detection to improve user experience.

• Provides insights with one-click reports and knowledge base analytics.

Cons:

• The most advanced features are locked behind the higher tiers.

• Some of the functionalities can be a bit buggy.

Pricing:

• Free plan

• Growth, $15/agent/month, billed annually 

• Pro, $49/agent/month, billed annually 

• Enterprise, $79/agent/month, billed annually 

Visit Site
^{Go to Freshdesk's official website}

4. Freshservice (Top ITSM Ticketing System)

Why we chose it:

Freshservice, another product from Freshworks, is an IT Service Management (ITSM) platform designed for IT departments. With over 40,000 customers, it helps ensure IT support activities align with company operations.

As an IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) tool, Freshservice streamlines various service request phases, including strategy, design, and continual improvement. The tool is primarily used for technical issues and asset management but offers real-time reporting.

Unfortunately, Freshservice doesn't have a free version. Pricing starts at $19 per user/month (billed annually).

Pros:

• Tailored for IT departments.

• Streamlines various service request phases.

• Efficiently handles software bugs and glitches.

• Provides comprehensive asset tracking.

• Offers immediate insights into IT operations.

Cons:

• There's no free plan.

• Its IT-oriented features might not be helpful for non-IT departments.

Pricing:

• Starter, $19/user/month, billed annually 

• Growth, $49/user/month, billed annually 

• Pro, $95/user/month, billed annually 

• Enterprise, $119/user/month, billed annually 

Visit Site
^{Go to Freshservice's official website}

5. Hubspot Ticketing System (Simple Help Desk Software for SMBs)

Why we chose it:

HubSpot Service Hub is a popular help desk solution developed by Hubspot. The software is geared toward startups and small businesses seeking to scale, as it comes with several monthly plans and a free version.

HubSpot offers significant CRM functionality, standard conversation tools, a full suite of help desk automation features, customer surveys, real-time reporting, and knowledge base features.

Advanced plans provide team management for support department heads and features like custom reporting, a multi-language knowledge base, and a customer self-service portal.

For even more details, read our comprehensive HubSpot CRM review.

Pros:

• Provides extensive customer data for each issue.

• Offers a full suite of help desk automation tools.

• Provides immediate insights into customer interactions.

• Enables the creation of self-service resources for customers.

• It is ideal for startups and SMBs looking to grow.

Cons:

• Higher-tier plans can be expensive.

• Additional costs apply for extra users.

• Some users may find navigating its wide array of features complex.

Pricing:

• Free plan

• Starter, $18/month for two users

• Professional, $450/month for five users

• Enterprise, $1200/month for ten users

Visit Site
^{Go to HubSpot's official website}

6. Liveagent (Top Help Desk Platform for Freelancers and Solo Entrepreneurs)

Why we chose it:

LiveAgent prioritizes simplicity, offering a robust ticketing system with a universal inbox for managing tickets, including tagging and note-adding functionalities.

Tickets can transition between channels, and canned messages can be automated. LiveAgent supports SLA management, which is crucial for customer satisfaction, and provides various communication tools like live chat, a call center, and integration with social media.

A customer portal and knowledge base builder are also included. 

Pros:

• Centralizes ticket management, including tagging and note-adding functionalities.

• Allows seamless transition of tickets between channels.

• Helps maintain service level agreements.

• Provides diverse tools like live chat, a call center, and social media utilities.

• Facilitates the creation of self-service resources for customers.

Cons:

• It may require some time for users to understand its functionalities fully.

• There is no free plan. 

Pricing:

• Small, $9/agent/month

• Medium, $29/agent/month

• Large, $49/agent/month

• Enterprise, $69/agent/month

Visit Site
^{Go to LiveAgent's official website}
 

7. ServiceNow (IT Help Desk Ticketing System for Large IT Departments)