Best help desk software 2026
Top picks for help desk software 2026: Zendesk (large support teams that need a wide app marketplace and enterprise-grade reporting, no free plan, only a 14-day free trial; paid Support Team from about $19 per agent per month billed annually, Suite plans from about $55 per agent per month), Freshdesk (small support teams wanting the Freshworks ecosystem at a lower entry price than Zendesk, no lasting free plan: the Free program now covers only 2 agents for 6 months, down from a previous 10-agent forever-free tier; paid Growth from about $19 per agent per month billed annually ($22 monthly)), Help Scout (small teams that want a shared-inbox feel and a real free tier to start on, free plan for up to 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, capped at 100 contacts per month; paid Standard from about $25 per user per month billed annually). All 4 tools here are compared on pricing, free plans, features and platforms, verified against vendor sources.
Pricing and features verified against each vendor's published information on 2026-09-17. Sources linked below.
At a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Pricing from | Best for | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zendesk | No | No free plan, only a 14-day free trial; paid Support Team from about $19 per agent per month billed annually, Suite plans from about $55 per agent per month | large support teams that need a wide app marketplace and enterprise-grade reporting | Web, iOS, Android |
| Freshdesk | No | No lasting free plan: the Free program now covers only 2 agents for 6 months, down from a previous 10-agent forever-free tier; paid Growth from about $19 per agent per month billed annually ($22 monthly) | small support teams wanting the Freshworks ecosystem at a lower entry price than Zendesk | Web, iOS, Android |
| Help Scout | Yes | Free plan for up to 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, capped at 100 contacts per month; paid Standard from about $25 per user per month billed annually | small teams that want a shared-inbox feel and a real free tier to start on | Web, iOS, Android |
| Intercom | No | No free plan; paid Essential from about $29 per seat per month billed annually ($39 monthly), Advanced from about $85 per seat per month | product-led companies wanting live chat, in-app messaging and an AI agent in one platform | Web, iOS, Android |
The shortlist
1. Zendesk
Paid onlyFounded 2007
No free plan, only a 14-day free trial; paid Support Team from about $19 per agent per month billed annually, Suite plans from about $55 per agent per month. Best for large support teams that need a wide app marketplace and enterprise-grade reporting.
- Omnichannel ticketing across email, chat, voice and social
- AI-assisted ticket triage and reply suggestions
- One of the largest third-party app marketplaces of the four
- Advanced reporting, SLAs and role-based permissions on higher tiers
2. Freshdesk
Paid onlyFounded 2010
No lasting free plan: the Free program now covers only 2 agents for 6 months, down from a previous 10-agent forever-free tier; paid Growth from about $19 per agent per month billed annually ($22 monthly). Best for small support teams wanting the Freshworks ecosystem at a lower entry price than Zendesk.
- Free program covers 2 agents for 6 months only, a genuine 2026 downgrade from its old 10-agent forever-free tier
- Freddy AI Copilot is a paid add-on at about $29 per agent per month on eligible plans
- Built-in knowledge base and multi-channel support (email, chat, phone, social)
- Part of the wider Freshworks suite, alongside Freshsales CRM
3. Help Scout
Free planFounded 2011
Free plan for up to 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, capped at 100 contacts per month; paid Standard from about $25 per user per month billed annually. Best for small teams that want a shared-inbox feel and a real free tier to start on.
- Shared-inbox model rather than a traditional ticket queue
- Only one of the four with a genuine forever-free tier
- Built-in knowledge base (Docs) included from the free plan up
- 3 months of free AI Answers resolutions, then billed per resolution
4. Intercom
Paid onlyFounded 2011
No free plan; paid Essential from about $29 per seat per month billed annually ($39 monthly), Advanced from about $85 per seat per month. Best for product-led companies wanting live chat, in-app messaging and an AI agent in one platform.
- Live chat and in-app messaging built in, not just ticketing
- Fin AI agent billed per resolution on top of seat fees
- Product tours and targeted in-app campaigns
- Highest entry price of the four, with no free tier at all
Head-to-head comparisons
- Zendesk vs Freshdesk
- Zendesk vs Help Scout
- Zendesk vs Intercom
- Freshdesk vs Help Scout
- Freshdesk vs Intercom
- Help Scout vs Intercom
FAQ
- What is the best free help desk software?
- Tools with a free plan here include Help Scout. Compare limits before committing.
- How many help desk software tools did this list compare?
- This page compares 4 tools, each linked to its own site.