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With so many different help desk software solutions available, figuring out which is right for you is tough. You know you want to improve customer service while also helping your team become more efficient but need to figure out which tool is best. I've got you! In this post I'll help make your choice easy, sharing my personal experiences using dozens of different help desk tools with multiple teams, with my picks of the best help desk software.

What Is Help Desk Software?

Help desk software is a tool used by businesses to manage customer service and support. It acts as a central point where customer queries, issues, and requests are received, tracked, and resolved. This software typically includes features like ticket management, where customer inquiries are converted into tickets, and automated responses, to provide quick answers to common questions.

Help desk tools streamline the customer support process, making it more efficient and organized. They help businesses keep track of customer interactions, ensuring that no query goes unanswered. This leads to improved customer satisfaction as issues are resolved promptly.

The 10 Best Help Desk Software Overviews

These are overviews of the best pieces of help desk software from my experience:

Best for omnichannel help desks

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $26/agent/month
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Rating: 4.1/5

Issuetrak is a ticketing software that caters to help desks by providing a platform for issue tracking and management. Its capability to accept tickets from multiple channels such as email, web forms, and direct application input positions it as a suitable solution for omnichannel help desks, aiming to offer accessible and efficient customer support.

I chose Issuetrak for helpdesk software after evaluating its comprehensive feature set and positive customer feedback. Its ability to handle omnichannel help desks effectively, with integrations across various platforms, makes it a distinct choice. I believe Issuetrak stands out due to its customizable options and robust task flows, which cater to the diverse needs of omnichannel help desks.

Features include quick notes, which enables users to add pre-written notes to issues quickly, functionalities for managing customer complaints. Issuetrak also offers comprehensive customer support, including a dedicated support department that provides 24/7 technical assistance and in-house services such as site configuration and training for support agents.

Integrations include Okta, Onelogin, Gmail, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Google Analytics, and PowerBI.

Pricing starts at $26/agent/month, and they offer a 14-day free trial.

Best help desk software for productivity and customer experience

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $19/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.3/5

Zendesk is an easy-to-use customer service solution that’s sophisticated enough to meet complex needs and simple enough to let you get set up and running immediately.

Zendesk makes it easy for desk agents to track, prioritize, and respond to customers with one unified agent workspace that brings all conversations across web, mobile, and social channels together. With complete customer context, including more than 1000+ pre-built integrations from the Zendesk Apps Marketplace, agents have all the relevant customer details and interaction history to provide better, more personalized support.

Your team can customize the support environment based on use cases, such as software support, customer service, troubleshooting, and orders & shipping. Leverage built-in routing and intelligence to collect critical details and reduce data entry, and escalate issues to the agent best suited to help. Zendesk allows users to create knowledge base content for customers and a customized, mobile-responsive, help center.

Zendesk includes a reporting solution for ticket and support teams that allows access to real-time and historical data, and allows you to analyze your performance using pre-built dashboards that are pre-populated with useful metrics such as unresolved tickets, reopened tickets, and ticket resolution times. Users can also customize dashboards and charts, and share relevant dashboards to keep stakeholders in the loop about key insights and trends.

Zendesk starts at $19/user/month and offers a 14-day free trial.

Front - Best help desk software for efficient customer communication

  • 7-day free trial
  • From $19/user/month (billed annually)

Front is a customer operations and help desk platform that centralizes communication channels to facilitate better customer service and team collaboration. It integrates email with other communication tools to provide a unified platform for managing customer interactions, aiming to improve responsiveness and maintain high-quality customer relationships.

I selected Front as the helpdesk software due to its comprehensive approach to managing customer interactions. It integrates email with other communication channels, enabling a unified platform for team collaboration and customer service. Front's distinctiveness lies in its emphasis on transparency and teamwork, allowing all team members to see the entire context of customer conversations and work together directly within the inbox.

You can use Front's shared inboxes to manage team emails, comments, and tasks in one place, facilitating collaboration. It offers workflow automation to assign, triage, and track messages, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. The platform also includes analytics for insights into team performance and customer engagement, as well as integrations with other tools to centralize work.

Integrations are available with 100+ software systems, including Calixa, Fullcontact, Gainsight, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Outlook 365, NiceReply, Outreach, Pipedrive, and Salesforce.

Pricing for Front starts at $19/user/month for their Starter plan when billed annually, which supports up to 10 user seats.

Best help desk software for analytics and reporting

  • 30-day free trial
  • From $9/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.5/5

LiveAgent is for customer support teams of all sizes. The software collects and organizes customer queries from multiple channels, and enables agents to collaborate to resolve them.

The software has tons of useful help desk features. LiveAgent’s multi-channel ticketing system converts all received messages from social media, email, phone and live chat into tickets, and then organizes them according to importance. The software is collaborative, and eliminates account sharing, device and account monitoring, duplicate answers, and confusion. The software has powerful automation rules that can be either time-triggered, SLA triggered, or action triggered.

LiveAgent’s reporting and analytics features enable users to create comprehensive reports on agent availability, resolution times, rebukes, and more. The software also recognizes the need for self-service in customer support and enables users to create internal and external knowledge bases that are fully customizable and equipped with FAQs, feedback, suggestions, and forums.

The software’s UI is very clean and minimalistic, however, it does have quite a learning curve. Not to worry though, LiveAgent provides integrated guides so you can utilize the software in no time. The biggest pro of using LiveAgent is its price to value ratio. LiveAgent offers over 179 advanced help desk features and integrates with over 40 third party applications. The software is fully customizable– from general appearance and sounds to specific feature customization. The cons include a steep learning curve and limited mobile app capabilities.

LiveAgent supports both native and third-party integrations. Native integrations include but are not limited to Braintree, Slack, Instagram, Shopify and more. LiveAgent also provides built-in migration plugins that enable you to migrate data from your old help desk software into LiveAgent.

LiveAgent costs from $15/user/month. They also offer a free trial, a forever free account, and a product demo.

Best context-aware help desk software with multi-channel capabilities

  • 15-day free trial
  • From $20/user/month
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Rating: 4.4/5

Zoho Desk is a cloud-based customer service application with contextual AI that helps your company build stronger relationships with customers.

Zoho Desk has great features for prioritizing, managing, and closing customer support tickets. Users have control over tickets submitted to the support team via email, phone, chat, social media, a self-service portal, forums, and web forms. All tickets are presented in one place, and team members can set priorities and close tickets in the preferred order.

The tool allows teams to create a Knowledge Base of customer support articles, so your team can quickly find appropriate solutions for customer tickets. Zoho Desk’s Help Center features also allow customers to create a ticket and track it online themselves.

Zoho Desk’s AI and automation features take into account an appropriate resolution time based on your business hours when a customer ticket is created. If those parameters are missed, the ticket will be escalated automatically. Tasks such as ticket assignment, service escalations, notification rules, live chat widget and time-based actions can be automated by setting workflow rules.

The tool provides detailed reports and analytics about your support center performance, such as the average resolution time, the number of tickets closed per agent per day, the number of tickets opened per product and more.

The platform integrates with Zoho customer relationship management (CRM), as well as other Zoho Apps. The tool also offers an API for further integrations.

Pricing starts at $20/agent/month billed annually.

Best help desk software for enterprises

  • 30-day free trial
  • $29/user/month
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Rating: 4.8/5

HaloITSM is a help desk solution that helps businesses streamline the incident lifecycle, from ticket creation to issue resolution. It enables professionals to update the status of incidents and view details including ticket ID, priority level, issue summary, and date created.

HaloITSM allows organizations to link new incidents with existing requests and share potential solutions with team members or end-users through the knowledge base. Managers can specify default values such as categories, priority, service-level agreements, or mailboxes before creating requests. Customer service agents can view upcoming tasks on a calendar and streamline approval processes by requesting validation on ticket creation or modifications.

HaloITSM facilitates integration with various third-party applications such as Microsoft Office 365, Azure DevOps, Microsoft Teams, Lansweeper, and more. Other features of HaloITSM include reporting, compliance management, status tracking, a self service portal, collaboration, and auditing. It also helps businesses generate maintenance requests, store asset details, and set validation rules across configuration fields using IP addresses or numeric passwords.

In addition, HaloITSM can serve as an enterprise service management solution allowing you to extend your workflows beyond IT and experience the benefits throughout the organization. HaloITSM enables teams to join together siloed service areas to create seamless processes and a great experience for users.

Best helpdesk software for incident management processes

  • Free demo
  • Customized price upon request
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Rating: 4.2/5

ServiceDesk Plus is a complete IT Service Management (ITSM) suite with built-in IT Asset Management (ITAM) and Configuration Management Database (CMDB) capabilities. With advanced ITSM functions, powerful automations, smart customizations, and easy-to-use capabilities, ServiceDesk Plus helps IT support teams easily deliver world-class service to end users at lower costs.

Features include strong incident management processes that help resolve incidents swiftly and improve agent productivity; comprehensive problem management features that enable IT teams to classify, analyze, and close issues as well as identify repetitive issues to close tickets faster; and a change management system that allows IT teams to implement IT changes with minimal risk through streamlined planning, approval, and implementation.

The tool also provides integrated knowledge management, virtual assistant, and AI capabilities, as well as effective SLA management with proactive and reactive escalations and escalation actions.

It offers various integration options, including Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Jira, and more through REST APIs.

Pricing for ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus starts at $12/per user/month for the standard plan. See further pricing plans on their pricing page.

Best for providing remote access support

  • 15-day free trial available
  • From $12/month
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Rating: 4.6/5

Zoho Assist is a remote access support software that allows you to provide support to team members by accessing their devices remotely. It has both on-demand and unattended access capabilities, so you can make updates and solve issues regardless of whether someone is at their computer. The unattended remote access feature can be used for things like pushing bulk updates or rebooting devices.

Live chat, video, and voice calls are all supported to facilitate communication between support reps and customers. You can also exchange files as needed. The software has a high level of security to ensure protection for support reps and customers alike. It's GDPR, HIPAA, PCI, and CJIR compliant and has SSL 256-bit AES encryption. Organizational management is also included so the right people have the right access permissions in the platform.

Sessions can be recorded, which is super helpful for internal training as well as record-keeping and any future auditing needs. The software integrates with other tools, most notably the Zoho product suite. Other integrations include Zendesk, ServiceNow, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Freshdesk, Spiceworks, and the Google Suite, among others.

Pricing starts from $12 per month, and a 15-day free trial is available.

Best help desk software for cloud-based flexibility

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $25/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.3/5

Salesforce Service Cloud is a cloud-based customer service management solution designed for businesses looking to set up a flexible help desk program and initiate their customer service operations from anywhere.

Service Cloud is built on the Salesforce1 platform, and it aims to optimize and centralize customer service agent efforts, giving them the ability to manage cases and handle customer requests with a flexible and mobile approach. It was initially developed to provide proper support mobility for customer service professionals. The solution allows them to not only receive service requests but also provide high-quality support with omnichannel customer experience from anywhere. This means the platform is more than capable of serving as a truly mobile help desk solution for remote and hybrid teams. Using the Service Cloud console, support teams and agents can easily manage all their active cases with relative efficiency.

The platform comes with a Communities tool that empowers customers by giving them the ability to help themselves and others through the self-service approach. Service Cloud works as a help desk solution with self-service capabilities. Other Service Cloud features include a knowledge module that enables organizations to build their knowledge base. This knowledge base can then be utilized by customer support teams and customers alike to look for the answers they need at any given moment.

Salesforce Service Cloud also has a social service function that enables the help desk to be seamlessly integrated with various social media channels, further enhancing the customer service experience.

Pricing for the Salesforce Service Cloud starts from $25 per user/month with the Essentials package. This option supports a maximum of 10 users and is billed annually. A 14-day free trial is available.


Best for its automation capabilities

  • 30-day free trial
  • Pricing upon request
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Rating: 1/5

SysAid is an ITSM, service desk & help desk software that offers all the ITIL essentials.

SysAid is all about automation, having ticket, task, self-service, and workflow automation features that let you set rules and watch things happen on their own. Task automation will route tickets to the right desk. Meanwhile, task automation will help you handle repetitive tasks like resetting printers, and workflow automation lets you set specific steps for processes like the onboarding of a new employee.

Other standout features include remote control to solve issues from the client’s machine, asset management to store important data within your tickets, and reporting so you can track KPIs and relevant stats.

SysAid has a marketplace where you can search for pre-built integrations that include software like Microsoft Teams, Jira, TeamViewer, Solarwinds, Azure, Slack, and thousands more through Zapier.

Pricing is available upon request and it offers a free trial.

The Best Help Desk Software Comparison Chart

This is an easy-to-use comparison tool of the best help desk software on the market.

Tools Price
Issuetrak From $26/agent/month
Zendesk From $19/user/month (billed annually)
Front From $19/user/month (billed annually)
LiveAgent From $9/user/month (billed annually)
Zoho Desk From $20/user/month
HaloITSM $29/user/month
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus Customized price upon request
Zoho Assist From $12/month
Salesforce Service Cloud From $25/user/month (billed annually)
SysAid Pricing upon request
Preview Image - <h2 class="c-block__title b-summary-table__title c-listicle__title h3" > Compare Software Specs Side by Side</h2>

Compare Software Specs Side by Side

Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.

Compare Software

Other 10 Best Helpdesk Software

Not keen on any of the above resources? You’re in luck. There are always dozens of other IT support software and helpdesk tools clattering for your business. The helpdesk software options below are just a few more worthy of your analysis.

  1. NinjaOne

    'NinjaOne - Best for simplifying IT operations

    Reference:
    - NinjaOne Official Website: https://www.ninjaone.com/'

  2. Hiver

    Best help desk software for Gmail-based team collaboration

  3. InvGate

    Best enterprise level service desk

  4. Hiver

    Best help desk software that works inside Gmail

  5. EngageBay

    Best for creating personalized ticket views

  6. HubSpot

    Best conversational customer support chat bot

  7. ServiceDesk Plus

    Best support software for building ITSM workflows

  8. ManageEngine Service Desk Plus

    Best customer portal & self-service features

  9. Jitbit Helpdesk

    Best email ticketing system for medium and large businesses

  10. Salesforce

    Best for all digital end-to-end engagement with your customers.

How I Picked The Best Help Desk Software

What criteria do we use to determine the best IT help desk solution? First, I carefully researched the top tools on the market, then I compared them against the features that I believe help the most to provide an amazing customer service. Finally, I used the criteria below to analyze my top choices.

  • User Interface (UI): How well-designed is the support desk software? Does it offer clear displays and intuitive navigation? Is it aesthetically pleasing or all-business? Who does the UI cater to and do they succeed in addressing their target user?
  • Usability: Is this easy to learn and master? Are there tutorials and training? What tech and user support is offered by the software company?
  • Integrations: Is it easy to connect with other tools? Any pre-built integrations? How many different integrations are available and how easy (or costly) are they to implement?
  • Value for $: How much does it cost? Are there different tiers? What features do you have access to at each stage?

Other types of software you might need

Not looking specifically for helpdesk software today? Here are a few adjacent topics that I think might interest you:

  • Bug Tracking: If a lot of your help desk traffic is about bug reports, maybe it’s time to start investing in bug-tracking tools like DoneDone, Trackduck or DebugMe.
  • CRMs: Many customer relationship management tools offer modules for customer support—see if you can cut down on the number of tools you’re using by getting a CRM that has helpdesk features included.
  • Collaboration Software: you could also look at using online collaboration tools to manage communication between departments in order to resolve issues and keep a searchable record of communication.

Help Desk Software FAQs

Find answers to common questions about this topic.

help desk software logos list

What's Next?

Regardless of whether you work at a small business or big corporation, I think we can agree that the help desk platform you choose should be one where a customer query gets routed efficiently. Also, it's important for this platform to invite customer interaction and customer engagement through a notification system.

Now that you've covered the tools, I encourage you to read more about how help desk software can help your business.

By Ben Aston

I’m Ben Aston, a digital project manager and founder of thedpm.com. I've been in the industry for more than 20 years working in the UK at London’s top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. I’ve delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. I’ve been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony. I'm a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner and productivity nut!