The Best Help Desk Software of 2026

At a glance

#	Tool	Best for
1	F Freshdesk	Best value help desk
2	HS Help Scout	Best overall for small support teams
3	ZD Zoho Desk	Best for Zoho users
4	HS HubSpot Service Hub	Best for CRM-native support
5	I Intercom	Best for AI-powered support
6	G Gorgias	Best for Shopify stores
7	F Front	Best shared inbox for collaboration
8	JS Jira Service Management	Best for IT service desks
9	H Hiver	Best help desk inside Gmail
10	L LiveAgent	Best for built-in call center

The 10 best help desk software tools

Ranked by our editors against a published methodology. Paid partnerships are labeled on the full guide and never affect this order.

1. 1 F

   1. Freshdesk

   Best value help desk

   Help desk with automation, SLAs, and an AI agent included on every plan.

   Full verdict on Freshdesk
2. 2 HS

   2. Help Scout

   Best overall for small support teams

   Shared inbox and help desk designed around a lightweight, human support experience.

   Full verdict on Help Scout
3. 3 ZD

   3. Zoho Desk

   Best for Zoho users

   Context-aware help desk that plugs into the wider Zoho business suite.

   Full verdict on Zoho Desk
4. 4 HS

   4. HubSpot Service Hub

   Best for CRM-native support

   Service tools tied natively into HubSpot's CRM, knowledge base, and reporting.

   Full verdict on HubSpot Service Hub
5. 5 I

   5. Intercom

   Best for AI-powered support

   AI-first customer service platform pairing live chat with the Fin resolution agent.

   Full verdict on Intercom
6. 6 G

   6. Gorgias

   Best for Shopify stores

   Help desk purpose-built for Shopify and high-volume e-commerce support.

   Full verdict on Gorgias
7. 7 F

   7. Front

   Best shared inbox for collaboration

   Collaborative inbox blending email, chat, and shared team workflows.

   Full verdict on Front
8. 8 JS

   8. Jira Service Management

   Best for IT service desks

   Atlassian's service desk for IT and customer requests, built on Jira with queues, SLAs, and asset tracking.

   Full verdict on Jira Service Management
9. 9 H

   9. Hiver

   Best help desk inside Gmail

   Help desk that runs inside Gmail, turning shared inboxes into assignable, trackable tickets.

   Full verdict on Hiver
10. 10 L

    10. LiveAgent

    Best for built-in call center

    Multichannel help desk combining ticketing, live chat, and a built-in call center.

    Full verdict on LiveAgent