Leading customer service platform for tickets, chat and help centers.
Best for: Mid-size and large support teams handling many channels.
- Omnichannel ticketing
- Help center
- Messaging and live chat
- AI agents
Best help desk and live chat software in 2026
Help desk software turns customer emails, chats and messages into tickets your team can assign, track and resolve. Many also include live chat, a help center and AI that answers common questions automatically.
11 tools compared. Top picks first, then alphabetical. No paid placements.
Free CRM that grows into a full marketing, sales and service platform.
Best for: Small and mid-size businesses that want to start free and add marketing and sales tools later.
- Contacts and companies
- Deal pipelines
- Email tracking and templates
- Meeting scheduler
AssistLoop
FreemiumAI agents for customer service that answer on your website and messaging apps, with human handoff.
Best for: Small and growing businesses that want an AI support agent trained on their own content.
- AI agents trained on your website and documents
- Website chat widget
- Live chat with human handoff
- WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, Instagram and email channels
Freshdesk
FreemiumEasy-to-use help desk with a free plan for small teams.
Best for: Small and growing support teams.
- Ticketing
- Knowledge base
- Automations
- SLA management
Front
Free trialShared inbox that combines email, chat and SMS for teams.
Best for: Teams handling customer communication from shared inboxes.
- Shared inboxes
- Assignment and comments
- Rules and automation
- Analytics
Gorgias
Free trialHelp desk built for e-commerce stores.
Best for: Shopify and online stores handling order questions.
- Order data in tickets
- Social and chat support
- Macros
- AI automation
Help Scout
Free trialFriendly shared inbox and help desk that feels like email.
Best for: Small and mid-size teams that want personal, email-style support.
- Shared inbox
- Docs knowledge base
- Beacon chat widget
- Customer profiles
Intercom
Free trialAI-first customer service platform with messenger and help desk.
Best for: Online businesses that want AI to resolve many conversations automatically.
- AI agent (Fin)
- Messenger
- Help desk inbox
- Help center
LiveChat
Free trialLive chat software for websites with sales and support features.
Best for: Businesses that want fast, polished website chat.
- Chat widget
- Canned responses
- Ticketing
- Integrations
Tidio
FreemiumLive chat and AI chatbot for small businesses and stores.
Best for: Small businesses and online stores adding chat to their site.
- Live chat
- AI chatbot (Lyro)
- Visual flows
- Shopify integration
Zoho Desk
FreemiumAffordable help desk with AI, part of the Zoho suite.
Best for: Budget-conscious teams and Zoho users.
- Multichannel ticketing
- Knowledge base
- AI assistant
- Automation