Help desk and ticketing system

The best restaurants depend on a well-run ticketing system to get orders from hungry customers to the kitchen and then back to the table. The same principles apply to businesses that need an efficient way to manage incoming requests. Choosing the right ticketing software for your help desk, with features specifically tailored to your team's needs, can help customer service and IT teams deliver outstanding service and create a positive experience for everyone involved. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through some of the best ticketing systems available and the tools that set them apart. From generative AI and seamless omnichannel support to deep analytics, these intricate systems have different tools for you to consider that can keep your team a step ahead of the competition and supercharge both your customer and employee service operations.

More in this guide:

• What is help desk ticketing software?
• Help desk ticketing system comparison chart
• Features of help desk ticketing software
• Types of helpdesk software
• Features of help desk ticketing software
• Benefits of help desk ticketing software
• How to choose the right free help desk ticketing system or free trial
• Frequently asked questions
• Try our ticketing system for free

A help desk ticketing software is a software tool businesses use to track, manage, and organise service requests and issues from customers, employees, or internal teams.

Ticketing systems are primarily used in customer service but have applications across departments such as IT, HR, and internal customer service. When a user submits a request or reports a problem, the system generates a support ticket that explains the issue and includes relevant information and context. But it can – and should – do so much more

Our help desk ticketing system comparison chart breaks down the starting price, free trial details, and best usage for each software provider.

Software	Starting price	Free trial	Best for
Zendesk	£15 per agent/month (billed annually)	14 days	AI-powered customer and client service
Zoho Desk	€7 per user/month (billed annually)	15 days	Mobile app issue resolution
HappyFox	$24 per agent/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Marketing teams
LiveAgent	$15 per agent/month (billed annually)	30 days	Live chat widget
Salesforce Service Cloud	£20 per agent/month (billed annually)	30 days	CRM-driven enterprise customer service
Vision Helpdesk	$12 per agent/month (billed annually)	30 days	Performance gamification
HubSpot Service Hub	€9 per seat/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Teams using HubSpot’s CRM
Front	$29 per seat/month (billed annually)	14 days	Shared inbox
ServiceNow	Contact ServiceNow	Unavailable	AI and workflow automation
TeamSupport	$24 per agent/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Manufacturing
Freshdesk	$15 per agent/month (billed annually)	14 days	Self-service options
Jira Service Management	$23 per agent/month (billed annually)	7 days	B2B services
Hiver	$19 per month (billed annually)	7 days	Accounts receivable
Intercom	$29 per seat/month (billed annually)	14 days	Real-time conversational support
Help Scout	$25/month (100 contacts/month and unlimited users)	15 days	Collaborative email support
Spiceworks	$15 per seat/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Startups
SolarWinds Service Desk	$39 per technician/month (billed annually)	30 days	Automations
SysAid	Contact SysAid	Unavailable	AI capabilities
ProProfs Help Desk	$39 per user/month (billed annually)	15 days	Knowledge base integration
Gorgias	$50/month for 300 help desk tickets (billed annually)	1 month	E-commerce
Kayako	$39 per agent/month (billed annually)	14 days	Multichannel customer service
Mojo Helpdesk	$12.6 per agent/month (billed annually)	21 days	Internal help desk operations
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus	$13 per technician/month (billed annually)	30 days	Holistic IT service management
Groove	$26 per month (billed annually)	30 days	Smaller teams

Let's break down the 24 top ticketing systems. Our round-up provides an overview of features, pricing and free trial information.

• Zendesk: Best for AI-powered customer and client service

• Zoho Desk: Best for mobile app issue resolution

• HappyFox: Best for marketing teams

• LiveAgent: Best for live chat widget

• Salesforce Service Cloud: CRM-driven enterprise customer service

• Vision Helpdesk: Best for performance gamification

• HubSpot Service Hub:Best for teams using HubSpot’s CRM

• Front: Best for shared inbox

• ServiceNow: Best for ITSM and workflow automation

• TeamSupport: Best for manufacturing

• Freshdesk:Best for self-service tools

• Jira Service Management: Best for IT services

• Hiver: Best for accounts receivable

• Intercom: Best for real-time conversational support

• Help Scout: Best for collaborative email support

• Spiceworks: Best for start-ups with a limited budget

• SolarWinds Service Desk: Best for customisation

• SysAid: Best for AI capabilities

• ProProfs Help Desk: Best for knowledge verification

• Gorgias: Best for e-commerce

• Kayako: Best for multichannel customer service

• Mojo Helpdesk: Best for internal help desk operations

• ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Best for full-stack IT service management

• Front: Best for marketing teams

1. Zendesk

Best for AI-powered customer and employee service

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
£15 per agent/month (billed annually) Explore more Zendesk pricing plans.	14 days	AI agents Copilot Ticketing Messaging and live chat AI-powered self-service Omnichannel support Workflow automation Reporting and analytics Quality assurance tools 1,800+ apps and integrations Intelligent routing and triage Help centre Voice Data privacy and protection Workforce management

Zendesk offers an AI-powered automated ticketing system built to handle support at scale, whether you’re serving employees, customers, or both. It works across IT, HR, and customer service teams with a clean, intuitive design that keeps things moving quickly and efficiently.

Zendesk AI is pre-trained on billions of real conversations and deeply integrated across the entire system. That includes the Zendesk Agent Workspace, where agents get a unified view of every conversation and access to AI tools that help them respond faster and more accurately. Whether it’s an AI copilot suggesting replies or fully automated AI agents handling requests end-to-end, the system adapts to the complexity of each case.

Support happens everywhere, so Zendesk meets people on the channels they use most, such as email, live chat, messaging, social media, and more. AI-powered routing and triage ensure every request lands in the right hands, while self-service tools keep your knowledge base relevant and up-to-date without manual effort.

Automation features like macros and triggers help teams work smarter, not harder. Built-in reporting surfaces insights in real time, so teams can stay proactive instead of reactive. And with over 1,800 apps and integrations, Zendesk connects easily with the tools you already use, creating a help desk system that fits how your business actually works.

Pros	Cons
Fast time to value Highly scalable to grow with business needs Deep integration of AI across features Comprehensive omnichannel support Extensive app marketplace for customisation Intuitive Agent Workspace for ease of use Pre-built reporting and analytics Automation features Adaptable for any use case Self-service options Non-transparent pricing Acts as a trusted partner	Free trial only lasts 14 days

What people are saying:

• "Zendesk is one of the best help desk platforms [and] I would be lying if I said there is something I dislike about it."
• "Zendesk Support Suite makes it easy to manage customer interactions across multiple channels in one place. The ticketing system is intuitive, automation features save time, and the reporting tools provide valuable insights to improve team performance."
• “I spent many years as a support agent, and this platform really enhanced my days…saving so many manual tasks via triggers, automations, and macros.” 
• “Zendesk is infinitely customisable. I love the plethora of fields, automations, sorting, and reporting options that are at your fingertips. It's extremely easy to set up and can integrate with your existing support email addresses.” -David C.
• “As Zendesk continues to evolve the product with new AI offerings and acquisitions, they continue to strike the balance of ease of use while innovating to meet their customer needs.” -Brandon T.

Explore more Zendesk pricing plans.

2. Zoho Desk

Best for mobile app issue resolution

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
€7 per user/month (billed annually)	15 days	Email Social media Web forms Incident assignment Workflows Custom domain Multi-level escalations Ticket timeline and history Contact management

Zoho Desk’s ticket management system helps customer-facing support teams track requests. It offers omnichannel support, allowing customers to connect with agents via email, social media, live chat, phone, web form or social messaging apps. Zoho Desk supports third-party apps and integrates with its suite of native products.

Collaboration tools like team feeds, @mentions, and shared tickets enable support agents to collaborate on issues to avoid transfers and escalations. Other features of Zoho Desk’s customer service ticketing systems include reporting and analytics tools, escalations, and automated workflows. Users can also manage multiple help centres with knowledge bases, FAQs and communities for different brands.

Pros	Cons
Seamless integration with other Zoho products for a unified ecosystem Effective automation and workflow capabilities Highly efficient customisation options	Steep learning curve for advanced customisation Complex reporting and analytics AI bot functionality requires external API key

What people are saying:

• “The integration with other Zoho products has also been seamless, which is a great advantage for managing multiple business functions in one ecosystem.” 
• “The biggest issue for us is the steep learning curve when it comes to advanced customisation…We had to spend a lot of time troubleshooting or contacting support for help.”
• “One common criticism of Zoho Desk is that its reporting and analytics features can be a bit complex to navigate, especially for new users. Some users also find that whilst it offers many integrations, setting them up can sometimes be cumbersome.”

Learn more: Learn how Zoho Desk integrates with Zendesk and how Zendesk vs. Zoho compare.

3. HappyFox

Best for marketing teams

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$24 per agent/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Unlimited tickets Omnichannel ticket creation SLA management Knowledge base SSO (GSuite/SAML/Azure) Up to five agents

HappyFox is a cloud-based CRM that provides help desk ticketing solutions for support teams. Features include customised ticket queues, ticket tagging, customised forms, sorting functions by category and self-service options (like knowledge base articles and FAQs). The ticketing system can automatically assign tickets to specific agents based on expertise or workload, preventing more than one agent from duplicating work on the same ticket.

Inflow reports offer insights into customer support volume and trends, allowing businesses to identify peak periods and adjust staffing accordingly. Furthermore, the software integrates work schedule management features, enabling supervisors to create and assign work schedules for support agents. HappyFox also allows businesses to incorporate customer satisfaction surveys to gather feedback on the quality of support interactions.

Pros	Cons
Friendly and responsive sales and customer service Efficient for managing tickets across multiple teams User-friendly interface with good customisation for appearance	Limited customisability for ticket inputs Occasional glitches with CCing or ticket visibility Can be expensive for more users or smaller businesses

What people are saying:

• “I love their sales rep and customer service because they are very friendly and responsive to hop on a call and give me 1:1 support for whatever issue I am having.” -Benjamin K.
• “The inputs are not as customisable as we would like and, at times, make it difficult to ensure a ticket is getting to the right person.” 
• “We've been using HappyFox for a few years and have no issues. It does the things we need it to do across multiple teams.“

Learn more: Discover how HappyFox integrates with Zendesk.

4. LiveAgent

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$15 per agent/month (billed annually)	30 days	Ticketing Live chat Knowledge base Customer portal Contact forms Automation tools Integrations Multilingual support Answer assistant AI chatbot

LiveAgent’s ticketing system for customer service provides a universal inbox for channels like email, social media and phone. Users can merge tickets that refer to the same issue into a single ticket. Or, users can split a complicated ticket, so multiple people can work on different action items simultaneously.

Other features from LiveAgent include basic reporting, agent collision detection, and time rules that perform actions at specific intervals, like clearing spam tickets after 30 days. LiveAgent also has live chat features like a real-time typing view, website monitoring for chat engagement, and proactive chat invitations based on active agent availability.

Pros	Cons
Centralised management of diverse communication channels Facilitates direct customer conversations for service sales Effective internal notes for team collaboration	Complex initial user interface Automation setup requires significant learning and effort Occasional delays in email pulling

What people are saying:

• “Emails, live chats, phone calls, and social media messages can be managed centrally, allowing us to centralise all communications with consumers.”
• “I've managed to make it work for me by tweaking the parameters to create highly successful automations. However, getting there requires some work and learning the ins and outs of the platform.” -Aga K.
• “Find the interface complex and challenging to navigate initially. While LiveAgent offers customisation options, I might not find them sufficient for their specific needs.”

Learn more: Discover how Zendesk vs. LiveAgent compare.

5. Salesforce Service Cloud

Best for CRM-driven enterprise customer service

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
£20 per user/month (billed annually)	30 days	Self-service Artificial intelligence Chatbots Intelligent workflows Automation 360-degree customer view Scheduling and dispatching Real-time assistance Mobile worker tools

Salesforce Service Cloud is a customer service platform designed to integrate with the broader Salesforce ecosystem, offering a unified view of customer interactions. It aims to streamline service processes across various channels, helping businesses manage enquiries efficiently.

The platform includes AI-powered features for intelligent case routing and recommendations, alongside robust automation tools. It also provides extensive customisation options and a large marketplace for adding functionality, making it adaptable to diverse business needs and enabling personalised customer support.

Pros	Cons
Highly customisable Comprehensive omnichannel support centralises all customer interactions Strong AI capabilities automate routine tasks and provide agent assistance	Most valuable AI and advanced features are in higher-priced tiers Can be expensive for businesses not already invested in the Salesforce ecosystem Learning curve can be steep for new users due to platform depth

What people are saying:

• “There are always the good and the bad side of every tool we used. In Salesforce, it has a lot of features to navigate with; moreover, it is not user-friendly if that's the first time you will use it.”
• “While Salesforce Service Cloud is feature-rich, its complexity can be overwhelming, especially for new users or smaller teams without dedicated administrators.”
• “Price and lack of support, lack of usability.”

Learn more: Discover how Salesforce integrates with Zendesk and how Zendesk vs. Salesforce compare.

6. Vision Helpdesk

Best for CRM-driven enterprise customer service

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$12 per agent/month (billed annually)	30 days	Omnichannel help desk Knowledge base editor Help desk automation SLA rules and ticket escalation Self-service customer portal Reporting Task management

Vision Helpdesk is a cloud-based ticketing system. It enables teams to automate ticket management with rule-based criteria and consolidate conversations across channels. The help desk ticketing software categorises tickets in a tree structure and allows users to create customised views to meet agent preferences.

Vision Helpdesk users can establish rules to manage various aspects of the ticket lifecycle, such as defining SLAs and setting target response and resolution time frames. Additionally, businesses can automate escalation rules to trigger specific actions, like notifying managers or changing ticket priority. The software incorporates game-like elements such as points, badges, and leader boards to incentivise agent performance.

Pros	Cons
Strong multichannel support for broad customer reach Easy to use for quick setup and diverse troubleshooting Cost-effective with robust features for mid-sized businesses	Cluttered and outdated user interface Limited customisation options for certain features Weak mobile app support

What people are saying:

• “What I liked most about Vision Helpdesk is the multichannel support. It allows businesses to support their customers on multiple platforms, which increases the base of customers…” -Ashraf M.
• “One of the main drawbacks of Vision Helpdesk is its complex user interface (UI), which can feel cluttered and overwhelming, especially for new users.”
• “Customisation options can feel limited at times, making it hard to tailor certain features fully to specific business needs.” -Bhanu P.

7. HubSpot Service Hub

Best for teams using HubSpot’s CRM

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
€9 per seat/month (billed annually)	Not applicable	Generative AI agents AI-powered self-service Omnichannel support Workflow automation Reporting and analytics Customer portal

HubSpot provides customer ticket system software through its Service Hub product. In addition to providing help desk functionality, customer service agents can use it to prioritise tickets, automate workflows, and integrate Service Hub with HubSpot CRM software to share information.

Its ticketing tools also feature conversational bots, live chat messaging, and customer self-service portals. Businesses can change the portal to match brand guidelines like colours, logos, and fonts. The software offers native integrations with its line of HubSpot products and hosts a marketplace of third-party integrations. The mobile app gives users access to support tickets while away from their desks, allowing them to monitor social media and SLAs.

Pros	Cons
Improved ticket and conversation management Streamlined note-taking during customer interactions Intuitive UI and APIs for automation and personalisation	Key features like a knowledge base are in higher, more expensive tiers Limited customisation in areas like survey branding Some advanced features require additional upgrades even on paid plans

What people are saying:

• “The recently released help desk workspace has been a major improvement in managing tickets and conversations with our customers.”
• “I wish the knowledge base was available on smaller tiers, but I understand why it’s been added to the more expensive ones to create an upsell opportunity.”
• “I think the downside of HubSpot Service Hub is the lack of customisability at times. For example, the Survey lacks the ability for my team to brand it in our own style, much like the Knowledge Hub or Proposal area.” -Meghan L.

Learn more: Discover how HubSpot integrates with Zendesk and how Zendesk vs. HubSpot compare.

8. Front

Best for shared inbox

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$20 per agent/month (billed annually)	14 days	Generative AI agents AI-powered self-service Omnichannel support Workflow automation Reporting and analytics Ticket collaboration

Through its shared email inbox, Front’s help desk ticket systems connect your customer service team. Its automated workflows let businesses prioritise and manage conversations and tickets across all channels, including email, chat, social media, and SMS.

The shared inbox lets multiple agents work together in the same inbox so enquiries can be addressed and handed off between team members. Front allows agents to collaborate on tickets before responding to customers. The software features a shared draft tool that lets the entire team monitor a ticket’s progress throughout its lifecycle, even when the ticket gets assigned to a single agent.

Pros	Cons
Highly customisable experience with shared and private templates Excellent collaboration through shared drafts and email comments Centralises team and customer communications	Spam management needs improvement Inconsistent rule creation, especially with filters Conversation duplication issues between inboxes

What people are saying:

• “I like that Front is not just a communication platform. It allows the user to customise the whole experience; the templates are very easy to use, there's a shared template option, but you can also have your private templates, which really adds value…” -Vanessa V.
• “I think you should improve your spam management capabilities; adding the ability to attach documents would solve all problems, especially when there are many ticket requests and messages.”
• “The only real downfall I've been able to find is that it can get a little tricky in creating rules. Some rules will fire, and they're simple to understand, but if I can create a filter in the search bar that returns results, the same filters for a rule should yield the same, and it sometimes doesn't.” -Ernie S.

Learn more: Discover how Zendesk vs. Front compare.

9. ServiceNow

Best for IT service workflow automation

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
Contact ServiceNow	Unavailable	Incident management with embedded workflows AI-powered insights for incident resolution and routing Self-service portal and omnichannel notification options On-call scheduling for 24-hour support Visual task boards for team collaboration Create a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) Native mobile application

ServiceNow is a platform that offers IT service management capabilities, focusing on streamlining incident, problem, and change management. It provides a centralised system for IT teams to manage internal support requests and automate various operational workflows.

The enterprise ticketing system leverages AI and machine learning to accelerate incident resolution and offers a single system of record for IT operations. It supports a wide range of integrations and allows for custom application development, catering to complex enterprise environments.

Pros	Cons
Strong automation capabilities for IT workflows Comprehensive incident, problem, and change management Excellent data visualisation through customisable dashboards	User interface can be complex and challenging to navigate for new users Customization can be difficult and require specialised knowledge High cost can be a barrier for smaller businesses

What people are saying:

• “ServiceNow ITSM is very user-friendly and customisable.”
• “It allows me to streamline my work and keep track of my tickets.”
• “Initial setup might cost higher also for some advanced customisations specialised skills are required.”

Learn more: Discover how Zendesk vs. ServiceNow compare.

10. TeamSupport

Best for manufacturing

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$24 per agent/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Generative AI agents AI-powered self-service Omnichannel support Workflow automation Reporting and analytics Customer Distress Index CSAT surveys

TeamSupport is a customer support ticketing software solution for companies serving B2B technology customers. In addition to functioning as a ticketing management system, teams can use the Customer Distress Index to evaluate whether a customer is satisfied or at risk of churning.

Teams can also send customer satisfaction surveys to follow up after tickets have closed.

The software’s omnichannel functionality also allows agents to create customer call logs and auto-direct voicemails to tickets. AI can summarise issues into bullet points and adjust the tone of a response, making it more conversational or professional. TeamSupport also offers external and internal knowledge base functionality, with automatic knowledge base article suggestions relevant to a customer’s issue.

Pros	Cons
Ability to track customer distress and identify at-risk customers Highly customisable to company needs Easy onboarding and responsive customer support	Limited overall user features and functionality Dashboard does not auto-refresh Occasional site bugs leading to missed information

What people are saying:

• “I love the ability to track my clients’ customer distress index and know which clients may need some more attention.” -Anonymous
• “Fewer user features, limited functionality.”
• “I don't like that the Dash Board doesn't autorefresh. It causes me to miss things sometimes.”

11. Freshdesk

Offer self-service options

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$15 per agent/month (billed annually)	14 days	Generative AI agents AI-powered self-service Omnichannel support Workflow automation Reporting and analytics Customer Distress Index CSAT surveys

Freshdesk offers a help desk ticket system that helps teams manage and resolve customer requests. The software consolidates all communications into a shared inbox, so teams can tag and work on tickets together. Collision detection can prevent multiple agents from unknowingly working on the same ticket. The ticketing system can detect when a customer replies to a closed ticket with a thank-you message to avoid unnecessarily reopening it.

However, Freshdesk uses different interfaces for ticketing, phone, and chat, which means agents must toggle between each app instead of working from a centralised workspace. This disjointed experience slows response times and increases handling times, according to a Nucleus study that compared users who switched to Zendesk.

Pros	Cons
Advanced Automation Rules reduce repetitive tasks User-friendly interface for both customers and support teams Affordable pricing, including a free tier	Can be slow with high ticket volumes or complex workflows Limited customisation in reporting, especially for tailored reports Customer support can be slow or unhelpful

What people are saying:

• “By using Advanced Automation Rules, the repetitive tasks are cut down, and customer queries are handled quickly without the need of manual work.” -Kalpesh B.
• “can regularly be on the slower side, particularly when dealing with high tickets or multiple number of workflows. This can cause a reduction in the general efficiency of the support process at some times.” -Mateusz P.
• “While Freshdesk offers many robust features, reporting customisation can be somewhat limited. The default reports are helpful, but creating highly tailored reports requires either advanced technical know-how or upgrading to more expensive tiers.” -David C.

Learn more: Discover how Zendesk vs. Freshdesk compare.

12. Jira Service Management

Best for IT services

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$23 per agent/month (billed annually)	7 days	Generative AI agents AI-powered self-service Workflow automation Reporting and analytics Real-time incident monitoring Knowledge base

Jira Service Management features ticketing software that helps IT teams meet specific business needs. Jira provides teams with pre-built templates, ticket tools, and automation options. Employees can use responsive forms that only include relevant fields based on previous inputs. A single view allows teams to keep track of customer requests and conversations across communication channels.

In addition to traditional request tickets, teams can also manage incidents, problems, and system changes. For instance, teams can receive change requests, send them through approval workflows, create change plans, and schedule them in a shared calendar. Jira also provides automated risk assessments that gauge low and high-risk changes, so teams can properly assess their potential impact.

Pros	Cons
Seamless integration with other Atlassian project management tools Strong automation capabilities once configured Highly customisable reports	Steep learning curve and complex setup Mostly "build-it-yourself" without extensive out-of-the-box features Poor support response times for the tool itself

What people are saying:

• “It can be integrated with project management tools like bitbucket, confluence, which helps to keep track of project status, issues etc.”
• “I think Jira's weak point is ease of use. “It is a tool that has a fairly slow learning curve and is not as intuitive for users who are not in the Technology environment.”
• “Complexity and learning curve. Overhead for smaller teams.”

Learn more: Discover how Jira integrates with Zendesk and how Zendesk vs. Jira compare.

13. Hiver

Best for accounts receivable

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$19 per month (billed annually)	7 days	Generative AI agents AI-powered self-service Workflow automation Reporting and analytics SLA management Mobile app

Hiver’s email ticketing tools help agents handle ticket requests from customers and employees. Hiver’s shared inbox allows your support teams to track tickets from end to end and includes internal team notes. Agents can share email drafts, incorporate approval workflows, and track collections of customer receivables.

The ticketing solution also offers automation options, such as automatically replying to emails or removing spam emails from the queue. Users can separate ticket reports into conversation, user, and tag data and create custom reports. Hiver also includes SLAs to make sure you handle issues on time. SLA reports allow teams to monitor violations that account for working hours to maintain accuracy.

Pros	Cons
Effective email tagging and routing for organisation Multiple team members can access shared inboxes for collaboration Helps differentiate pending and closed cases efficiently	Cannot assign more than one person to an email Occasional conflicts with other Gmail extensions Limited customisation for live chat widget design

What people are saying:

• “I love the ability to tag emails and route them accordingly. I also like that multiple team members can access different inboxes so that we can work together rather than just having one person manage each inbox.” -Emily H.
• “I dislike that you aren't able to assign more than one person to an email. There are some items we have that are being addressed by multiple people and I would like the emails to show up in both of their assigned tabs.” -Patience S.
• “As with most gmail extensions, I have experienced some conflicts with a couple of extensions I use when they're all enabled at the same time.” -Peter

14. Intercom

Best for real-time conversational support

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$29 per seat/month (billed annually)	14 days	Fin AI Agent Messenger Shared inbox and ticketing system Prebuilt templates Public help centre

Intercom offers a messaging-first help desk solution designed to facilitate real-time customer communication and proactive support. It integrates live chat, email, and automated bot interactions into a unified inbox, allowing teams to manage enquiries across channels.

The platform emphasises team collaboration and customer self-service through its ticketing system and knowledge base features. It enables businesses to collect customer information upfront, track enquiry progress, and provide timely updates, fostering efficient resolution.

Pros	Cons
Strong focus on live chat and proactive customer engagement Streamlined collaboration tools within tickets Automated collection of customer information simplifies workflows	Pricing can escalate quickly based on the number of contacts and features used Primarily designed for live chat, which may not suit all support models Limited in-depth reporting compared to some broader platforms

What people are saying:

• “What I like least about Intercom is its complicated pricing structure.”
• “It becomes expensive as our contact list grows, its learning curve was visible to some of our non-technical staff.”
• “Easy and complete. I use Intercom daily, and even though it has a learning curve and sometimes can feel complex, it's a user-friendly and efficient tool.”

Learn more: Discover how Zoho integrates with Zendesk and how Zendesk vs. Intercom compare.

15. Help Scout

Best for collaborative email support

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$25/month (100 contacts/month and unlimited users)	15 days	Shared inbox Knowledge base Automated workflows Collision detection Shows customer profiles with conversation history Customisable branding Real-time reporting and analytics

Help Scout provides a customer support platform centred around a shared inbox that aims to resemble a standard email interface, promoting ease of use for support teams. It helps organisations centralise customer conversations from various channels and collaborate efficiently on enquiries.

The software includes features for automated workflows, a knowledge base for self-service, and reporting tools to monitor performance. It focuses on simplifying the customer service process while providing essential functionalities for effective support.

Pros	Cons
User-friendly interface Strong collaboration features within the shared inbox Efficient for managing email-centric customer support	Advanced customisation options are limited Integrations, while available, may be less extensive than some competitors Lacks advanced SLA management and multi-language support in basic tiers

What people are saying:

• “It needs more features. Phones, AI agents.”
• “Mail delivery was the faster like Google mail. Their documentation and blogs are super friendly.”
• “It loses connection sometimes. I wish it didn't have connection issues.”

Learn more: Discover how Zendesk vs. Help Scout compare.

16. Spiceworks

Best for start-ups

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$15 per seat/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Ticketing Sentiment tracking Alerts Reporting End user portal Tasklists Bulk actions

Spiceworks is known for its free cloud-based help desk software, though it offers a paid version now, too. The free ticketing software is designed primarily for IT professionals and small to medium-sized businesses. It provides essential ticketing capabilities to manage and track IT support requests, simplifying the process of resolving technical issues.

The platform includes features for inventory management and reporting, allowing IT teams to gain visibility into their assets and performance. Its accessible nature makes it a suitable option for organisations looking for a cost-effective entry into help desk management.

Pros	Cons
Free version Easy to set up and get started quickly Community support available for assistance	Features may be less robust than paid alternatives Limited customisation options May not scale as effectively for large, complex organisations

What people are saying:

• "The adverts are sometimes annoying, and also, the mobile app is very buggy."
• “Not too much functionality, which is fine considering the price point.”

Learn more: Discover how Zendesk vs. Spiceworks compare.

17. SolarWinds Service Desk

Best for automations

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$39 per technician/month (billed annually)	30 days	Incident and service request management Automated workflows Self-service portals Knowledge base Service catalogue IT asset management and tracking Problem and change management Reporting and analytics

SolarWinds Service Desk ticketing systems are designed to streamline IT service operations through a comprehensive suite of ITSM features. Its systems focus on automating incident and service request workflows, aiming to minimise manual effort for IT teams.

The service ticket system includes capabilities such as a service catalogue, asset management, and a knowledge base, all integrated to enhance IT productivity and user satisfaction. Its design focuses on efficient IT operations, with a clear emphasis on automation and centralised management.

Pros	Cons
Automation features for IT processes ITSM capabilities beyond basic ticketing Asset management integration	User interface may feel dated to some users Can be complex to set up and configure initially

What people are saying:

• “The tool of SolarWinds, is not that fast-working tool, for integrations but the field level configurations handle all of the issues.”
• “Although support has been great, help with implementations, particularly around the use of APIs, SD support has not been very helpful.”
• “It doesn't offer deep customisation for cultural institution systems out-of-the-box.”

Learn more: Discover how SolarWinds integrates with Zendesk.

18. SysAid

Best AI capabilities

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
Contact SysAid	Unavailable	Incident and problem management Service catalogue and self-service portal AI-powered workflow automation Asset management and CMDB Remote control capabilities Chatbots Reporting and analytics

SysAid is an IT and enterprise service management solution that helps organisations manage IT issues, automate workflows, and provide self-service options. It offers a technical support ticketing system for IT professionals to handle support requests, manage assets, and help operations.

The system integrates ITIL best practices with features like incident management, problem management, and CMDB. It focuses on increasing productivity through AI-driven insights and extensive automation, supporting both internal IT and broader enterprise service needs.

Pros	Cons
ITSM capabilities with ITIL alignment Automation and AI features Asset management	User interface might be less intuitive for new users Can be a more expensive option compared to basic help desk tools Customisation can require technical expertise

What people are saying:

• “SysAid is being used as our internal support ticketing system with our tech services team. It does a great job of helping us build efficiency and tracking support for the team that is always facing capacity restraints due to number of requests.”
• “The downsides are some of the clunky baked-in features, for example the FAQ is unusable for end users but great for adding knowledge to train the AI systems, the email notifications and workflows are quite difficult to master but when they do work, they work very well.”
• “The AI functions are vast and very useful.”

19. ProProfs Help Desk

Best for knowledge base integration

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$39 per user/month (billed annually)	15 days	Multiple inboxes Audit and admin controls Internal notes in tickets Roles and permissions Auto-responders Canned responses Ticket routing

ProProfs Help Desk offers customer service ticketing systems that centralise enquiries from various channels into one organised dashboard. Its goal is to simplify the process of transforming emails and messages into manageable tickets that users can prioritise and track.

The help desk features automation capabilities for ticket assignment and responses, along with a self-service knowledge base to empower customers. It focuses on ease of use and efficient multichannel communication to enhance support responsiveness.

Pros	Cons
User-friendly interface and easy setup Affordable pricing for basic plans Strong integration with its knowledge base	Voice call functionality Basic reporting features Limited customisation

What people are saying:

• “This tool is not a full-fledged ITSM tool.” However, you can manage your basic IT ticketing needs with ease.”
• “I’m not much impressed with their integration options to third-party tools.” This is something that needs to be improved.”

Learn more: Discover how ProProfs integrates with Zendesk.

20. Gorgias

Best for e-commerce

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$50/month for 300 help desk tickets (billed annually)	1 month	E-commerce platform integrations Single customer view with order history Multi-channel support AI-powered automation and macros Automatic ticket tagging and assignment Social media sentiment analysis Live chat widget

Gorgias is a help desk system uniquely focused on the needs of small e-commerce businesses, centralising customer conversations from various sales and support channels. It integrates directly with popular e-commerce platforms to give agents a comprehensive view of customer orders and interactions.

The ticketing solution leverages automation and AI to streamline common e-commerce queries, such as order tracking and returns. Its design prioritises quick response times and personalised support within the context of sales-driven customer service.

Pros	Cons
Integrations with e-commerce sites Automation features Familiar email-like user interface	Pricing model is based on ticket volume Basic reporting features Primarily suited for e-commerce

What people are saying:

• “It does integrate well with paid ad comments for social media platforms. Could use some better analytics.”
• “Gorgias integrates seamlessly with multiple communication channels such as email, social media, and live chat, allowing us to manage all customer interactions in one place.”

Learn more: Discover how Zendesk vs. Gorgias compare.

21. Kayako

Best for multichannel customer service

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$39 per agent/month (billed annually)	14 days	Ticketing system Unlimited AI suggested responses Help centre SingleView™ Kayako Messenger Customisable help centre

Kayako offers a help desk ticketing system that helps consolidate customer conversations across live chat, email, and social media into a single view. It focuses on providing agents with the context of the customer journey to deliver personalised, efficient support.

The help desk ticket software has integrated AI enhancements like ticket summaries and suggested responses to boost agent productivity and response times. It also provides self-help resources and team collaboration to ensure seamless problem resolution.

Pros	Cons
Unified customer view AI-powered features Self-service portal functionality	Pricing structure can be expensive for smaller businesses Some users report buggy performance Customisation options may be limited for complex needs

What people are saying:

• “Easy to assign tickets and inter department changes are also really smooth. The options for adding follow-up notes for tickets saves a lot of time as there is no need to pass updates through other means such as vocal or messages.”
• “It does not have auto-refresh feature which is a very big drawback. Using browser plugins for auto refresh is frustrating.”

Learn more: Discover how Zendesk vs. Kayako comparison.

22. Mojo Helpdesk

Best for internal help desk operations

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$12.6 per agent/month (billed annually)	21 days	Full ticket tracking Email integration Self-service knowledge base Canned responses Customised forms Customised ticket history Satisfaction surveys

The Mojo Helpdesk ticket system lets online shops merge, track, and assign tickets in a round-robin fashion. Managers can set rules to automatically escalate tickets when the issue calls for it. Plus, users can integrate CSAT surveys into tickets to collect statistics on agent performance.

The system can suggest knowledge base articles based on the problem mentioned in the ticket. Companies that subscribe to the Business plan can add a private knowledge base for employees. Mojo’s ticket software also features a centralised inbox that gives agents a view of customer information. The Enterprise plan allows teams to test new help desk configurations in a sandbox before going live.

Pros	Cons
Detailed categorisation, assignment, and tagging of tickets Very shallow user learning curve Strong uptime and user-friendly menu	Outdated and unappealing user interface/experience Notification emails may lack crucial submitter details Subpar search functionality and uninformative reporting

What people are saying:

• “We love that tickets can be categorised, assigned, tagged, etc, as separate fields, rather than a one-step bucketing of contacts, esp. by the user.”
• “Unable to keep the same layout and go into dark mode. More layouts. Some trouble with screenshots and pictures.”
• “The notification emails when a ticket is assigned to me leave out one of the most important details: the person who submitted the ticket.” -Chel M.

23. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Best for full-stack IT service management

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$13 per technician/month (billed annually)	30 days	Customisable templates Visual ticket lifecycle builder Self-service portal Knowledge base SLA management and escalations Reporting and dashboards Generative AI

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is an ITSM software designed for IT departments to manage their service desk operations. It provides an integrated platform for incident, problem, change, and asset management, aligning with ITIL best practices.

The IT ticket software offers extensive automation capabilities, AI-driven insights, and deep integrations with other ManageEngine products for IT operations management. It aims to provide a 360-degree view of IT services.

Pros	Cons
ITSM features aligned with ITIL Strong integration with other ManageEngine products Automation capabilities for IT workflows	User interface and experience can feel outdated Limited flexibility in customisation of ITIL functions External software integration can require significant coding effort

What people are saying:

• “The implementation may be a bit complex. But if it is implemented effectively it is good.”
• “Direct support can sometimes be difficult to access effectively, but working with a local partner easily overcomes this.”
• "Perhaps the most frustrating aspect for me is the level zero support processing for end users. It often feels like I'm hitting a brick wall when trying to resolve basic issues, and the lack of responsiveness in this area is a significant letdown."

Learn more: Discover how Opsgenie integrates with Zendesk.

24. Groove

Best for smaller teams

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$26 per month (billed annually)	30 days	Shared inboxes Knowledge base bot Email management and ticketing Unlimited help widgets Round-robin assignment Standard rule automations Satisfaction ratings and feedback Standard reporting

Groove offers a help desk solution centred around a shared inbox and intuitive ticket management designed for growing businesses. It aims to simplify customer support by bringing together conversations from various channels into a single, collaborative workspace.

The platform provides smart automation features, AI-powered tools for agent assistance, and a knowledge base to empower self-service. Groove focuses on improving response times and increasing agent productivity through streamlined workflows and efficient communication.

Pros	Cons
Easy to set up Collaboration features AI-powered bots	Some users report occasional technical glitches Customisation options for certain features can be limited May use marketing tactics that some users find misleading

What people are saying:

• “GrooveHQ's support team have been extremely responsive to all our setup queries, which alongside their thorough and clearly presented help pages has made for a great user experience.”
• “The areas where I think they can improve are the rules feature, though [it] has been a really good feature for our workflow, it can be improved by maybe adding some additional customisation options."
• Reporting: The views they provide give a very basic look at what is happening in support, nothing is customisable, nothing can be extracted, comments on CSAT don't show up in the reports, you have to go to each individual ticket and find it.”

Learn more: Discover how Zendesk vs. Groove compare.

There are several types of ticketing systems, which you can broadly categorise based on their functionality and the specific needs they address:

• Customer service desk: This is the classic ticketing system for managing customer support enquiries. It allows customers to submit requests through various channels, routes them to the right agent, and tracks progress towards resolution.
• IT help desks: This system focuses on internal support requests from employees. It tackles software, hardware, network problems, or password reset issues, streamlining employee tech support.
• Help desk ticketing systems: Help desk systems are similar to customer support systems, but are often more focused on internal support within organisations. They provide tools for managing employee requests, technical issues, and general enquiries.
• Issue tracking systems: These are specialised for tracking and managing bugs, defects, and other issues, generally for software development purposes. They help development teams identify, prioritise, and resolve issues throughout the software lifecycle.
• AI help desk: An AI help desk leverages artificial intelligence to automate responses, route enquiries, and provide personalised self-service, freeing up agents and resolving issues more efficiently.
• Web-based help desk: A web-based help desk offers software as a service (SaaS), hosted by the provider, allowing companies to access and use the help desk through a web browser, mobile app, or desktop client with minimal setup and maintenance.
• Enterprise help desk: Enterprise help desk solutions provide robust and deeply customisable tools for supporting both internal teams and external customers at scale, offering features like collaboration tools, IT asset management, and extensive knowledge bases.
• Internal help desk: Internal help desks are designed to assist companies in supporting their own employees, helping IT and HR departments manage incoming requests and ensure fast resolution of internal issues to keep staff productive.
• On-premise help desk: On-premise help desk solutions involve purchasing and installing licensed software on a company's own servers, providing extensive customisation options and data control for organisations with dedicated IT teams.
• Open-source help desk: Open-source help desk solutions provide access to the software's source code, allowing companies with skilled IT teams to customise the system extensively to meet unique operational requirements.
• Cloud-based help desk: Cloud-based help desks store data and operate on remote servers, offering flexible scalability to adjust to demand and often featuring variable pricing based on usage, which is ideal for businesses seeking adaptable solutions without in-house IT expertise.

Each type of ticketing system is tailored to specific organisational needs, ensuring efficient and effective management of various requests and issues.

Help desk ticketing tools should provide a variety of features that make your team more effective. Here are some key features to consider whilst comparing ticketing services.

Ticket management

Ticket management is a central feature of help desk software, enabling the systematic creation, tracking, prioritisation, and resolution of all customer inquiries. This comprehensive capability ensures that every interaction, from initial contact to final resolution, is captured and organised within a single system. 

Effective ticket management is crucial for maintaining an accurate record of support requests, empowering agents with complete context, and streamlining workflows to deliver consistent and timely service.

Workforce engagement management

Workforce engagement management encompasses a suite of tools and strategies within help desk software designed to optimise support agents' performance, scheduling, and well-being. 

This includes features for forecasting staffing needs, scheduling agents for optimal coverage, and quality assurance (QA) tools like Zendesk QA to monitor and improve agent interactions. Integrating these capabilities helps teams boost productivity, ensure consistent service quality, and foster a more engaged and satisfied workforce.

AI and automation

AI and automation are transforming how support teams operate, streamlining tasks and improving support processes. AI enhances request management software performance by taking on and automating more tasks. They can understand natural language, allowing customers to describe their issues freely and receive conversational solutions or guided troubleshooting steps.  

Since AI bots, like the Zendesk AI agents, integrate with your knowledge base, they can summarise information from articles to provide targeted answers to frequently asked questions. AI streamlines creating and maintaining a knowledge base by analysing past customer interactions to identify frequently asked questions and common pain points. It can then suggest relevant content to populate the knowledge base, or even automatically generate draft articles based on existing data. 

AI can personalise the self-service experience by tailoring search results and suggesting relevant knowledge base articles based on a customer's specific inquiry. Additionally, AI can track user behaviour and identify areas where content might be confusing or insufficient so you can continuously optimise the knowledge base.

Omnichannel support

Omnichannel support means meeting customers and employees on their preferred channels to deliver seamless, reliable and consistent experiences. Employee and customer profiles that contain interaction history, context, and preferences are visible across channels, leading to more personalised service when resolving support tickets. 

Support channels can include email, telephone, social media, web, live chat, and messaging apps like Messenger for business. Users may switch between channels throughout the life of the ticket request, making it even more important to provide omnichannel support options.

Workflow automation

With workflow automation tools like macros, triggers, and ticket notifications, agents can save time and deliver faster service. Automatic macro suggestions provide agents with pre-written responses they can apply to a ticket based on the context of the conversation. Zendesk offers a key workflow automation feature that gathers key details upfront and autofills tickets with existing information.

Additionally, you can create a trigger that automatically replies to customers when they create a new ticket, helping you deliver exceptional experiences through automated customer service.

Reporting and analytics

A help desk ticketing system needs reporting features that allow you to gather valuable customer insights. For example, Zendesk provides robust reporting and analytics tools with pre-built and customisable dashboards to track and analyse key customer service KPIs in real time. This enables you to act quickly on metrics—such as first response time and customer satisfaction ratings—and stay agile.

Check out these powerful benefits your team can enjoy with the right help desk ticketing system.

Deliver fast and personalised service at scale with AI

AI-powered ticketing systems elevate customer service by intelligently sorting and prioritising enquiries, sometimes using AI agents to resolve enquiries before they escalate to a human agent. This allows businesses to swiftly address customer needs, while AI personalises the experience by analysing past interactions and tailoring responses to each customer's unique situation.

Online fashion company Motel Rocks is a prime example of the benefits you can receive from advanced AI. Deploying Zendesk AI agents helped them reduce ticket volume by 50 percent and improve CSAT by almost 10 percent.

Increase loyalty and retention with omnichannel experiences

Ticket systems help keep teams organised with streamlined workflows and contextual information all in a single place. As a result, agents have the customer data and context they need to deliver the timely and effective service that customers expect. Plus, they won’t need to ask customers to repeat information – a common pain point for angry customers.

When getting support is easy, customers will stick around (and maybe even spread the good word about your brand), which is the simple recipe for building customer loyalty and retention. 

Bikeshare company LimeBike uses omnichannel practices to centralise its communication and achieved a 93 percent CSAT score. Customers can call, text, or email when they need assistance, and the LimeBike team can answer all requests using a single system in Zendesk.

Boost agent productivity and lower burnout

Even some free trouble ticketing software—albeit to a lesser degree than paid service—helps boost productivity and efficiency by automating low-value, time-consuming activities. Automating tedious tasks allows agents to spend more time on high-value tasks like serving customers. 

Additionally, clear organisation within the system keeps agents focused, reducing context switching, mental strain, and the demoralising effects of simple mistakes.

Lower operational costs while maintaining service quality

Improved agent productivity and efficiency means your organisation can more easily provide top-notch customer service without constantly hiring new agents whenever service requests spike. For example, you can use bots to provide 24/7 support rather than staffing a late-night support team. 

Take a page from Unity’s playbook—the software development platform saved $1.3 million by adding Zendesk automation, bots, and self-service resources.

Build customer trust by keeping their data safe

By employing advanced encryption methods, secure access controls, and regular security audits, the system ensures that sensitive information, such as personal details and confidential communication, remains safe from unauthorised access and breaches.

Additionally, adherence to data protection regulations and transparent privacy policies further reinforce customers' confidence that their data is handled responsibly and securely.

Data security is especially important in the financial and government sectors. For example, Indigov provides constituent relationship management software to local, state, and federal governments. To comply with government regulations, Indigov uses Zendesk due to its SOC 2 and FedRAMP certifications and single sign-on to add another layer of protection.

Choosing the right ticketing software is crucial because it directly impacts employee and customer satisfaction, operational efficiency and the ability to manage and resolve customer enquiries effectively. To help guide your decision-making, here are some common things to look for in a ticketing tool:

• Consider ease of setup and ease of use: Many ticketing systems, especially IT ticketing software, can be complex to learn and challenging to navigate. But if it’s intuitively designed with the agent in mind, like Zendesk, you can quickly set it up and learn how to use it.

• Evaluate AI capabilities: Look for features like intelligent routing, generative AI, and automation so you can gauge the potential contributions the AI can make. These capabilities will greatly impact your agents’ workload and effectiveness.

• Evaluate the level of expertise and support the provider offers: Choose a provider like Zendesk that offers dedicated account management and customer onboarding support to get you up and running for a faster time to value. Ongoing service can also strengthen your business strategy with expert guidance and best practice.

• Ensure the ticketing software enables you to move at the speed of your business: As customer expectations and behaviours evolve, your software must be flexible and allow you to scale your support to meet employee and customer needs. Zendesk works out of the box but can adapt to changing demands quickly while keeping total costs low.

• Prioritise scalability and agility: As your customer base expands or your product offerings become more complex, a scalable ticketing system can handle the increased volume of enquiries and support requests without compromising efficiency. This translates to maintaining a positive CX during periods of rapid growth, which prevents bottlenecks and ensures you can adequately address customer needs.

• Explore the total cost of ownership (TCO): The best online ticket systems offer a low TCO over the lifetime use of the product. With Zendesk, you get that and more. Our pricing is transparent – there aren’t hidden costs or endless add-ons required to meet your basic needs. Plus, built-in AI helps your IT and customer support teams do more with less.

• Consider customisation: A customisable help desk ticketing system allows you to tailor the software precisely to your unique workflows, branding, and reporting needs, ensuring it aligns perfectly with your business operations and provides the functionality you need.

Incorporate these criteria into your selection process, and you’ll avoid many of the complications that come with a poor software fit.