Best Help Desk Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Chatwoot is ranked #1 of 101 as of 7 October 2026, ahead of Freshdesk and Vtiger Help Desk. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Freshdesk. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Deskero at $9/mo.
Help desk software gives teams tools for handling customer questions and support requests. Compare shared inboxes, ticket automation, and SLA management to understand the support workflows each entry lists. Customer portals and help centers add ways to consider how customers can find information, while API access may matter when connecting support work with other systems. Chatwoot, Freshdesk, and Vtiger Help Desk are among the software covered. Included agent seats, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing provide additional comparison points. Consider how requests reach your team and which listed capabilities will help agents organize and respond to them.
101 help desk software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
17 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 1 has open-source code on record, and 1 has full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatwootWeb · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Full bars | 4 of 6 | $19/mo | 9.3 | ||
| 2 | FreshdeskAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | $19/mo | 7.9 | |
| 3 | Vtiger Help DeskAndroid · iPhone · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | $12/mo | 7.9 | |
| 4 | Zoho DeskAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | ₹420/mo | 7.8 | |
| 5 | Help ScoutAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | $25/mo | 7.8 | |
| 6 | Odoo HelpdeskAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | Free | 7.7 | |
| 7 | Desk365Web · Android · iPhone · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $12/mo | 7.7 | |
| 8 | FreeScoutAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | Free | 7.4 | |
| 9 | ManageEngine SupportCenter PlusAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | $100/mo | 7.3 | |
| 10 | VivantioWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $49/mo | 7.3 | |
| 11 | ProProfs Help DeskAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | $29.99/mo | 7.2 | |
| 12 | LiveAgentAPI | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | $15/mo | 6.8 |
| 13 | SmarterTrackAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | $20/mo | 6.8 | |
| 14 | HESKWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 15 | IntercomWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $19/mo | 6.7 |
| 16 | DeskeroAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | $9/mo | 6.7 | |
| 17 | ZammadAPI | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 6.6 |
| 18 | NABD SystemAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 19 | KayakoAPI | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 6.5 |
| 20 | ZnunyAPI | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 6.5 |
| 21 | UVdeskAPI | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 6.5 |
| 22 | KustomerWeb · Android · iPhone · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 6.5 |
| 23 | GistWeb · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 24 | Salesforce Service CloudAPI | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | $25/mo | 6.4 |
| 25 | WhelpWeb · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $29/mo | 6.4 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Shared inbox | SLA management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chatwoot | 9.3 | Free plan | $19/mo | Yes | Free | — | Yes |
| 2 | Freshdesk | 7.9 | Free plan | $19/mo | No | $19/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | Vtiger Help Desk | 7.9 | Free plan | $12/mo | Yes | $12/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | Zoho Desk | 7.8 | Free plan | ₹420/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | Help Scout | 7.8 | Free plan | $25/mo | Yes | $25/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | Odoo Helpdesk | 7.7 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | Desk365 | 7.7 | Free plan | $12/mo | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 8 | FreeScout | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | ManageEngine SupportCenter Plus | 7.3 | Free plan | $100/mo | Yes | $100/user/mo | — | Yes |
| 10 | Vivantio | 7.3 | No | $49/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 11 | ProProfs Help Desk | 7.2 | Free plan | $29.99/mo | Yes | $23.88/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 12 | LiveAgent | 6.8 | No | $15/mo | Yes | $15/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | SmarterTrack | 6.8 | Free plan | $20/mo | Yes | $20/user/mo | — | Yes |
| 14 | HESK | 6.8 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | Intercom | 6.7 | No | $19/mo | No | $29/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 16 | Deskero | 6.7 | Free plan | $9/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 17 | Zammad | 6.6 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 18 | NABD System | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 19 | Kayako | 6.5 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 20 | Znuny | 6.5 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | UVdesk | 6.5 | No | — | Yes | $8/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 22 | Kustomer | 6.5 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 23 | Gist | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 24 | Salesforce Service Cloud | 6.4 | No | $25/mo | No | $25/user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 25 | Whelp | 6.4 | Free plan | $29/mo | Yes | $29/user/mo | Yes | — |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which help desk software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Chatwoot is ranked #1 of 101 with a score of 9.3. Freshdesk is second and Vtiger Help Desk third.
How many of these have a free plan?
16 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Deskero has the lowest first paid tier we found: $9/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.