Enterprise-grade support suite with ticketing, messaging, and a knowledge base.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportOnlineAndroidiPhonePaid · $55/agent/mo
45 toolsPublic bookmarkCurated by Bookmarkit TeamUpdated August 2026
Best customer support tools
Customer support tools are the inbox, ticketing, live chat, and help center your team works from. This shortlist includes Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, Help Scout, Front, Gorgias, Chatwoot, and several AI agents that sit on those desks. Use it to pick the system of record. Use the AI support agent list when the only question is the bot.
What is customer support software?
Customer support software is the system that stores conversations, assigns them, and reports on them. That includes ticketing helpdesks, shared email inboxes, live chat, and in-app messengers. Many products now ship an AI agent on top. The desk still matters because billing, SLAs, and macros live there. If you only buy a widget, you do not have a support system.
This shortlist includes Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, Help Scout, Front, Crisp, and 39 more.
Who this shortlist is for
- Support leaders replacing Zendesk, Intercom, or a shared Gmail inbox
- Ecommerce teams comparing Gorgias, Richpanel, and helpdesks with store integrations
- Teams that want an open inbox such as Chatwoot or FreeScout
How we picked
We include helpdesks, shared inboxes, live chat, and support-focused AI that already appears in the catalog. Pure CRM or sales engagement tools stay on the sales lists.
- Stores customer conversations as the system of record
- Has assignment, reporting, or a help center, not only a chat bubble
- Public pricing or edition information we can attach to a profile
- Used by support, success, or ecommerce CX teams
The shortlist
Open a profile for pricing, alternatives, and a product page.
AI-first customer service platform with inbox, messenger, and automation.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportOnlineAndroidiPhonePaid · $29/seat/mo
Cloud help desk with ticketing, automation, and omnichannel support.
Freemium (Subscription)Customer SupportMacWindowsLinuxFreemium · Free for 10 agents
Human-friendly shared inbox and knowledge base for customer support teams.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportAndroidiPhoneAndroid TabletPaid · See website
Front provides real-time collaboration on multiple email addresses and manages shared inboxes such as support@ and sales@.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportMacWindowsOnlinePaid · See website
Shared inbox and live chat for startups that want simple customer messaging.
Freemium (Pay once)Customer SupportMacWindowsLinuxFreemium · See website
Live chat and chatbots for ecommerce and small business websites.
Freemium (Subscription)Customer SupportMacWindowsOnlineFreemium · Free plan available
Chatwoot is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
Freemium (Subscription)Customer SupportSelf-HostedSoftware as a Service (SaaS)CloudronFreemium · See website
Ada 2012 represents the next generation of the world's premier programming language for engineering safe, secure and reliable software.
ProprietaryAI SupportOnlineWebAPIEnterprise · Custom pricing
Sierra is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportiPhoneAndroidFreemium · See website
Decagon is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWebFreemium · See website
Forethought is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWebFreemium · See website
Gorgias provides a unified platform for managing multichannel customer support interactions from a single interface.
ProprietaryEcommerce SupportOnlinePaid · $10/mo
Please note that your choices apply across all our subdomains.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportiPhoneAndroidFreemium · See website
LiveChat consolidates all customer messages within a unified application, providing immediate access to customer information and enabling.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportMacWindowsOnlinePaid · See website
No-code AI agent platform that answers, takes real action, and runs support, sales, and ops across every channel.
FreemiumCustomer SupportOnlineWebWhatsAppFreemium · Free trial
Build a custom AI chatbot trained on your data for support and lead capture.
FreemiumCustomer SupportWebFreemium · See website
CustomGPT builds retrieval-augmented AI agents from your content so teams can answer product and support questions with citations.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWebPaid · See website
SiteGPT crawls your site and knowledge sources to power an on-brand support chatbot.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWebPaid · See website
Botsonic helps teams launch AI chatbots trained on business content with a no-code interface.
FreemiumCustomer SupportWebFreemium · See website
Capacity is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWebFreemium · See website
Dixa is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportiPhoneAndroidFreemium · See website
Drift is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportiPhoneAndroidFreemium · See website
Free open-source Zendesk & Help Scout alternative: help desk, shared mailbox, email management and analytics.
Freemium (Pay once)Customer SupportMacLinuxAndroidFreemium · See website
For business leaders who want to get AI right, Gladly is the only customer experience AI that delivers the cost savings you need AND the.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportSoftware as a Service (SaaS)Paid · See website
Alternative to Botsonic
HappyFox is a web based customer support ticketing system and is cloud-based.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWindows MobileAndroidiPhonePaid · See website
Help Scout Docs is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWebFreemium · See website
Helpshift delivers scalable customer service in your mobile apps and mobile websites.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWebPaid · See website
Alternative to Freshdesk and Zendesk and UseResponse
HubSpot Service Hub is a comprehensive customer service platform that helps businesses manage customer inquiries across multiple channels.
Freemium (Subscription)Customer SupportOnlineAndroidiPhoneFreemium · See website
HubSpot is a software platform that consolidates data, teams, and customers.
Freemium (Subscription)Customer SupportAndroidiPhoneAndroid TabletFreemium · See website
Kayako is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportiPhoneAndroidFreemium · See website
LiveAgent Helpdesk is a customer support platform that allows communication through various channels including voice calls, emails, live cha.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportAndroidiPhoneAndroid TabletPaid · See website
Olark comes with a wide range of features to help you customize and manage your live chat experience.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWebFreemium · See website
Alternative to FreeScout
osTicket is a widely-used open source support ticket system.
FreeCustomer SupportWindowsLinuxMySQL Community EditionFree · See website
Plain is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportiPhoneAndroidFreemium · See website
Pylon is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWebFreemium · See website
Designed from the ground up to fit the specific needs of agile businesses, Reamaze can be fully integrated and embedded into your site or.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportMacWindowsLinuxPaid · See website
Richpanel is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportiPhoneAndroidFreemium · See website
As the world's first intelligent CRM, Salesforce Service Cloud provides a comprehensive platform for customer support and service management.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportOnlineWebiPhoneFreemium · See website
ServiceNow is a leading provider of cloud-based services that automate enterprise IT operations.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportSoftware as a Service (SaaS)Paid · See website
to is a live chat app that lets you monitor and chat with visitors on your website or from a customizable page.
Freemium (Subscription)Customer SupportMacWindowsLinuxFreemium · See website
Thrivestar is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWebFreemium · See website
**AI Masterclass 2026:** On-demand workshops to assess AI readiness and build a practical plan to scale agentic service.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportiPhoneAndroidFreemium · See website
UseResponse is a customizable Community Feedback and Support Software can be installed on your server as a PHP script or used in Cloud as SaaS.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportSelf-HostedPaid · See website
Zendesk Sell is a Customer Support product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryCustomer SupportWebFreemium · See website
How to choose a support desk
Start from channels and the system of record. Ecommerce, B2B SaaS, and public-sector IT do not buy the same desk.
| If this is the job | Look at |
|---|---|
| B2B SaaS with in-app chat | Intercom, Zendesk, Freshdesk, or Plain. Test the messenger and the ticket view on the same thread. |
| Email-first support | Help Scout, Front, or Freshdesk. Measure collision detection and saved replies. |
| Shopify or storefront volume | Gorgias, Richpanel, or a desk with order macros. The agent must see the order, not only the email. |
| Self-hosted or open source | Chatwoot, FreeScout, or osTicket. Budget the ops cost, not only the license. |
Related research
Best AI support agents
Agents that resolve tickets and hand off cleanly, not generic chat widgets.
Best sales tools
CRM, outreach, data, and call intel. A tighter CRM list sits next door.
Customer support software
Full category directory, not this editorial shortlist.
Human-in-the-loop support agents
Bookmarkit research note
Frequently asked questions
What is the best customer support software?
Zendesk and Intercom are the common enterprise and SaaS defaults. Freshdesk and Help Scout are frequent alternatives on price or email workflows. Gorgias is a frequent ecommerce pick. Chatwoot is a frequent open-source pick. “Best” is the desk that matches your channels and reporting, not the one with the most AI slides.
What is the difference between a helpdesk and a shared inbox?
A helpdesk (Zendesk, Freshdesk) treats work as tickets with statuses, SLAs, and a help center. A shared inbox (Help Scout, Front) treats work as email with collision detection and assignments. Many products now blur the line. If you need change management and custom ticket fields, you want a helpdesk.
Should I buy the AI agent and the desk from the same vendor?
Start with the agent your desk already ships if it can read your help center and hand off cleanly. Add a specialist (Ada, Sierra, Decagon, YourGPT) only if you have a gap the native agent cannot close. Two bots on one inbox creates duplicate replies.
Is Zendesk still worth it?
Yes if you need a mature ticket model, a marketplace, and reporting your ops team already knows. No if you are a small email team that will not use those objects. Compare Freshdesk, Help Scout, and Intercom on the same volume and channel mix before you renew.
What should I migrate first when I change helpdesks?
Macros, SLAs, and the help center, then historical tickets if you need them for search. Do not migrate every private note if nobody will read them. Run both desks in parallel on one channel until CSAT and handle time stabilize.