10 Best Help Desk Tools in 2026

Updated: February 2026

Help desk and ticketing systems

Key Takeaways

  • Trengo is our #1 pick for help desk in 2026, scoring 88/100.
  • We analyzed 105 help desk tools to create this ranking.
  • 5 tools offer free plans, perfect for getting started.
  • Average editorial score: 86/100 - high-quality category.
1
Trengo logo

Trengo

All-in-one customer engagement platform

88/100
Paid

Trengo positions itself as a team inbox for all your customer communication channels, and it delivers on that promise quite well. The platform brings together WhatsApp, email, live chat, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and even SMS into a single interface that feels surprisingly organized. What sets Trengo apart is its focus on team collaboration. You can assign conversations to specific team members, add internal notes, mention colleagues for input, and track who's working on what. For businesses juggling multiple communication channels, this prevents the chaos of messages falling through the cracks. The WhatsApp Business integration is particularly strong. You can use it for customer support, send automated notifications, and even run marketing campaigns—all while staying compliant with WhatsApp's business policies. For businesses in regions where WhatsApp is the dominant communication channel, this alone might justify the investment. Trengo also includes a flow builder for creating automated responses and routing rules. It's visual and intuitive enough that non-technical team members can set up fairly sophisticated automations. Common use cases include auto-replies outside business hours, routing inquiries to specialized teams, and sending satisfaction surveys after conversations close. The platform works well for small to mid-sized businesses that communicate across many channels but want to keep everything manageable without enterprise-level complexity.

2
Intercom logo

Intercom

AI-first customer service platform

88/100
Paid

Intercom is a customer communication platform that combines AI-powered chatbots, live chat, help center, and email automation for customer support and engagement.

3
Splashtop logo

Splashtop

Remote desktop

87/100
Paid4.0 community score

Splashtop delivers remote desktop access for businesses and IT teams needing to support and manage devices from anywhere. The platform provides high-performance remote connections with enterprise security features and device management. IT departments use Splashtop for remote support, unattended access, and managing distributed infrastructure.

4
TeamViewer logo

TeamViewer

The platform for the digital workplace, enabling seamless remote access, support, and IT management.

86/100
Freemium3.6 community score

TeamViewer is a comprehensive platform designed to facilitate a smooth and efficient digital experience for employees and optimize IT operations. It offers robust remote access and support capabilities, allowing users to connect to and control devices from anywhere, reducing downtime and travel costs. The platform caters to IT professionals, teams, and large enterprises, providing tools for proactive IT management, real-time insights, and automated problem resolution. Beyond basic remote control, TeamViewer includes features like Digital Experience Management (DEX) for monitoring endpoint environments, identifying compliance drifts, and automating fixes. It also offers powerful add-ons such as Asset Management, Mobile Device Management, Device Monitoring, and Endpoint Protection, ensuring a secure and well-managed IT infrastructure. TeamViewer emphasizes high-level security, evidenced by its BitSight Security Rating and various certifications, making it a trusted solution for businesses and organizations worldwide, including non-profits and educational institutions.

5
Jira Service Management logo

Jira Service Management

Unite teams on a single AI-powered platform to deliver service at scale.

85/100
Freemium4.8 community score

Jira Service Management is an AI-powered platform designed to revolutionize IT support and scale service experiences across various teams, including IT, HR, facilities, and engineering. It helps organizations end bad service management by providing a unified platform for managing requests, automating support interactions, and improving collaboration between development and operations teams. The platform offers features like request management, incident management, problem management, change management, asset management, configuration management, and knowledge management. With AI capabilities, it provides 24/7 self-service, intelligent triage of requests, smart context for personalized support, and automated post-incident reviews. Jira Service Management aims to accelerate deployments, minimize risk, detect and resolve incidents faster, and improve overall service resilience for over 60,000 customers worldwide. It caters to a wide range of users, from startups managing incoming requests to enterprises seeking a fast, flexible ITSM solution. The platform integrates with over 1,000 applications and offers a robust API for customization, ensuring it can adapt to diverse use cases and scale with organizational needs.

6
Freshdesk logo

Freshdesk

Intuitive customer support software

85/100
Freemium

Freshdesk is a customer support platform that helps teams deliver exceptional service. Ticketing organizes customer conversations across channels. Automation routes tickets and suggests responses. Knowledge base enables customer self-service. AI features summarize tickets and assist agents. Support that scales without losing the personal touch.

7
Gorgias logo

Gorgias

Customer support helpdesk for e-commerce

85/100
Paid

Gorgias handles customer support for e-commerce businesses. Integrate with Shopify, access order data, resolve issues faster—support designed around how online stores work. The e-commerce integration is deep. Agents see order history immediately. Automation handles common questions. E-commerce brands wanting support that understands their business choose Gorgias for store-integrated customer service.

8
Insightly logo

Insightly

Modern, scalable CRM platform with AI, marketing automation, and customer service for growing businesses.

85/100
Freemium

Insightly is a comprehensive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform designed to help businesses grow faster by centralizing customer data, automating workflows, and streamlining sales, marketing, and customer support operations. It offers a unified platform that integrates CRM, marketing automation, and customer service functionalities, allowing teams to manage leads, opportunities, projects, and customer interactions from a single source of truth. Insightly aims to improve sales efficiency, enhance customer engagement, and provide actionable insights through its robust reporting and analytics capabilities. The platform caters to a wide range of industries and businesses looking to optimize their customer-facing processes. Key features include lead tracking, pipeline management, email marketing, landing page creation, dynamic list segmentation, and workflow automation. Insightly also incorporates AI features like Copilot, email replies, and summaries to automate repetitive tasks, keep data clean, and help sales teams focus on high-value leads. Additionally, its AppConnect feature allows seamless integration with over 2,000 third-party applications, ensuring it fits into existing tech stacks and provides a holistic view of customer data.

9
Help Scout logo

Help Scout

Customer support for growing teams

84/100
Paid

Help Scout is a help desk platform designed for customer-centric teams. Shared inbox feels like email for customers, organized for teams. Docs creates self-service knowledge bases. Beacon adds live chat and help center to your site. Customer profiles show conversation history. Support software that keeps customers feeling like people, not tickets.

10
Crisp logo

Crisp

Customer messaging platform

84/100
Freemium

Crisp is a customer messaging platform combining live chat, chatbots, and CRM. Chat with website visitors in real-time. Automate common questions with chatbots. Shared inbox manages conversations across channels. CRM tracks customer relationships. Customer communication for startups and growing businesses.

Best Help Desk For

What is Help Desk Software?

Help desk and ticketing systems

According to our analysis of 10+ tools, the help desk software market offers solutions for teams of all sizes, from solo professionals to enterprise organizations. The best help desk tools in 2026 combine powerful features with intuitive interfaces.

Common Features of Help Desk Software

Automation

Automate repetitive help desk tasks to save time

Collaboration

Work together with team members in real-time

Analytics & Reporting

Track progress and measure performance

Security

Protect sensitive data with enterprise-grade security

Who Uses Help Desk Software?

Help Desk software is used by a wide range of professionals and organizations:

  • Small businesses looking to streamline operations and compete with larger companies
  • Enterprise teams needing scalable solutions for complex help desk needs
  • Freelancers and consultants managing multiple clients and projects
  • Startups seeking cost-effective tools that can grow with them

How to Choose the Right Help Desk Software

When evaluating help desk tools, consider these key factors:

  1. Identify your specific needs. What problems are you trying to solve? List your must-have features versus nice-to-haves.
  2. Consider your budget. 5 tools in our top 10 offer free plans, including TeamViewer and Jira Service Management.
  3. Evaluate ease of use. A powerful tool is useless if your team won't adopt it. Look for intuitive interfaces and good onboarding.
  4. Check integrations. Ensure the tool works with your existing tech stack (CRM, communication tools, etc.).
  5. Read real user reviews. Our community reviews provide honest feedback from actual users.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best help desk software in 2026?

Based on our analysis of features, user reviews, and overall value, Trengo ranks as the #1 help desk tool in 2026 with a score of 88/100. Other top-rated options include Intercom and Splashtop.

Are there free help desk tools available?

Yes! TeamViewer, Jira Service Management, Freshdesk offer free plans. In total, 5 of the top 10 help desk tools have free or freemium pricing options.

How do you rank help desk tools?

Our rankings are based on multiple factors: editorial analysis of features and usability (40%), community reviews and ratings (30%), pricing value (15%), and integration capabilities (15%). We regularly update rankings as tools evolve and new reviews come in.

What should I look for in help desk software?

Key factors to consider include: core features that match your workflow, ease of use and learning curve, pricing that fits your budget, quality of customer support, integrations with your existing tools, and scalability as your needs grow.

Our Ranking Methodology

At Toolradar, we combine editorial expertise with community insights to rank help desk tools:

40%
Editorial Analysis
Features, UX, innovation
30%
User Reviews
Real feedback from verified users
15%
Pricing Value
Cost vs. features offered
15%
Integrations
Ecosystem compatibility

Rankings are updated regularly as we receive new reviews and as tools release updates. Last updated: February 2026.

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