The following article compares the top help desk software options available in 2024. The selections in the table below represent the top-scoring software geared towards SMB, mid-market, and enterprise-level companies, respectively. Each was selected based on their relative performance according to a proprietary algorithm developed by our research team, consisting of:
- Notable Users (50%): A list of the top three most recognizable clients listed on the company’s website, indicating a positive reputation when dealing with the needs of large clients
- Pricing (35%): A listing of the pricing information for the help desk software, as provided on the company’s website
- Year Founded (15%): The year the company was founded. While not the most important factor in our analysis, company tenure can suggest a strong business model and an ability to adapt to technological changes
In addition to their information on our scoring criteria, each of the selections below also includes information on the location of the company’s corporate headquarters in case readers are interested in working with someone close by.
The Top Help Desk Software in 2024, Compared
| Rank | Product | Notable Users | Company HQ | Year Founded | Pricing | Specialty |
| 1 | Revelation Helpdesk | Ben & Jerry’s, Subway, Hilton | Westport, CT | 2001 | $19 – $59 per agent per month | Custom-branded automated help desk software for SMB and mid-market companies |
| 2 | Zendesk | Wine.com, Khan Academy, Thrasio | San Francisco, CA | 2007 | $55 – $115 per agent per month | AI-first software for companies seeking automated help desk solutions |
| 3 | Zoho Desk | McAfee, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens Energy | Austin, TX | 2005 | $14 – $40 per agent per month | Ticket management and self-service options for companies on a limited budget |
| 4 | Freshdesk | Bridgestone, Pearson, Sonata | San Mateo, CA | 2010 | $19-$119 per agent per month | Cloud-based help desk software to encourage team collaboration |
| 5 | HappyFox | Owler, Whirlpool, Leap Frog | Irvine, CA | 2011 | $9-$89 per agent per month | Barebones help desk ticketing software for small businesses |
| 6 | Jira Service Management | Square, Dominos, The Telegraph | Sydney, Australia | 2002 | $17.65 – $44.27 per agent per month | Agile help desk software for companies seeking traditional ITSM |
| 7 | ServiceNow | NHL, T-Mobile, Nascar | Santa Clara, CA | 2004 | $100 – $150 per agent per month | Enterprise help desk software for companies with extensive ITSM needs |
| 8 | Manage Engine Service Desk Plus | Honda, Disney, Xerox | Pleasanton, CA | 1996 | $13 – $67 per agent per month | Fully automated ITIL-ready help desk software for enterprise level companies |
| 9 | SysAid | Ikea, Coca Cola, Bacardi | Tel Aviv, Israel | 2002 | Not disclosed | Automated ITSM and asset management for companies requiring extra tracking ability |
| 10 | SolarWinds | Amazon, Google, McDonalds | Austin, TX | 1999 | Not disclosed | A la carte offerings of various help desk software for companies seeking specific services |
The following sections detail each of the companies listed above, providing more in-depth analysis of their offerings.
Revelation Helpdesk
Revelation Helpdesk is designed to make the help desk experience as streamlined as possible. It features a three-click ticket logging system, customizable phrasing across the platform, and helpdesk interface branding, making it ultimately as flexible as any business needs it to be. In addition, they provide integration with Microsoft 365 (including True-Sync for seamless user provisioning), Single Sign-On (SSO) using Microsoft credentials, and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to bolster security.
While most of the companies on this list were founded in the 2000s, Revelation Helpdesk is among the longer tenures on this list. In addition to a convenient annual pricing model, they’ve worked with several highly recognizable names, suggesting a long pattern of success.
- Pricing: $19 – $59 per agent per month
- Specialty: Custom-branded automated help desk software for SMB and mid-market companies
- Notable Users: Ben & Jerry’s, Subway, Hilton
- Year Founded: 2001
- Contact: Revelation Helpdesk Website
Zendesk
Zendesk provides a centralized platform for managing customer interactions across multiple channels, such as email, chat, social media, and phone in order to maintain a consistent customer service experience. They provide built-in analytics and integration options for clients looking to blend Zendesk with legacy applications, making them a good choice for improving (rather than replacing) your existing tech stack.
Zendesk features a more common pricing model within the industry, offering their software on a per agent per month basis. They feature some recognizable names in their client history, and have a tenure spanning almost two decades.
- Pricing: $55 – $115 per agent per month
- Specialty: AI-first software for companies seeking automated help desk solutions
- Notable Users: Wine.com, Khan Academy, Thrasio
- Year Founded: 2007
- Contact: Zendesk Website
Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk is a help desk software that enhances customer service by consolidating communications between agents, managers, and customers onto a single platform, ensuring efficient resolution of issues and improves response times. They provide automated workflows and ticket timelines that direct tickets to appropriate agents and provide updates, while comprehensive reporting tools offer real-time insights into team performance and customer satisfaction.
Zoho Desk provides a more budget-friendly option for companies seeking help desk software in exchange for relatively fewer options. That being said, their client history boasts several very well known names, speaking to the efficiency of their model.
- Pricing: $14 – $40 per agent per month
- Specialty: Ticket management and self-service options for companies on a limited budget
- Notable Users: McAfee, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens Energy
- Year Founded: 2008
- Contact: Zoho Desk Website
Freshdesk
Freshdesk allows for efficient customer support operations through a cloud-based platform that supports multiple communication channels. They provide advanced automation and AI to quickly route tickets to the right agents, reducing response times, as well as gamification elements to promote team collaboration and maintain high levels of engagement and productivity.
Freshdesk falls in the middle of the pricing plans that we observed for this list, and they are among the youngest of our finalists. Their client history, however, boasts several known names that indicate a pattern of success throughout their tenure.
- Pricing: $19 – $119 per agent per month
- Specialty: Cloud-based help desk software to encourage team collaboration
- Notable Users: Bridgestone, Pearson, Sonata
- Year Founded: 2010
- Contact: Freshdesk Website
HappyFox
Whereas many of the other help desk software options on this list focus on providing extensive full-service support, HappyFox prioritizes accessibility and ease of use in its platform. It does, however, have a broad range of customization options, allowing clients to sort, categorize, and prioritize tickets easily and according to their business’s specific needs.
HappyFox is a solid budget-friendly option, with plans as low as $9. They are among the younger companies on this list, however, they have provided help desk software to a few highly recognizable clients, suggesting a good deal of success in a relatively shorter period of time compared to others on this list.
- Pricing: $9 – $89 per agent per month
- Specialty: Barebones help desk ticketing software for small businesses
- Notable Users: Owler, Whirlpool, Leap Frog
- Year Founded: 2011
- Contact: HappyFox Website
Jira Service Management
Jira Service Management is designed to bridge IT operations with development teams by integrating agile practices with traditional IT service management. They feature configurable dashboards and real-time reporting to support advanced incident, problem, and change management capabilities. This makes them ideal for clients seeking to make their existing help desk infrastructure more adaptive.
Jira Service Management is the lowest cost option of any of the help desk software we looked at for this list, although notably, this is for a more limited range of services. They do, however, have a large number of notable clients listed on their website, suggesting a great deal of success.
- Pricing: $17.65 – $44.27 per agent per month
- Specialty: Agile help desk software for companies seeking traditional ITSM
- Notable Users: Square, Dominos, The Telegraph
- Year Founded: 2002
- Contact: Jira Service Management Website
ServiceNow
ServiceNow offers a comprehensive toolkit designed to automate IT and business processes across your organization. Its focus on intelligent workflows and AI technologies enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. The tool supports a wide range of IT services and operations under a unified system, making it particularly suitable for enterprises with extensive service management needs.
ServiceNow provides a comprehensive suite of services, which is reflected in their monthly prices. Over the course of their two-decade tenure, they have worked with a wide variety of highly recognizable names across a wide range of industries.
- Pricing: $100 – $150 per agent per month
- Specialty: Enterprise help desk software for companies with extensive ITSM needs
- Notable Users: NHL, T-Mobile, Nascar
- Year Founded: 2004
- Contact: ServiceNow Website
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus provides IT help desk software that emphasizes asset and project management capabilities. It provides automation tools to streamline ticket handling, service escalations, and change management options, all backed by a configuration management database. This makes them ideal for enterprise-level clients seeking to automate processes to make them more efficient.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is among the cheapest help desk software solutions on this list and has one of the longest tenures. Their client history consists of several enterprise-level companies, indicating an ability to work with companies at varying degrees of scale.
- Pricing: $13 – $67 per agent per month
- Specialty: Fully automated ITIL-ready help desk software for enterprise-level companies
- Notable Users: Honda, Disney, Xerox
- Year Founded: 1996
- Contact: Manage Engine Service Desk Plus
SysAid
SysAid automates IT service management and asset management processes, ensuring efficient management of support tickets from start to finish. They feature advanced reporting tools, mobile support, and Integrated asset management capabilities that keep track of all your hardware and software resources. This makes them ideal for companies seeking to increase the responsiveness and flexibility of their IT staff.
Although SysAid has worked with several notable clients over the course of their tenure, which spans more than two decades long, their pricing information is not readily available, making it difficult to gauge how accessible they are for companies at any scale.
- Pricing: Not disclosed
- Specialty: Automated ITSM and asset management for companies requiring extra tracking ability
- Notable Users: Ikea, Coca-Cola, Bacardi
- Year Founded: 2002
- Contact: SysAid Website
SolarWinds
SolarWinds Service Desk offers a comprehensive suite of tools to manage and automate your IT service processes. It focuses on managing IT assets, configuring service catalogs, and handling incident reporting to improve service delivery and operational efficiency. In addition, it offers several integration options. This makes it ideal for organizations that are reliant on robust IT infrastructure.
SolarWinds does not have pricing information available on its website, however, its extensive tenure and impressive client history suggest a pattern of success that spans the needs of various enterprise-level companies.
- Pricing: Not disclosed
- Specialty: A la carte offerings of various help desk software for companies seeking specific services
- Notable Users: Amazon, Google, McDonalds
- Year Founded: 1999
- Contact: SolarWinds Website
