Best Help Desk Software of 2026

Here's what we'll cover:

What you need to know about help desk software

What is help desk software?

Essential features of help desk software

Benefits and competitive advantages of using help desk software

How to choose the best help desk software for your business

Software related to help desk software

More resources for your help desk journey

What you need to know about help desk software

Help desk software helps organizations better manage their customer support via features such as ticket management, communication tracking, and issue resolution. By improving operational procedures, enhancing employee efficiency, and increasing management visibility, it helps firms streamline their support processes and deliver more value to their customers.

To give you an idea of the market, we have nearly 400 different help desk vendors on our site, we’ve published nearly 7,000 reviews for help desk products over the past two years, and we've spoken to nearly 446 help desk software buyers. [1] [2] 

The help desk market is extensive, offering hundreds of solutions tailored to different industries. This variety enables organizations to select a help desk solution crafted to meet the needs of specific sectors, whether in IT and services, computer software, hospital and health care, or education management industries. Nonetheless, the market's size and intricacy can be overwhelming, highlighting the importance for buyers to thoroughly assess their choices.

Pricing for help desk software varies depending on the vendor, features offered, and scalability. Some solutions offer tiered pricing models based on specific organizational requirements. To put things into perspective, we’ve found that prices for high-end plans that have advanced help desk features average $1,434 per month for more than 21 users, mid tier products average $867 per month for 11-20 users while entry-level pricing averages $190 per month for 1-10 users and offers basic functionality. [3] 

When considering help desk software, first-time buyers should begin their evaluation by considering their budget, number of users, specific needs, and necessary integrations. It's crucial to consult with stakeholders to compile a list of essential questions that will guide the evaluation process based on organizational needs, such as:

• What specific help desk features does the software provide, and how do they align with the organization's support requirements?

• Can the software scale to accommodate future increases in support demand and user base?

• Does the software offer integration capabilities with other tools and systems currently utilized by your organization?

• What level of customization is available to adapt the software to your organization's specific support workflows?

• How intuitive is the software for users, and what kind of training and support resources are offered to facilitate its adoption?

Because there are so many help desk tools available, choosing the right option can be a long, daunting process. In this guide, you’ll learn about the essential components of help desk software, get step-by-step guidance on how to choose the right solution for your business, and tap into the expertise of our experienced help desk software advisor, Jakub Vaughn. To get expert guidance, schedule a free consultation or start a chat with us today.

What is help desk software?

Help desk software is a digital tool that assists businesses in efficiently managing their customer support and service requests. Help desk software provides a centralized platform that enables companies to track, prioritize, and resolve customer interactions and concerns with ease. This streamlines processes such as ticket management and knowledge management.

In addition to these core functions, help desk software solutions often come equipped with workflow management, multi-channel communications, and advanced reporting and analytics capabilities. These features offer valuable insights into customer support trends, agent performance, and the effectiveness of service strategies, empowering businesses to make informed, data-driven decisions.

Essential features of help desk software

When comparing help desk software tools, it's important to know what features you can expect to see and which features are more advanced add-ons or uncommon. Some functionalities, like ticket management and knowledge base management, are core features that will be available in every help desk software. Other features, such as reporting/analytics, automated routing, and customer database, are still common. We analyzed thousands of reviews to determine the core and common features of help desk software:

Core help desk software features

Common help desk software features

"A common misconception about help desk software is related to user roles. Many assume all employees need access to submit tickets, but primarily, it's help desk agents managing and closing tickets,” says Vaughn.

Benefits and competitive advantages of using help desk software

Help desk buyers typically seek help desk systems to streamline issue handling. “Relying solely on email can be risky, especially if systems fail. An IT help desk ticketing system allows users to access support through a company portal, directing issues to the right agent efficiently", says Vaughn.

Our analysis of over 7,000 user reviews from the past two years shows that client management, live chat support, productivity, and customer support are the top-rated benefits of help desk software. These features directly address the core needs of help desk software, including tracking and storing client information and enhancing productivity with ticket management. 

• Improved client management: Help desk software centralizes customer information and interactions, allowing businesses to manage client relationships more effectively. This leads to more personalized service and streamlined communication, enhancing overall client management.

• Live chat support: By offering real-time communication, help desk software enables businesses to provide immediate assistance to customers. This instant support option improves customer engagement and satisfaction by addressing inquiries and issues promptly.

• Enhanced productivity: Help desk software automates routine tasks and optimizes workflows, allowing support teams to focus on resolving customer issues efficiently. This increased efficiency boosts overall productivity within the organization.

• Increased client satisfaction: Help desk software enhances customer service by providing quick and efficient responses to inquiries and issues. This improved service quality leads to higher client satisfaction, fostering loyalty and positive word-of-mouth for the business.

How to choose the best help desk software for your business

Choosing the right help desk software can be quite overwhelming, with so many options offering varying features and capabilities. Here are some steps that can make this process more streamlined and successful:

Step 1: Define your requirements

When defining your business's requirements for help desk software, it's important to consider several key factors to ensure that you get the solution that aligns with your organizational needs and goals.

Evaluate your business goals and objectives

First, clearly outlining your business goals and how help desk software can achieve them is the best place to start. Ask yourself what is slowing down your business operations and what solutions you need to solve those issues. Consider whether you need to improve client management, enhance productivity, or improve client satisfaction. 

Take into account your business size and scalability 

It’s important to identify the size of your business and which software is appropriate for your needs. Is your business undergoing exponential growth? Do you plan to invest in help desk software that will grow with your business? Consider the scalability of the software and ensure that it can grow with your business and accommodate an increasing number of users, advanced reporting, and customer tracking functionality without sacrificing performance.

Identify budget constraints

Next, consider how much you want to spend on help desk software. While the price of help desk software is difficult to generalize because of varying individual needs and other factors that can affect price, a good starting point is to identify how many users your business requires and the features you need to fulfill your business objectives. With that in mind, consider initial costs, subscription fees, and any other additional expenses for training and support. Additionally, some vendors may offer unbundled costs, which means that while their prices may seem competitive in comparison, additional costs may place constraints on your original budget. 

Step 2: Make a shortlist of help desk software

After carefully defining your requirements, it's time to start narrowing down your options to create a shortlist and seek professional help in making an informed choice. 

Get qualified help from an advisor 

At Software Advice, our advisors have experience helping hundreds of businesses identify solutions that suit their business needs. If you need guidance on how to make a shortlist or have any doubts regarding your business requirements, you can chat online now with an advisor or schedule a phone consultation. 

Explore our list of help desk FrontRunners

If you’re not ready to speak to an advisor just yet, you can also start compiling your shortlist of help desk software with our FrontRunners report. Only products that earn top user ratings make this list. Check out our full methodology description for more details on how the report is compiled.

For more help creating a shortlist and a free, downloadable comparison chart, check out The Ultimate Software Vendor Evaluation Guide. This guide and comparison chart will help you compare software evaluation criteria for each prospective vendor by tracking functionalities, training and support offerings, costs, and deployment options.

Step 3: Pick your best option

Now that you have your curated shortlist, it's time to pick the best option. But how? Picking the best option means you need to try to get hands-on experience with the chosen software to ensure that it can fulfill a set of criteria before making your final choice. Here are a few things to consider before committing to a vendor:

Schedule a vendor demo

Vendor demos are sessions provided by the vendor to help get you familiar with the features of the product, its capabilities, and understand their pricing. Here, you have the chance to learn more about the product and ask questions to ensure that it aligns with your business needs. Be sure to ask about what is included in the price and whether technical support and training resources are available.

Evaluate your integration needs

Assess the software's capability to integrate with your current systems and tools, such as ticketing systems, communication platforms, and IT management software. A help desk software solution with seamless integration is crucial for streamlined workflows and enhanced data consistency across platforms.

Determine customizable options

When making your final choice, it's also important to determine the level of customization the software offers to meet your specific business processes and requirements. A customizable software solution can enhance the software's relevance and effectiveness for your business. 

Step 4: Make the most of your help desk software

Finally, once you’ve shortlisted and selected the help desk software that fits your business needs, it's important to take steps to ensure successful implementation and to maximize its benefits. Here are a few things to consider to make the most of your chosen help desk software:

Develop an implementation plan

When onboarding a new software solution, having a detailed implementation plan should include installation, configuration, data migration, and testing to ensure a smooth transition. Additionally, an implementation plan should outline the timeline, key milestones, and responsibilities. Key stakeholders from different departments should also be engaged to gather input to help tailor the software and ensure alignment with business goals.

Provide comprehensive training

Offer thorough training sessions for all users to ensure they understand how to effectively use the software. The training should cover an explanation of the core features of the software, best practices, and any customizable functionalities specific to your organization. 

Monitor and evaluate performance 

Regularly monitor the software's performance and evaluate its impact on your business operations. Collect user feedback to understand their experiences and challenges with the software. Use this feedback to fine-tune the software so that it continues to meet evolving needs. Finally, use analytics and reporting features to track key metrics and identify areas for improvement.  

Software related to help desk software

Depending on which help desk software you select, you might need to supplement certain features with related software systems to support ticket management, communication, knowledge base management, or IT service management. Some types of software that are closely related to help desk software, but may or may not be included in your help desk system, include:

• Customer relationship management (CRM) software: CRM software enables customer interaction, support, and relationship management. The purpose of a CRM application is to help organizations better manage their customer interactions through the introduction of reliable systems, processes, and procedures. CRM software integrates organizational processes across marketing, sales, and customer service. 

• Call center software: Call center software automates and standardizes the process of receiving and responding to customer phone calls. These solutions enable better monitoring of the customer experience, workflow management, and evaluation of employee performance. Whether designed for virtual or site-based locations, Call center applications manage and catalog the process of customer calls and often allow customers to track the progress of their request via the internet.

• Complaint management software: Complaint management software helps users track, organize, and resolve customer complaints and maximizes the productivity of the employees who directly deal with customers. These solutions are characterized by the ability to accurately capture, classify, and route complaints, enabling communication across the team and ensuring compliance.

• Contact center software: Contact center software automates and standardizes the process of receiving and responding to customer requests across different communication channels.

• Customer service software: Customer service software enables businesses to manage and track customer relationships and support services. From ticket tracking to complaint resolution reporting, customer service software solutions allow organizations to manage and assess the quality of their interactions with customers. They also include an internal knowledge base, providing customer service representatives with the information necessary to resolve customer complaints.

• IT service management (ITSM) software: ITSM software helps businesses manage the delivery of services to customers, including internal and external IT support. It assists organizations with designing, automating, operating, and controlling IT services.

• Issue tracking software: Issue tracking software helps organizations monitor, manage, and resolve issues in a variety of departments, from finance to help desk. These applications keep track of tasks from capture to resolution, producing reports, enforcing compliance and optimizing business resources. Issue tracking software is often web-based and compatible with other software applications. 

• Knowledge management software: Knowledge management software offers ways to optimize the utility of intellectual capital and intangible assets by capturing, preserving, and organizing institutional knowledge in a measurable format. Knowledge management solutions allow successful strategies to be transferred and replicated throughout an organization. Implementation can be inwardly focused on faster learning, new knowledge creation, and innovation, or directed outwardly, providing a self-guided service path for customers.

• Live chat software: Live chat software helps organizations connect with their customers in real time. Live chat applications can be used for customer support, lead generation, and customer engagement. This type of software includes widgets that can be integrated into existing websites, as well as more robust standalone solutions that allow businesses to track customer interactions, response, and conversion rates.

More resources for your help desk journey

• Accelerate Your Help Desk Software Implementation by Learning From Buyers With Experience

• 7 Top-Rated Affordable Help Desk Software

• Customer Service vs Customer Support: What's the Difference?

• 3 Research-Backed Ways Good Customer Service Benefits Your Small Business

About our contributors

Author

Andrew Blair is a content analyst at Software Advice, covering marketing, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies across industries. He leverages his technical expertise and business acumen, acquired from experience as a web developer in the eCommerce industry, to deliver data-driven insights on market and business operations, empowering businesses to embrace the right technology.

Andrew’s research and analysis are informed by more than 150,000 authentic user reviews on Software Advice and nearly 3,000 interactions between Software Advice software advisors and software buyers. Andrew also regularly analyzes market sentiment by conducting surveys of IT and marketing leaders so he can provide the most up-to-date and helpful information to small and midsize businesses purchasing software or services.

His research and data insights for small and midsize businesses have been featured in SBS Media, IT Brief Australia, and Technology Decisions media publications. Andrew’s commentary on tech trends is published in various content forms, including podcasts, videos, and written interviews. In his free time, he enjoys sports and spending time outdoors.

Editor

Caroline Rousseau is a senior content editor at Software Advice.

A former content analyst, Caroline has, for the past five years, built, written, and edited research reports about technological trends, opportunities, and challenges with an SMB audience in mind. Her content has been featured in French Tier 1 media including Le Monde, L’Express, and Le Figaro, among other publications.

Her previous experience as a graphic designer, translator, and LQA specialist in various industries converged into a skill set that allows her to create compelling content about today’s business matters. Caroline’s personal interests include literature and art and she has a passion for Albert Camus, graphic novels, and drawing.

Advisor

Jakub Vaughn is a senior advisor. He joined Software Advice in 2022 as a software advisor. He is based in Fort Myers, FL.

As part of the software advisor team, Jakub helps professionals from a wide range of industries who are seeking tools including CMMS, manufacturing, inventory management, and help desk software. He provides a short list of personalized technology recommendations based on budget, business goals, and other specific needs.

Jakub’s favorite part of being a software advisor is educating buyers with different needs on software systems available to them and their business.

Sources

• Software Advice reviews data: Software Advice reviews are collected from verified users for individual software products. Read the complete methodology. 

• Software Advice advisor call notes: Findings are based on data from telephonic conversations that Software Advice’s advisor team had with small-to-midsize businesses seeking professional services automation tools. Read the complete methodology. 

• Software Advice software pricing data: Only products with publicly available pricing information and qualified software products within the category are included in the pricing analysis. Read the complete methodology.