Top 14 free web-based help desk software & ticketing systems

Web-based help desk software offers a cloud-based solution that lets teams manage support from anywhere, with no need for on-premise servers or complex IT maintenance.

Get Started with HubSpot's Help Desk Software for Free

Unlike traditional on-premise solutions, web-based help desk software gives support teams instant access to ticket management, customer communications, and team collaboration tools from anywhere. Leading platforms also offer automation and AI features. HubSpot Help Desk enables remote access and support from any device, all with the benefits of AI.

A web-based help desk centralizes all customer requests into one accessible dashboard. Here are the best platforms on the market.

Table of Contents

• What is a web-based help desk?
• Web-based Help Desk Software Features
• Benefits of Free, Web-Based Ticketing Systems
• Help Desk Software Comparison
• The 14 Free Help Desk Software
• How to Choose the Right Web-based Help Desk Software
• How I Chose the Best Help Desk Software
• Frequently Asked Questions About Help Desk Software

What is a web-based help desk?

A help desk distributes incoming service requests to support team members and helps them manage follow-up communication on long-term cases. Web-based help desks facilitate these capabilities entirely online, so teams don’t have to manage complex IT setups. For example, HubSpot's Help Desk provides an AI-powered ticketing workspace for efficient case management.

Web-based Help Desk Software Features

Modern help desk platforms offer a comprehensive suite of features designed to streamline customer support operations. Essential capabilities include ticket management, omnichannel support, analytics, and web-based infrastructure.

Knowledge Base

A knowledge base is a self-serve library of information that helps customers find answers to troubleshoot problems without contacting a customer service rep. 79% of businesses offer a knowledge base to help customers independently solve their issues.

We have a perfect one here at HubSpot, and several of my colleagues contributed to it. We also had an “internal knowledge base” private to HubSpot support reps, which was invaluable in answering employee questions.

HubSpot's Knowledge Base reduces incoming support tickets by empowering customers to find answers independently.

Ticket Management

Ticket management streamlines customer support requests. This feature lets reps receive and assign tickets, track their progress, and escalate issues when necessary. Service professionals can also organize tickets based on priority and severity, shortening response times.

At HubSpot, our ticket management system prioritized tickets that had been in the queue the longest. These tickets were assigned to reps first unless there was a critical situation where we needed to act on other cases immediately.

Ticket Automation

A customer support rep handles an average of 21 tickets per day. Ticket automation allows these reps to set up triggers and rules that automatically assign tickets, send notifications, and perform other actions based on specific conditions. This allows teams to streamline workflows and focus on higher-value tasks.

Ticket Escalation

Ticket escalation is the process of moving a customer support ticket from an initial representative who isn't able to resolve the issue to a higher-level rep or manager. Help desk software can help with this process by ensuring high-priority problems get the attention they deserve.

At HubSpot, we would route questions related to payment services to our billing department since they were more equipped to handle these issues.

Ticket Distribution

Of customers, 56% say they have to repeat themselves when they’re handed off to a more experienced rep. Ticket distribution helps get a ticket to the most appropriate service rep the first time. Managers can also use ticketing software to monitor ticket distribution, reallocate tickets when necessary, and maintain a balanced workload across their teams.

Multiple Contact Options

Help desk software gives customers options when contacting a business. These options range from traditional phone and email support to live chat and conversational bots. Having multiple communication channels available to customers will help effectively meet their needs and increase their overall satisfaction.

Reps don't have to specialize in one channel, either. When I worked in support, I received tickets from social media, live chat, and email, all in one inbox. The outgoing messages appeared to be coming from the same channel the customer contacted.

Customer Support Analytics

Customer support analytics provide valuable insights into customer service efforts. These features track performance metrics, such as knowledge base usage, ticket volumes, response times, customer feedback, etc. This information can be used to improve support processes and identify areas where additional service resources are needed.

Cloud Accessibility

Cloud accessibility enables support teams to work from anywhere with an internet connection. Unlike traditional on-premise systems, web-based help desk software provides complete functionality through any web browser. This flexibility is crucial for distributed teams and remote work environments.

Real-Time Collaboration

Real-time collaboration features transform how support teams work together on customer issues. Modern help desk software enables multiple agents to coordinate seamlessly, share context, and resolve complex problems faster.

Integration Capabilities

Integration capabilities allow help desks to connect with the tools teams already use daily. This connectivity eliminates data silos and creates a unified workflow across the entire business operations. HubSpot's Help Desk seamlessly integrates with HubSpot CRM to provide personalized support with unified customer insights built into every interaction.

Security & Compliance

Security and compliance features protect sensitive customer data and ensure support operations meet regulatory requirements. Automatic security updates protect against emerging threats without requiring action from support teams. The result is security without disruption.

Automatic Updates & Maintenance

Automatic updates and maintenance ensure help desk software continuously improves without any effort from teams. Cloud providers handle all infrastructure management, software updates, and performance optimization behind the scenes. Teams benefit from innovation immediately — no need to wait.

Benefits of Free, Web-Based Ticketing Systems

1. They efficiently manage support requests.

75% of CRM leaders say they’re receiving more support requests than ever, which makes a support ticketing system necessary.

With web-based ticketing systems, teams can manage support requests much more efficiently. Reps can receive, track, and assign tickets to individual contributors or groups in one centralized place, ensuring that each request is addressed promptly.

HubSpot Help Desk automates tedious processes like ticket routing, escalation, task creation, and customer marketing emails. This reduces time spent handling routine tasks and gives teams more time to focus on deeper, more complex problems.

2. They increase the bandwidth of your support team.

92% of CRM leaders say AI has improved their customer service response time. Since these systems simplify the organization and management of support requests, teams will have more bandwidth to serve a higher volume of customers in less time.

A good example? Yours truly. I used my free time to write about customer service. Not only did I parlay that into a career, but I also generated free marketing content for HubSpot while working in customer support.

3. You get access from anywhere and support from everywhere.

With web-based help desk software, teams can provide stellar support whether they're at home, in the office, or traveling. All reps need is a connection to the internet. Web-based systems work on any device with a browser — laptops, tablets, even smartphones.

This flexibility proved essential with more support teams than ever working remotely. Cloud-based help desks kept customer service running smoothly while on-premise systems struggled with VPN capacity and remote access issues.

4. You can launch in minutes, not months.

Web-based help desk software eliminates the lengthy implementation timelines associated with traditional systems. There‘s no hardware to purchase, no servers to configure, and no complex installations to manage. Most cloud-based platforms can be operational within minutes of signing up.For example, users can get started with HubSpot’s Help Desk, in less than an hour.

5. You pay less while doing more.

Web-based help desk solutions typically offer significantly lower total cost of ownership compared to on-premise alternatives. Teams avoid upfront expenses for servers, storage, and networking equipment. There are no ongoing costs for hardware maintenance, security patches, or infrastructure upgrades.

6. You stay current without the hassle.

Cloud-based help desk platforms automatically update with new features, security patches, and performance improvements. Teams always have access to the latest version without scheduling maintenance windows, coordinating with IT teams, or worrying about compatibility issues.

Automatic updates also eliminate security vulnerabilities faster. Traditional on-premise systems often run outdated software versions because updates are complex and disruptive. Web-based solutions patch security issues immediately.

Help Desk Software Comparison

Web-based Help Desk	Key Features	Pricing	Best For
HubSpot Help Desk	AI-powered efficiency, personalized support, ticket automation and routing, unified analytics, seamless CRM integration	Free; Service Hub Professional at $90/month per seat	Businesses of all sizes looking to unify information across all internal teams, especially those already using HubSpot CRM
Zoho Desk	Ticket management, multi-channel support, knowledge base, mobile app, contextual AI (Zia), automation, integration options	15-day free trial; paid plans from $7/month (Express) to $40/month (Enterprise)	Small businesses, startups, or freelancers seeking a cost-effective help desk system with features to manage customer queries and tickets on a small scale
Groove	Shared inbox, self-service knowledge base, live chat, reporting and analytics, collaboration tools, multi-channel support	90-day free trial; Standard tier at $24/month for up to 25 users and two shared inboxes	Small and growing businesses looking to personalize their support ticketing and customer interactions
Spiceworks	Ticket management, IT asset management, customizable self-service portal, advanced reporting, inventory management integration	Free	IT departments and small businesses that do not mind a scaled-down system if it saves them money
Keeping	Gmail collaboration, streamlined integration, shared notes, automation and canned responses, round-robin assignment, analytics	14-day free trial; $12/month per user (small teams) or $49/month per user (10+ users)	All departments that use Gmail; also integrates with Shopify for e-commerce support
Help Scout	Multi-channel inbox, AI tools, analytics and reporting, integration options (Jira, Salesforce, Slack, Trello, HubSpot), self-service portal	Free for 50 customers or less; Standard subscription at $50/month for 100+ contacts	Startups, small businesses, or any company looking for a user-friendly interface
Shared Inbox by Canary	Unified inbox, conversation view, AI-suggested replies, helpdesk & chatbot, collaboration tools	7-day free trial; starting at $10/user/month	Startups, growing teams, and small businesses that want a lightweight, email-first shared inbox with built-in AI and collaboration features
Hesk	Ticket management, knowledge base, email piping, reporting tools, customer-facing interface	Free	Small customer service teams and businesses looking for a support ticketing system without extra bells and whistles
Freshdesk by Freshworks	Knowledge base, ticket management, collaboration features, automation, SLA management, reporting and analytics, Helpdesk AI	Free for small teams (2 agents); Growth tier at $15/month per agent; Pro tier at $49/month per agent	Growing companies that want to scale their support ticketing system as their client base grows
UVdesk	Ticket management, multi-channel support, knowledge base, SLAs and escalations, form builder, customer follow-up, helpdesk migration	Free; Pro plan at $22/month for a minimum of two agents	Service teams who want full control over customization of their knowledge base and support contact forms; great for teams who want to scale customer support across multiple channels
Front	Shared inbox, email management, team collaboration, integrations (Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot CRM), omnichannel interface, reporting and analytics, Front's AI	Free trial; Starter Plan at $19/month per agent	Collaborative teams that offer customer support across various platforms, including social media and email
Desk365	AI Agent, AI Copilot, Microsoft Teams integration, workflow automation, approval management, customization, reports & analytics	Teams of all sizes looking for AI-powered ticketing, especially those working in Microsoft Teams	Businesses of all sizes looking to unify information across all internal teams, especially those already using HubSpot CRM
Hiver	Gmail integration, shared inboxes, collision detection, tasks, live chat, self-serve portal, workflow automations, Hiver's AI	Free; LITE plan at $19/month per user	Teams looking to incorporate AI into their help desks and support ticketing systems
HelpDesk	Ticket management, issue resolution, asynchronous communication, effortless automation, feedback collection, analytics and reporting, knowledge base, personalization	14-day free trial; paid subscriptions start at $29/month per team member	Small and medium-sized businesses looking for a branded solution to connect all their customer communication in one simple dashboard

14 Free Help Desk Software

• Best overall: HubSpot Help Desk
• Best for small businesses on a budget: Help Scout
• Best for customer experience management: Groove
• Best for e-commerce desks: UVdesk
• Best for customer-facing help desks: Hiver
• Best for small business IT: Freshdesk
• Best for ITSM Compliance: Spiceworks

1. HubSpot Help Desk

Start using HubSpot's Free Help Desk and Ticketing software.

HubSpot's Free Help Desk and Ticketing Software is a unified help desk dashboard where all customer requests are stored. That lets the entire team easily track, prioritize, and manage tickets. Staying organized becomes more challenging as businesses scale. HubSpot allows teams to monitor each issue and efficiently resolve it.

HubSpot’s Help Desk and Ticketing software are just pieces of the puzzle. Reps can also use its all-in-one customer service software to streamline all service efforts from the same place. For example, service leaders can gauge their team’s performance by monitoring metrics like average response times and close times. Service teams can also deploy and manage feedback surveys.

Key Features

• AI-powered efficiency: Built-in AI powers automatic recommendations, and AI assistant features encourage rep efficiency at every click.
• Personalized support: HubSpot Help Desk integrates with marketing and sales data to provide personalized support with unified customer insights built into every interaction.
• Ticket automation and routing: Tickets are automatically assigned to the appropriate rep using skill-based assignment and intelligent routing.
• Unified analytics: Gain full visibility into customer metrics to understand recurring issues and keep a pulse on customer health.

Pros

• Seamless integration with HubSpot CRM: Directly connects with HubSpot CRM to eliminate data silos and bring clarity across the organization.
• Automation features: Not always available in free products, but we’ve got them!
• Scalability: HubSpot is equipped to handle needs across all departments as businesses grow.

Cons

• Limited seats: Teams will need to upgrade or purchase additional seats.
• Limited email templates: Limited to five email templates at the free level.

Best for: Businesses of all sizes looking to unify information across all internal teams, especially those already using HubSpot CRM.

What I like: I love HubSpot because it unifies all of your customer data so that you can provide a 360-degree customer experience. When I use HubSpot, I have complete visibility into a customer’s history, past tickets, and which representative they have worked with before. Armed with a full customer timeline, I can provide personalized, empathetic support and fully understand the customer’s needs and challenges.

Pro tip: Use HubSpot's Help Desk software to track all customer requests, manage tickets, and prioritize and distribute work among reps.

Pricing: Teams can get started with HubSpot’s Help Desk for free. For more functionality, consider upgrading to the Service Hub Professional tier for $90 a month per seat.

2. Zoho Desk

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Zoho Desk is a multi-channel help desk ticketing system designed to help businesses manage customer service operations efficiently. It handles incoming service cases via phone, web, email, chat, and social media, making for an omnichannel experience.

Key Features

• Ticket management: Manage, organize, and track incoming support tickets.
• Multi-channel support: Centralized email, social media, and web forms.
• Knowledge base: Maintain a self-service hub so customers can answer questions independently.
• Mobile app: Stay on top of tickets on the go with the Zoho Desk mobile app.
• Contextual AI: Zoho’s Zia quickly answers customer queries, identifies and tags support tickets, and detects anomalies and unusual ticket activity.
• Automation: Automate ticket assignments, escalations, and workflows.

Pros

• Search functionality: Simple, attractive, and intuitive to use.
• AI tools: Generate responses, monitor data, and detect unusual activity.
• Multi-channel support: Handle tickets from email, social media, and web forms.

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• AI tools: Requires your own ChatGPT API.
• Reporting and analytics: Reports can be a bit complex.

Best for: Small businesses, startups, or freelancers seeking a cost-effective help desk system chocked full of features to manage customer queries and tickets on a small scale.

What I like: Zoho Desk offers a widget tool that you can embed on your website. When loaded in a browser, the widget turns into a support form that customers can fill out to request assistance. They can describe their problem in detail and request a preferred communication channel.

I also like their time-tracking feature, which records how much time you spend doing different things on each ticket. This gives you more insight into the hurdles a rep has to overcome to solve a specific issue.

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Pricing: You can sign up for a free 15-day trial of Zoho Desk. After your trial, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan. Paid plans start at $7 a month for the Express tier and increase to $40 a month for enterprise-level users.

3. Groove

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Of all web-based service desk options, Groove is one of the simplest and most cost-effective cloud-based help desk software solutions for small businesses. It helps companies personalize their communication with their customers via email, live chat, social media, and phone calls.

Over 10,000 users trust Groove as a simple yet powerful Zendesk and Freshdesk alternative. According to them, Groove’s help desk is easier to use, quicker to set up, and provides a much better customer experience.

Key Features

• Shared inbox: Organize your messaging channels, including email and Slack, to streamline and align ticketing support.
• Self-service knowledge base: Create a branded knowledge base paired with analytics to help track performance metrics.
• Live chat: Chat with your customers across your app or website, or enable automation to collect customer information in the off hours.
• Reporting and analytics: Understand your customer satisfaction rates, conversions, and conversations.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Simple, attractive, and intuitive to use.
• Collaboration tools: Enable support teams to work together effectively.
• Multi-channel support: Handle tickets from email, social media, and web forms.

Cons

• Limited shared inboxes: Only two shared inboxes are allowed at the lowest tier.
• No AI features at the lowest tier: Must upgrade to Plus or Pro for AI features.
• Basic reporting: Limited reporting capabilities at the lowest tier.

Best for: Small and growing businesses looking to personalize their support ticketing and customer interactions.

What I like: Groove felt like a more cost-effective and feature-rich alternative to companies like Zendesk and Freshdesk. During my 7-day free trial, I liked using the “instant replies” feature, which produced canned responses to recurring problems. Even more impressive, you could trigger follow-up actions within the help desk after sending the canned response.

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Pricing: You can try Groove free for 90 days. After your trial, you’ll need a subscription. Subscriptions start at $24 a month for the Standard tier, which allows for up to 25 users and two shared inboxes.

4. Spiceworks

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Spiceworks is a ticketing system that helps businesses manage both internal and customer-facing tasks. The software is all online, so there‘s no hassle in getting it set up and maintaining it. Best of all, Spiceworks is free without limits on tickets, devices, or agent access. So, it’s not a bad option if you just want to explore the basic features of a help desk.

Key Features

• Ticket management: Manage tickets from a shared inbox.
• IT asset management: Keep track of internal IT resources like company laptops.
• Customizable self-service portal: Unified portal for users to submit tickets and view resources.
• Advanced reporting: Create filters to quickly access open or pending tickets.

Pros

• Completely free with no upcharge.
• No user limits.
• Free mobile app.

Cons

• Basic interface: Less attractive than other paid options.
• Banner ads: It's gotta be free somehow!
• Limited support options: Community support is your only option if you need help with the software.

Best for: IT departments and small businesses that do not mind a scaled-down system if it saves them money.

What I like: Because Spiceworks is a cloud-based help desk, I could log in from any web browser and get to work. It also offers a help desk mobile app that keeps you updated on all your tickets. It is not that anyone wants to work outside of office hours, but it does give you the option to respond to customers in a pinch if needed.

Pricing: Free.

5. Keeping

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Keeping is a great Gmail-based help desk solution for small businesses. It transforms your Gmail inbox into a shared help desk, allowing companies to manage customer support directly from their familiar email interface.

Many users trust Keeping as a simple yet powerful alternative to traditional help desk software like Zendesk and Freshdesk. According to them, Keeping's help desk is easier to use, quicker to set up, and provides a much better customer experience by eliminating the need to switch between platforms.

Key Features

• Gmail collaboration: Team members can access support tickets from a designated tab in their Gmail account.
• Streamlined integration: Set up your Keeping account in less than ten minutes, including connecting your team members to the shared inbox.
• Shared notes: Maintain a ticketing record system to keep your team on the same page.
• Round-robin assignment: evenly distribute support tickets across your team.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Familiar Gmail environment reduces the learning curve.
• Easy setup: Very quick and easy to set up and try with their free trial.
• Affordable pricing: Cost-effective solution for small teams.

Cons

• Limited to Gmail users: Only works with Gmail and Google Workspace.
• No multi-channel support: Does not support channels like social media or live chat.
• Advanced features require higher tiers: Some features are only available in premium plans.

Best for: All departments that use Gmail, including HR, IT, and Finance. It also integrates with Shopify, making e-commerce support in Gmail easier.

What I like: Keeping felt like a more cost-effective and user-friendly alternative to companies like Zendesk and Freshdesk, especially for teams already using Gmail. During my free trial, I appreciated the seamless integration and the ability to manage support tickets without leaving my inbox. The automation features, like canned responses, significantly improved response times.

Pricing: Keeping offers a 14-day free trial. Small teams that need just two workflows can subscribe to Keeping for $12 a month per user. Larger organizations with more than 10 users can subscribe to Keeping for $49 per month per user.

6. Help Scout

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Help Scout is a ticketing system that puts the customer first. With a simple interface, the software is easy for reps and customers alike to navigate while offering excellent features such as a shared inbox, omnichannel support, live chat, automation, and a mobile app.

Although Help Scout does not offer a 100% free plan, it does offer a 15-day free trial to test the software. No credit card is required; just click it to get started.

Key Features

• Multi-channel inbox: Combine your email, social, live chat, and voice mailboxes into one streamlined interface.
• Integration options: Such as Jira, Salesforce, Slack, Trello, and HubSpot.
• Self-service portal: Customizable to the look and feel of your brand.

Pros

• User-friendly: This is one of the more attractive and intuitive interfaces I’ve encountered.
• Collaboration tools: It's simple to loop in other agents directly on a ticket.
• Multi-channel support: Including email and live chat in a unified interface.

Cons

• Limited AI features: If you’re starting with the lowest tier.
• Storage limitations: Limited storage for attachments and data at the lowest tier.
• Basic reporting capabilities: Must upgrade to higher tiers for advanced reporting.

Best for: Startups, small businesses, or any company looking for a user-friendly interface.

What I like: Creating a chatbot on Help Scout was straightforward. In fact, it was one of the first things I did in the setup guide. I like chatbots because they are a reliable communication channel that customers can access around the clock.

Pricing: If you have a small client base of 50 customers or fewer, you can use Help Scout for free. Or, if you have 100 or more contacts, you can try a free trial of Help Scout’s Standard subscription. Once your trial ends, you’ll pay $50 a month for your subscription.

7. Shared Inbox by Canary

Shared Inbox by Canary is a modern, AI-powered team inbox designed to help businesses manage customer conversations across email in one place. Unlike traditional ticketing systems, Canary focuses on simplicity, speed, and collaboration—helping support and sales teams respond faster and deliver a more personal experience.

Key Features

• Unified inbox: Manage all customer emails from one shared inbox without losing context.
• Conversation view: See the full thread of incoming and outgoing emails in one place.
• AI-suggested replies: Speed up responses with AI-powered suggestions tailored to past interactions.
• Helpdesk & chatbot: Offer customers self-service and deflection with a branded helpdesk and AI chatbot.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: closer to email than heavy ticketing systems.
• Built-in AI: speed up replies and deflect repetitive queries.
• Team collaboration tools: reduce duplicate work and missed messages.
• Native helpdesk and chatbot: remove the need for extra software.

Cons

• Currently focused on email (no social media or phone integrations yet).
• Limited automation rules compared to legacy enterprise systems.

Best for: Startups, growing teams, and small businesses that want a lightweight, email-first shared inbox with built-in AI and collaboration features—without the complexity of a traditional helpdesk.

What I like: Shared Inbox by Canary keeps things simple. The AI-suggested replies are surprisingly accurate, saving minutes on every response, while the analytics dashboard makes it easy to spot trends like top issues or underperforming reps.

Pricing: Shared Inbox by Canary comes with a 7-day free trial. After the trial, you’ll need a subscription. Plans are simple and cost-effective, starting with $10/user/month that scale with your team’s needs.

8. Hesk

Hesk is a minimal but effective helpdesk ticketing system that is completely free. The interface is reminiscent of the backend of a WordPress website, which was welcoming and familiar, albeit not incredibly sleek. However, the system was intuitive.

Key Features

• Ticket management: Track and manage all support tickets in one place.
• Email piping: Converts incoming email to Hesk tickets.
• Customer-facing interface: A single location for customers to find knowledge articles, submit a ticket, or review their ticket status.

Pros

• Unlimited users: Most competitors limit the number of users per tier.
• Simple install and configuration: Get up and running quickly.
• Essential feature set: Basic yet functional capabilities for organizations with limited needs.
• Robust knowledge base: Hesk offers a large knowledge base to help its users navigate and troubleshoot common issues.

Cons

• No personalization: Canned responses don’t auto-populate with the customer's name or other information.
• Limited integration options
• No AI features

Best for: Small customer service teams and businesses looking for a support ticketing system without extra bells and whistles.

What I like: Hesk offers a reliable ticketing system that takes minutes to download and set up. You can create custom ticket fields and modify the display to align with your team's workflow. It even offers a ticket submission form where customers can open web-based tickets that are managed within the app.

9. Freshdesk by Freshworks

Freshdesk includes all the basic features reps need to meet customers' needs, including shared inbox, social media support, automated ticket assignment, public knowledge base, and more. It allows users to collaborate with their teams on high-severity issues in real time. There are also reporting tools that provide valuable insights that can help teams improve performance.

Freshdesk's forever-free plan provides a simple customer service solution for small businesses, startups, and teams of 10 reps or fewer. Freshworks also offers premium customer service management software through Freshservice, with plans starting at $15 per user a month.

Key Features

• Knowledge base: Create self-service resources for customers or employees.
• Ticket management: Manage and track incoming support tickets from multiple channels.
• SLA management: Monitor, track, and assess agent performance.
• Reporting and analytics: Generate custom reports, like ticket response time and timesheets.
• Helpdesk AI: Recognizes customer sentiment and summarizes support situations to help agents quickly solve issues.

Pros

• Up to 10 users: This is a high number of seats for a free plan.
• Extensive integration options: Compatible with HubSpot, Slack, Salesforce, and more.

Cons

• Limited feature set: Compared to paid options.
• Limited reporting capabilities: Advanced reporting is available at higher paid tiers.
• Limited automation: Automation features are limited to paid tiers only.
• Limited AI: AI features are limited to the pro and enterprise tiers.
• Limited customer portal: The Customer Portal feature is limited to paid tiers.

Best for: Growing companies that want to scale their support ticketing system as their client base grows.

What I like: The first thing I noticed with this help desk was how clean the user interface was. It was easy to find tickets assigned to me and different contacts and companies associated with my account. One feature I enjoyed during my demo was the To-do widget integrated into the main dashboard.

Pricing: Small teams of two agents can use Freshdesk for free with limited capabilities. For teams of three or more, teams will need a subscription. The Growth tier starts at $15 a month per agent. The Pro tier, which includes AI capabilities, is $49 a month per agent.

10. UVdesk

UVdesk is an open-source help desk software designed with ecommerce businesses in mind. Although it is aimed at online stores, I found that UVdesk is fully featured and versatile enough to benefit customer support operations across many types of companies.

Key Features

• Ticket management: Manage and organize support tickets with customizable workflows, including ticket assignment.
• Multi-channel support: Manage email, social media, live chat, and web form inquiries as tickets in a unified interface.
• Customer follow-up: Prompt customers to follow up with their ticketing requests by sending automatic follow-up emails.
• Helpdesk migration: Transfer your files and support tickets from your existing helpdesk to UVdesk.

Pros

• Open source: Highly customizable to fit specific business needs.
• No user limits: As many reps as your heart desires!
• Comprehensive feature set: Offers features typically only found in paid help desk ticketing systems.

Cons

• Technical setup required: The initial setup can be complex because of the product's open-source nature, likely requiring development experience.
• Basic interface: Functional but basic compared to other solutions.
• Limited support: Community support (forums) is your only resource if you need assistance with the product.

Best for: Service teams who want full control over customization of their knowledge base and support contact forms. Also great for teams who want to scale their customer support across multiple channels.

What I like: UVdesk’s superpower is its open-source nature. Why is that important? Since UVdesk is open source, the entire software code is accessible for modification, integration with other systems, custom features, and even altering the product’s UI.

Now, I don’t know the first thing about modifying open-source software. However, if someone in your business can handle such a task, UVdesk is a highly customizable and cost-effective help desk solution. In addition, I like the increased security factor since all users can inspect and maintain the source code to eliminate vulnerabilities, hidden backdoors, or malicious code.

Overall, UVdesk is an astonishingly fully featured and functional free product. However, these things come at a price, and this time, it isn’t money. Instead, it comes in the form of a steep learning curve and technical know-how, but once you get everything up and running, it will seriously be worth the time and effort.

Pricing: You can use UVdesk for free. If you want access to pro features, like multi-channel integration or service agent performance data, you’ll need the Pro plan. The Pro plan costs $22 a month for a minimum of two agents.

11. Front

Front is a help desk software for omnichannel customer support with streamlined communication and a focus on collaboration. Front comes loaded with competitive features, such as a shared inbox, SLAs, chatbots, and more.

Key Features

• Shared inbox: Organizes communications from multiple channels into a unified inbox for your team.
• Email management: Features like email templates, reminders, and snooze let you manage customer email communication swiftly.
• Integrations: Integrates with many popular apps like Slack, Salesforce, and HubSpot CRM.
• Front’s AI: Detects simple inquiries and provides real-time AI editing assistance in customer messages.

Pros

• Attractive interface: My favorite UI of all the products on this list.
• Workflow automation features: Not always available for free-tier products.
• Intuitive knowledge base: Publishing self-service content is simple and intuitive.
• Collaboration: Allows for sidebar chats and saves them in chronological order.

Cons

• Limited AI functionality: Only available with paid tiers.
• Limited storage: Storage limitations for emails and attachments at lower tiers.
• Basic reporting: Advanced reporting is only available at paid tiers.

Best for: Collaborative teams who offer customer support across various platforms, including social media and email.

What I like: If your team uses Slack for communication and collaboration, you’ll feel at home with Front. Front features an internal messaging system that lets you collaborate with other reps, comment on tickets, and tag users with the familiar @username format to loop them in where attention is needed.

I like Front because it feels modern, sleek, and intuitive. Front’s interface sparks a little bit of joy in me, which is important if you’re going to be staring at it day in and day out.

Pricing: You can try Front for free. However, once your trial ends, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid tier. The Starter Plan is $19 a month per agent.

12. Desk365

Desk365 is an AI-powered helpdesk software for teams of all sizes. The Desk365 platform empowers agents to enhance productivity, automate workflows, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Built for and by IT experts, our helpdesk is packed with powerful features that cover the entire customer experience spectrum.

Key Features

• Omni-Channel Ticketing: Manage tickets from multiple channels, including Microsoft Teams, email, web forms, and support portals.
• AI-Agent: With Desk365’s AI, you can leave the repetitive stuff behind. It drafts replies, summarizes tickets, writes KB articles, and even translates conversations. 
• Microsoft Teams Integration: Handle tickets directly within Microsoft Teams.
• Workflow Automation: Automate repetitive tasks and ticket assignments.
• SLA Management: Set and track service level agreements to ensure timely responses and resolutions.
• Knowledge Base: Build and maintain a repository of solution articles for both agents and customers.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Easy to use and navigate, so anyone can manage support tickets without technical skills.
• Automation features: Automates tasks like ticket assignments, workflows, and canned responses to save time.
• Customizable ticketing system: Lets you set priorities, create tags, and organize tickets to fit your support process.
• Analytics and reporting: Provides clear reports on ticket times, team performance, and customer satisfaction to help improve support. 

Cons

• No native mobile app: Desk365 does not offer a dedicated mobile app, which may limit accessibility for agents who need to manage tickets on the go.
• Limited pre-built integrations: The platform has fewer ready-to-use integrations, requiring more manual setup for connecting external systems. 

Best for: Teams looking for a user-friendly, affordable helpdesk solution with automation and AI capabilities. 

What I like: I like Desk365 for its clean, user-friendly interface and strong Microsoft 365 integration. It’s easy to set up, simple to navigate, and offers helpful automation tools that streamline ticket management and improve response times. Desk365 is a great option for teams of all sizes looking for an affordable, efficient helpdesk solution without a steep learning curve. 

Pricing: You can use Desk365 for free with its forever-free plan for up to 3 agents and 50 tickets per month. To access advanced features like custom workflows and detailed analytics, the Standard plan starts at $12 per agent per month. 

13. Hiver

Hiver is a clever app that transforms Gmail inboxes into a fully-featured customer service ticketing system. Using Hiver, reps can manage incoming customer inquiries, collaborate with teammates, set up approval workflows, and more from their Gmail inbox.

Key Features

• Collision detection: Prevents multiple reps from responding to the same customer email request.
• Tasks: Convert emails into tasks and manage them directly in Gmail.
• Live chat: Reps can chat with customers within their inbox, set away hours, and connect knowledge base articles to responses.
• Self-serve portal: Customer-facing interface for customers to submit tickets, check the status of their queries, or search for answers in the knowledge base.
• Hiver’s AI: Summarize emails, auto-close conversations, and generate email templates.

Pros

• Outlook compatibility: They didn’t forget about you, Windows users!
• User-friendly UI: The interface is functional and leverages the familiarity of the Gmail UI without getting in the way.

Cons

• Limited advanced features: Only available at paid tiers.
• User limit: Limited to three users at the free tier.
• Limited to Gmail and Outlook: I’m not even sure what other email clients there are, but if you use something other than the big two, you’re out of luck.
• Mobile app: The mobile app is sometimes laggy.

Best for: Teams looking to incorporate AI into their help desks and support ticketing systems.

What I like: I started a free trial of Hiver and installed their Chrome extension. The added UI elements to my Gmail inbox were unobtrusive, and I could create a shared inbox in a matter of seconds. Additionally, Hiver caused no conflict with the HubSpot Sales extension I already had installed to track and log emails to HubSpot, which is a plus.

I like Hiver because of its simplicity and ease of use. If you’re familiar with Gmail (which is likely), then Hiver reduces the help desk learning curve and integrates smoothly into your existing workflow. Hiver is a valuable solution for small businesses and startups beginning their customer support journey.

Pricing: You can use Hiver for free. However, to access premium features, like round-robin auto assignment or analytics, you’ll need a subscription. The LITE plan starts at $19 per month per user.

14. HelpDesk

HelpDesk is an advanced ticketing system designed to enhance customer support operations for businesses of all sizes. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, HelpDesk enables support teams to efficiently manage customer inquiries across multiple channels, including email, chat, and social media.

Key Features

• Ticket management: Logs, tracks, and prioritizes customer cases. Each customer inquiry or problem is assigned a unique ticket.
• Asynchronous communication: Communication between support agents and customers via various channels, including email, chat, contact form, and social media.
• Feedback collection: Gathering customer feedback is essential for understanding their needs and improving products and services.
• Knowledge base: Create an optimized library of troubleshooting articles.
• Personalization: Brand your communications with a custom domain and address.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible even for non-technical users.
• Automation features: It offers robust automation capabilities such as automated workflows, ticket assignments, and canned responses.
• Integration with other tools: Integrates well with other tools, such as Webflow, WordPress, LiveChat, and email providers.

Cons

• Limited free tier: Offers a free version of HelpDesk for 14 days. Long-term free options are unavailable; however, you can choose between three plans designed to best suit your team.
• Asynchronous communication only: HelpDesk is ideal for handling tickets and asynchronous communication, but it doesn’t support synchronous chat features (only by integration, such as LiveChat).

Best for: Small and medium-sized businesses looking for a branded solution to connect all their customer communication in one simple dashboard.

What I like: I really like HelpDesk because it is simple to use for handling customer support tasks. The user-friendly interface makes it easy for anyone to manage tickets without a steep learning curve. The automation features include setting up workflows and automating repetitive tasks, streamlining support processes, saving time, and improving team productivity.

Pricing: You can sign up for a 14-day free trial. Paid subscriptions start at $29 a month per team member.

How to Choose the Right Web-based Help Desk Software

Picking a web-based help desk software significantly impacts reps’ ability to do their jobs efficiently. To pick the right tools, assess the team’s needs, identify helpful features, and test tools before making a decision.

Assess your needs.

When choosing a support ticketing system, the first step is to evaluate the team’s needs. There are many factors to consider.

• How large is the team?
• What is the expected volume of incoming tickets?
• What channels will customers be contacting the team from?
• Does the business have any unique requirements or needs for special features like automation or AI?

Identify key features.

Some examples of make-or-break features may include:

• Ticket automation and follow-up.
• Reporting capabilities.
• Integration options.
• Omnichannel ticketing.
• SLA (service level agreement) management.

Make a list of required features and “nice to have” features. Then, search for help desk software that checks off as many boxes as possible within the team’s budget.

Set a budget.

It all comes down to money, of course. Setting a budget for the customer service ticket system will help narrow options. Users want to maximize value, meaning they’ll get the most high-quality features for their money.

I think help desk software isn’t the place to cut corners. If ever there was a place to stretch that budget a little, it’s here. Why? Because it’s an essential tool for a team’s ability to satisfy customers. It’s not worth cheaping out on help desk software if it means missing out on critical features and creating bottlenecks.

Consider scalability.

Choose a customer ticketing software that can grow with the team. Many solutions offer a free tier, which is excellent for smaller teams just starting out. However, it’s essential to consider the team’s growth trajectory when selecting the right option.

After all, leaders don’t want to choose help desk software that they’ll need to replace after only a year or two.

Service desk software like HubSpot is fantastic because it offers a free option to get teams started. There are then increasing paid tiers that expand upon feature sets to align with growing business needs.

Test multiple tools.

I’ve been writing about and researching customer service software for a while now, and I’ve found that the market is relatively competitive. What I mean is, generally, there is parity regarding features and capabilities amongst the foremost service desk options.

So, how do you choose between solutions that offer the same features at similar price points? That’s where the fun comes in. Testing!

Well, maybe it’s only fun if you’re a software nerd like me. Regardless, it’s essential to audition a few tools to figure out which fits your workflow best.

How I Chose the Best Help Desk Software

After testing many free help desk ticketing systems, there can only be one winner. Well, actually, there are two. My favorite free helpdesk solutions are UVdesk and HubSpot.

I considered two factors when forming my opinion on my favorite help desk ticketing systems: first impression and value.

• First impressions are everything, and when it comes to evaluating software, that equates to my initial experience with the UI and how intuitive it feels to navigate around the product.
• Value is the idea of how much I’m getting for what I pay. Of course, you want the most bang for your buck. Features should be competitive for the price.

UVDesk

When it comes to free software solutions, there’s usually some kind of trade-off. However, the only trade-off with UVdesk is effort. It’s not for everyone due to its open-source, self-hosted nature and technical implementation, but the amount of premium features and customization available within UVdesk blew me away.

Teams with the technical experience or development resources to deploy and maintain UVdesk can get an enterprise-level ticketing system for free. The time and effort required to deploy and maintain such a system are a cost to consider, but if UVdesk is the right fit for your team, then I think the value is astronomical.

HubSpot

HubSpot strikes the perfect balance between value and usability. The HubSpot interface is remarkably intuitive and attractive, and I would be happy to look at it daily.

Regarding features, the free version of HubSpot Help Desk won’t give you access to all the enterprise-level features you’re getting with UVdesk for free. However, I believe that 99% of small organizations are better suited for a solution like HubSpot. At the free tier, HubSpot offers all the help desk features you’ll need to run a basic customer service operation, and it is effortless to get up and running.

What sets HubSpot apart from similar help desk ticketing systems is its potential for scalability. HubSpot can grow with your business and become the complete operational hub for your entire organization. Native integration with HubSpot’s free CRM alone is a remarkable value that brings elevated visibility into customer interactions compared to other options on this list.

Frequently Asked Questions About Help Desk Software

What's the difference between web-based and on-premise help desk software?

Web-based help desk software operates entirely in the cloud, making the tools accessible through any web browser. Teams get immediate access from anywhere with an internet connection. On-premise help desk software, by contrast, requires installation on a company's local servers and IT infrastructure.

HubSpot Help Desk is a web-based help desk software that offers the best balance of free features, scalability, and room to grow as the business expands.

How secure is web-based help desk software?

Web-based help desk software employs enterprise-grade security measures to protect customer data. That includes encryption for data, regular security audits, and compliance with industry standards like SOC 2 and GDPR.

How quickly can we implement a web-based help desk?

Web-based help desk implementation is remarkably fast compared to traditional on-premise solutions. For robust solutions like HubSpot Help Desk, implementation typically takes a few hours to a day, depending on integration needs and customization preferences.

What does web-based help desk software really cost?

The true cost of web-based help desk software extends beyond monthly subscription fees. Paid subscriptions vary widely. Entry-level plans start around $7-$19 per user monthly, while more feature-rich tiers range from $24-$90 per user monthly.

Beyond subscription costs, consider these factors:

• Training time for the team.
• Integration expenses with existing tools.
• Potential add-ons for premium features, like advanced AI or analytics.
• And any migration costs from current systems.

Can web-based help desks integrate with our existing tools?

Modern web-based help desks offer extensive integration capabilities with popular business tools. HubSpot Help Desk offers native integration with HubSpot CRM, providing seamless connectivity across the entire business ecosystem. HubSpot's integration capabilities also extend beyond its own ecosystem, with thousands of integrations available.

How do we migrate from our current system to a web-based help desk?

Migrating to a web-based help desk involves several key steps, though the process varies by provider. That includes:

• Exporting data from the current system.
• Mapping data fields between systems.
• Importing into the new help desk.
• Validating that the information transferred correctly.
• Testing the new system thoroughly.
• And switching over

What happens to our data if we cancel our subscription?

Data ownership and export capabilities vary by provider, making it essential to review the terms of service before committing to any web-based help desk. Reputable providers typically allow users to export data before canceling.

Do web-based help desks work offline?

Web-based help desks require an internet connection for full functionality, as they operate in the cloud. Many providers also offer mobile apps with limited offline capabilities. HubSpot has both a web-based help desk and a mobile app to take the platform’s capabilities anywhere.

Choose the Right Web-Based Help Desk for Your Team

Selecting web-based help desk software doesn't have to be overwhelming. The best web-based help desk is the one teams will actually use. For email-focused users, tools like Hiver or Help Scout excel. For omnichannel support, consider HubSpot or Freshdesk. IT teams often prefer Spiceworks or osTicket.

To make the right decision, teams can use the following checklist:

• Deployment time: Can you start handling tickets within hours?
• True cloud architecture: Is it web-native or just hosted desktop software?
• Mobile access: Can your team provide support from anywhere?
• Integration ecosystem: Does it connect with your existing tools?
• Scalability: Can you add/remove agents without penalties?
• Security compliance: Are SOC 2, GDPR, or HIPAA certifications available?
• Data portability: Can you export your data if needed?
• Free trial: Can you test with real tickets before committing?

Remember: switching help desk platforms is easier with cloud solutions. Start with a free option, learn what matters to the team, then upgrade as needed. Remember: customers care about quick, helpful responses — not which platform a business uses.

Ready to transform your customer support?

Web-based help desk software removes traditional barriers to excellent customer service. No servers to maintain, no software to update, no limits on where reps can work. Just sign up and start delivering exceptional support.

Get started with HubSpot's Help Desk, which combines powerful features with true ease of use. The free tier handles most small team needs, and upgrading is seamless as businesses grow.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.