Quick Overview
- 1#1: Zendesk - AI-powered omnichannel helpdesk platform with Sunshine CRM for unified customer support and relationship management.
- 2#2: HubSpot - All-in-one CRM platform with Service Hub providing ticketing, knowledge base, and customer service tools.
- 3#3: Salesforce - Leading CRM solution featuring Service Cloud for advanced case management, helpdesk automation, and analytics.
- 4#4: Freshworks - Unified customer platform combining Freshdesk helpdesk and Freshsales CRM for sales and support teams.
- 5#5: Zoho - Integrated suite with Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk delivering helpdesk ticketing and customer data management.
- 6#6: Intercom - Conversational CRM platform for real-time messaging, helpdesk resolution, and customer profiling.
- 7#7: Help Scout - Human-centric helpdesk software with built-in CRM contacts, reporting, and shared inbox features.
- 8#8: LiveAgent - Multichannel helpdesk and CRM tool for live chat, ticketing, call center, and customer database management.
- 9#9: Front - Shared team inbox platform integrating email, chat, and CRM for streamlined helpdesk workflows.
- 10#10: Bitrix24 - Free all-in-one platform with CRM, helpdesk ticketing, tasks, and collaboration tools for customer management.
We ranked these tools based on features,易用性, quality, and value, ensuring they suit varying team sizes, workflows, and business priorities for robust, adaptable performance.
Comparison Table
This comparison table evaluates top helpdesk CRM tools including Zendesk, HubSpot, Salesforce, Freshworks, and Zoho, guiding readers through key features, pricing, and ideal use cases to streamline software selection.
| # | Tool | Category | Overall | Features | Ease of Use | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zendesk AI-powered omnichannel helpdesk platform with Sunshine CRM for unified customer support and relationship management. | enterprise | 9.2/10 | 9.5/10 | 8.8/10 | 8.5/10 |
| 2 | HubSpot All-in-one CRM platform with Service Hub providing ticketing, knowledge base, and customer service tools. | enterprise | 9.1/10 | 9.5/10 | 9.0/10 | 8.5/10 |
| 3 | Salesforce Leading CRM solution featuring Service Cloud for advanced case management, helpdesk automation, and analytics. | enterprise | 9.1/10 | 9.7/10 | 7.4/10 | 8.2/10 |
| 4 | Freshworks Unified customer platform combining Freshdesk helpdesk and Freshsales CRM for sales and support teams. | enterprise | 8.7/10 | 8.5/10 | 9.2/10 | 9.0/10 |
| 5 | Zoho Integrated suite with Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk delivering helpdesk ticketing and customer data management. | enterprise | 8.4/10 | 8.7/10 | 8.2/10 | 9.1/10 |
| 6 | Intercom Conversational CRM platform for real-time messaging, helpdesk resolution, and customer profiling. | enterprise | 8.6/10 | 9.2/10 | 8.4/10 | 7.9/10 |
| 7 | Help Scout Human-centric helpdesk software with built-in CRM contacts, reporting, and shared inbox features. | specialized | 8.6/10 | 8.2/10 | 9.4/10 | 8.0/10 |
| 8 | LiveAgent Multichannel helpdesk and CRM tool for live chat, ticketing, call center, and customer database management. | enterprise | 8.2/10 | 8.5/10 | 8.1/10 | 7.9/10 |
| 9 | Front Shared team inbox platform integrating email, chat, and CRM for streamlined helpdesk workflows. | specialized | 8.8/10 | 9.2/10 | 8.7/10 | 8.0/10 |
| 10 | Bitrix24 Free all-in-one platform with CRM, helpdesk ticketing, tasks, and collaboration tools for customer management. | enterprise | 7.6/10 | 8.4/10 | 6.2/10 | 8.1/10 |
AI-powered omnichannel helpdesk platform with Sunshine CRM for unified customer support and relationship management.
All-in-one CRM platform with Service Hub providing ticketing, knowledge base, and customer service tools.
Leading CRM solution featuring Service Cloud for advanced case management, helpdesk automation, and analytics.
Unified customer platform combining Freshdesk helpdesk and Freshsales CRM for sales and support teams.
Integrated suite with Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk delivering helpdesk ticketing and customer data management.
Conversational CRM platform for real-time messaging, helpdesk resolution, and customer profiling.
Human-centric helpdesk software with built-in CRM contacts, reporting, and shared inbox features.
Multichannel helpdesk and CRM tool for live chat, ticketing, call center, and customer database management.
Shared team inbox platform integrating email, chat, and CRM for streamlined helpdesk workflows.
Free all-in-one platform with CRM, helpdesk ticketing, tasks, and collaboration tools for customer management.
Zendesk
enterpriseAI-powered omnichannel helpdesk platform with Sunshine CRM for unified customer support and relationship management.
Sunshine platform for building custom, no-code apps and experiences on top of its core helpdesk CRM
Zendesk is a leading customer service platform designed as a comprehensive helpdesk CRM solution, enabling businesses to manage support tickets, live chats, emails, and social media interactions in one unified interface. It leverages AI-powered automation, analytics, and self-service options to enhance customer satisfaction and agent productivity. With extensive integrations and scalability, Zendesk supports teams from small businesses to large enterprises in delivering personalized support experiences.
Pros
- Omnichannel support across email, chat, phone, social, and messaging apps
- Advanced AI tools like Answer Bot and intelligent ticket routing for automation
- Extensive marketplace with 1,000+ integrations for CRM, e-commerce, and productivity tools
Cons
- Pricing can escalate quickly for larger teams or advanced features
- Steep learning curve for customizing workflows and apps
- Reporting and analytics require higher-tier plans for full depth
Best For
Mid-sized to enterprise businesses seeking scalable, AI-driven multichannel customer support with deep CRM integrations.
Pricing
Starts at $55/agent/month (Suite Team, billed annually); higher tiers like Growth ($89), Professional ($115), and custom Enterprise pricing.
HubSpot
enterpriseAll-in-one CRM platform with Service Hub providing ticketing, knowledge base, and customer service tools.
Customer timeline view providing a complete, contextual history of interactions across all hubs
HubSpot's Service Hub is a robust helpdesk CRM solution that combines ticketing, shared inboxes, automation workflows, SLAs, and self-service knowledge bases into a unified platform. Deeply integrated with HubSpot's core CRM, it provides a 360-degree view of customer interactions across marketing, sales, and service. This enables teams to deliver proactive, personalized support while capturing insights to improve customer experience and drive growth.
Pros
- Seamless integration with CRM, marketing, and sales tools for full customer context
- Powerful automation, workflows, and reporting capabilities
- Free tier with scalable plans and extensive self-service options
Cons
- Higher pricing tiers can become expensive for large teams
- Advanced customizations require Professional or Enterprise plans
- Occasional performance lags with very high ticket volumes
Best For
Growing businesses and teams seeking an all-in-one inbound service platform that aligns helpdesk with marketing and sales.
Pricing
Free CRM and basic tools; Service Hub Starter at $20/user/month, Professional at $90/user/month, Enterprise at $150/user/month (billed annually).
Salesforce
enterpriseLeading CRM solution featuring Service Cloud for advanced case management, helpdesk automation, and analytics.
Einstein AI for intelligent case escalation, predictive analytics, and conversational bots across all channels
Salesforce, through its Service Cloud, is a leading enterprise CRM platform tailored for helpdesk and customer service, providing advanced case management, ticketing, and omnichannel support. It integrates seamlessly with sales and marketing tools to deliver a unified 360-degree customer view, enabling automated workflows, self-service portals, and AI-driven insights via Einstein. This makes it a powerhouse for scaling helpdesk operations within a full CRM ecosystem.
Pros
- Unmatched customization and scalability for enterprise needs
- Powerful AI (Einstein) for case routing, bots, and analytics
- Vast AppExchange ecosystem for integrations and apps
Cons
- Steep learning curve and complex setup requiring admins
- High pricing that may not suit small businesses
- Overkill for simple helpdesk without full CRM utilization
Best For
Large enterprises with complex, high-volume customer service operations needing deep CRM integration and customization.
Pricing
Starts at $25/user/month for Service Cloud Essentials; Enterprise and Unlimited editions range from $150-$300+/user/month, often with custom contracts.
Freshworks
enterpriseUnified customer platform combining Freshdesk helpdesk and Freshsales CRM for sales and support teams.
Freddy AI for intelligent ticket routing, predictive analytics, and conversational support bots
Freshworks offers Freshdesk as a robust helpdesk solution integrated with Freshsales CRM, providing omnichannel ticketing, automated workflows, and AI-powered insights via Freddy AI. It streamlines customer support, sales pipelines, and team collaboration in a unified platform. Suitable for businesses aiming to enhance customer engagement without complex setups.
Pros
- Intuitive interface with quick onboarding
- Powerful Freddy AI for automation and chatbots
- Scalable pricing with strong integrations (e.g., Slack, Salesforce)
Cons
- Advanced reporting locked behind higher tiers
- Limited customization in free/basic plans
- Can slow down with very high ticket volumes
Best For
Small to mid-sized businesses seeking an affordable, user-friendly helpdesk-CRM combo for efficient support and sales.
Pricing
Free plan available; paid tiers start at $15/agent/month (Growth), $49 (Pro), $79+ (Enterprise, billed annually).
Zoho
enterpriseIntegrated suite with Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk delivering helpdesk ticketing and customer data management.
Zia AI assistant for contextual ticket suggestions, sentiment analysis, and predictive analytics across helpdesk and CRM
Zoho Desk, integrated with Zoho CRM, provides a comprehensive helpdesk and CRM solution for managing customer support tickets and relationships in one platform. It supports omnichannel ticketing across email, chat, social media, phone, and web, with automation rules, AI-driven insights via Zia, and robust reporting. This setup enables seamless data flow between support and sales teams, enhancing customer experience and efficiency.
Pros
- Affordable pricing with a free tier for small teams
- Seamless integration across Zoho's ecosystem and 500+ third-party apps
- AI-powered Zia for smart automation and predictions
Cons
- Interface can feel cluttered with extensive customization options
- Advanced features require higher-tier plans
- Steeper learning curve for non-technical users
Best For
Small to mid-sized businesses seeking cost-effective, scalable helpdesk-CRM integration with strong multichannel support.
Pricing
Free for up to 3 agents; paid plans start at $14/user/month (Standard), up to $40/user/month (Enterprise), billed annually.
Intercom
enterpriseConversational CRM platform for real-time messaging, helpdesk resolution, and customer profiling.
Resolution Bot, an AI-powered chatbot that autonomously resolves up to 50% of support queries using your knowledge base.
Intercom is a versatile customer messaging platform designed for support, marketing, sales, and engagement, functioning as a robust helpdesk CRM solution. It offers live chat, automated ticketing via AI chatbots like Resolution Bot, a unified inbox for multi-channel support (chat, email, SMS), and rich customer profiles with behavioral data. Teams can proactively engage users, automate resolutions, and track interactions in a centralized dashboard, making it suitable for scaling customer service operations.
Pros
- Powerful AI automation and chatbots reduce ticket volume significantly
- Unified inbox and customer data platform for 360-degree views
- Extensive integrations with CRMs, e-commerce, and analytics tools
Cons
- Pricing is expensive and scales quickly with active users/messages
- Steep learning curve for advanced customization and reporting
- Overkill for simple helpdesk needs without marketing/sales use
Best For
Mid-sized SaaS, e-commerce, or tech companies needing proactive, multi-channel customer support integrated with CRM workflows.
Pricing
Starts at $74/month for Essential (billed annually, 1 seat), scales to $139+/month for Pro/Expert plans based on active users and messages; custom enterprise pricing.
Help Scout
specializedHuman-centric helpdesk software with built-in CRM contacts, reporting, and shared inbox features.
Conversations inbox that unifies all support channels into an email-style shared workspace for effortless team collaboration
Help Scout is a customer support platform designed primarily as a shared inbox for email-based helpdesk operations, unifying conversations from email, chat, and forms into a single, collaborative interface. It includes tools for building self-service knowledge bases, automating workflows, and generating reports to track team performance and customer satisfaction. While it offers basic CRM features like contact management and custom fields, it excels in delivering personalized, human-centric support rather than enterprise-scale ticketing.
Pros
- Intuitive, email-like interface that requires minimal training
- Strong emphasis on customer-centric features like NPS surveys and saved replies
- Robust mobile app and seamless integrations with tools like Slack and Shopify
Cons
- Limited advanced automation and AI features compared to competitors like Zendesk
- No native telephony or omnichannel support beyond email/chat/forms
- Pricing scales per user, which can get expensive for larger teams
Best For
Small to mid-sized teams focused on email and chat support who prioritize ease of use and personalized customer interactions over complex ticketing workflows.
Pricing
Starts at $20/user/month (Standard), $40/user/month (Plus), $65/user/month (Pro); billed annually with a free trial available.
LiveAgent
enterpriseMultichannel helpdesk and CRM tool for live chat, ticketing, call center, and customer database management.
Universal Inbox that aggregates all customer communications from any channel into one searchable, real-time interface.
LiveAgent is an all-in-one helpdesk and CRM software that centralizes customer support across multiple channels like email, live chat, social media, phone, and WhatsApp into a single universal inbox. It provides robust ticketing, automation rules, SLA management, and reporting tools to streamline support workflows. The platform also includes CRM features for contact management, customer segmentation, and interaction history to enhance relationship building.
Pros
- Multi-channel universal inbox for seamless omnichannel support
- Powerful live chat with proactive invitations and chatbots
- Strong automation, SLA compliance, and knowledge base features
Cons
- Pricing escalates quickly for advanced features and higher agent counts
- Reporting and analytics lack depth in lower-tier plans
- CRM capabilities are solid but not as comprehensive as dedicated CRM tools
Best For
Small to medium-sized businesses needing an integrated helpdesk with live chat and basic CRM for efficient multi-channel customer support.
Pricing
Starts at $0 for limited free plan; paid plans from $15/agent/month (Ticket), $29 (Ticket+Chat), $49 (All-inclusive), with enterprise custom pricing.
Front
specializedShared team inbox platform integrating email, chat, and CRM for streamlined helpdesk workflows.
Collision detection that automatically pauses conversations to prevent duplicate agent responses
Front is a shared inbox platform that unifies customer communications from multiple channels including email, live chat, SMS, social media, and more into a single collaborative interface. It enables support, sales, and success teams to manage conversations efficiently with automation rules, assignee routing, internal comments, and analytics. Front integrates deeply with CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk, making it a powerful helpdesk tool for streamlining team workflows and improving response times.
Pros
- Exceptional multi-channel unification for email, chat, SMS, and social
- Powerful automation rules and routing for efficient workflows
- Strong team collaboration with @mentions, comments, and collision detection
Cons
- Higher pricing may not suit small teams or startups
- Limited standalone CRM capabilities; relies on integrations
- Advanced reporting requires higher-tier plans
Best For
Mid-sized customer support and sales teams handling high-volume, multi-channel inquiries that need collaborative inbox management.
Pricing
Starts at $59/user/month (Scale plan, billed annually), with Prime at $99/user/month and custom Enterprise options.
Bitrix24
enterpriseFree all-in-one platform with CRM, helpdesk ticketing, tasks, and collaboration tools for customer management.
Integrated contact center with free IP telephony and CRM-linked call logging for direct support-to-sales handoff
Bitrix24 is a comprehensive all-in-one business platform that integrates CRM, helpdesk ticketing, collaboration, and project management tools into a single solution. Its helpdesk CRM features support omnichannel customer service through email, live chat, social media, telephony, and automated workflows tied directly to CRM data for leads, deals, and contacts. This setup allows teams to manage support tickets alongside sales pipelines efficiently, though it shines best in integrated environments rather than as a standalone helpdesk tool.
Pros
- Extensive omnichannel support with CRM integration for seamless ticket-to-sale conversion
- Generous free plan with unlimited users and core helpdesk/CRM functionality
- Built-in telephony, automation rules, and knowledge base reduce need for third-party add-ons
Cons
- Overly complex interface with a steep learning curve for new users
- Feature bloat leads to cluttered navigation and performance issues on lower plans
- Advanced capabilities locked behind expensive higher-tier plans
Best For
Small to medium-sized businesses seeking an affordable all-in-one platform to handle helpdesk tickets alongside CRM without juggling multiple tools.
Pricing
Free plan (unlimited users, basic features); paid cloud plans start at $49/month for 5 users (Basic), $99/month for 50 users (Standard), up to $399/month for 250 users (Professional); on-premise options available.
Conclusion
The top 10 helpdesk CRM tools showcase varied strengths, with Zendesk leading as the top choice due to its AI-powered omnichannel platform and unified CRM. HubSpot and Salesforce follow, offering robust all-in-one solutions and advanced automation, respectively, making them excellent alternatives for specific needs. Ultimately, the best tool depends on team size and workflow, but all in the top ranks deliver meaningful value.
Take the first step toward better customer support—try Zendesk today to experience its integrated features and streamline your team’s operations.
Tools Reviewed
All tools were independently evaluated for this comparison