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Alternatives · Help Desks

HelpDesk alternatives

As of Nov 13, 2026, the best HelpDesk alternative for most people is Tidio (3.2 GPA), second in our ranking of help desk and live chat tools. It's also the best free one.

HelpDesk compared with 12 alternatives: Zendesk, Freshdesk, Text by LiveChat, Tidio, Gorgias and 7 more.

HelpDesk is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $19 per user / month, billed yearly ($25 billed monthly). 4 of the 12 alternatives are free or have a free plan. 7 more offer a free trial.

Listings checked up to Nov 12, 2026 · Where the facts come from

Black Friday: is there a HelpDesk sale?

At a glance

ToolPriceFree planRuns on
HelpDeskThis toolFree trial · from $19/moTrial onlyWeb
ZendeskFree trial · from $19/moTrial onlyWeb, iOS, Android
FreshdeskFree trial · from $19/moTrial onlyWeb, iOS, Android
Text by LiveChatFree trial · from $19/moTrial onlyWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
TidioFree plan · from $24.17/moYesWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
GorgiasFree trial · from $10/moTrial onlyWeb, iOS, Android
BoldDeskFree trial · from $35/moTrial onlyWeb, iOS, Android
Desk365Free plan · from $12/moYesWeb
FeaturebaseFree plan · from $29/moYesWeb
Helply (formerly Groove)Free trial · from $99/moTrial onlyWeb
KayakoPaidNoWeb
osTicketFree plan · from $12/moYesWeb
PlainFree trial · from $45/moTrial onlyWeb

Price against what you get

HelpDesk starts at $19 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 2 of the 11 alternatives on this chart score higher and start lower: Gorgias and Desk365.

Zendesk, Freshdesk, Text by LiveChat, Tidio and Helply (formerly Groove) score higher without starting lower. osTicket starts lower without scoring higher.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

D1.0C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$5$10$20$50$100$200$500$1k$2k$5kMore for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessHelpDeskZendeskFreshdeskText by LiveChatTidioGorgiasBoldDeskDesk365FeaturebaseHelply (formerly Groo…osTicketPlain

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

  • The best score at each price
  • Has a free plan
  • No free plan
The full chart of help desk and live chat tools, and the best at every price

How each one differs from HelpDesk

  1. Zendesk

    Ticketing, messaging, help center and AI agents for support teams

    • Zendesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
    • Zendesk also lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Zendesk also covers reports and help center.
    • Zendesk does not cover shared inbox, sMS marketing and chatbots, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: Support teams handling email, chat and phone in one queue

    Zendesk vs HelpDeskZendesk pricing and details

  2. Freshdesk

    Email ticketing help desk with a knowledge base and AI agents

    • Freshdesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually.
    • Freshdesk also lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Freshdesk also covers reports and help center.
    • Freshdesk does not cover live chat, sMS marketing and chatbots, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: Support teams that work mainly from email

    Freshdesk vs HelpDeskFreshdesk pricing and details

  3. Text by LiveChat

    Website chat, ticketing and an AI agent from the LiveChat team

    • Text by LiveChat starts at $19 per user / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
    • Text by LiveChat also lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
    • Text by LiveChat does not cover shared inbox, sMS marketing and chatbots, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: Online stores, especially on Shopify, that sell through chat

    Text by LiveChat vs HelpDeskText by LiveChat pricing and details

  4. Tidio

    Live chat, ticketing and the Lyro AI agent priced by conversations

    • Tidio starts at $24.17 per month for 100 conversations, billed annually ($29 monthly).
    • Tidio has a free plan, which HelpDesk lacks.
    • Tidio also lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
    • Tidio does not cover shared inbox, sMS marketing and chatbots, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: Small online stores, especially on Shopify or WordPress

    Tidio vs HelpDeskTidio pricing and details

  5. Gorgias

    Ecommerce help desk priced by tickets, with a paid-per-use AI agent

    • Gorgias starts at $10 per month for 50 tickets, billed monthly.
    • Gorgias also lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Gorgias also covers reports and help center.
    • Gorgias does not cover shared inbox, sMS marketing and chatbots, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: Shopify and other online stores handling order questions

    Gorgias vs HelpDeskGorgias pricing and details

  6. BoldDesk

    Help desk with per-agent pricing or unlimited agents plus AI credits

    • BoldDesk starts at $35 per agent / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly).
    • BoldDesk also lists iOS and Android apps.
    • BoldDesk also covers reports, help center, whatsApp messaging and ticketing.
    • BoldDesk does not cover shared inbox, sMS marketing and chatbots, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: Teams that want every feature at one per-agent price

    BoldDesk vs HelpDeskBoldDesk pricing and details

  7. Desk365

    Help desk built around Microsoft Teams, with a lifetime free plan

    • Desk365 starts at $12 per agent / month, billed annually ($16 billed monthly).
    • Desk365 has a free plan, which HelpDesk lacks.
    • Desk365 also covers workflow automation and help center.
    • Desk365 does not cover live chat, sMS marketing and chatbots, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: IT and support teams that already work in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365

    Desk365 vs HelpDeskDesk365 pricing and details

  8. Featurebase

    Help desk, chat and feedback boards with a per-resolution AI agent

    • Featurebase starts at $29 per seat / month, billed yearly ($37 billed monthly).
    • Featurebase has a free plan, which HelpDesk lacks.
    • Featurebase also covers help center.
    • Featurebase does not cover sMS marketing and chatbots, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: Startups that want support and feedback in one product

    Featurebase vs HelpDeskFeaturebase pricing and details

  9. Helply (formerly Groove)

    Help desk with AI support agents, now sold as Helply

    • Helply (formerly Groove) starts at $99 per month for up to 2 human agents, billed annually.
    • Helply (formerly Groove) also covers help center.
    • Helply (formerly Groove) does not cover sMS marketing, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: Small B2B and SaaS support teams that want AI agents bundled with the help desk

    Helply (formerly Groove) vs HelpDeskHelply (formerly Groove) pricing and details

  10. Kayako

    Help desk with an AI agent billed per resolved ticket

    • Kayako also covers help center.
    • Kayako does not cover sMS marketing and chatbots, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: Support teams with many repeat requests that an AI can close

    Kayako vs HelpDeskKayako pricing and details

  11. osTicket

    Open-source support ticketing, self-hosted or as a cloud edition

    • osTicket starts at $12 per agent / month, for the cloud-hosted edition (billing basis not stated).
    • osTicket has a free plan, which HelpDesk lacks.
    • osTicket is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • osTicket also covers workflow automation.
    • osTicket does not cover live chat, AI support agent, sMS marketing and chatbots, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: Teams with a server and an admin who want ticketing with no license fee

    osTicket vs HelpDeskosTicket pricing and details

  12. Plain

    Support platform for B2B teams, built around Slack and AI agents

    • Plain starts at $45 per user / month, billed annually ($55 billed monthly).
    • Plain also covers workflow automation and help center.
    • Plain does not cover sMS marketing and chatbots, which HelpDesk does.

    Suits: B2B software teams that support customers through shared Slack channels

    Plain vs HelpDeskPlain pricing and details

Limits worth knowing in HelpDesk

  • AI resolutions are capped: 10 a month on Essential and 200 on Growth. Extra packs of 50 resolutions cost $49.50.
  • There is no free plan; the 14-day trial is the only free access.
  • Per-user pricing means Growth costs $79 per user / month when billed yearly, $99 billed monthly.
  • The pages describe a browser-based product and list no desktop or phone apps; the chat widget can be embedded in your own mobile app.
HelpDesk pricing and details

Common questions

What are the alternatives to HelpDesk?

The alternatives to HelpDesk in this directory are Zendesk, Freshdesk, Text by LiveChat, Tidio, Gorgias, BoldDesk, Desk365, Featurebase, Helply (formerly Groove), Kayako, osTicket and Plain. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with HelpDesk.

Is there a free alternative to HelpDesk?

Yes. Tidio, Desk365, Featurebase and osTicket have a free plan alongside paid ones.

Which HelpDesk alternatives work on Windows?

The HelpDesk listing does not include a Windows app. Text by LiveChat and Tidio list one.

Which HelpDesk alternatives work on macOS?

The HelpDesk listing does not include a macOS app. Text by LiveChat and Tidio list one.

Is there an open-source alternative to HelpDesk?

osTicket is described as open source on its own site.

When were these prices checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 17, 2026 to Nov 12, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.