Chatwoot
Support
Open-source support with an MIT-licensed core, free for two agents and $19 after that.
Checked Aug 2026
Category
Support software
Help desks, ticketing, service management and customer messaging.
We currently cover 8 products classified primarily as support software, plus 3 more that cover it as a secondary capability. Prices below are the vendors' own published figures, checked in August 2026.
Compare support tools
| Product | Best for | Starting price | Free plan | Trial | API |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatwoot | Teams who want open-source support software with a managed option | Free self-hosted, or free for 2 agents on cloud; Startups $19 per agent/month billed annually | Yes | 15 days on paid cloud plans | Yes |
| FreeScout | Teams whose support cost should not scale with headcount | Free and self-hosted, with unlimited agents; official modules $2 to $24, paid once | Yes | - | Yes |
| Freshdesk | Mid-market support teams wanting Zendesk capability for less | Growth from $19 per agent/month billed annually, email only; Omni from $29 for omnichannel | No | 14 days | Yes |
| Front | Teams whose support is genuinely email-led and stays under ten seats | Starter $25 per seat/month billed annually, up to 10 seats; Professional $65 | No | Free trial offered on Starter, length not stated on the pricing page | Yes |
| Help Scout | Small and mid-sized teams wanting support to feel personal | Standard from $25 per user/month billed annually | No | 15 days | Yes |
| Intercom | SaaS companies supporting users inside the product | Essential $29 per seat/month billed annually, plus $0.99 per Fin outcome | No | 14 days | Yes |
| ServiceNow | Large enterprises consolidating internal service desks | Not publicly disclosed. Quoted per organisation | No | Developer instance available free for building and testing | Yes |
| Zendesk | Support teams handling volume across several channels | Support Team from $19 per agent/month billed annually | No | 14 days | Yes |
Profiles
FreeScout
Support
A self-hosted help desk with unlimited agents free, and features bought once rather than rented.
Checked Aug 2026
Freshdesk
Support
Zendesk's job at roughly a third of Zendesk's price.
Checked Aug 2026
Front
Support
A shared inbox for customer operations, from $25 a seat, with omnichannel starting at $65.
Checked Aug 2026
Help Scout
Support
A shared inbox that never makes your customer feel like a ticket.
Checked Aug 2026
Intercom
Support
Customer messaging that reinvented itself around an AI agent.
Checked Aug 2026
ServiceNow
Support
The enterprise workflow platform that IT service management grew into.
Checked Aug 2026
Zendesk
Support
Customer support ticketing that grew into a full service platform.
Checked Aug 2026
Also covers support
These products are classified elsewhere but include meaningful support capability.
Discord
Productivity
Free voice and text communities, with a subscription that sells cosmetics.
Checked Aug 2026
Sprout Social
Marketing
Enterprise social management priced per seat, and priced high.
Checked Aug 2026
Zoho CRM
Sales
A capable CRM at roughly a fifth of what the market leaders charge.
Checked Aug 2026
Support comparison guides
7 tools compared
Best customer support software in 2026
Independent comparison of FreeScout, Chatwoot, Help Scout, Freshdesk, Intercom, Zendesk and Front on the year-one cost of ten agents on a tier that includes messaging and a help centre, free tiers, AI charges and seat caps.
Updated 24 August 2026