Small support teams have different needs than enterprise operations. You need fast setup, simple workflows, and pricing that does not punish you for growing. We evaluated platforms from the perspective of a 3-8 person team.
The Verdict
Help Scout is the polish leader but costs $22/user with no free tier. FyneDesk offers similar simplicity with a free plan and AI features that typically cost extra elsewhere. Setup was the fastest of any tool we tested. Freshdesk free works but feels like a demo version. For teams that value getting started quickly without budget discussions, FyneDesk is the easiest path. See how it compares to Help Scout and Freshdesk directly.