CS
Customer Service Times

Reviews

Helpdesk & Support Tool Reviews

Every review is based on actual use, not demos or marketing decks. We sign up, configure, run tickets through, and report what we find.

Zendesk

3.8

The industry standard, for better and worse.

Zendesk remains the most recognized name in customer support software. It can do almost anything, but that versatility comes with complexity and a price tag that keeps climbing. Be...

GN Garrett Nielsen zendesk.com ↗ Updated 2026-02-15

Freshdesk

3.6

The Zendesk alternative that tries to be everything too.

Freshdesk offers a free tier that gets people in the door, but the feature gating is aggressive. You will hit walls quickly. The interface is cleaner than Zendesk but the automatio...

RW Rachel Whitfield freshdesk.com ↗ Updated 2026-02-10

Help Scout

4

Email-first support for teams that value simplicity.

Help Scout takes a deliberately simple approach. It does email support very well and adds just enough structure without overwhelming you. The downside is when you outgrow its featu...

CM Claire Maddox helpscout.com ↗ Updated 2026-01-28

Intercom

3.5

The chat-first platform that became a support suite.

Intercom started as a chat widget and grew into a full support platform. The AI features (Fin) are impressive but the pricing model is opaque and can get expensive fast with resolu...

GN Garrett Nielsen intercom.com ↗ Updated 2026-02-01

HubSpot Service Hub

3.4

Best if you are already in the HubSpot ecosystem.

If your sales and marketing teams already use HubSpot, Service Hub makes sense because the CRM data flows through. As a standalone support tool, it is underwhelming compared to ded...

RW Rachel Whitfield hubspot.com/products/service ↗ Updated 2026-01-20

Zoho Desk

3.5

Affordable and capable, if you can navigate the interface.

Zoho Desk packs a lot of features for the price. The challenge is finding them. The interface is functional but not intuitive, and the setup process assumes you already know what y...

TB Tyler Brennan zoho.com/desk ↗ Updated 2026-02-05

FyneDesk

4.1

The newcomer that is surprisingly capable for a free tool.

FyneDesk is a newer entrant that takes a refreshingly different approach. It offers a genuinely free plan (not a crippled trial) with features that typically require paid tiers on ...

GN Garrett Nielsen fynedesk.io ↗ Updated 2026-02-18

Jira Service Management

3.3

Built for IT, stretched into customer support.

JSM is excellent for internal IT service management and dev-ops workflows. Using it for external customer support is possible but not its strength. The interface is complex and the...

TB Tyler Brennan atlassian.com/software/jira/service-management ↗ Updated 2026-01-15