“### 5. Freshdesk — Best for a traditional help desk”
“- Offers a 6-month free program for up to 2 agents.”
“- Paid plans include Growth, Pro and Enterprise.”
“- Supports upgrading and downgrading subscriptions.”
“- Established ticketing and customer support functionality.”
“although the free starting option is time-limited.”
“### 2. Help Scout — Best for straightforward customer support”
“- Free plan for up to 5 users.”
“- One shared inbox.”
“- Up to 100 contacts per month.”
“- Upgrade to paid plans when you need more capacity and functionality.”
“- Designed around shared inboxes and customer conversations.”
“Easiest experience for support agents | Help Scout”
“### 1. Zoho Desk — Best overall budget option”
“- Free plan supports 3 users.”
“- You can upgrade directly from Free to Standard, Professional or Enterprise.”
“- Existing account remains in place.”
“- Supports email-based ticketing and customer support workflows.”
“- Offers a relatively affordable progression as your team expands.”
“Lowest long-term cost | Zoho Desk”
“### 3. Jira Service Management — Best for internal IT support”
“- Free for up to 3 agents.”
“- Unlimited customers.”
“- 2 GB storage.”
“- Upgrade to Standard or Premium.”
“- Supports service requests, incident management and workflows.”
“More advanced ticketing and workflows | Jira Service Management”
“### 4. HubSpot Service Hub — Best if CRM integration matters”
“- Free tools for up to 2 users.”
“- Ticketing and customer management.”
“- Integrated with HubSpot CRM.”
“- Paid Starter, Professional and Enterprise options.”