Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving HelpDesk.
Want the closest match?
WhelpMost similar to HelpDesk in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Whelp in a new tab)Need a free plan?
Help ScoutHas a free plan, rated 4.5 out of 5. HelpDesk has none.
Visit (opens Help Scout in a new tab)Want the lowest price?
OpenFrom $0.99/mo, the lowest starting price here.
Visit (opens Open in a new tab)Want the best rated?
FrontRated 4.4 out of 5 in our review, against 4.2 for HelpDesk.
Visit (opens Front in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than HelpDesk, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 HelpDeskBaseline | 4.2 | Not listed | No | One inbox across email, chat, Messenger and SMS, from the company behind LiveChat. | |
| Whelp | 4.1−0.1 | $29/mo | YesHelpDesk has none | Customer support platform that pairs AI agents trained on your FAQs, policies and catalog with one inbox for WhatsApp, web chat, SMS, email, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram. | vs HelpDesk |
| Help Scout | 4.5+0.3 | $25/mo | YesHelpDesk has none | A shared inbox designed to feel like email, not enterprise ticketing | vs HelpDesk |
| Front | 4.4+0.2 | $25/mo | No | Customer operations platform with a shared inbox for support, sales and operations teams, plus Front AI: Autopilot agents that resolve requests, Copilot drafting and next steps, and Compass monitoring of agent performance. | vs HelpDesk |
 Re:amaze | 4.0−0.2 | $26.1/mo | No | Customer service helpdesk for ecommerce teams that combines email, live chat, social, SMS, VoIP and video support with Cues proactive messages, an AI Agent and AI support tools. | vs HelpDesk |
 Hostcomm AI Agent | 4.0−0.2 | $39/mo | No | AI voice, chat, and email agents built into a UK contact-center platform. | vs HelpDesk |
| Open | 4.1−0.1 | $0.99/mo | No | Charges 99 cents per resolved ticket instead of per seat. | vs HelpDesk |
 Solvea | 4.0−0.2 | $19.9/mo | YesHelpDesk has none | Phone system with an AI receptionist and one inbox for calls, SMS, email, chat and WhatsApp. | vs HelpDesk |
 Brandwise | 3.4−0.8 | Not listed | No | Obie, your AI agent, reads your catalog and policies to answer customers, track orders, and process exchanges directly in Shopify - not just draft replies. | vs HelpDesk |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches HelpDesk.
Whelp
4.1$29/mo
vs HelpDesk−0.1Free plan
Customer support platform that pairs AI agents trained on your FAQs, policies and catalog with one inbox for WhatsApp, web chat, SMS, email, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram.
- AI Agents trained on FAQs, policies and catalog
- Order and booking lookups inside conversations
- Unified inbox for WhatsApp, chat, SMS, email and social
Free plan with unlimited conversations for one seat
AI Agents start at the $79 per seat plan
Help Scout
4.5$25/mo
vs HelpDesk+0.3Free plan
A shared inbox designed to feel like email, not enterprise ticketing.
- Shared inbox designed to feel like personal email
- No visible ticket numbers shown to customers
- AI-drafted reply suggestions and conversation summaries
Genuinely lighter-weight and easier to adopt than enterprise ticketing platforms
Less suited to very high-volume or highly complex enterprise support operations
Front
4.4$25/mo
vs HelpDesk+0.2
Customer operations platform with a shared inbox for support, sales and operations teams, plus Front AI: Autopilot agents that resolve requests, Copilot drafting and next steps, and Compass monitoring of agent performance.
- Autopilot AI agent that resolves requests across channels
- Copilot for account signals, next steps and reply drafts
- Compass monitoring and recommendations for AI agents
Human teams and AI agents work in the same threads
Copilot and Autopilot cost extra on Starter and Professional
Re:amaze
4.0$26.1/mo
vs HelpDesk−0.2
Customer service helpdesk for ecommerce teams that combines email, live chat, social, SMS, VoIP and video support with Cues proactive messages, an AI Agent and AI support tools.
- Cues for proactive AI-generated customer messages
- AI Agent (beta) trained on a business's own details
- AI summarization, sentiment analysis and FAQ suggestions
Published per-user prices with a 10% annual discount
AI Agent resolutions are capped per plan, from 5 to 20 a month
Hostcomm AI Agent
4.0$39/mo
vs HelpDesk−0.2
AI voice, chat, and email agents built into a UK contact-center platform.
- AI voice, chat, and email agents deployed from one dashboard
- GraphRAG and vector storage for long-term conversation memory
- Cloud predictive dialer bundled with the AI agent platform
Two decades of contact-center infrastructure experience behind the AI layer, not a new entrant bolting AI onto nothing
Voice agent tier at $299/month prices out smaller teams compared to the chat-only entry point
Open
4.1$0.99/mo
vs HelpDesk−0.1
Charges 99 cents per resolved ticket instead of per seat.
- Agent 5 automation across voice, chat, email and messaging
- One training pass covering every channel
- Clean handoff to human agents
$0.99 per resolution aligns the vendor with the outcome, not headcount
Automation rate and accuracy are vendor figures with no stated method
Solvea
4.0$19.9/mo
vs HelpDesk−0.2Free plan
Phone system with an AI receptionist and one inbox for calls, SMS, email, chat and WhatsApp.
- AI receptionist answering around the clock
- Omnichannel inbox for calls, SMS, email, chat and WhatsApp
- Live call translation across 70-plus languages
Live translation is a capability small businesses have never had
A phone system becomes core infrastructure, so switching later is disruptive
Brandwise
3.4Not listed
vs HelpDesk−0.8
Obie, your AI agent, reads your catalog and policies to answer customers, track orders, and process exchanges directly in Shopify - not just draft replies.
- Obie AI agent trained on your own catalog, policies, and past replies
- Takes real actions - order tracking, exchanges, shipping updates in Shopify
- Unified multi-channel inbox (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Gmail)
Obie executes real actions (exchanges, shipping updates), not just canned replies
Volume-based pricing can scale unpredictably with conversation spikes
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is HelpDesk free?
HelpDesk does not list a free plan. Check its pricing page for current plans.
What is the best free alternative to HelpDesk?
Help Scout is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.5 out of 5). Other free options: Whelp, Solvea.
What is the cheapest alternative to HelpDesk?
Among paid plans, Open has the lowest starting price (from $0.99/mo). If you need it free, start with Help Scout.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.