11 Best Help Center Software to Provide Support at Scale

As businesses expand and customer in-app support demands grow, finding the right help center software becomes crucial for providing efficient and scalable support solutions.

Here, we present a curated list of the 11 best help center software solutions for providing support at scale for your product.

Let’s dive in!

What is help center software?

Help center software (or help desk software, service desk tool, etc.) is a type of software solution designed to centralize and manage your support documentation, frequently asked questions (FAQs), troubleshooting guides, tutorials, and other self-service resources.

It provides a user-friendly interface for customers to search for and access relevant information to resolve their issues or inquiries without the need to submit support requests.

Must have features of help center software

Here are some important factors to consider while choosing help desk software:

• Knowledge base management: A robust system for creating, organizing, and managing articles, FAQs, guides, and other support documentation.
• Search functionality: An advanced search engine that allows users to quickly find relevant information by entering keywords or phrases.
• Customization options: Tools for customizing the appearance, branding, and layout of the help center to align with the company’s brand identity and user experience standards.
• Multimedia support: The ability to incorporate multimedia content such as images, videos, screenshots, and diagrams into help articles to enhance clarity and understanding.
• Self-service tools: Interactive tutorials, step-by-step guides, decision trees, and other self-service tools to assist users in troubleshooting and problem-solving independently.
• Analytics and reporting features: Comprehensive analytics and reporting tools to track user engagement, search queries, popular topics, article effectiveness, and other key metrics.
• User feedback mechanism: Built-in mechanisms for users to provide feedback on articles, rate their helpfulness, and suggest improvements to help center content.
• Localization support: Tools for translating and localizing help center content into multiple languages to serve a diverse user base across different regions and cultures.

Best help desk software solution for 2024

With numerous options available, finding the best solution can be overwhelming. Therefore, here are our recommendations to help you find the right help desk software for 2024.

Userpilot

Userpilot’s resource centers leverage advanced features to segment and target specific customers or use cases, have detailed analytics, and can be built using the no-code editor. Here’s a closer look at Userpilot’s resource center editor:

• No-code editor: Userpilot lets you build in-app resource centers without needing to write any code. You can add modules like internal/external links, tutorial videos, in-app flows, custom JavaScript functions, and checklists — or group multiple modules into a single section.

• Targeted modules: Userpilot’s module segmentation features let you show/hide specific resources depending on which segment a user is in. This helps you personalize your in-app resource center and only show the resources that are most relevant to a particular user.
• Customization: You can easily customize the look of the help center i.e. color themes, logo, etc. to match your native design.

• AI localization: Using an AI-powered language translation service, you can translate your help center content automatically to different languages.

• Analytics dashboard: Userpilot’s resource center analytics can show you key metrics like the total number of visitors, how many modules have been clicked, and changes in the click rate to help you gauge performance. You can also sort data by a specific time if needed.

Pricing

In terms of pricing, Userpilot has a transparent pricing structure ranging from $249 per month for entry-level plans to an Enterprise tier tailored for larger companies. It does not only offer a resource center feature alone since it’s a product adoption platform. Therefore these plans come with other features such as UI elements for engagement, product analytics, etc.

The resource center feature is available starting from the Growth plan, priced at $749 per month.

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Intercom

As a help desk solution, Intercom lets you enable help searches through the chat messenger widget:

• Widget: To let users search through help center articles through the chat widget, you’ll need to go to Messenger > Platforms > Web > Content > Spaces and toggle the help center on. You can also enable this feature on your mobile app through Mobile SDKs > Content > Spaces.

• Conversational bots: Build and deploy chatbots for initial troubleshooting and to help users answer common questions.
• Features: The Intercom help center lets you upload resources in multiple languages, use custom domains, and style the interface to align it with your product UI or brand palette. These help center articles will also be used as a reference by chatbots when answering user questions.
• Integration: Connect the app with other customer self-service platforms​​​ to get more done.

Note: Intercom’s multilingual help centers are only available on the Pro tier and higher which means users on the entry-level Starter plan won’t be able to use this feature. Help articles aren’t automatically translated so you’ll need to rewrite them manually as well.

Pricing

Intercom’s plans start at $39/month per seat on the entry-level plan and use custom pricing for the Pro tier or higher. This means it gets expensive as your customer support team scales.

There’s no free version available, but Intercom does offer a 14-day free trial that lets you test all features on the Starter tier before upgrading to a paid subscription.

HelpScout

As a robust help desk solution, Help Scout offers several tools for building an extensive in-app resource center. The features that come in handy include:

• The Docs tool lets you upload articles to a knowledge base. You can create different categories, such as setup guides, feature walkthroughs, and more, and add articles to each category. It helps build a well-organized resource center where users can easily find what they want.
• The Beacon tool lets you send targeted content recommendations to users, depending on where they are within your product. For instance, when a user logs in to their account for the first time, you can recommend a setup guide. Similarly, when a user explores a new feature, you can recommend an article that explains how to use the feature.
• Additionally, the Docs report offers insight into how users are navigating your in-app resource center. You can identify the most-visited articles and get an idea of topics that strike a chord with users. Similarly, you can find out which articles don’t get too many views and devise ways to improve them.

Pricing

Help Scout offers three different pricing plans, with the total cost based on the number of users. The Starter plan starts at $20 per seat per month (limit 25). However, you can only implement 1 Docs knowledge base for this tier.

Do keep in mind that pricing is based on the number of users, and the costs can quickly escalate as your team grows.

It offers a 15-day free trial that allows you to test various features and tools and determine whether it’s the right fit for your needs.

Zendesk

Zendesk is a comprehensive customer support suite renowned for its ticketing system and powerful analytics capabilities such as:

• Customizable knowledge base: Organize knowledge base articles, FAQs, and guides into a branded and easily searchable help center, providing on-demand support.
• AI-powered search: Find answers rapidly with intelligent search suggestions and recommendations.
• Analytics and reporting: Monitor the effectiveness of self-service content, giving visibility into which resources users interact with the most, allowing for continuous improvement.

Pricing

The help center feature is available on all of Zendesk’s pricing plans. It starts at $66 per month per agent so it’ll be a costly option as your team grows.

Freshdesk

Freshdesk is one of the help desk software options that help you build a resource center and manage customer inquiries. Its help desk features include:

• Help widget: Trigger contextual guides based on user actions to make it easier to use the app.
• Knowledge base: Organize information and FAQs in a robust knowledge base and offer on-demand help.
• Multi-language support: Its multilingual knowledge base supports 42 languages so you run a global support operation easily. However, this feature is only available starting from the Growth plan which is priced at $49/agent/month.
• Chatbots: You can install answer bots to enhance your support and help customers find the answer from your knowledge base content.

Pricing

Freshdesk has four plan options including a free plan that already allows you to implement a knowledge base. It also provides a 14-day trial for every plan.

KnowledgeBase by Help Desk

Help Desk is a cloud help desk software solution that provides multiple tools for managing customer interactions i.e. live chat, ticketing system, knowledge base, etc.

In terms of creating a help center, you can use an AI-powered knowledge base that comes with the following features:

• Create various types of help articles in your knowledge bases with options to visualize help materials by adding screenshots and explainer videos.
• Customize knowledge base appearance to match your product’s native design.
• Add a LiveChat widget to your help center
• Localize your knowledge base content with translation options for 16 different languages.

Pricing

This tool is ideal for small and medium companies as it only comes in one plan for unlimited users. It is priced at $59 per month ($49 per month if billed annually). If you want more than one knowledge base, you’ll have to pay an extra amount of $24.99 for each additional one.

Usetiful

If you’re looking to build a self-service portal with Usetiful, here’s what you can do:

• The Knowledge Base feature provides a WYSIWYG editor to create and publish articles. You can use it to build a repository of resources that answer common user queries. Additionally, you can create step-wise guides and tutorials to help users explore your product.
• After creating these articles, you can add them to the Knowledge Base Portal for asset management. You can even organize articles into logically structured folders, which makes it easy for users to find the right content. Additionally, you can customize the portal’s look and feel to ensure it aligns with your product’s branding.
• Usetiful also offers a handy Assistants widget, which serves as an in-app help center. Besides featuring knowledge-based articles, it gives users the option to reach out to customer support. Also, you can recommend articles and other resources, such as tutorials and user guides, to facilitate easy onboarding. That said, the Assistants feature is only available on the Premium plan.

Pricing

Usetiful’s pricing is transparent and easy to understand, with four different plans. The Knowledge base portal is available starting from its free plan.

All paid plans come with a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. But you’ll need to enter your credit card details to start the free trial.

With paid plans starting at €29 per month, Usetiful is among the most affordable digital adoption platforms. That makes it a good fit for startups and small businesses with limited budgets.

Product Fruits

With Product Fruits, you can use the life ring button option to build a help desk system without any coding.

• The life ring button appears at the bottom right of the screen for your users. However, you can give users the ability to move it around. Also, you can choose to add specific URLs where you want the button to appear if you don’t want it to be visible throughout the app.

• You can add various types of content, including product tours, videos, knowledge base articles, and links to the resource center. You even have the option to limit visibility to specific user groups based on predefined segments and custom rules.
• Additionally, you can connect the life ring button to a third-party chat widget to provide real-time support.
• Product Fruits also lets you modify the look and feel of your in-app resource center. You can change the type of icon, background color, offset, and more.

Pricing

The platform offers two distinct plans. Each of these plans is tailored to accommodate the number of users you have. Its plans start at $89 per month for up to 1500 users.

Jira Service Management

Jira Service Management by Atlassian serves as one of the versatile help desk software solutions tailored for project management and customer service needs.

Equipped with a customizable self-service portal, users can effortlessly create requests, seek assistance, and access answers.

The software facilitates conversational ticketing, consolidating requests from various channels like email and chat into a unified view for agents. It enables users to efficiently triage, track, and route incoming requests, along with offering bulk ticket actions for streamlining processes.

Pricing

Here are the pricing options for Atlassian’s service management solution:

• Free Plan: $0 per month for up to 3 agents.
• Standard Plan: $650 per year for up to 3 agents.
• Premium Plan: $1,500 per year for up to 3 agents.
• Enterprise Plan: Pricing is available upon contacting Atlassian.

All plans are billed annually, and there is a 7-day free trial available.

Zoho desk

Zoho Desk is a multi-faceted customer self-service software within the extensive Zoho project management software suite (for marketing, HR, accounting, and managed service providers).

Focused on self-service alongside traditional customer service channels, Zoho Desk empowers businesses to better manage customer support interactions through robust features and integration with other Zoho tools.

Here are its features as a help desk platform:

• Knowledge base: Create a customizable and user-friendly hub for helpful articles, FAQs, and other resources.
• Embeddable self-service: Embed self-service options directly into your website and web or mobile app with the Zoho ASAP plugin, to make support accessible from anywhere.
• Guided conversations: Guide customers through a series of questions and actions that quickly direct them to the right solution, enhancing customer satisfaction.

Pricing

It has three pricing tiers that start from $14 per month per user (billed annually). You can also sign up for its 15-day free trial before deciding which plan to go for.

HubSpot Services Hub

HubSpot Services Hub is designed to help businesses establish lasting relationships with their customers through easy-to-use customer service software. It boosts team productivity by connecting your team and providing a unified view of customer interactions.

Its help desk software features include:

• Customer portal: This allows customers to create and track the status of their support tickets.
• Knowledge base: Create a repository of readily accessible information, helping users troubleshoot and resolve issues independently.
• Live chat support: Users will sometimes want to speak with a human agent, and HubSpot makes that easy.
• Feedback and reporting: Collect direct customer feedback and analyze it to provide data for your support team to create more robust customer conversations.

Pricing

Its comprehensive help desk software starts at $90/month/seat with 1 knowledge base docs available per account.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, investing in the right help desk software is essential for fostering customer satisfaction.

It’s also important that you consider various factors such as ease of use (i.e. no code features), customization options, scalability, and pricing when making your decision.

Ready to scale your customer support efforts? Book a demo with Userpilot today!

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