12 minutes

5 Best Help Desk Ticketing Systems

Lauren Good Avatar

Written By

Reviewed by

Published

Share this Article:

Our content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click links to our partners. Learn more in our Editorial & Advertising Policy.

If you’re on the hunt for a new help desk ticketing system for your organization, it can be overwhelming and time-consuming to spend time vetting multiple software solutions. Instead, save time and energy and read on to learn more about the best IT help desk ticketing systems for 2023. 

Our PickBest ForPricing Starts At
zendesk logo.
Try Zendesk
Best for General Customer Experience ManagementStarting at $49 per user/month*

See details

Jira Service Management logo for charts.
Try Jira Service Management
Best for Atlassian UsersPaid Plans Starting at $21 per user/month

See details

zoho desk
Try Zoho Desk
Best Ticketing System for Small TeamsStarting at $7 per user/month*

See details
monday.com logo.
Try monday
Best for Project & Issue ManagementPaid Plans Starting at $9 per user/month

See details
hubspot service hub logo
Try Hubspot Service Hub
Best Overall Customer Service SolutionPaid Plans Starting at $45 per user/month*

See details
*Based on an annual payment plan

Methodology

In order to compile this list of the top help desk ticketing systems, I analyzed numerous IT ticketing solutions based on the following criteria:

  • Functionality
  • Usability
  • Price
  • Customer Reviews
  • Integrations

In addition, I took part in demonstrations for each software solution to bring my first-hand impressions to this Buyers’ Guide. 

Featured Partners

Our Picks: Best Help Desk Ticketing Systems

zendesk logo.

Best for General Customer Experience Management

Zendesk has designed its solution to be an all-in-one solution for customer experience management. For teams looking for a highly customizable and flexible support option that goes beyond the capabilities of a traditional ticketing system, Zendesk is an easy-to-use option. The ticketing capabilities of Zendesk make it simple for teams to internally label and flag tickets based on their position in the queue and level of urgency – streamlining the ticketing process overall.

Ticket dashboard with an overview from Zendesk.

Ticket dashboard with an overview from Zendesk. Source: Zendesk, accessed July 2023.

Key Features

  • Artificial intelligence (AI) recommendations – AI-powered recommendations help teams to improve customer support, gain insights about tickets, team trends, and more. 
  • Ticket collaboration – Multiple collaborators can work within one ticket, making cross-departmental collaboration easy. 
  • Workflow automations – Workflow automation options allow teams to create efficient processes for faster problem resolution.

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
Great UX for users of all experience levels: The interface of Zendesk is approachable and intuitive, even for less experienced users – which can be a huge perk when onboarding new agents or teams. 

Great visual analytics: The admin dashboard makes insights and analytics highly visual, making it easier to interpret data and take action. 

Automations to speed up workflows and limit stress: Numerous automation options make it easy to receive reports, send customer messages, and trigger notifications automatically. 
Customer support is poor: Numerous users report long wait times and inadequate support when issues arise. 

The price is notably higher than many other options: Zendesk may not be the best option for smaller teams or teams with limited budgets, as the price per user is higher than other solutions. 

Ticket organization issues: Some users report ticket organization issues, such as tickets reopening or not closing out properly and issues with ticket tags. 

Pricing

Suite TeamSuite GrowthProfessional SuiteSuite Enterprise
$49 per agent/month$79 per agent/month$99 per agent/monthContact sales for pricing
Key Features:
•1,000+ integrations & apps
•Triggers & automations
•Pre-built analytics dashboards
Key Features:
•Multiple ticket forms
•Customer satisfaction ratings
•Multilingual support and content
Key Features:
•Custom and live analytics
•HIPPA compliance
•Skills-based routing
Key Features:
•AI-powered content cues
•Custom agent roles
•Contextual workspaces

The logo of Jira.

Best for Atlassian Users

Created in 2020 as a response to users’ need for service request management, Jira Service Management helps accelerate the workflow of issue resolution from ticket creation to resolution. Jira Service Management is designed to help IT teams manage various problems, whether IT support tickets, tackling software development issues, or even incident management, making it a flexible option for technical teams of all varieties.


Read our complete Jira Service Management Review


For existing Jira users, Jira Service Management is a convenient solution, as it works within the same platform as other Jira products for a seamless transition between applications. 

An example of an open service ticket in Jira Service Management.

An example of an open service ticket in Jira Service Management. Source: Atlassian, accessed June 2023. 

Key Features

  • Dashboards and Reports – Easily visualize project trends and uncover deeper reports with custom insights not displayed by the default reports. 
  • Knowledge base – Jira’s Confluence-powered knowledge base empowers teams to write and share informative articles for customers and team members. 
  • SLAs (Service Level Agreements) – SLAs help your team track internal performance against the level of service expected by customers, to identify trends and improve team efforts. 

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
Numerous integration options for app-heavy users: Jira Service Management offers seamless integration with numerous applications, including other Jira products – saving you time and preventing app switching. 

Intuitive ticket resolution process: Many users remark that the ticket and issue resolution process is logical to follow and easy to set up. 

Highly customizable and flexible for various user types and problems: Like most Jira products, Jira Service Management is highly customizable, with multiple customizable fields for each issue and capable functionality for dealing with various work problems, not just IT ticket resolution. 
Occasionally slow load times: As many customers have noted about Atlassian products in general, the load times for Jira Service Management can be slow compared to other product offerings.

The search function often doesn’t pick up all queries: Some users observe that the search function within Jira Service Management does not always find all search-related queries, forcing team members to go looking for specific tickets. 

The learning curve can be steep: As Jira Service Management offers numerous advanced features, the learning curve can be particularly steep – especially for non-technical users or users who are new to ticketing system solutions. 

Pricing

Free PlanStandard PlanPremium PlanEnterprise Plan
Free$21 per agent/month$47 per agent/monthContact sales for pricing
Key Features:
•Up to three agents
•Unlimited customers
•2GB file storage
Key Features:
•Up to 10,000 agents
•250GB file storage
•Unlimited email notifications
Key Features:
•Advanced incident management
•Unlimited file storage
•24/7 support for critical issues
Key Features:
•Enhanced data analytics
•Centralized security and administration
•24/7 dedicated senior support for all issues
Zoho Desk logo.

Best Ticketing System for Small Teams

Zoho Desk is the ticketing system solution within the larger portfolio of Zoho business software, offering users a simple ticketing solution without excluding any of the key functionality your team needs. With affordable paid plans and a straightforward interface, Zoho Desk is a user and budget-friendly solution for smaller teams or teams who are new to ticketing software solutions. 

A look inside the user interface of Zoho Desk, complete with status updates, customizable views, and instant ticket assignment.

A look inside the user interface of Zoho Desk, complete with status updates, customizable views, and instant ticket assignment. Source: Zoho, accessed June 2023.

Key Features

  • Multi-department support – Customize Zoho Desk based on your organization’s needs, including multi-department support. 
  • Auto-tag tickets with AI – Speed up the ticketing process with automatic categorization options. 
  • Zia Dashboard – Monitor stats and dive into analytics all from one cohesive dashboard. 

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
Extremely affordable pricing model: Zoho Desk is one of the most affordable ticketing systems on the market, offering users a free plan and paid plans starting at only $7 per user/month (when billed annually) – making it a great choice for smaller teams. 

Advanced ticket categorization options: Zoho Desk gives users the opportunity to add custom tags to each ticket to group them into categories – making for easier organization and analysis. 

Great capability to communicate with customers across multiple channels:
Zoho Desk offers omnichannel communication so you can communicate with customers across email, social media, live chat, email, and more. 
Outdated UX: Many users have noted the “outdated” user experience within Zoho Desk’s interface, which may be troubling for users who prefer a more modern setup. Some users also remark that icon and menu placements are inconvenient and counterintuitive. 

Search functionality is limited: Some users pointed out that the search capabilities of Zoho Desk leave something to be desired, often unable to locate tickets. There is also currently no search functionality for the recycling bin, making ticket tracking in this area more difficult. 

Filtering functionality responsiveness: Ticket filters occasionally lack responsiveness, making it difficult to filter and organize tickets as desired. 

Pricing

Free PlanExpress PlanStandard PlanProfessional PlanEnterprise Plan
Free$7 per agent/month$14 per agent/month$23 per agent/month$40 per agent/month
Key Features:
•3 free agents 
•Ticket commenting
•10 tags per ticket
Key Features: 
•5 agents
•Merge tickets
•Customer happiness ratings
Key Features: 
•Unlimited agents
•5 advanced web forms
•Time entry
Key Features: 
•Approvals 
•Team ownership
•Ticket sharing
Key Features: 
•Agent Collision Chat
•Custom functions in Blueprints
•Ticket Auto-Tagging
monday logo.

Best for Project & Issue Management

monday has long been hailed as a premier work management solution, with robust functionality to support teams with varied needs – including IT teams seeking a ticketing system. With a highly customizable interface, monday.com has the functionality to support a full ticketing system with Zendesk integration, while offering users the best of both worlds with industry-leading project management capabilities, numerous integrations, and a wide variety of workflow automation options. 

An example of a customer support ticketing system built within monday.com and integrated with Zendesk.

An example of a customer support ticketing system built within monday.com and integrated with Zendesk. Source: monday.com, accessed June 2023. 

Key Features

  • Templates – Built-in board and automation templates help streamline your setup process.
  • Customization options – Highly customizable columns and color options for a more personalized experience. 
  • Numerous integration options – monday.com supports integrations with numerous apps, including Zendesk.


Read our complete monday review


Pros & Cons

ProsCons
Pre-made templates for ticketing: If you’re looking to make the most out of monday.com’s extensive functionality, pre-made templates make it easy to set up your ticketing system hub. 

File and project management options: For IT teams, it can be an added perk to enjoy file storage and project management functionality built in. 

Collaboration options for streamlined communication: An added bonus of using monday.com as a ticketing system is expansive communication and collaboration options, including team member tagging, instant messaging, and more. 
Not explicitly designed as a ticketing system: While IT teams can easily configure monday.com to function as a ticketing system, its purpose is to function as a work management system – not just a ticketing system, specifically. 

Must have a Pro account for time tracking: Time tracking can be a highly sought-after feature for IT support teams, which is unfortunately only available for Pro account users. 

Integrations occasionally require attention: Some users report negative experiences with integrations becoming disconnected, requiring occasional attention, which can be frustrating for integration-heavy teams. 

Pricing

Free PlanBasic PlanStandard PlanPro PlanEnterprise Plan
Free$9 per user/month$12 per user/month$19 per user/monthContact sales for pricing
Key Features:
•Up to 3 users
•Unlimited documents
•200+ templates
Key Features:
•Unlimited free viewers
•Unlimited items
•5GB file storage
Key Features:
•250 automation actions per month
•Timeline, Gantt, and Calendar views
•Guest access
Key Features:
•Time tracking
•Dependencies
•Private boards and docs
Key Features:
•Enterprise-scale automations and integrations
•Security and governance
•Premium support

Best Overall Customer Service Solution

Hubspot Service Hub is a customer service platform aimed at helping teams manage every aspect of the customer experience, from ticket management to managing contacts, deals, schedules, and more. With a focus on customer experience overall, Hubspot Service Hub is a versatile option as an internal ticketing system and customer relationship management hub. 

An example of a customer interaction from the Hubspot Service Hub dashboard.

An example of a customer interaction from the Hubspot Service Hub dashboard. Source: HubSpot, accessed June 2023. 

Key Features

  • Automation options – Workflow automation options to speed up ticketing and agent support times. 
  • Customer feedback and custom surveys – Customer feedback and custom surveys make it easy to gain valuable insights into how your team can improve and optimize workflows. 
  • Reporting – Gain valuable insights into how your team functions and identify areas of improvement with ease. 

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
Simple and easy-to-use interface: For new users, Hubspot is more approachable than most ticketing systems because of its streamlined and intuitive interface. 

Integration with the Hubspot CRM: For teams utilizing other Hubspot tools, such as the customer relationship management (CRM) function, integration with Hubspot Service Hub is easy. 

Analytics and metrics: Hubspot Service Hub is great at providing teams with internal data about the ticketing process and team efficiency, helping teams identify areas of improvement faster. 
Automation features are limited: Compared to many other ticketing systems, Hubspot Service Hub’s capabilities are limited. 

Limited to one owner per ticket: Only one owner can be assigned for each ticket, limiting collaboration options per ticket. 

Considerable upfront investment: Hubspot Service Hub’s pricing model is notably more expensive than other ticketing systems, which may isolate some teams from using it. 

Pricing

Service Hub Professional PlanService Hub Enterprise Plan
$450 per month for up to 5 users$1,200 per month for up to 10 users
Key Features: 
•Customer feedback surveys
•Customer Portal
•Playbooks
Key Features: 
•Single sign-on
•Field-level permissions
•Custom objects

FAQs: IT Ticketing System Features, Benefits, and Buying Tips

An IT ticketing system helps IT teams organize and prioritize support requests in one cohesive dashboard, with labels that help differentiate tickets based on urgency, status, category, and more. The ticketing system is a one-stop home for issue ticketing where agents can manage requests and communicate with customers. Ticketing systems can be a valuable tool in gathering and analyzing information about ticket trends, and customer experiences overall.. 

While your team may require specific functionality based on your unique needs, a help desk ticketing system generally should include features such as ticketing abilities, ticket tracking capabilities, ticket categorization options, ticket linking, reporting tools, and integration with the other software solutions you rely on. 

A ticketing system can be a great asset to your team by helping you organize and assign tickets while tracking their status and gathering data insights to help your team improve in the long run. 

While ultimately, only you can decide what ticketing solution is best for you, testing out multiple solutions by taking advantage of free trials and plans can make narrowing down your options easier. Additionally, consider your organizational needs and compile a list of your must-have features ahead of time to make the testing process easier. 


Read More: Top 10 Project Management Software

Featured Partners: Project Management Software

Subscribe to Project Management Insider for best practices, reviews and resources.

This field is required
This field is required

Featured Partners

Lauren Good Avatar

Get the Newsletter

Subscribe to Project Management Insider for best practices, reviews and resources.

This field is required
This field is required