# Best free help desk software

> We compare the permanent free plans of Jira Service Management, Help Scout, Zoho Desk and HubSpot Service Hub on user limits, features, AI and the cost of upgrading.

Published: 19 September 2026 · Updated: 19 September 2026 · Prices and figures verified: 18 September 2026 · By the help-desk.reviews team

This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on it. We have not run hands-on tests of these products. Method: [How we review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/how-we-review)

Four help desks have a permanent free plan: Help Scout (up to 5 users), Jira Service Management (3 agents), Zoho Desk (3 users) and HubSpot Service Hub (2 users). For customer support, Help Scout's free plan is the most usable; for an internal IT desk, Jira Service Management's is. None of these free plans includes an AI agent.

This list includes only products that document a free plan with no end date; time-limited offers such as Freshdesk's 6-month program for 2 agents do not qualify. The ranking uses our full [rubric](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/how-we-review), including the cost of the paid plan you would move to, because a free plan is only as good as the upgrade path behind it.

**Quick picks**

- **Customer support by email:** [Help Scout](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/help-scout) — 5 users, one inbox and a Docs site.
- **Internal IT requests:** [Jira Service Management](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/jira-service-management) — 3 agents, unlimited requesters, portal and email.
- **Cheapest paid upgrade:** [Zoho Desk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/zoho-desk) — free for 3, then Express at US$7.
- **Already on HubSpot CRM:** [HubSpot Service Hub](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/hubspot-service-hub) — free ticketing and live chat on your CRM records.

> **Scored on a public rubric, from prices and documents you can open.** Every score on this site comes from six published criteria: true cost with AI on, pricing transparency, AI as documented, access and switching, channels and languages, and data protection. The cost level is arithmetic on the vendor's list prices. Each price comes from one product database and links to its source, so every page agrees with every other page. The order of our lists is set by our editors and does not always follow the score. Rubric v1.0 · Scores rate list prices and public documentation. We have not run hands-on tests yet, and no page here claims we did. [Read the full method](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/how-we-review)

## The ranking

### 1. Jira Service Management — 8.7/10

_Internal IT, HR and operations service desks, especially at companies whose engineers already work in Jira_

- **Price from:** US$20 per agent per month
- **Pricing model:** Per seat, plus AI usage
- **Free plan:** Yes
- **EU data hosting:** Yes

Jira Service Management is Atlassian's service desk for IT, HR and operations teams, built on Jira. In the cloud it is now sold only inside Atlassian Service Collection, which bundles it with Customer Service Management, Assets and Rovo AI. Atlassian headlines US$20 (Standard) and US$51.42 (Premium) per agent per month, but those are averages for a team of 75 agents: prices are banded, so the first 15 agents cost US$25 and US$57.30 each. Customers who raise requests are free and unlimited, and list prices rise on 13 October 2026.

> Free for 3 agents with 2 GB of storage and 1,250 automation steps a month, but no Rovo credits, no virtual agent and no data residency.

**The catch:** The advertised per-agent price is an average at 75 agents, so a small team pays more: on monthly billing each of the first 15 agents costs US$25 on Standard, not US$20. You also cannot buy Jira Service Management on its own any more, and prices rise again on 13 October 2026.

> **True cost at 10 agents (Premium):** US$514 a month for seats alone, US$514 a month with AI switched on.

[Read the review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/jira-service-management) · [Pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/pricing/jira-service-management) · [Alternatives](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/alternatives/jira-service-management)

### 2. Help Scout — 8.3/10

_Small teams that work mainly in email_

- **Price from:** US$25 per agent per month
- **Pricing model:** Per seat, plus AI usage
- **Free plan:** Yes
- **EU data hosting:** No

Help Scout is a shared inbox, live chat widget and knowledge base for small and mid-size support teams. Paid plans start at US$25 per user per month on annual billing, there is a free plan for up to 5 users, and its customer-facing AI agent costs US$0.75 per resolution with no charge when the customer still needs a person.

> Free for 5 users, one inbox, one Docs site and 100 contacts a month, with no payment method required and no AI tools.

**The catch:** Data is hosted in the United States only, and the prices on the pricing page are annual-billing prices: paying monthly costs US$30 instead of US$25 on Standard.

> **True cost at 10 agents (Plus):** US$450 a month for seats alone, US$825 a month with AI switched on.

[Read the review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/help-scout) · [Pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/pricing/help-scout) · [Alternatives](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/alternatives/help-scout)

### 3. Zoho Desk — 8.1/10

_Small and mid-size teams that want a complete help desk at a low per-user price_

- **Price from:** US$7 per agent per month
- **Pricing model:** Per agent seat
- **Free plan:** Yes
- **EU data hosting:** Yes

Zoho Desk is a ticketing help desk with email, social and WhatsApp channels, a help centre and a chat widget, sold as part of the wider Zoho suite. Paid editions start at US$7 per user per month on annual billing, there is a free plan for up to 3 users, and the Zia AI assistant is included from the Professional edition at US$23. Zia AI Agents come with a free monthly token allowance, but the price of usage beyond it is not published.

> Free for 3 users with email ticketing and limited features, no Zia AI, and EU hosting available even on the free plan.

**The catch:** Below Professional there is no bundled generative AI: on Express and Standard, AI features need your own OpenAI or DeepSeek API key, billed by that provider. And once Zia AI Agents use up the free token allowance, they draw on AI credits whose price Zoho does not publish.

> **True cost at 10 agents (Professional):** US$230 a month for seats alone, US$230 a month with AI switched on.

[Read the review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/zoho-desk) · [Pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/pricing/zoho-desk)

### 4. HubSpot Service Hub — 7.5/10

_Teams already on HubSpot's CRM that want support tickets on the same customer records as sales and marketing_

- **Price from:** US$7 per agent per month
- **Pricing model:** Per seat, plus AI usage
- **Free plan:** Yes
- **EU data hosting:** Yes

HubSpot Service Hub is the customer service part of HubSpot's CRM: ticketing, shared inboxes, live chat, calling, a knowledge base and a customer portal, all on the same contact records as HubSpot's marketing and sales tools. Seats cost US$7 (Starter), US$90 (Professional) and US$150 (Enterprise) per seat per month on an annual commitment. Professional and Enterprise also require one-time onboarding at US$1,500 and US$3,500. The Breeze Customer Agent costs US$0.50 per resolved conversation, paid in HubSpot Credits.

> Free for 2 users with one inbox, basic ticketing and live chat, but no included credits and US-only hosting.

**The catch:** The advertised prices leave things out. Professional and Enterprise need one-time onboarding (US$1,500 and US$3,500), the Starter price of US$7 assumes an annual commitment against US$20 month to month, and the included credits cover only about 60 AI resolutions a month on Professional. If you hold other HubSpot hubs at a higher tier, every Core Seat is priced at that tier.

> **True cost at 10 agents (Professional):** US$900 a month for seats alone, US$1,120 a month with AI switched on.

[Read the review](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/hubspot-service-hub) · [Pricing explained](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/pricing/hubspot-service-hub)

## Comparison table

| Product | Score | Pricing model | Price from | Free plan | EU data hosting | German | Spanish | Best for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Jira Service Management](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/jira-service-management) | 8.7 | Per seat, plus AI usage | US$20 per agent per month | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Internal IT, HR and operations service desks, especially at companies whose engineers already work in Jira |
| [Help Scout](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/help-scout) | 8.3 | Per seat, plus AI usage | US$25 per agent per month | Yes | No | Not documented | Not documented | Small teams that work mainly in email |
| [Zoho Desk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/zoho-desk) | 8.1 | Per agent seat | US$7 per agent per month | Yes | Yes | Not documented | Not documented | Small and mid-size teams that want a complete help desk at a low per-user price |
| [HubSpot Service Hub](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/hubspot-service-hub) | 7.5 | Per seat, plus AI usage | US$7 per agent per month | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Teams already on HubSpot's CRM that want support tickets on the same customer records as sales and marketing |

## True cost at 3, 10 and 50 agents

| Product | 3 agents · Entry tier · seats only | 3 agents · Entry tier · with AI on | 10 agents · Mid tier · seats only | 10 agents · Mid tier · with AI on | 50 agents · Mid tier · seats only | 50 agents · Mid tier · with AI on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Jira Service Management](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/pricing/jira-service-management) | US$60 | **US$60** | US$514 | **US$514** | US$2,571 | **US$3,021** |
| [Help Scout](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/pricing/help-scout) | US$75 | **US$188** | US$450 | **US$825** | US$2,250 | **US$4,125** |
| [Zoho Desk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/pricing/zoho-desk) | US$42 | **US$42** | US$230 | **US$230** | US$1,150 | **US$1,150** |
| [HubSpot Service Hub](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/pricing/hubspot-service-hub) | US$21 | **US$21** | US$900 | **US$1,120** | US$4,500 | **US$5,720** |

_3 agents: 750 tickets a month, 150 of them resolved by AI, agent-assist add-on on for every agent. 10 agents: 2,500 tickets a month, 500 of them resolved by AI, agent-assist add-on on for every agent. 50 agents: 12,500 tickets a month, 2,500 of them resolved by AI, agent-assist add-on on for every agent. Estimates from vendors' published USD list prices with annual billing, verified on the date shown on this page. Taxes, discounts, onboarding fees and telephony usage are not included._

[Help desk true-cost calculator](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/tools/true-cost-calculator)

## How to choose

If you support customers by email and expect fewer than 100 contacts a month, pick [Help Scout](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/help-scout) Free. It covers the most users, and moving to Standard at US$25 keeps the same inbox.

If you are setting up an IT or internal service desk, pick [Jira Service Management](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/jira-service-management) Free: requesters are unlimited and only agents count towards the limit of 3.

If you need EU hosting from day one or the cheapest paid upgrade, pick [Zoho Desk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/zoho-desk) Free; the EU data centre is available on every edition, including the free one.

If your sales and marketing already run on HubSpot, pick [HubSpot Service Hub](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/hubspot-service-hub) Free, but note that free-only accounts stay in the US and that Professional adds a US$1,500 onboarding fee when you upgrade.

## Verdict

**Help Scout Free** is the best free help desk for customer support: the most users, a Docs site and a paid path with public prices. Ignore it if you need EU hosting (pick [Zoho Desk](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/zoho-desk)) or run an internal IT desk (pick [Jira Service Management](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/reviews/jira-service-management)).

## For buyers in the United Kingdom

A help desk holds your customers' personal data, so UK GDPR requires a written contract with the vendor. Hosting outside the UK, including in the EU, is a restricted transfer that needs its own safeguard. And since 19 June 2026 you must let people complain about how you use their data and acknowledge each complaint within 30 days.

Most vendors publish prices in US dollars. Zendesk, Freshdesk and Zoho Desk also publish their own sterling price lists, which our pricing pages show alongside; we never convert currencies. List prices exclude VAT. Each review states whether the product offers EU and UK data hosting.

[Help desk software and data protection law in the United Kingdom](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/guides/help-desk-software-and-data-protection-law)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there a completely free help desk?

Yes. Help Scout is free for up to 5 users and 100 contacts a month, Jira Service Management for 3 agents, Zoho Desk for 3 users and HubSpot Service Hub for 2 users. These plans have no end date, but each limits features.

### Does any free help desk include AI?

Not in a useful form. Help Scout's free plan has no AI tools, Zoho Desk's has no Zia, Jira Service Management Free has no Rovo credits or virtual agent, and HubSpot's free plan includes no credits. AI starts on paid plans; see [do you need the AI add-on?](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/guides/do-you-need-the-ai-add-on).

### Does Freshdesk have a free plan?

Not a permanent one. Freshdesk offers a free program for 2 agents for 6 months and a 14-day trial, after which you move to a paid plan. That is why it is not on this list.

### Can I keep my data if I outgrow a free help desk?

Within the same product, yes: upgrading keeps your tickets. Moving to another vendor is harder, so check the export and import options before you commit. Our [migration checklist](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/guides/help-desk-migration-checklist) covers what to test.

## Keep reading

- [Best help desk software](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/best/help-desk-software)
- [Best help desk software for small business](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/best/for-small-business)
- [Best help desk for ecommerce](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/best/for-ecommerce)
- [Best enterprise help desk software](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/best/for-enterprise)
- [Best AI help desk software](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/best/ai-help-desk-software)
- [Best help desk software with EU data residency](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/best/with-eu-data-residency)
- [Help desk vs shared inbox](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/guides/help-desk-vs-shared-inbox)
- [Do you need the AI add-on?](https://help-desk.reviews/en-gb/guides/do-you-need-the-ai-add-on)

## Sources

- [Service Collection pricing](https://www.atlassian.com/collections/service/pricing) — Atlassian · 19 September 2026
- [Cloud pricing tables (current and effective October 13, 2026)](https://www.atlassian.com/licensing/future-pricing/cloud-pricing/pricing-tables) — Atlassian · 19 September 2026
- [Service Collection licensing](https://www.atlassian.com/licensing/service-collection) — Atlassian · 19 September 2026
- [Rovo licensing](https://www.atlassian.com/licensing/rovo) — Atlassian · 19 September 2026
- [Purchasing and licensing](https://www.atlassian.com/licensing/purchase-licensing) — Atlassian · 19 September 2026
- [Data Center end of life](https://www.atlassian.com/licensing/data-center-end-of-life) — Atlassian · 19 September 2026
- [Manage your language preferences](https://support.atlassian.com/atlassian-account/docs/manage-your-language-preferences/) — Atlassian Support · 19 September 2026
- [Understand data residency](https://support.atlassian.com/security-and-access-policies/docs/understand-data-residency/) — Atlassian Support · 19 September 2026
- [SOC 2](https://www.atlassian.com/trust/compliance/resources/soc2) — Atlassian Trust Center · 19 September 2026
- [ISO/IEC 27001](https://www.atlassian.com/trust/compliance/resources/iso27001) — Atlassian Trust Center · 19 September 2026
- [HIPAA](https://www.atlassian.com/trust/compliance/resources/hipaa) — Atlassian Trust Center · 19 September 2026
- [Atlassian AI trust](https://www.atlassian.com/trust/ai) — Atlassian Trust Center · 19 September 2026
- [Service level agreement](https://www.atlassian.com/legal/sla) — Atlassian · 19 September 2026
- [Team '25 Europe: introducing Service Collection](https://www.atlassian.com/blog/announcements/team25-europe-service-collection) — Atlassian · 19 September 2026
- [The Total Economic Impact of Jira Service Management](https://www.atlassian.com/blog/jira-service-management/total-economic-impact) — Atlassian · 19 September 2026
- [The value of AI in Jira Service Management (Forrester TEI spotlight)](https://tei.forrester.com/go/Atlassian/JSMAISpotlight/) — Forrester Consulting · 19 September 2026
- [Automating customer support with the JSM virtual agent](https://www.atlassian.com/blog/atlassian-engineering/automating-customer-support-with-jsm-virtual-agent) — Atlassian · 19 September 2026
- [Atlassian Form 10-K for fiscal year 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001650372/000165037226000036/team-20260630.htm) — US Securities and Exchange Commission · 19 September 2026
- [Help Scout pricing](https://www.helpscout.com/pricing/) — Help Scout · 18 September 2026
- [User-based billing and plans guide](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/596-billing-and-plans-guide) — Help Scout Docs · 18 September 2026
- [Light users](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1464-light-users) — Help Scout Docs · 18 September 2026
- [Manage your contact-based plan](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1593-contact-based-billing-and-plans-guide) — Help Scout Docs · 18 September 2026
- [About annual payments](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1421-about-annual-payments) — Help Scout Docs · 18 September 2026
- [Import emails or tickets into Help Scout](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1495-import-emails-or-tickets-into-help-scout) — Help Scout Docs · 18 September 2026
- [Security at Help Scout](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/1263-security-at-help-scout) — Help Scout Docs · 18 September 2026
- [HIPAA at Help Scout](https://docs.helpscout.com/article/330-hipaa) — Help Scout Docs · 18 September 2026
- [AI transparency](https://www.helpscout.com/company/legal/ai-transparency/) — Help Scout · 18 September 2026
- [About Help Scout](https://www.helpscout.com/about/) — Help Scout · 18 September 2026
- [eCatholic customer story](https://helpscout.com/customers/ecatholic/) — Help Scout · 18 September 2026
- [Zoho Desk pricing](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [Zoho Desk price list data, all currencies](https://www.zohowebstatic.com/sites/zweb/json/pricing/desk-pricing-val.json) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [Zoho Desk edition comparison](https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing-comparison.html) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [Managing your agent seats](https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/desk/billing-and-subscriptions/articles/managing-your-agent-seats) — Zoho Desk Help · 18 September 2026
- [Zia, the AI assistant in Zoho Desk](https://www.zoho.com/desk/zia.html) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [Zia Agents pricing](https://www.zoho.com/agents/pricing.html) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [Zoho refund policy](https://www.zoho.com/refundpolicy.html) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [Know your data center](https://www.zoho.com/know-your-datacenter.html) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [Compliance at Zoho](https://www.zoho.com/compliance.html) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [Zoho and the GDPR](https://www.zoho.com/gdpr.html) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [HIPAA compliance guide for Zoho Desk](https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/desk/user-management-and-security/compliance/articles/hipaa-compliance-guide) — Zoho Desk Help · 18 September 2026
- [Zoho launches Zia LLM, prebuilt agents, a custom agent builder and an MCP server](https://www.zoho.com/news/zoho-launches-zia-llm-and-deepens-ai-portfolio-with-prebuilt-agents-custom-agent-builder-mcp-and-marketplace.html) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [Zoho Desk integrations](https://www.zoho.com/desk/integrations.html) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [Zoho Desk product page](https://www.zoho.com/desk/) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [About Zoho](https://www.zoho.com/aboutus.html) — Zoho · 18 September 2026
- [Service Hub pricing](https://www.hubspot.com/pricing/service) — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- [Service Hub Preise](https://www.hubspot.de/pricing/service) — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- [HubSpot Product & Services Catalog](https://legal.hubspot.com/hubspot-product-and-services-catalog) — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- [HubSpot Service Hub pricing guide](https://blog.hubspot.com/service/hubspot-service-hub-pricing) — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- [HubSpot Credits](https://www.hubspot.com/products/artificial-intelligence/credits) — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- [Understand HubSpot Credits and billing](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/account-management/understand-hubspot-credits-and-billing) — HubSpot Knowledge Base · 19 September 2026
- [AI customer service agent](https://www.hubspot.com/products/artificial-intelligence/ai-customer-service-agent) — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- [Manage seats](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/account-management/manage-seats) — HubSpot Knowledge Base · 19 September 2026
- [HubSpot language offerings](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/help-and-resources/hubspot-language-offerings) — HubSpot Knowledge Base · 19 September 2026
- [HubSpot data centers](https://www.hubspot.com/data-centers) — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- [HubSpot security](https://legal.hubspot.com/security) — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- [Security and compliance](https://www.hubspot.com/security-and-compliance) — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- [Sensitive data](https://www.hubspot.com/products/sensitive-data) — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- [HubSpot AI cloud infrastructure FAQ](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hubspot-ai-cloud-infrastructure-frequently-asked-questions) — HubSpot Knowledge Base · 19 September 2026
- [HubSpot Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1404655/000119312526046646/hubs-20251231.htm) — US Securities and Exchange Commission · 19 September 2026

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