10 Best Customer Service Software for Small Business (2025 Guide)

Not all customer service software are suitable for small businesses. Based on your needs, you may want to start with a simple, affordable software.

Look for a software with a specific feature set, or if you are in a stage of upgrading your old tools, list out what new things you want and what causing a switch in a first place.

To help you cut through those options, I did the work to curate a list of the absolute best customer service software for small businesses.

Your customers’ support needs won’t wait, so let’s get started.

Customer Service vs Customer Support

Customer service is a broader concept that encompasses customer support.

While customer service focuses on the overall experience a company delivers throughout the customer journey, customer support is specifically about resolving individual issues quickly and effectively.

Feature	Customer Service	Customer Support
Scope	Broad (before, during, after sale)	Narrow (after sale, product issues)
Approach	Proactive and relational	Reactive and technical
Focus	Customer satisfaction and loyalty	Problem-solving and functionality
Skills Needed	Empathy, communication, product knowledge	Technical expertise, troubleshooting
Examples	Billing help, product recommendations	Fixing bugs, resolving login errors

Different Types of Customer Service Software

When it comes to the customer service software, you’ll typically find different tools for different purposes. That is, you might have one tool to create your knowledge base, another for live chat support, another for your help desk, and so on.

While there are a few tools that go for an all-in-one approach (typically at a price premium), you might find it more efficient and affordable to go with a specialized tool for the specific areas of customer service that you want to focus on.

Types of customer service software:

• Knowledge base software
• Help desk software
• Live chat software
• Call center software (voice support)
• Omnichannel support platforms
• Customer feedback and survey tools
• Customer relationship management (CRM) software
• Community forums

Although all of the listed types of software help improve customer service, you don’t need them all at the start of your business.

If you’re just starting out or a small business, consider help desk and a knowledge base software. As your team grows offer live chat and support through social media.

My Process for Finding the Best Customer Service Software for Small Businesses

Bottom line first: find small-team friendly tools that are easy to use, useful, reduce ticket volume, speed replies, and protect budget.

• Most needed features: Small businesses don’t need much functionality to start with. So, I stick with the core needs. Help desk, knowledge base, live chat, phone support, and basic CRM features are good to have first.
• AI integration: AI can be a game changer for customer service if it’s implemented properly. It can draft email replies, answer customer queries with a chatbot, and make customer search for answers easier.
• Analytics and reporting functionality: Reporting provides insights into whether your team is working properly. This enables you to improve your system and team collaborations.
• Value for money: All of the customer service software listed in this guide offers great value. Some are expensive, but they do offer that level of service and feature set.
• Personal experience: I have checked these software myself. I regularly use some of them, and I have used some of them in the past (like HubSpot). Factors such as ease of use and usefulness in customer service played a huge role in choosing these software.
• Opinions on the Internet: I checked what users had to say about these software, and compared their opinions with my own.

Best Customer Service Software for Small Businesses

If you are in a hurry, here’s a quick summary of the listed software below:

Software	Best For	Key Features	Free?	Pricing (USD)
Heroic Knowledge Base	Customer Service Documentation	Knowledge base with AI, search & analytics	No	$67 per year, unlimited users/articles
Heroic Inbox	Self-Hosted Helpdesk	Email/ticket helpdesk	No	$79 per year, unlimited users/tickets
HelpCrunch	AI-Powered Multichannel Customer Service Software	Live chat, Shared inbox, Email marketing tools	No	From $15/month per agent
Tidio	AI-Powered Customer Service	Live chat with AI chatbot	Yes	From $24.17/month for 100 Billable conversations
Freshdesk	Omnichannel Customer Service	Ticketing, chat, automation	Yes	From $15/month per agent
LiveChat	Live Chat Support	Real-time chat with integrations	No	From $20/month per agent
HubSpot Service Hub	CRM and Customer Service	CRM-based support tools	Yes	From $90/month per agent
Zendesk	Comprehensive Customer Service	Multi-channel support with automation	No	From $19/month per agent
Aircall	Phone Support	Cloud phone system with CRM integrations	No	From $30/month per user
Zoho Desk	Budget-Friendly Customer Service	Helpdesk with AI and automation	Yes	From $7/month per user

Let’s look at these nine customer service software in more detail and learn why they are in this list.

1. Heroic Knowledge Base – For Customer Service Documentation

Knowledge base is one of the most important part of any customer service initiatives. Offer self-service option to customers or use it to improve internal systems and knowledge retention.

A knowledge base is highly recommended for small businesses with limited funds. It can save you hundreds of dollars each month by reducing the number of tickets and improving customer experience.

With the Heroic Knowledge Base you can create your own customer service knowledge base powered by the open-source WordPress software.

Nowadays, a lot of knowledge base software providers use the SaaS approach. That’s totally fine in a lot of cases, but it limits how much you can customize your customer service platform and it can pack a punch to your wallet in the form of hefty recurring monthly fees.

By using WordPress for your knowledge base, you’ll not only save money but you’ll also have more flexibility to create the optimal customer experience for your customers.

Heroic Knowledge Base is the perfect choice for startups and small businesses. You can add it to your existing WordPress website, or create a dedicated WordPress install just for your knowledge base.

Either way, the Heroic Knowledge Base plugin offers everything you need to make a knowledge base powered by WordPress.

Key Features

• Powered by the open-source WordPress software, which gives you a lot of flexibility for customizing the customer service experience.
• Live Ajax instant search suggestions.
• Search analytics to see what help topics your customers are searching for.
• Feedback system so that customers can thumbs up or thumbs down articles and you can improve articles where needed.
• Built-in knowledge base analytics.
• Easy article versioning via WordPress’s built-in revision system.
• Article file attachments.
• AI integration to create chatbot-based help assistance.

Pricing

Heroic Knowledge Base is a premium solution, starting at $67 per year. Compared to similar SaaS options, with Heroic Knowledge Base you can easily save 70-80% annually.

2. Heroic Inbox – Customer Support Plugin

Heroic Inbox is a help desk software designed for small teams to create a fully functional ticketing system with WordPress.

Earlier, we talked about the benefits of using the open-source WordPress software when it comes to creating a knowledge base. But one of the really cool things about WordPress is that you can also use it to offer customer service in other ways.

More specifically, with the Heroic Inbox plugin, you can turn your self-hosted WordPress install into a fully functioning helpdesk.

Because you’re using the open-source software, there’s no per-agent billing and you can have as many agents and inboxes as needed.

If you’re running an eCommerce store powered by WooCommerce, this approach can also be especially great because Heroic Inbox can automatically import each customer’s details from WooCommerce.

Key Features

• Based on the free, open-source WordPress software.
• Lets you self-host your helpdesk, which gives you full control and ownership of your data.
• Add multiple inboxes and track them all in one place.
• Add unlimited customer service agents.
• Assign inboxes to team members.
• Automatically pull in the customer conversation history.
• Canned responses and internal notes to save time.
• Read receipts to see when customers read a message.
• Integrates with popular WordPress eCommerce plugins such as WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads to quickly see customers’ order histories from the ticket interface.

Pricing

A yearly license for Heroic Inbox will cost you $79 per year that supports unlimited users and tickets.

3. HelpCrunch – AI-Powered Multichannel Customer Service Software

HelpCrunch is an AI-powered, human-led multichannel solution for customer service built for scaling. With a unified workspace, it combines live chat, a shared inbox, email marketing tools, a knowledge base, and AI Agents that handle conversations automatically.

Key Features

• AI Agents resolve up to 80% of customer questions across chat, messengers, and email.
• Multichannel support with live chat, mobile apps (iOS/Android), Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Viber.
• Automation tools: chatbot flows, auto messages, and popups for lead nurturing.
• Built-in customizable knowledge base for self-service and onboarding.
• Email marketing campaigns with segmentation, personalization, and analytics.
• Reporting dashboards to track performance, response time, conversation quality, and team workload.

Pricing

HelpCrunch offers a 14-day free trial with full access to premium features.

Paid plans start at $15 per month per team member, including live chat, shared inboxes, knowledge base, and basic automation.

AI Agents and advanced control features are available in Pro and Unlimited plans for scaling businesses that need higher levels of customer support automation.

4. Tidio – AI-Powered Customer Service Platform

Tidio is a versatile customer service platform that offers seamless omnichannel support across multiple touchpoints.

With its unified interface you can have a ticketing system, live chat, automation flows and an AI Agent Lyro to solve customer issues efficiently.

Key Features

• AI that automates up to 70% of customer requests.
• Instant AI responses available on live chat, social media, messengers, and email.
• Automate task workflows, canned responses, and triggered messages.
• Monitor performance, site activity, conversation volume, and customer satisfaction trends with built-in analytics.
• Dozens of integrations with third party platforms.

Pricing

Tidio customer service software is free to start with. This includes basic live chat, chatbot functionalities, and email support suitable for small businesses.

Premium plans starting at $24.17 per month, offering enhanced features and customization options.

5. Freshdesk – Omnichannel Customer Service Software

Freshdesk is a flexible customer support tool that helps you deliver omnichannel customer service across four key areas:

• Helpdesk for customer tickets and responsive management.
• Messaging for live chat and chatbots.
• Call center for phone support.
• Customer success to increase customer lifetime value and build stronger relationships.

Overall, it’s one of the most comprehensive customer service tools that you’ll find because it lets you engage with customers across so many areas. However, it can be pricey if you want all of the features and have a lot of customer service agents.

Key Features

Note: the exact features that you get with Freshdesk depend on if you’re using just the support desk plan or the pricier omnichannel service plan. We’re going to focus on the omnichannel plan because it’s the most unique offering, but keep in mind that the support desk plan also exists.

The omnichannel plans include every feature in the regular support desk plans plus all of the new omnichannel features

• Full-featured helpdesk.
• Offer customer service via email, social media, messaging, telephone, ticket, and so on.
• Chatbot builder and chatbot analytics to offer customer service automatically.
• Omnichannel knowledge base.
• Custom routing, including holiday routing rules.
• Canned responses including automatic canned response suggestions to save even more time.
• Co-browsing for more detailed customer service.

Pricing

Freshdesk’s prices vary depending on whether you just want the helpdesk or you want the omnichannel customer service features.

For just the helpdesk, plans start at $15 per agent per month and range up to $79 per agent per month for enterprise features.

For the omnichannel features, plans start at $29 per agent per month and go up to $109 per agent per month.

One nice option is that you can purchase “day plans” to add some extra agents during short-term, high-volume support times. These last 24 hours and range in price from $2 to $15 depending on your plan.

6. LiveChat – Customer Service Live Chat

As the name suggests, LiveChat helps you implement one specific type of customer service – live chat support.

Because it focuses on a single area, it’s able to offer advanced features and an omnichannel approach that lets you chat via both your website and other chat apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and lots more.

If you want one omnichannel live chat customer service tool, this is a great one to consider.

Key Features

• Omnichannel chat that lets you chat via your website, apps, SMS, and more.
• Automatic chat routing to send requests to the right agent.
• Easily see customer details in the live chat interface.
• See what customers are typing in real-time and create canned responses to save time.
• Create chatbots and automation rules to more efficiently offer customer service.
• View detailed reports to analyze customer satisfaction, agent effectiveness, and more.
• Chat via your web browser, desktop apps, mobile apps, and more.
• Integrates with 200+ tools, including some of the other best customer service software on this list.

Pricing

LiveChat charges based on the number of customer service agents that you have. Monthly prices start at $20 per agent and range up to $59 per agent depending on the features that you need.

7. HubSpot Service Hub – CRM and Customer Service Software

HubSpot Service Hub is a suite of customer service-focused features that are part of HubSpot’s customer relationship manager (CRM).

If you’re already using HubSpot as a CRM or if you’re also on the hunt for a CRM, the Service Hub can be a great way to do everything from one tool.

It can also be a more budget-friendly solution as HubSpot doesn’t use a per-agent billing model like a lot of the other SaaS customer service software. Instead, you’ll pay a flat rate to unlock the premium features.

Key Features

• Everything is integrated with the HubSpot CRM.
• Helpdesk and ticketing support.
• Live chat support.
• Create custom chatbots.
• Set up other types of automations, such as automatically sending an email if a ticket response takes more than a day.
• Option to create a knowledge base.
• Call customers directly using VOIP (note – HubSpot doesn’t function as a call center to receive calls – the feature is only for outbound calls).

Pricing

The core HubSpot CRM is free. However, to access the advanced Service Hub features, you’ll need a paid plan. There are two plans:

• Professional – $90 per month, per seat.
• Enterprise – $150 per month, per seat.

Considering HubSpot pricing and advanced features, it is more suited to medium- to large-sized businesses.

8. Zendesk – Omnichannel Customer Service Software

Zendesk is another popular customer service software provider that offers a full-service helpdesk solution with omnichannel support.

You can think of it as a similar tool to Freshdesk as they serve fairly similar purposes (though at different price points depending on your feature needs).

If you want to manage all of your customer service efforts from one tool, this can be another good option to consider.

Key Features

• Full-service helpdesk/ticketing system.
• Omnichannel messaging across web, mobile, and social media.
• Supports email, voice/telephony, live chat, and more.
• Customer service automation.
• AI-powered automated answers and canned responses.
• Tool to create a knowledge base or help center.
• Integrations with 1,000+ tools and services.
• Built-in analytics and reporting to understand how effective your customer service efforts are.

Pricing

Zendesk’s customer service plans start at $19 per agent per month and range up to $115 per agent per month for all of the features.

9. Aircall – Customer Service Over the Phone

If you want to offer customer service over the phone, you’ll need software that can support that.

So far, many of the other customer service software are focused on helping you deliver customer service via your website and tools such as live chat/email.

Aircall, on the other hand, is specifically focused on helping you create your own cloud customer service call center.

Your agents can be anywhere in the world and Aircall can handle managing and routing everything so that all of your customers experience top-notch customer service.

Key Features

• Easy set up – no special hardware needed.
• Unlimited inbound and outbound calls within the USA and Canada at no extra cost. International calls might require an international calling bundle.
• Voicemail support.
• Interactive voice responsive (IVR) to set up your own call routing flows such as “Press 1 for X”.
• Live call monitoring.
• Integrations with 80+ other tools and services, including some of the other customer service software on this list.

Pricing

Aircall bills you based on the number of users you have and the features that you need. Plans start at $30 per user per month and range up to $70 per user per month for all features and a dedicated account manager.

There’s a three-user minimum on the two preset plans. There are also higher-tier custom plans for businesses that need more customization.

10. Zoho Desk – Budget-Friendly Customer Service Software

Zoho Desk (full Zoho Desk review) is a budget-friendly SaaS helpdesk alternative that’s more affordable than Freshdesk or Zendesk.

In return for that affordability, you will make some sacrifices when it comes to the interface and features. But if you’re on a tight budget, you might be willing to do that because the cost savings can be quite significant.

Key Features

• Email ticketing (free) along with omnichannel support for social media, live chat, and telephony with the premium versions.
• Multi-department ticketing with routing rules, agent collision, and round-robin ticket assignments.
• Knowledge base software.
• Customer happiness ratings to see how effective your customer service is.
• Multiple business hours and holiday rules.
• Reports and dashboards to track everything that’s happening with your customer service.
• Multi-level IVR for telephony support.

Pricing

One of the biggest advantages that Zoho Desk has over Freshdesk and Zendesk is its comparatively low price, which is ideal for startups and small businesses.

First off, there’s a limited free plan with basic features that allows up to three agents. After that, paid plans start at just $7 per agent per month. Even the highest tier is just $40 per agent per month, which is significantly lower than Freshdesk and Zendesk.

You can also add on “light agents” for just $6 per month when needed.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to choosing the best customer service software for small businesses, you have tons of options.

And, you’ll likely want to choose multiple software that can work together to help you offer top-notch customer service.

One option is to build your own self-hosted customer service platform instead of using costly SaaS tools.

For example, you could use the free, open-source WordPress software along with the Heroic Knowledge Base plugin to create a knowledge base and the Heroic Inbox plugin to act as your helpdesk.

Do you still have any questions about choosing between the best customer service software? Let us know in the comments!