Top picks

Short, opinionated lists for specific situations. Each one is written and ranked by our editors.

• Best help desk for small teams

  Help desks that a team of two to twenty can set up in an afternoon, without an admin or a big contract.

  HTFZG5 picks

• Best customer service software for a one-person business

  For founders and solo owners who answer every message themselves and need the routine questions handled while they sleep.

  TCTHS5 picks

• Best customer service software for growing teams

  For support teams of ten to fifty people who have outgrown a shared inbox and need routing, reporting and AI that holds up at volume.

  TFZIH6 picks

• Best customer service platform for large support teams

  For contact centres with a hundred agents or more, several departments and formal SLA, security and procurement requirements.

  ZITKF6 picks

• Best live chat for small business

  Website chat that a small team can install in minutes and afford without a sales call.

  TCLTS6 picks

• Best free customer service software

  Free plans you can genuinely run support on, and the point where each one starts to cost money.

  THTHC6 picks

• Best AI agent for customer service

  AI agents that answer customers from your help content and order data, and hand over to a person cleanly when they can't.

  TIZGF5 picks

• Best AI chatbot for your website

  From a bot trained on your docs in ten minutes to fully custom agents a developer can build on.

  TICBL6 picks

• Best shared inbox for customer support

  For teams that answer from support@ and want assignment, notes and no duplicate replies, without a heavy ticketing system.

  HFTCH5 picks

• Best help desk for SaaS startups

  In-app chat, answers from your docs and user context in every conversation, at a price a seed-stage team can carry.

  TIHCC5 picks

• Best customer service software for B2B companies

  Tools for accounts with several contacts, contractual SLAs and support that works alongside sales and success.

  THFZH5 picks

• Best tools for WhatsApp and Instagram customer service

  Answer the messaging apps your customers already use, from one inbox, without handing out a team phone.

  TRTWZ6 picks

• Best knowledge base software

  Help centers customers actually use, and that AI agents can learn from.

  HZDTH6 picks

• Best phone support software for small business

  Cloud phone systems for teams that still take calls, and ways to move routine calls to faster channels.

  DRCNT6 picks

• Best customer feedback tools

  Measure CSAT, NPS and CES, and find out why customers feel the way they do.

  STTFS5 picks

• Best live chat for e-commerce

  Chat tools that know about orders, carts and shipping questions.

  TGLIT5 picks

• Best customer service apps for Shopify

  Apps that show the order next to the question, so tracking, returns and cancellations take seconds.

  TGRRS5 picks

• Best help desk for e-commerce

  Ticketing and inboxes built around orders, returns and peak season, from small shops to multi-brand retailers.

  TGZRF6 picks

• Best product review apps for online stores

  Collect product and company reviews, and show them where shoppers decide.

  ORYTT5 picks

• Best email capture and pop-up tools for online stores

  Turn visitors into subscribers, then into buyers.

  PJWTK5 picks

• Best loyalty program apps for Shopify

  Points, referrals and VIP tiers that bring customers back for the second order.

  SLY3 picks

• Best live chat for lead generation

  Reply to website visitors in seconds, qualify them and get them into your CRM or calendar.

  TIHLC5 picks

• Best CRM for small business

  CRMs a small team will actually keep up to date.

  HPZAC6 picks

• Best email marketing for small business

  Newsletters and automations without enterprise pricing.

  MBKKM6 picks

• Best scheduling software

  Booking pages for sales calls, consultations and appointments.

  CCSAS6 picks

• Best form builders

  Forms and surveys for leads, orders, feedback and internal requests.

  FTJTG6 picks

• Best social media scheduling tools

  Plan, publish and measure posts across your channels.

  BMLSH5 picks

• Best SEO tools for small business

  Keyword research, rank tracking and site audits at small-business prices.

  MSAMS6 picks

• Best website builder for small business

  Get a professional site live without a developer.

  WSWWF5 picks

• Privacy-friendly web analytics

  Cookieless analytics that do not need a consent banner in most EU setups.

  PFUMS5 picks

• Best project management for startups

  Fast, affordable tools that do not slow a small team down.

  LNCTA5 picks

• Best team chat apps

  Slack and the alternatives worth switching to.

  SMZMR6 picks

• Best team wiki and knowledge base for internal docs

  Where your team writes down how things work.

  NCCO4 picks

• Best workflow automation tools

  Connect your apps and stop copying data between them.

  ZMNP4 picks

• Best video conferencing for small business

  Reliable meetings with clients and colleagues.

  ZGMWW6 picks

• Best payroll and HR software for small business

  Pay people correctly and keep HR records in one place.

  GDRBP6 picks

• Best accounting software for small business

  Bookkeeping, invoicing and tax-ready reports.

  XQZFW5 picks

• Best e-signature software

  Send contracts and get them signed without printing.

  DDSAD5 picks

• Best free CRM

  CRMs with a free plan you can actually run a sales pipeline on.

  HZAFT5 picks

• Open-source alternatives to popular SaaS

  Tools you can self-host, inspect and keep running even if the vendor disappears.

  CPMPP8 picks