The most visible customer support tools, October 2026

October 2026 · 12 questions asked in English, worldwide · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 96 answers read

Leader

Zendesk

87%of answers name it

Where engines disagree most

Zoho Desk

1/4engines put it in their top three

Top three on Gemini, not on Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT

Brands

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
11 Jira Service Management AU New entry 7 , range 3–26
7
  • : score 7 · #11
6% 4% First reading
12 HelpSpot US New entry 6 , range 3–22
6
  • : score 6 · #12
8% 1% None First reading
13 Dixa DK New entry 6 , range 2–23
6
  • : score 6 · #13
4% 4% None First reading
14 Pylon US New entry 5 , range 2–19
5
  • : score 5 · #14
5% 2% First reading
15 Richpanel US New entry 5 , range 2–18
5
  • : score 5 · #15
3% 3% None First reading
16 ClearFeed US New entry 4 , range 2–13
4
  • : score 4 · #16
5% 0% First reading
17 Deskpro GB New entry 3 , range 1–10
3
  • : score 3 · #17
3% 1% None First reading
18 Desk365 US New entry 3 , range 1–9
3
  • : score 3 · #18
4% 0% First reading
19 uHelp New entry 2 , range 1–9
2
  • : score 2 · #19
3% 0% None First reading
20 Happyfox US New entry 2 , range 1–9
2
  • : score 2 · #20
3% 0% First reading

“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. By engine has one dot per engine (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode), darker the more often it names the brand.

This month's moves

First reading. No comparable previous month yet.

Most cited sources

Rank Source Type Cited in Engines Pages cited Brands its pages mention
1 intercom.com Brand site 15.6% 1 of 4 23 16
2Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
3Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
4Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
5Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
6Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
7 zapier.com Vendor site 15.6% 3 of 4 2 11
8Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
9 reddit.com Community 13.5% 3 of 4 6 27
10 google.com Vendor site 3.1% 1 of 4 10 Not read

The questions, and who wins each

QuestionLanguageWins it
customer support software with the best support English Freshdesk and Zoho Desk, tied
which customer support software do experts recommend English Freshdesk and Zendesk, tied

Each engine's top three

Method

Each month Heralded asks every engine the same buyer questions, twice each, and reads every answer. An answer counts 0 for a brand it leaves out, 50 for a brand it names and 100 for a brand it recommends, and the Heralded Score is built from those. A brand named in at least three answers gets a score and a place.

How the leaderboards are measured