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The most visible customer support tools in Germany, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked from Germany in German and English · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 60 answers read

AI: how the engines answer the board's questions; Search: Google's top 10 for the questions' demand keywords; All: both combined. How the Heralded Score works.

Leader

Zendesk

51%of answers name it

Most cited source

zendesk.de

20citations

From Google AI Mode and ChatGPT

Where engines disagree most

Freshworks

1/4engines put it in their top three

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

Brands

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
1 Zendesk US New entry 61 , range 36–74
61
  • : score 61 · #1
 51% 16% First reading
2 Freshdesk US New entry 55 , range 25–67
55
  • : score 55 · #2
 36% 17% First reading
3 Intercom US New entry 48 , range 13–57
48
  • : score 48 · #3
 22% 9% First reading
4 Help Scout US New entry 47 , range 20–60
47
  • : score 47 · #4
 24% 13% First reading
5 HubSpot Service Hub US New entry 45 , range 6–54
45
  • : score 45 · #5
 17% 7% First reading
6 Lime Connect US New entry 39 , range 0–76
39
  • : score 39 · #6
 3% 1% None First reading
7 Zoho Desk IN New entry 37 , range 9–55
37
  • : score 37 · #7
 15% 10% First reading
8 LiveAgent SK New entry 37 , range 0–76
37
  • : score 37 · #8
 3% 2% First reading
9 Freshworks US New entry 37 , range 5–53
37
  • : score 37 · #9
 12% 9% First reading
10 Salesforce Service Cloud US New entry 35 , range 6–53
35
  • : score 35 · #10
 16% 7% 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.

Biggest risers

No clear rise.

Biggest fallers

No clear fall.

New entries

140 new entries

Drop-outs

No drop-outs.

Most cited sources

Rank Source Type Cited in Engines Pages cited Brands its pages mention
11Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
12Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
13Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
14Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
15Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
16 hubspot.com Brand site 3.3% 1 of 4 3 Not read
17 reddit.com Community 5.0% 2 of 4 3 Not read
18Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
19Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
20 dupple.com Media 1.7% 1 of 4 2 Not read

The questions, and who wins each

QuestionLanguageWins it
Was ist die beste Kundenservice-Software für Supportteams? German Freshdesk, Intercom, Salesforce Service Cloud, Zendesk and Zoho Desk, tied
Welche Kundenservice-Tools eignen sich am besten für kleine Teams? German Freshdesk, Help Scout and Zoho Desk, tied
Wie kann ein Supportteam Kunden schneller antworten? German No brand recommended
Wie kann ich Kundenanfragen verwalten, ohne eine Nachricht zu übersehen? German Bitrix24, Help Scout, replya and Zendesk, tied
Sollte ein kleines Team Kundenservice per E-Mail oder Chat anbieten? German No brand recommended
Ist automatisierter oder persönlicher Kundenservice besser für Teams? German No brand recommended
Welche Alternativen gibt es dazu, Kundenanfragen per E-Mail zu verwalten? German Zammad
Welche Alternativen gibt es dazu, Kundenfragen manuell zu beantworten? German No brand recommended
Ich bin in einem dreiköpfigen Team für den Support zuständig. Wie können wir mehr Anfragen bearbeiten? German No brand recommended
Ich führe ein kleines Unternehmen und möchte Kunden per E-Mail und Chat antworten. Was sollte ich nutzen? German HubSpot Service Hub

Each engine's top three

Method

For the AI side, 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