Brandwave

Freshdesk vs Help Scout:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Freshdesk had more branded searches than Help Scout among customer knowledge base platforms worldwide. Freshdesk had about 91,800 branded searches, while Help Scout had 19,100. Freshdesk made up 20% of all customer knowledge base platform searches we track, and Help Scout accounted for 4.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about customer knowledge base platforms, Freshdesk and Help Scout each appeared in three of the five answers. Help Scout was mentioned before Freshdesk in every answer that named either.

Among customer knowledge base platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Freshdesk, about 5 searches for every 1 for Help Scout

Freshdesk 91.8K searchesHelp Scout 19.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 3 of 5 answers.

Freshdesk in 3 of 5Help Scout in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Help Scout, named ahead of Freshdesk in 3 of 3 answers

Help Scout first in 3Freshdesk never first

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Top customer knowledge base platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Freshdesk and Help Scout were each mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Help Scout was listed before Freshdesk in every answer that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Zendesk1st
  2. Document3602nd
  3. Help Scout3rd
  4. Intercom4th
  5. Helpjuice5th
  6. Freshdesk6th
  7. KnowledgeOwl7th
  8. ProProfs Knowledge Base7th
  9. GitBook–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Zendesk5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Document3604 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Freshdesk3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Help Scout3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Helpjuice3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Intercom3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • KnowledgeOwl1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • ProProfs Knowledge Base1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • GitBook0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about customer knowledge base platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Is Freshdesk or Help Scout more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Freshdesk and Help Scout by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine customer knowledge base platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Freshdesk and Help Scout among customer knowledge base platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Freshdesk, Help Scout. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthZendeskFreshdeskGitBookHelp ScoutDocument360HelpjuiceIntercomKnowledgeOwlProProfs Knowledge Base
Oct 202560.9%18.4%10.9%6.8%1.4%1.1%0.12%0.26%0.08%
Nov 202561%18.6%11.2%5.7%1.7%1.3%0.26%0.26%0.08%
Dec 202562%18.9%11.1%4.7%1.4%1.4%0.21%0.21%0.06%
Jan 202665.2%16.3%11.7%4.1%1.2%1.2%0.13%0.23%0.05%
Feb 202667.2%16.8%8.4%4.2%1.5%1.3%0.2%0.29%0.05%
Mar 202670.2%16%7.4%3.6%1.3%1.1%0.19%0.25%0.04%
Apr 202664.3%16.2%9.9%6%1.8%1.2%0.34%0.34%0.06%
May 202671.5%14.7%7.5%3.7%1.1%0.87%0.24%0.24%0.06%
Jun 202666.1%16.6%9.9%5.1%0.99%0.81%0.28%0.22%0.03%
Jul 202665.7%16.5%10.1%5.1%1.2%0.82%0.27%0.27%0.05%
Aug 202665%16.4%10%6.1%1.2%0.77%0.34%0.26%0.04%
Sep 202665.6%20%8.1%4.2%0.97%0.63%0.35%0.22%0.03%

How has the Freshdesk and Help Scout comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for customer knowledge base platforms worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Freshdesk gained share of searches among customer knowledge base platforms worldwide, from 16.4% to 20%.

  2. In September 2026, Help Scout lost share of searches among customer knowledge base platforms worldwide, from 6.1% to 4.2%.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Freshdesk’s and Help Scout’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Freshdesk

2 branded search terms

  • freshdesk
  • freshdesk ticketing system

Help Scout

2 branded search terms

  • help scout beacon
  • helpscout

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among customer knowledge base platforms

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