A small business does not need an enterprise ticketing system. It needs every customer message in one place, answered quickly, without paying for seats nobody uses. Here is how six help desks compare for small teams, written by the team behind Paperflower.
Updated 29 September 2026
Instagram and Facebook comments and DMs plus support email in one list, sorted by what needs you, with a reply ready for each. Free to start, then one flat plan with no seat fees. Best for: Small online stores in Australia and New Zealand.
An email-style shared inbox with a knowledge base and chat widget, and unlimited users. Best for: Small teams that answer mostly email and want a friendly shared inbox and help centre.
Classic ticketing with SLAs and automations, priced per agent. Best for: Growing support teams that want classic ticketing, SLAs and automations at a lower price than enterprise tools.
An ecommerce helpdesk with deep Shopify order actions, priced by tickets. Best for: Stores with a support team that lives in tickets and wants deep Shopify actions inside each ticket.
The enterprise standard, priced per agent with AI and add-ons on top. Best for: Bigger teams that need enterprise features, strict permissions and a help centre, and have someone to run it.
A simple shared inbox with FAQ and chat at a low per-seat price. Best for: Small support teams that want a simple shared inbox with an FAQ and live chat included.
| Tool | Best for |
|---|---|
| Paperflower | Small online stores in Australia and New Zealand. |
| Help Scout | Small teams that answer mostly email and want a friendly shared inbox and help centre. |
| Freshdesk | Growing support teams that want classic ticketing, SLAs and automations at a lower price than enterprise tools. |
| Gorgias | Stores with a support team that lives in tickets and wants deep Shopify actions inside each ticket. |
| Zendesk | Bigger teams that need enterprise features, strict permissions and a help centre, and have someone to run it. |
| Re:amaze | Small support teams that want a simple shared inbox with an FAQ and live chat included. |
Most tools treat comments as noise. Paperflower reads every one, spots buying questions like “do you ship to NZ?” and makes sure they get answered before the customer moves on.
Every conversation gets a score so the people ready to buy come first. You see who to reply to now, and who can wait.
Order status, shipping and product details are pulled in automatically, so drafts are right the first time and private order details never go out in public.
AI drafts are on and auto-send is off by default. Complaints are escalated to you. Refunds and cancellations always need a human.
Paperflower starts free with 100 customer interactions a month, no card needed: every message in one list, and you write the replies. AI sorting, reply drafts and spam hiding come with Standard, which is A$47 a month for 3,000 customer interactions, with a 7-day free trial. Human replies are always free. See all plans.
Local time zones, local shipping questions, and support from people who know the market.
Once customers reach you in more than one place, yes. Without one, questions get missed across Instagram, Facebook and email. A help desk puts them in one list so nothing slips.
Several tools have free plans with limits. Paperflower's Free plan includes 100 customer interactions a month with no card, and Standard is A$47 a month with no seat fees.
Not unless you turn that on. By default it drafts a reply and you approve it. You can switch on auto-send for simple, safe questions once you trust the drafts.
Instagram, Facebook and TikTok comments and DMs, support email through Gmail or Google Workspace, and Shopify for order details.
Yes. The Free plan is the basics: 100 customer interactions a month in one list, no card needed, and you write each reply. Standard adds AI sorting, reply drafts and spam hiding, and comes with a 7-day free trial. You can cancel any time. Compare plans.
Connect Instagram, Facebook, email and Shopify in a few minutes. On Standard, AI sorts every message and drafts every reply, you stay in control, and nothing is sent without your say-so unless you switch that on. Free puts every message in one list for you to answer.