Gladly
Gladly is a customer service platform that centers support around people rather than tickets by consolidating all conversations into a single lifelong timeline for every individual customer.
Hesk
Hesk is a lightweight help desk software that allows you to manage customer support tickets, organize inquiries, and build a self-service knowledge base to reduce your support volume.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Gladly | Hesk |
|---|---|---|
| Website | gladly.com | hesk.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $180/month | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✓ 30 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2014 | 2005 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | Ljubljana, Slovenia |
Overview
Gladly
Gladly transforms your customer support by moving away from traditional, disconnected tickets and focusing on people. Instead of managing isolated cases, you see a single, lifelong conversation timeline for every customer across every channel. Whether a customer reaches out via email, voice, text, or social media, your team has the full context of their history in one view, eliminating the need for customers to repeat themselves.
You can manage all communication channels from a single interface, allowing your agents to switch between chat and phone calls without losing track of the conversation. The platform also includes built-in self-service tools and AI capabilities to help you resolve common queries faster. It is designed specifically for B2C brands that want to build deeper relationships and drive revenue through personalized service experiences rather than just closing tickets.
Hesk
Hesk is a streamlined help desk solution designed to help you manage customer support without the complexity of enterprise tools. You can track, organize, and resolve tickets efficiently through a clean interface that prioritizes speed. By setting up a customized knowledge base, you empower your customers to find answers themselves, which significantly cuts down the number of repetitive support requests your team receives daily.
The software is particularly flexible, offering both a free self-hosted version for complete control and a managed cloud-based service for instant setup. Whether you are a small business owner or an IT manager, you can customize fields, categories, and workflows to match your specific support process. It focuses on the essential features you need to keep customers happy without overwhelming your staff with unnecessary bells and whistles.
Overview
Gladly Features
- Lifelong Conversation Timeline View every interaction a customer has ever had with your brand in one continuous thread across all support channels.
- Channel-Agnostic Interface Switch between voice, email, SMS, and chat seamlessly within the same window without ever losing the customer's history.
- People-Match Routing Route customers to the best-suited agent based on their specific needs, past history, or even their loyalty tier.
- Integrated Payments Process transactions and handle exchanges directly within the conversation timeline to turn support interactions into sales opportunities.
- Collaborative Tasks Assign tasks and mention teammates within a customer's profile to resolve complex issues faster without leaving the platform.
- Self-Service Sidekick Deploy AI-powered threads and help centers that allow your customers to find answers themselves on any device.
Hesk Features
- Ticket Management. Organize incoming requests into categories, assign urgency levels, and track every conversation from start to finish in one place.
- Integrated Knowledge Base. Create articles and FAQs so your customers can solve common problems instantly without needing to open a support ticket.
- Canned Responses. Save time by creating pre-written replies for common questions, allowing you to respond to customers with just two clicks.
- Custom Data Fields. Tailor your submission forms by adding custom fields to collect the exact information you need from your users.
- Email-to-Ticket Pipe. Convert incoming customer emails directly into support tickets automatically so you never miss a message from your inbox.
- Staff Collaboration. Assign tickets to specific team members and use internal notes to collaborate on complex issues behind the scenes.
Pricing Comparison
Gladly Pricing
- All channels included (Voice, Email, Chat)
- Self-service capabilities
- Standard reporting and analytics
- Knowledge base access
- 10-seat minimum requirement
- Everything in Hero, plus:
- Advanced reporting and insights
- Workforce management integrations
- Dedicated success manager
- Enterprise-grade security features
Hesk Pricing
- Unlimited tickets and users
- Knowledge base included
- Community support access
- Full source code access
- Requires your own web server
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Fully managed cloud hosting
- Daily automated backups
- Free technical support
- Automatic software updates
- SSL certificate included
Pros & Cons
Gladly
Pros
- Eliminates the frustration of customers repeating their story
- Unified interface significantly reduces agent training time
- Strong focus on driving revenue through support
- Excellent visibility into the entire customer journey
Cons
- Higher price point compared to basic ticketing tools
- Minimum seat requirements may exclude very small teams
- Reporting can be complex to set up initially
Hesk
Pros
- Extremely lightweight and fast performance
- Free version offers unlimited tickets and staff
- Simple setup process for non-technical users
- Knowledge base helps reduce support ticket volume
Cons
- Interface feels dated compared to modern SaaS
- Limited advanced automation and reporting features
- Self-hosted version requires manual maintenance