Top 7 Pylon Alternatives for Modern B2B Support (2026)

Pylon has quickly become a popular option among B2B support teams for managing support tickets directly inside Slack and Microsoft Teams. It’s fast and easy to set up, which makes it appealing for startups and small teams focused on efficient customer support.

But as your support process scales, you might start feeling its limits. Missing multiple channels like phone, SMS, or WhatsApp, shallow automation features, and the lack of a mobile app can make things harder to manage. Add in per-user month pricing that rises fast, and many growing support teams eventually start looking for Pylon alternatives that can scale with them.

Fortunately, there are plenty of powerful and affordable customer support software options built for modern, AI-powered automation - without sacrificing speed, flexibility, or great customer experience. Let’s look at the best ones in 2025. 👇

Overview

1. ✨ Featurebase – Best modern AI-powered B2B support platform for growing startups
2. Zendesk – Best enterprise-grade helpdesk for large-scale operations
3. Intercom – Best conversational support with AI bots and proactive messaging
4. Freshdesk – Best all-around helpdesk for multichannel support on a budget
5. Plain – Best minimalist B2B support platform for developer-led teams
6. Help Scout – Best email-first helpdesk with live chat and docs
7. Gorgias – Best for eCommerce and post-sales support with deep Shopify integration

But first, let's take a close look at Pylon itself to see why you should look for alternatives. 🤔

What is Pylon?

Pylon is a B2B customer service platform built for teams that manage support inside Slack and Microsoft Teams. It brings ticket management, automation capabilities, and a shared view of customer interactions directly into your company’s internal communication tools.

Its clean, user-friendly interface and simple workflows make it a popular pick for early-stage startups or mid-sized support teams who want speed over complexity. However, Pylon lacks some key modern helpdesk features - like advanced automation, AI features, omnichannel support, and a dedicated customer portal - which limits scalability as your team grows.

Why look for a Pylon alternative?

While Pylon does many things well, here are the main reasons support teams switch to other customer support software:

1. Limited channel support – Pylon is great for Slack-based workflows, but doesn’t support phone support, WhatsApp, or SMS.
2. No mobile app – Support agents can’t respond on the go, slowing urgent escalations and customer communication.
3. Weak automation – Basic triage and tagging only; lacks complex workflows, automated workflows, and SLA tracking.
4. Shallow integrations – CRM and third-party tools connections can be unreliable, leading to manual data syncing.
5. Very high pricing – Thanks to minimum seat requirements, expensive add-ons, etc., most teams start around $5,000–$10,000/year,

If these sound familiar, here are the best Pylon alternatives that combine its simplicity with stronger AI-powered automation, multiple channels, and better scalability. 👇

Top 7 Pylon Alternatives for B2B Support in 2025

Based on what I found from reviews, pricing, and features, here’s a list of the best 7 Pylon alternatives worth considering:

1. Featurebase ✨

Featurebase is a modern, AI-powered Pylon alternative built for fast-growing SaaS and B2B companies. It combines live chat, ticketing, help center, feedback collection, and release notes into one unified platform. It's loved by thousands of support teams from companies like Lovable, Raycast, and n8n. 💫

Top features:

• Unified inbox – Manage chat, email, and Slack conversations from one AI-powered view
• AI agent & automations – Automate tasks like trial extensions, refunds, and lead qualification
• Help center with AI search – Provide instant, multilingual self-serve answers
• Mobile app – Respond to customers, receive notifications, and unblock users on the go
• Messenger widget – Deliver AI and human support in-app or on your website
• Feedback & roadmap tools – Collect feature requests and close the loop with updates
• Changelog – Publish product updates with a changelog page, in-app widget, and emails
• Integrations – Connects with Slack, Linear, Jira, HubSpot, and more

How it’s better than Pylon: Featurebase covers all the same B2B support workflows Pylon does - but with built-in ticketing, a mobile app, powerful automations, and no channel restrictions. It’s everything Pylon tries to do, but actually scalable.

Pricing: Free plan available with unlimited conversations. Paid plans start at $29/user/month + $0.29 for every successful AI resolution. The onboarding is super fast, and doesn't require a credit card, so there's no downside to trying it. 👇

✨ Automate your B2B support with the fastest AI-enchanced inbox today →

2. Zendesk

Zendesk is one of the most established customer support software platforms in the world, offering deep automation capabilities, AI assistance, and omnichannel support across email, voice, chat, and social.

Top features:

• AI Copilot and Advanced AI agents for replies and routing
• Omnichannel support with ticketing, chat, and phone support
• Detailed analytics dashboards via Explore
• SLAs, macros, and workflow automation
• Knowledge base for self-serve support
• Large integration ecosystem and multi-brand support

How it’s better than Pylon: Zendesk provides complete control and enterprise-grade reliability. It’s ideal if you’ve outgrown Slack and Microsoft Teams ticketing and need complex workflows, reporting tools, and advanced AI.

Pricing: Zendesk's pricing starts at $55/agent/month (annual) for Suite Team, with advanced features like Copilot and AI add-ons often doubling total costs.

3. Intercom

Intercom is perfect for teams that prioritize real-time, conversational customer support. It blends proactive messaging, help center, and AI chatbots into one sleek, customer engagement platform.

Top features:

• Fin AI bot – Answers customer queries instantly using your own knowledge base articles.
• AI Copilot – Helps support agents write faster and more accurate replies.
• Proactive messaging – Send targeted in-app or email messages based on customer behavior.
• Unified inbox – Handle multi-channel support across chat, email, and social seamlessly.

How it’s better than Pylon: Intercom brings AI-driven live chat and proactive messaging — areas where Pylon doesn’t compete. It’s great for customer interactions and proactive support rather than internal-only communication.

Pricing: Intercom's pricing starts at $29/seat/month (annual), but AI ($0.99/resolution) for Fin and Copilot can raise the real cost significantly.

4. Freshdesk

Freshdesk is one of the best Pylon alternatives for support teams that want full omnichannel support with a user-friendly interface. It offers AI tools under the Freddy AI brand for automation, triage, and analytics powered by machine learning.

Top features:

• Omnichannel ticketing (email, chat, phone, and social)
• Freddy AI for ticket summaries, customer satisfaction analysis, and sentiment detection
• Workflow automations and SLA management
• Multilingual support knowledge base and self-service portals

How it’s better than Pylon: Freshdesk gives you multichannel support and built-in voice support that Pylon lacks. It’s simple enough for small teams yet powerful enough for mid-sized businesses needing scalable automation features.

Pricing: Freshdesk's pricing comes with a Free plan. Paid plans start at $15 per user month, Pro at $49, and Enterprise at $79.

5. Plain

Plain is a lightweight, developer-focused alternative to Pylon. It offers clean APIs, Slack and Microsoft Teams integration, and automation-first workflows — perfect for technical B2B teams that prefer flexibility over flashy UIs.

Top features:

• API-first ticket management with customizable workflows
• Slack notifications and commands for instant updates
• Custom actions for automating internal tools like Jira or Notion
• Fast, minimal interface designed for engineers and small teams

How it’s better than Pylon: While Pylon locks you into its own environment, Plain gives full flexibility through APIs and third-party tools. It’s ideal for technical support teams building custom automation capabilities.

Pricing: Plain's pricing starts at $39 per user/month (Launch plan) and $89 per user/month (Grow plan). The entry tier doesn't include the Help Center or advanced automations.

6. Help Scout

Help Scout focuses on simplicity and personal communication, combining shared inboxes, live chat, and docs into one tool that feels like email — but smarter.

Top features:

• Shared inbox with collision detection and internal notes for team collaboration
• Beacon widget for live chat and self-service options
• Docs knowledge base with search analytics
• CSAT and happiness reports to track agent performance

How it’s better than Pylon: Help Scout trades complexity for clarity. Unlike Pylon’s Slack-heavy model, it gives support teams an email-first workflow while still offering live chat and a customer portal for better customer satisfaction.

Pricing: Pricing is contact-based, starting at $50/month for up to 100 contacts helped, with unlimited seats and built-in AI features.

7. Gorgias

Gorgias is the best Pylon alternative for eCommerce and post-sales support. It connects directly with Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, letting support reps manage tickets, refunds, and orders without leaving the helpdesk.

Top features:

• Deep Shopify integration for refunds and order edits
• AI macros and sentiment-based routing
• Revenue attribution and customer experience tracking
• Omnichannel support via chat, email, and social messaging channels

How it’s better than Pylon: Pylon is built for internal B2B support, while Gorgias is purpose-built for eCommerce. If you’re handling customer queries and order management, Gorgias gives you much deeper automation features and reporting tools.

Pricing: Starts at $10 per user month (50 tickets), scaling to higher tiers for automation and analytics.

Final verdict

Pylon is great for startups that live inside Slack or Teams, but it falls short once your support needs expand beyond chat or if you want to automate it with AI. If you're looking for a modern, scalable, and AI-driven alternative that grows with your team, there are far better options.

Featurebase stands out as the best overall Pylon alternative for modern B2B support. It combines AI automation, omnichannel ticketing, help center, and feedback tools in one platform - all at a flat, transparent price. Unlike Pylon, Featurebase includes a mobile app, AI automations, and more.

What’s best is that it comes with a Free plan and 1-click import from other tools, so there’s no downside to trying it out. 👇

✨ Automate your B2B support with the fastest AI-enchanced inbox today →