Support Software Holds Steady, but Assistant Splits Still Matter
This week's Support report finds comparatively stable Best leadership across ten markets, with sharper differences inside the assistant columns and constraint-specific rankings.
This week's edition covers all ten Support categories and keeps Best, Most Affordable, Easiest to Set Up, and Rising as separate category-relative rankings. Support is comparatively settled at the top, but the calm surface hides meaningful assistant splits. This report starts with agreement, then looks for the categories where one assistant is carrying a leader that the others rank differently or omit.
Sources count distinct cited pages. Mentions count verified product-page occurrences. This week's Support snapshot contains 157 ranked products, 1,126 Sources and 5,028 Mentions across the completed edition.
Zendesk leads at Best AIQ 98. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #1, Perplexity #2. It records 48 Sources and 75 Mentions in this scope. Freshdesk is second at Best AIQ 49. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #2, Claude #2, Perplexity #3. It records 43 Sources and 67 Mentions in this scope. Intercom is third at Best AIQ 27. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3, Gemini #10, Claude #3, Perplexity #5. It records 33 Sources and 47 Mentions in this scope.
Evidence volume and rank do not collapse into the same measure. Zendesk has the largest Top 3 Sources footprint, while Zendesk leads the Best ranking with 48 Sources and 75 Mentions. The ranking uses recommendation position, not evidence volume.
Most Affordable is led by HESK at category-relative AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity in this scope. It records 2 Sources and 4 Mentions in this scope.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Help Scout at category-relative AIQ 74. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #7, Claude #1, Perplexity #8. It records 29 Sources and 40 Mentions in this scope.
Rising is led by Plain at category-relative AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity in this scope. It records 10 Sources and 10 Mentions in this scope.
The category changes character when the question changes. HESK owns the value answer, Help Scout the setup answer, and Plain the Rising answer. Best remains a separate recommendation set.
Intercom leads at Best AIQ 72. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #1, Perplexity #3. It has no category rank from Gemini in this scope. It records 35 Sources and 52 Mentions in this scope. Zendesk is second at Best AIQ 35. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Claude #2. It has no category rank from Gemini, Perplexity in this scope. It records 34 Sources and 53 Mentions in this scope. LiveChat is third at Best AIQ 28. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3, Claude #3, Perplexity #1. It has no category rank from Gemini in this scope. It records 23 Sources and 39 Mentions in this scope.
Read this as a layered shortlist. First and third are 44 AIQ points apart. Intercom holds #1. The full table matters because each assistant contributes a distinct ordering.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Tidio at category-relative AIQ 59. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #9, Perplexity #2. It has no category rank from Gemini in this scope. It records 23 Sources and 37 Mentions in this scope.
Rising is led by Plain at category-relative AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity in this scope. It records 4 Sources and 4 Mentions in this scope.
Most Affordable is led by tawk.to at category-relative AIQ 100. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #1, Perplexity #1. It records 19 Sources and 24 Mentions in this scope.
The constraint-specific map breaks away from Best. Most Affordable points to tawk.to, Easiest to Set Up to Tidio, and Rising to Plain. Each prompt produces its own leader.
Genesys Cloud CX leads at Best AIQ 84. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #4. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 21 Sources and 25 Mentions in this scope. NICE CXone is second at Best AIQ 37. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #4, Claude #5. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 19 Sources and 24 Mentions in this scope. Five9 is third at Best AIQ 29. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3, Gemini #3, Claude #6. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 32 Sources and 48 Mentions in this scope.
Genesys Cloud CX holds #1, which gives the category continuity at the top. Behind it, NICE CXone and Five9 show that the next decision is less settled than the headline rank alone suggests.
Rising is led by Zoom Contact Center at category-relative AIQ 63. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #5, Claude #5. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 6 Sources and 9 Mentions in this scope.
Most Affordable is led by KrispCall at category-relative AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity in this scope. It records 1 Source and 2 Mentions in this scope.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Aircall at category-relative AIQ 88. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #6, Perplexity #1. It records 14 Sources and 21 Mentions in this scope.
Budget favors KrispCall, while implementation favors Aircall. Rising then turns to Zoom Contact Center. None of those answers should be blended into the Best result.
Gainsight leads at Best AIQ 100. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #1, Perplexity #1. It records 32 Sources and 59 Mentions in this scope. ChurnZero is second at Best AIQ 45. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #2, Claude #3. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 34 Sources and 60 Mentions in this scope. Totango is third at Best AIQ 30. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #4, Gemini #3, Claude #2. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 29 Sources and 50 Mentions in this scope.
Gainsight holds #1. The 70-point gap to third makes this a clearly separated podium. All four assistants put the leader first.
Most Affordable is led by Akita at category-relative AIQ 70. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Perplexity in this scope. It records 5 Sources and 8 Mentions in this scope.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Akita at category-relative AIQ 60. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #3. It has no category rank from Gemini, Perplexity in this scope. It records 5 Sources and 8 Mentions in this scope.
Rising is led by Velaris at category-relative AIQ 75. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #5, Claude #1. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 7 Sources and 15 Mentions in this scope.
Best is only the opening answer in this category. Buyers asking about price get Akita; those asking about setup get Akita; the emerging-product prompt returns Velaris. The separation is the point of the four-ranking format.
Document360 leads at Best AIQ 73. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #2, Claude #3. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 19 Sources and 26 Mentions in this scope. Zendesk is second at Best AIQ 48. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Claude #1, Perplexity #1. It has no category rank from Gemini in this scope. It records 28 Sources and 45 Mentions in this scope. Confluence is third at Best AIQ 42. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #6, Gemini #1, Claude #2. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 27 Sources and 39 Mentions in this scope.
The assistant columns are the useful detail here. Document360 reaches first with coverage from 3 of 4 assistants. Zendesk and Confluence complete a podium separated by 31 AIQ points from first to third.
Easiest to Set Up is led by HelpSite at category-relative AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity in this scope. It records 2 Sources and 2 Mentions in this scope.
Rising is led by Pylon at category-relative AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity in this scope. It records 3 Sources and 3 Mentions in this scope.
Most Affordable is led by ProProfs Knowledge Base at category-relative AIQ 60. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #6, Perplexity #2. It has no category rank from Gemini in this scope. It records 5 Sources and 7 Mentions in this scope.
Three prompts, 3 leaders: ProProfs Knowledge Base for Most Affordable, HelpSite for Easiest to Set Up, and Pylon for Rising. That is a buying map, not a combined scorecard.
Qualtrics leads at Best AIQ 88. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #2, Claude #1, Perplexity #1. It records 29 Sources and 43 Mentions in this scope. SurveyMonkey is second at Best AIQ 63. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #1, Claude #2, Perplexity #2. It records 32 Sources and 50 Mentions in this scope. Typeform is third at Best AIQ 32. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3, Gemini #3, Claude #3. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 36 Sources and 53 Mentions in this scope.
Evidence volume and rank do not collapse into the same measure. Typeform has the largest Top 3 Sources footprint, while Qualtrics leads the Best ranking with 29 Sources and 43 Mentions. The ranking uses recommendation position, not evidence volume.
Rising is led by Tally at category-relative AIQ 71. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #1, Perplexity #6. It has no category rank from Gemini in this scope. It records 7 Sources and 13 Mentions in this scope.
Most Affordable is led by Microsoft Forms at category-relative AIQ 95. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #1. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 16 Sources and 19 Mentions in this scope.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Tally at category-relative AIQ 63. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #2. It has no category rank from Gemini, Perplexity in this scope. It records 7 Sources and 13 Mentions in this scope.
The category changes character when the question changes. Microsoft Forms owns the value answer, Tally the setup answer, and Tally the Rising answer. Best remains a separate recommendation set.
Intercom Fin leads at Best AIQ 70. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Perplexity in this scope. It records 21 Sources and 23 Mentions in this scope. Zendesk AI Agents is second at Best AIQ 35. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Claude #2. It has no category rank from Gemini, Perplexity in this scope. It records 6 Sources and 8 Mentions in this scope. Zendesk is third at Best AIQ 30. Its assistant positions are Gemini #1, Perplexity #1. It has no category rank from ChatGPT, Claude in this scope. It records 62 Sources and 81 Mentions in this scope.
Read this as a layered shortlist. First and third are 40 AIQ points apart. Intercom Fin enters the published ranking at #1. The full table matters because each assistant contributes a distinct ordering.
Most Affordable is led by Tidio Lyro at category-relative AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity in this scope. It records 6 Sources and 10 Mentions in this scope.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Tidio Lyro at category-relative AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity in this scope. It records 6 Sources and 10 Mentions in this scope.
Rising is led by Decagon at category-relative AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity in this scope. It records 8 Sources and 8 Mentions in this scope.
The constraint-specific map breaks away from Best. Most Affordable points to Tidio Lyro, Easiest to Set Up to Tidio Lyro, and Rising to Decagon. Value and implementation converge on one product, but momentum does not.
Circle leads at Best AIQ 75. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Claude #1, Perplexity #1. It has no category rank from Gemini in this scope. It records 37 Sources and 50 Mentions in this scope. Mighty Networks is second at Best AIQ 59. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #1, Claude #3, Perplexity #4. It records 37 Sources and 44 Mentions in this scope. Bettermode is third at Best AIQ 30. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #4, Gemini #2, Claude #5, Perplexity #5. It records 23 Sources and 32 Mentions in this scope.
Circle holds #1, which gives the category continuity at the top. Behind it, Mighty Networks and Bettermode show that the next decision is less settled than the headline rank alone suggests.
Easiest to Set Up is led by Discourse at category-relative AIQ 56. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Perplexity #8. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude in this scope. It records 21 Sources and 27 Mentions in this scope.
Rising is led by Heartbeat at category-relative AIQ 69. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #5, Claude #2, Perplexity #5. It records 11 Sources and 12 Mentions in this scope.
Most Affordable is led by Discourse at category-relative AIQ 61. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #5, Perplexity #4. It has no category rank from Claude in this scope. It records 21 Sources and 27 Mentions in this scope.
Two practical questions converge on Discourse: Most Affordable and Easiest to Set Up. Rising then turns to Heartbeat. None of those answers should be blended into the Best result.
ServiceTitan leads at Best AIQ 100. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #1, Perplexity #1. It records 23 Sources and 30 Mentions in this scope. Salesforce Field Service is second at Best AIQ 42. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #2, Perplexity #3. It has no category rank from Claude in this scope. It records 15 Sources and 19 Mentions in this scope. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service is third at Best AIQ 28. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #3, Claude #2, Perplexity #2. It has no category rank from Gemini in this scope. It records 8 Sources and 10 Mentions in this scope.
ServiceTitan holds #1. The 72-point gap to third makes this a clearly separated podium. All four assistants put the leader first.
Rising is led by Zuper at category-relative AIQ 81. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #3, Claude #1, Perplexity #2. It records 9 Sources and 11 Mentions in this scope.
Most Affordable is led by ServiceM8 at category-relative AIQ 57. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Perplexity #3. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude in this scope. It records 5 Sources and 6 Mentions in this scope.
Easiest to Set Up is led by ServiceM8 at category-relative AIQ 66. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #7, Claude #2. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 5 Sources and 6 Mentions in this scope.
Best is only the opening answer in this category. Buyers asking about price get ServiceM8; those asking about setup get ServiceM8; the emerging-product prompt returns Zuper. The separation is the point of the four-ranking format.
Skilljar leads at Best AIQ 83. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #3, Claude #1, Perplexity #1. It records 23 Sources and 28 Mentions in this scope. Thought Industries is second at Best AIQ 43. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #2, Gemini #4, Claude #2, Perplexity #3. It records 15 Sources and 19 Mentions in this scope. WorkRamp is third at Best AIQ 34. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #7, Gemini #1, Perplexity #4. It has no category rank from Claude in this scope. It records 15 Sources and 18 Mentions in this scope.
The assistant columns are the useful detail here. Skilljar reaches first with coverage from 4 of 4 assistants. Thought Industries and WorkRamp complete a podium separated by 49 AIQ points from first to third.
Most Affordable is led by TalentLMS at category-relative AIQ 96. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #1, Perplexity #5. It records 21 Sources and 26 Mentions in this scope.
Easiest to Set Up is led by TalentLMS at category-relative AIQ 83. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #3, Claude #1, Perplexity #1. It records 21 Sources and 26 Mentions in this scope.
Rising is led by Trainn at category-relative AIQ 62. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #8, Claude #4. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 7 Sources and 12 Mentions in this scope.
Three prompts, 2 leaders: TalentLMS for Most Affordable, TalentLMS for Easiest to Set Up, and Trainn for Rising. That is a buying map, not a combined scorecard.
The Support readout
Support's headline is stability with exceptions. The Best podiums are often durable, while value, setup, and Rising keep opening different routes through the same market. The three largest category Mention footprints are Chatbots at 749, Help Desk at 693, Contact Center at 575.
Freshdesk
Plain at category-relative AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity in this scope. It records 10 Sources and 10 Mentions in this scope.
tawk.to at category-relative AIQ 100. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #1, Claude #1, Perplexity #1. It records 19 Sources and 24 Mentions in this scope.
ChurnZero
Totango
Velaris at category-relative AIQ 75. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #5, Claude #1. It has no category rank from Perplexity in this scope. It records 7 Sources and 15 Mentions in this scope.
Pylon at category-relative AIQ 55. Its assistant position is ChatGPT #1. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude, Perplexity in this scope. It records 3 Sources and 3 Mentions in this scope.
Mighty Networks
Bettermode
Heartbeat at category-relative AIQ 69. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Gemini #5, Claude #2, Perplexity #5. It records 11 Sources and 12 Mentions in this scope.
ServiceM8 at category-relative AIQ 57. Its assistant positions are ChatGPT #1, Perplexity #3. It has no category rank from Gemini, Claude in this scope. It records 5 Sources and 6 Mentions in this scope.
Skilljar
Thought Industries
WorkRamp
