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Hornbill Systems Supportworks vs Salesforce Service Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Hornbill Systems Supportworks
Ranking in Help Desk Software
36th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
IT Service Management (ITSM) (36th)
Salesforce Service Cloud
Ranking in Help Desk Software
7th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
CRM Customer Engagement Centers (1st), Knowledge Management Software (4th), IT Alerting and Incident Management (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Help Desk Software category, the mindshare of Hornbill Systems Supportworks is 1.0%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Service Cloud is 2.0%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Help Desk Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Salesforce Service Cloud2.0%
Hornbill Systems Supportworks1.0%
Other97.0%
Help Desk Software
 

Featured Reviews

it_user1262703 - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Desk Team Leader at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Excels in call logging and call flows but is limited in terms of scalability
I'd advise others to map their processes out before starting with the solution. Hornbill has recently generated a new version of its product and it meets some of the requirements that we would have been looking for. It's a bit more scalable, a bit more responsive to a customer-focused model for support, and they've improved a lot of things like process flow and self-service. In terms of rating the solution, it's difficult to grade. It really depends on the size of the organization that's trying to use it as that tool. One of the reasons why we're looking to shift is because we've grown quite a bit over the years that we've had it, which makes it difficult for it to meet our demands. However, for an organization the size of what we were when we started our journey with it, I'd rate it ten out of ten. Where we are now, with our company size and needs, I'd rate it six out of ten.
reviewer2688993 - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Solutions Architect at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
Leverage top-tier automation capabilities while streamlining complex naming conventions
Salesforce Service Cloud offers pre-built packages that are best in class. The automation capabilities have evolved over time, consolidating previous features into Salesforce flows. However, these work best when everything is within Salesforce Service Cloud and everyone has a license. Without an enterprise MuleSoft license, external interactions complicate automation significantly.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The solution's business process flow is quite strong. Its reporting is quite good. The standard, basic ITSM functionality like call logging and call flow, for example, are areas the solution really excels in."
"I don't have the specific details, but I'm aware that Salesforce is used for campaigns, decision-making processes, and order submissions. I'm currently in the learning phase and not familiar with all the details."
"Salesforce Service Cloud is a user-friendly and flexible CRM tool that provides good accessibility and security."
"The most valuable feature of Salesforce Service Cloud is its ease of use."
"The complexity of the solution is very less."
"Salesforce Service Cloud offers several notable features. It includes robust case routing, escalation capabilities, entitlement mapping, and entanglement rules. Additionally, it supports Computer Telephone Integration (CTI), which allows for automatic case generation when a call is made to a designated number."
"The three major pillars of Salesforce Service Cloud are the SSL, Chatter, and the Dispatcher Console, which routes calls to the technicians."
"Nobody can compete with Salesforce Service Cloud's scalability."
"It's a cloud tool, so it is easy to set up."
 

Cons

"It's worked well for us for a significant period of time. However, we are kind-of outgrowing it at the moment. We're struggling a bit with making it meet our requirements."
"The integrations with other solutions can be improved."
"The documentation could be improved."
"The support team is limited and does not typically go above and beyond like some companies. Unless you have premium support, assistance is restricted."
"I face challenges with Salesforce Service Cloud because it requires and is difficult to customize."
"One minor drawback is that its implementation requires some preparation. It's not something you can implement instantly; it takes time. The only issue I've encountered is that you need to ensure the implementation is done properly, which can be time-consuming. So, it requires some time and attention."
"Knowledge Management platform could use some intelligence improvements. Data mining techniques for recommending the most relevant knowledge articles would be beneficial. Currently, that selection process is more administrative. AI could be used here."
"The solution’s user interface could be improved."
"It is kind of a struggle to get a report that shows something you want it to show."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our organization pays about $40,000 annually. There are ongoing consultancy costs and if we want to change anything, we're charged a day rate. Other than that, there are no other extra costs involved in working with the solution."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for Salesforce Service Cloud, which is expensive."
"Salesforce Service Cloud is expensive. I worked with ExactTarget over five years ago, and it was quite pricey then. Not everyone could afford it. Salesforce has different tiers for different kinds of users. It's expensive considering their features and services, but they offer best-in-class solutions."
"The licensing is flexible. Companies pay for what they use. However, a company with very small needs might find it difficult to justify the cost. Overall, it's in the medium price range."
"Only enterprise businesses can afford the solution, and small companies cannot afford it."
"The price is too expensive."
"Salesforce is not a cheap product. It can be expensive."
"The product is expensive. There is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product."
"Salesforce Service Cloud is a bit expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
15%
University
9%
Performing Arts
8%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise24
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Salesforce Service Cloud?
I do not have any knowledge of the cost regarding Salesforce Service Cloud.
What needs improvement with Salesforce Service Cloud?
I face challenges with Salesforce Service Cloud because it requires and is difficult to customize. It could be better in areas such as media; it does not handle media effectively, particularly with...
What is your primary use case for Salesforce Service Cloud?
I am not a user, partner, reseller, or implementer as we implemented it ourselves. We do SLA management through Salesforce Service Cloud, which is the role of Service Analytics.
 

Also Known As

Supportworks
Service Cloud
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aylesbury Vale District Council
Stanley Black & Decker, Coca-Cola, Activision, Wells Fargo, Spotify, Aldo, Philips, The Red Cross, Blue Shield of California, Sprouts Farmers Market, Direct Energy Solar, Inspirato, Kiva
Find out what your peers are saying about Hornbill Systems Supportworks vs. Salesforce Service Cloud and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
881,665 professionals have used our research since 2012.