Customer success software tracks how healthy each customer account is, flags the ones at risk of leaving, and gives your team playbooks for onboarding, adoption and renewals. For dedicated customer success teams, Gainsight, ChurnZero, Planhat, Vitally and ClientSuccess are the names most often compared. If you mainly run support, HubSpot Service Hub, Zendesk or Intercom may fit better.
The category has shifted. Totango and Catalyst have merged and Totango now presents itself as Odie, and most vendors now lead with AI agents. This guide describes each tool as its own site presents it today and helps you pick by team size, data and workflow.
What customer success software does
Customer success is the job of helping existing customers get value from your product so they stay and grow. The software supports that job in a few ways.
- Health scores. A single view of how each account is doing, built from signals such as product usage, support tickets, survey answers and billing data.
- Playbooks and tasks. Repeatable steps for onboarding, check-ins, risk reviews and renewals, assigned to the right person.
- Customer data in one place. Contacts, contract dates, usage and notes pulled from your CRM, billing and product.
- Renewal and expansion tracking. A forecast of which accounts renew and which could buy more.
- Customer communication. Surveys, in-app messages and email touchpoints.
It’s built mostly for B2B and subscription businesses with account managers. If you sell low-priced products to many individual consumers, a support desk or an email tool will serve you better.
How to choose
- Team size and process. A team of three needs a tool they’ll actually keep updated. A large team needs roles, permissions and reporting.
- Your data sources. Check integrations with your CRM, billing system, product analytics and support desk. A health score is only as good as the data behind it.
- Setup effort. Some platforms need an admin or consultant. Others are meant to run with little help. Ask how long a typical setup takes.
- Reporting. Make sure you can report on renewals, churn reasons and adoption the way your leadership asks for them.
- AI features. Most vendors now sell AI assistants or agents. Ask what data the AI reads, what it can change, and how you review its work.
- Cost model. Pricing varies by seats, customers, revenue or modules. Request a quote, since list prices are rarely the final number.
Customer success platforms
1. Gainsight
Gainsight is one of the best-known names in the category. Its site describes a customer success and retention platform that gives your people and AI the context to act at the right moment. It also owns Staircase AI, which it presents as customer intelligence. It tends to suit larger teams that want depth and are ready to invest in setup. See gainsight.com.
2. ChurnZero
ChurnZero is a customer success platform aimed at subscription businesses. Its site describes software for digital-first customer success that helps businesses improve the customer experience and drive revenue. It’s a common shortlist pick for SaaS teams that want health scoring and engagement in one place. Visit churnzero.com.
3. Totango, now Odie
Totango’s site now states that Totango is now Odie, which it describes as a customer knowledge engine for post-sales teams and their agents. If you’ve read older reviews of Totango, treat them as describing a previous product. The company’s navigation still lists the Totango customer success platform, the Catalyst customer growth platform and Odie. Check totango.com for what’s currently sold.
4. Catalyst
Catalyst’s own site says it merged with Totango and is now a Totango product. Existing users can still sign in and reach support there. If you’re evaluating from scratch, look at the combined offering rather than treating Catalyst as a separate vendor. See catalyst.io.
5. Planhat
Planhat describes itself as a new generation of CRM, with a customer agent that works across commercial teams. Its site lists customer success, renewals, professional services and sales as use cases. It suits teams that want account data shared beyond the customer success group. Visit planhat.com.
6. Vitally
Vitally presents AI-powered customer success, with health scores, reporting, surveys, project management and automation listed on its site. It’s often considered by growing B2B teams that want a modern interface. See vitally.io.
7. ClientSuccess
ClientSuccess describes customer success software with health scores, playbooks and renewal forecasting. It positions itself around a quick setup. It’s worth a look for smaller teams that want a focused tool. Visit clientsuccess.com.
8. Custify
Custify’s site describes an AI-first customer success platform that helps teams reduce churn, refine onboarding and grow accounts. It’s built with SaaS companies in mind. See custify.com.
9. Velaris
Velaris calls itself an AI customer success platform. It’s a newer name than the established players, so run a proper trial and ask for references that match your setup. Visit velaris.io.
Adjacent tools that support customer success
10. HubSpot Service Hub
HubSpot describes Service Hub as an AI-powered customer service platform for scaling support and retention. If you already run HubSpot’s CRM, it keeps tickets, knowledge base and customer data in the same system. It’s a support-first tool rather than a dedicated customer success platform. See HubSpot Service Hub.
11. Pendo
Pendo focuses on product usage. Its site describes feeding product context to the apps and AI agents you build or buy, to understand users and drive adoption. Use it beside a customer success platform when product usage is the main health signal. Visit pendo.io.
12. Zendesk and Intercom
Both are customer service platforms. Zendesk describes AI agents that resolve issues from start to finish, and Intercom describes a helpdesk with a built-in AI agent called Fin. They cover the support side of the customer relationship. Pair them with a customer success platform if you need account-level health tracking. See zendesk.com and intercom.com.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Presents itself as | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Gainsight | Customer success and retention platform | Larger teams wanting depth |
| ChurnZero | Customer success for subscription businesses | SaaS teams |
| Totango (now Odie) | Customer knowledge engine | Post-sales teams and agents |
| Catalyst | Now a Totango product | Existing Catalyst users |
| Planhat | New generation of CRM | Shared account data across teams |
| Vitally | AI-powered customer success | Growing B2B teams |
| ClientSuccess | Customer success software | Smaller teams, quick start |
| Custify | AI-first customer success | SaaS companies |
| Velaris | AI customer success platform | Teams open to newer vendors |
| HubSpot Service Hub | Customer service platform | HubSpot CRM users |
| Pendo | Product context platform | Usage-driven health signals |
| Zendesk / Intercom | Customer service platforms | Support-led teams |
Pricing is not listed here because vendors quote by seats, customers or modules. Ask each for a current quote.
Questions to ask every vendor
- Which integrations are built in, and which need custom work or a partner?
- How long does a typical setup take for a team our size, and who does the work?
- Can we change health score rules ourselves, or does that need the vendor?
- What happens to our data and our playbooks if we leave?
- Which AI features are included, which cost extra, and what customer data do they read?
- Can we speak to a customer with a similar team size and product?
Choosing by situation
A small team that needs a first tool
Pick a tool you can set up in days, not months. Start with a handful of health signals, such as last login, open tickets and renewal date. A simple score you trust beats a clever one nobody understands. A shared spreadsheet is also a fair start before you buy.
A SaaS company with product usage data
Prioritise integrations with your product analytics and billing. Usage is usually the earliest sign that an account is slipping, so you want it feeding the score automatically.
A larger company with several teams
Look at how roles, permissions and reporting work, and who owns the data model. Platforms that share account data across customer success, sales and renewals reduce handoff problems. Ask for a demo with your own scenarios, not the vendor’s.
A support-led business
If most customer contact is tickets and chat, start with your support desk and add a customer success platform only when you need account health and renewals tracking. Our guide to AI customer service tools covers that side.
How to roll it out without wasting the licence
- Define what a healthy customer looks like. Pick three to five signals you can measure today.
- Segment your accounts. A top account and a small account need different touch levels. See our guide to customer segmentation software.
- Connect the data first. CRM, billing and product usage before you build playbooks.
- Write two or three playbooks. Onboarding, at-risk and renewal cover most needs.
- Review weekly. Look at accounts that turned red, decide what to do, and record the outcome.
- Tune the score. After a few renewal cycles, compare the score to who actually left and adjust.
Common mistakes
- Buying before defining the process. The software supports a process. It doesn’t replace one.
- Too many health signals. A score built from twenty inputs is hard to explain and hard to act on.
- Bad source data. If your CRM is out of date, the platform will be confidently wrong.
- Ignoring the people side. Tools surface risk. A person still has to call the customer.
- Trusting old reviews. Several vendors have merged, renamed or changed focus. Check current product pages.
For related reading, see customer retention software, custom CRM software, client portal software and customer tracking software.
Frequently asked questions
What is customer success software?
It’s software that helps teams keep and grow existing customers. It combines health scores, playbooks, customer data and renewal tracking so you can act on risk before a customer leaves.
What is the difference between customer success software and a CRM?
A CRM tracks the sales process and contacts. Customer success software tracks account health and the work of keeping customers after the sale. Some platforms, such as Planhat, blur the line.
Did Totango and Catalyst merge?
Yes. Catalyst’s own site says it merged with Totango and is now a Totango product. Totango’s site also says Totango is now Odie.
Which customer success tool is best for a small team?
Look at tools that stress fast setup, such as ClientSuccess, and compare with Vitally, Custify and ChurnZero. Trial two with your own data before choosing.
Do I need a customer success platform or just a support desk?
If your problem is answering tickets, a support desk is enough. If your problem is renewals, adoption and account risk, a customer success platform fits better.
How much does customer success software cost?
It depends on the vendor and usually on seats, customers or modules. Most vendors quote on request, so ask for a current quote that matches your team size.
Can AI replace a customer success manager?
It can summarise accounts, draft messages and flag risks. Relationships, judgement and hard conversations still need a person.
Next step
Shortlist two platforms, ask each for a trial or demo on your own account data, and judge them by one real renewal scenario. The tool that makes the next action obvious is the one your team will keep using.