15 Best Zendesk Alternatives 2024 (Free & Paid Zendesk Replacement)

Zendesk: What is it?

Zendesk is a company that offers special services to both sales and customer support teams by creating a platform that makes it easy for agents to manage urgent client issues in order to improve client relationships and build loyalty.

If you know about Zendesk software, you probably also heard about such powerful solutions as:

• monday sales CRM
• Pipedrive
• Act!
• ClickUp

Zendesk Support Suite answers customer requests through customer service channels. Similar to other help desk software, Zendesk has a few prime features that can help you better serve your customers. These include features that make it simple to create customer databases, suggest ticket fields, quickly combine all incoming emails into one dashboard, and integrate a sizable self-service knowledge base.

Zendesk integrates with Google Drive, Dropbox, TypeGenie, Ticket Analytics, Jira, Shopify, Asana, Trustpilot, SurveyMonkey, Slack, GitHub, and many other useful business applications that you use regularly.

Zendesk Pricing

• Suite Team: costs $49 per user per month, billed annually.
• Suite Growth: costs $79 per user per month, billed annually.
• Suite Professional: costs $99 per user per month, billed annually.
• Suite Enterprise: costs $150 per user per month, billed annually.

Each of the above plans has a 30-day free trial, allowing you to try them out before purchasing an annual subscription.

[Related Article:The best 5 Insightly Alternatives for Your Business]

Zendesk Reviews

Advantages:

"We're really happy with the integrated email and chat dashboard for our agents (Agent workspace) and the ability to manage useful reporting, automated responses, and Answer Bot resolutions. The SLA functionality also helps agents stay focused with 'top-of-the-bucket' prioritization so they don't have to spend cycles trying to figure out which ticket is most important, or lose track of tickets in the queue.

We've even built our custom apps to ensure agents can quickly create, link, and escalate problem tickets to the engineering team. Super simple process = happy agents = happy engineers = happy customers.

Scaling the team has been a sinch as well. It's no problem to add additional users and get them integrated quickly into our process."

Disadvantages:

"It's clear that Zendesk has been a work in progress over the years, and several modules do not sit tightly with each other. Chat, for example, was developed by Zopim, and it's clear that it's been copied/pasted into the layout. Configuration is especially painful and takes place on two different dashboards. They've consolidated some of the settings configurations, but it still feels cumbersome, and agent permissions management still jumps you back and forth between various configuration menus.

Finally, I wish they had some out-of-the-box workforce management tools. Their reporting is a good start for someone that's just getting familiar with the app. Still, when you need to do some forecasting, it would be great to get some essential reporting/forecasting that coincides with the data they're already capturing."

Why do you require a Zendesk Alternative?

You are reading this article for the following reasons:

Needs add-ons

Although many basic functions are included in Zendesk's plans, there may sometimes be additional costs because the software lacks some essential features that should have been included from the start. A chance to customize chatbots, a more detailed customer satisfaction survey and product tours for the chat software are just a few of the powerful features that are mostly related to chat features.

Human customer service is terrible

Although it's no secret that Zendesk has some useful help articles that may be useful when you run into a problem, some situations could require more than just articles. In those circumstances, you could find it difficult to rely on their customer service representatives because they only recommend upgrading to a more expensive plan while directing you to an endless search through their base of articles.

Too difficult to use

Although Zendesk's overall system can work without any issues, its overloaded user interface prevents it from having mechanics that are user-friendly for beginners. You can soon find yourself wandering between pages of the self-service portal without even being aware of the redirect that brought you there.

15 Top Zendesk Alternatives

So, here are our 15 top Zendesk competitors with highlighted features, pricing, pros, and cons. Let`s get started!

[Related Article: 10 Best CRM for Startups in 2023 (Free & Paid Tools)]

1. Intercom

One of the most well-known Zendesk alternatives is Intercom, which is typically associated with enterprise business. Intercom is one of the most powerful competitors to Zendesk's software because it provides features for support, sales, and marketing teams.

Key features:

• Gathering client information, creating segments, and sending messages to a  specific group of customers.
• Automated follow-ups.
• Personalized marketing campaigns with chatbots, banners, push notifications, or email marketing.
• Sales workflow automation with bots.
• Chat, chatbot, team inbox, FAQs, and self-serve content.

Pricing:

Intercom pricing is a very unstable thing. After the recent update, it now looks as follows:

• Starter for small companies: $74 per month for 2 seats.
• Support, Engage, and Convert for most companies: individual pricing. 

Pros:

• Easy-to-use interface.
• Wide range of marketing tools.
• Integrates multiple channels of communication into one.

Cons:

• Customer service should improve.
• Expensive for small and growing businesses.
• The final cost is difficult to calculate because so many factors affect it.

2. Zoho Desk

Zoho software is another solution similar to Zendesk. It provides all-in-one services for teams in sales, marketing, support, and even human resources and finance. Zoho will help with the management of client communication via chat, email, phone, social media, etc. Additionally, this alternative is less expensive than Zendesk. Every organization can benefit from the various apps and bundles offered by Zoho Desk software.

Key features:

• CRM, forms, surveys, and integration of the phone system.
• Lead generation, scoring, and customer nurturing using marketing automation (forms, pop-ups, emails, and visitor tracking).
• Analytics.
• Multiple communications channel integrations (such as chat, email, social media, etc.).

Pricing:

• Free plan: free up to 3 users.
• Free trial: 15 days for all plans.
• Standard plan: €14 per user per month, billed annually (€20 per user per month on monthly subscriptions).
• Professional plan: €23 per user per month, billed annually (€35 per user per month on monthly subscriptions).
• Enterprise plan: €40 per user per month, billed annually (€50 per user per month on monthly subscriptions).

Pros:

• The prices are more reasonable than Zendesk. 
• Simple to implement.
• A large number of features. 
• Many smooth integrations.

Cons:

• Bad UX.
• Unsatisfactory customer service.
  

3. LiveChat

A platform like LiveChat can be also considered a Zendesk replacement. With the use of this software, customer service representatives may chat with website visitors while the sales and marketing departments generate more leads. This solution is suitable for SaaS companies as well as eCommerce, EdTech, and FinTech teams looking for a Zendesk alternative.

Key features:

• CRM to store customer data in one place.
• Customer behavior tracking, ticket, and chat reports.
• Tailored messages (greetings and rapid replies).
• Chatbot tool, chat, and automatic routing of clients' requests to appropriate agents.
• Customer behavior tracking, ticket, and chat reports.

Pricing:

• Starter: $20 per user per month, billed annually.
• Team: $41 per user per month, billed annually.
• Business: $59 per user per month, billed annually.
• Enterprise: individual contract with annual billing.

Pros:

• User-friendly UI.
• Automated greetings.
• There are 45+ supported languages.

Cons:

• There is no free plan.
• Customers sometimes look for LiveChat alternatives because the service can frequently work slowly.
• Information about website visitors cannot be viewed without clicking on it.

4. Freshdesk

Freshdesk is one of the all-in-one Zendesk alternatives. This cloud-based customer service software includes tools for sales, marketing, and support teams. Freshdesk offers services in the sectors of eCommerce, healthcare, SMBs, and other businesses looking for a Zendesk competitor.

Key features:

• Marketing automation, including automated task assignments, follow-ups, event-based triggers, and more.
• Suggested prepared response.
• Customized reports and dashboards.
• Multichannel support (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, etc.).
• Chatbot, team inbox, and chat.
• Knowledge base.

Pricing:

• Free plan: free for up to 10 agents.
• Free trial: 21 days for all plans.
• Growth plan: $15 per user per month, billed annually ($18 per user per month, billed monthly).
• Pro plan: $49 per user per month, billed annually ($59 per user per month, billed monthly).
• Enterprise plan: $79 per user per month, billed annually ($95 per user per month, billed monthly).

Pros:

• The long free trial time.
• Suitable for various business types.
• To improve customer service via the app, app users can contact the Freshdesk community for advice, tips, and ideas.
• Supports a variety of SLA policies.

Cons:

• The Enterprise plan is the only one that offers AI and chatbots.
• Limited integrations—you might require a developer.

5. LiveAgent

LiveAgent is primarily a help desk solution and a free Zendesk alternative that concentrates on assisting businesses in streamlining the processes of ticket intake and service provision. It offers an all-in-one service for businesses seeking to build a call center, provide live chat through their website and social media channels, and create a knowledge base for their clients to access whenever they like.

Key features:

• Live chat with a ticketing system.
• Both call center and video calls.
• Proactive messages that encourage more website visitors to communicate.
• Advanced analytics and team performance reports.
• Client feedback reports.

Pricing:

• Free plan: forever free account with some limitations.
• Ticket: $15 per agent per month.
• Ticket+Chat: $29 per agent per month.
• All-inclusive: $49 per agent per month.

Pros:

• The free plan is available.
• Customizable design.
• Friendly customer service.

Cons:

• Unpleasant UX.
• Issues with some fonts and images.

6. HubSpot

HubSpot is a CRM software that is similar to Zendesk and offers features for marketing, sales, and support. It includes everything you need to automate business processes. The fact that all the tools are available in one place is the largest benefit for the clients. So it would be easy to start using features like marketing or sales in addition to the support tools. Moreover, it is one of the most powerful alternatives to Zendesk that fits all sizes of businesses.

Key features:

• Free CRM.
• Conversation with a shared inbox.
• Making VoIP calls using the HubSpot platform.
• Automated routing to the appropriate agent.
• Sales and marketing tools (such as email marketing, marketing automation, meetings scheduler, and others).
• Integrations with Facebook Messenger, email, and other apps.
• Knowledge base.
• Frequently asked questions with automated responses.
• Customer satisfaction surveys and service analytics.

Pricing:

• Free Plan: support for unlimited users.
• Free trial: 14 days.
• Starter plan: $45 per month for 2 users.
• Professional plan: $450 per month for 5 users.
• Enterprise plan: $1,200 per month for 10 users.

Pros:

• Free plan.
• One platform includes a variety of tools.
• Chatbot and AI.
• Many processes are automated.

Cons:

• Installs with difficulties.
• Reporting is limited and difficult to understand.
• Poor pricing customer experience.

7. Help Scout

Help Scout is an alternative to Zendesk for small businesses. This help desk solution is created to provide the best customer communications for SaaS, eCommerce, education, healthcare, or financial companies.

Key features:

• In-app messaging and chat.
• Workflow automation.
• Gathering prospect information (previous conversations, website activity, and so on).
• Knowledge base.
• API, SDK, and more than 50 integrations.

Pricing:

• Standard: $20 per user​​ per month, billed annually.
• Plus: $40 per user​​ per month, billed annually.
• Pro: $65 per user​​ per month, billed annually.

Pros:

• New agent onboarding is simple.
• Excellent UX.
• Responsive customer service team.

Cons:

• No message scheduling.
• There are no tools for proactive customer service.

8. Userlike

Userlike system is one of Zendesk's competitors with a very user-friendly and simple UI. You can use it to combine messages from chat and other client communication channels in one window.

Userlike offers tools only for customer support. Therefore, Userlike software may only work as a Zendesk replacement if you're looking for a platform for customer communication.

Key features:

• Chatbot, real-time translation, video calls, and screen sharing.
• Proactive chat and pre-written messages.
• Reporting and analytics.
• Integrations with platforms like Mailchimp, Google Analytics, and Zendesk.

Pricing:

• Free trial: 14 days.
• Free plan: available.
• Team: 90$ per month per 4 seats, billed annually.
• Corporate: 290$ per month per 10 seats, billed annually.
• Flex: individual pricing.

Pros:

• The free plan is available.
• Pleasant UX.
• GDPR-compliant.

Cons:

• There is no app for mobile devices.
• The most expensive plan is the only one with a chatbot.

9. Front 

Front is one of the competitors of Zendesk that provide customer support and success service. This competitor will be perfect for SaaS businesses looking for Zendesk alternatives and wanting to offer a better, more efficient, and more personalized customer experience.

Key features:

• Live chat and chatbot.
• Seamless Automation (chat assignment, escalating messages, etc.).
• Multi-chat messaging lets you respond from a single admin panel to chats in social media, emails, and SMS.
• CRM integration (Salesforce, Hubspot, or other CRM systems).
• Customized analytics reports.

Pricing:

• Starter: $19 per person, per month, billed annually, minimum 2 users, maximum 10 users.
• Growth: $49 per person, per month, billed annually, minimum 5 users.
• Scale: $99 per person, per month, billed annually, minimum 10 users.

Pros:

• Ability to work on emails with teammates.
• Tagging and filtering system.
• Excellent support staff.

Cons:

• There is no free plan or trial.
• Editing sent messages is not possible.
• A small number of integrations.

10. Groove

Groove is a sales engagement service for Salesforce enterprise companies. This will increase sales by boosting customer communication and giving important information about them. Among its many competitors, Groove was chosen by over 70 000 companies, including Google, Uber, Atlassian, and others.

Key features:

• CRM integration.
• Marketing automation with multiple steps for engagement.
• Scheduler for meetings.
• Live chat, calendar, email, and activity tracking synced with Salesforce.
• Revenue workflows and reports.

Pricing:

It depends on the team's needs. You need to schedule a demo with the Groove team to get precise pricing.

Pros:

• Simple to use.
• Native to Salesforce.
• Flows for engaging potential customers.

Cons:

• There is no precise pricing on the website.
• Sometimes happen different bugs (broken integration, difficulties with templates, lost connections, etc.).

11. Tawk.to

Tawk.to is a customer communication tool and a free alternative to Zendesk. It combines chat, chat pages, and a knowledge base to help businesses of all sizes get in touch with customers and enhance the customer experience.

Key features:

• Chat is available in 45 languages.
• Canned shortcuts.
• Tracking website visitors.
• Reporting and tracking of engagement.
• A knowledge base with SEO optimization.
• The option to hire a chat agent or virtual assistant.

Pricing: 

It is absolutely free. Hiring a chat agent costs $1 per hour while hiring a virtual assistant from $7 per hour.

Pros:

• Totally free.
• Simple to install.
• Possibility of hiring agents or virtual assistants.

Cons:

• Unfriendly user interface.
• You can miss some messages due to irregular notifications.
• No removing of branding.

12. Kayako 

This Zendesk replacement will assist you with connecting customer data, support channels, and your support personnel. The Kayako service is a suitable Zendesk alternative for all sizes and types of companies, especially eCommerce.

Key features:

• Live chat (including integrations with Facebook, Twitter, and email).
• The automated assignment of tickets to agents.
• Customer cards with customized fields.
• Shared inbox.
• Reports.
• Self-service knowledge base and help desk.
• 700+ Zapier integrations (including Salesforce, Slack, and others).

Pricing:

• Free trial: 14 days.
• Kayako Cloud: $125 per agent per month.
• Classic On-Prem: $125 per agent per month.

Pros:

• Folders for email.
• Nice UX and design, simple to use.

Cons:

• If you only have one agent, the plan is expensive.
• Emails lack the option to format text (underline, bold, etc.).
• The long period between important platform updates.

13. ThriveDesk

This customer service software might be considered a Zendesk alternative. ThriveDesk is simple to use and set up, which makes it ideal for small businesses (eCommerce and SaaS) looking for a less expensive Zendesk alternative.

Key features:

• Live chat.
• Shared inbox.
• Knowledge base.
• Integrations (including HubSpot, Trello, Slack, WooCommerce, Asana, and more).

Pricing:

• Basic: $6.67 per user per month, billed annually.
• Pro: $12 per user per month, billed annually.

Pros:

• Reasonably priced.
• Simple to set up.

Cons:

• Unfriendly UI.
• Many features are still being developed.
• A small number of integrations.

14. Happy Fox

HappyFox is one of the companies like Zendesk that offers all-in-one ticketing capabilities. This provides multichannel support and integrates with essential business services like accounting, customer relationship management (CRM), client feedback tracking, commerce, etc. This Zendesk competitor is best for small and mid-sized SaaS businesses.

Key features:

• Data collection, analytics, and reports.
• Chat integration.
• Prepared actions to automate some basic tasks.
• Task assignment.
• Knowledge base.

Pricing:

• Mighty: $29 per agent per month, billed annually.
• Fantastic: $49 per agent per month, billed annually.
• Enterprise: $69 per agent per month, billed annually.
• Enterprise Plus: $89 per agent per month, billed annually.

Also, HappyFox offers paid plans for an unlimited number of agents — the price will start from $1499 per month, billed annually. 

Pros:

• Pleasant UX.
• Data collection in real-time.
• Friendly customer service staff.

Cons:

• Implementation is difficult.
• There are sometimes coding errors.
• Reports lack custom fields.
• Each pricing requires a minimum of five agents.
• The pricing can be unaffordable for start-ups.

15. Crisp

This is another competitor of Zendesk that helps businesses provide instant communication with website visitors. You can offer multichannel customer support, service, and increased sales using this customer support software and features like live chat, canned responses, consumer activities monitoring, and others. The solution is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Key features:

• Live chat with a ticketing system.
• Chatbots and pre-written messages.
• LiveTranslate - built-in translator for the live chat.
• MagicBrowse - a tool that shows a view of a website visitor's screen.
• Knowledge base.
• Integrations with platforms like Slack, HubSpot, Facebook, and Salesforce.

Pricing:

• Free plan: available for up to 2 seats.
• Free trial: 14 days.
• Pro: €25 per month per workspace.
• Unlimited: €95 per month per workspace.

Pros:

• Simple to set up and integrate with other apps.
• Chatbot and built-in messages translator.
• The option to preview what clients type.

Cons:

• Only the Unlimited package includes a chatbot. 
• The live chat widget sometimes doesn't load when mobile applications crash. 
• Integrations are not always successful.

Comparison table of Zendesk alternatives

How to pick the best tool for your team

When looking for a new support platform, knowing your options is a good place to start. However, it's useful to dig a little further before making a decision.

Therefore, consider the following three questions:

• How much can I afford? Most teams frequently have a financial limit. Making a shortlist depending on your budget is a quick and easy way to minimize alternatives at the start of your search.
• What features are non-negotiable? Make a list of every feature you may  want in a tool, then go over it and mark which features are "necessary to have" vs. "nice to have."
• What is your time frame? Setting up some tools takes more time than others. Consider how long any potential new tool will take to set up immediately and to train your staff.

After answering those questions, pick no more than two or three options from your list and try each of them. Having firsthand experience might help you determine what functions best in a practical environment.

It's also a good idea to test the final choices with employees from each of the different types of roles that will use the tool, such as agents, managers, etc. In this way, you can be sure that the solution you select will be useful for everyone.

Make sure to look into each offering's other features in addition to the software's features and capabilities. To analyze each tool's customer communication, visit the customer support team and contact the support staff via email. When everything is equal between two tools, the strength of those resources might make a difference.

[Related Article: 8 Best Copper CRM Alternatives to Use in 2023]

Wrapping up

Popular Help Desk Solution

4.4

Zendesk is a cloud-based help desk management solution offering customizable tools to build customer service portal, knowledge base and online communities.

Learn More

When it comes to comparing Zendesk alternatives, it's important to consider the different types of solutions available. There are those that are more focused on ticketing and others that offer all-in-one systems. If you're looking for a Zendesk alternative that still prioritizes ticketing, options like Freshdesk, Kayako, LiveAgent, or ThriveDesk are worth considering.

However, if you're looking to completely revamp your customer service strategy and make it more accessible and modern, opting for all-in-one cutting-edge solutions like HelpCrunch or Intercom is the way to go. These solutions not only offer ticketing capabilities but also real-time assistance and the ability to manage all client communications in a single tab. With features like live chat, chatbots, and advanced analytics, these tools can elevate your customer support to new heights.

By choosing an all-in-one solution, you can streamline your customer service processes and provide a seamless experience for your customers. Whether it's resolving queries, providing instant assistance, or managing customer feedback, these tools have you covered. With their user-friendly interfaces and comprehensive features, you can enhance your customer support operations and build stronger relationships with your customers.

So, when considering a Zendesk alternative, think about your specific needs and goals. Are you looking for a ticketing-focused solution or a more comprehensive all-in-one platform? By aligning your requirements with the right tool, you can take your customer service to the next level and provide an exceptional experience for your customers.

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