Customer support is the backbone of any successful business. If you want to provide your customers with the best possible experience, you must have the right software to help you do that. But how do you know which is the best customer support software for your needs?
While Zendesk is the most recognized name in the market, exploring Zendesk alternatives and comparing their features to Zendesk’s is essential to making a good choice. This calls for an understanding of your needs and the selection of tools that align with them.
In this blog, we will examine a range of Zendesk alternatives, analyzing their features, strengths, and key differences. Ready to find your perfect customer support software? Let’s get started!
Why should you look for Zendesk alternatives?
Some of the reasons why consumers are looking for alternatives to Freshdesk vs Zendesk as sourced from customer reviews, community forums, and other similar sources, are:
- Zendesk’s sophisticated features are only accessible on higher-priced subscriptions, which are not affordable for everyone.
- Some users find Zendesk difficult to utilize efficiently.
- Zendesk’s integration procedure is tedious and time-consuming for some.
- Many customers have voiced fear that Zendesk’s functionality may be overwhelming.
Top Zendesk alternatives to consider
There are numerous alternatives to Zendesk that cater to diverse business needs. Let’s dive into the best alternatives to Zendesk and explore their key features and target audiences.
1. BoldDesk
One of the best Zendesk alternatives for startups and small-to-medium businesses.
If you are looking for a user-friendly and comprehensive help desk ticketing system that offers a range of cloud-based features, we highly recommend our very own BoldDesk.
BoldDesk is a modern customer service software platform that uses cutting-edge customer support tools such as ticketing system, live chat software, knowledge base, omnichannel support and more.
BoldDesk’s wide range of features assist users organize support requests, collaborate with customers and teammates, and automate repetitive tasks to enhance and streamline the overall customer experience.
BoldDesk is a highly scalable and intuitive solution for businesses who want to offer exceptional customer support for business growth.
Key features
- Robust ticketing system
- Multilingual knowledge base software
- Live chat software
- Omnichannel support
- Help desk automation
- AI copilot for customer support
- Help desk customization
- User-friendly customer portal
- Seamless integrations
- Mobile app
- Task management
- Reports and analytics
- Security and compliance features
Advantages of BoldDesk features
- Integrations: BoldDesk offers an integration feature that allows users to connect with their preferred tools and applications, streamlining their workflow, organizing data, and increasing overall productivity.
- Real time chat support: Customer service representatives can provide real time and personalized responses to end users with BoldDesk’s live chat support.
- Seamless omnichannel inbox: Support agents can easily respond to and manage all customer inquiries from multiple channels within a single unified inbox, with BoldDesk’s omnichannel support feature.
- Robust automation features: BoldDesk offers a range of powerful automation options to manage ticket routing, eliminate repetitive tasks, reduce manual work, and improve agent productivity.
- Email-to-ticket conversion: BoldDesk utilizes a ticketing system that automatically converts customer emails into tickets, allowing agents to manage and address customer inquiries effectively.
- Enhanced usability: BoldDesk is designed with a user-friendly interface, ensuring that both service agents and customers can easily navigate and utilize the software.
Pricing
- Scale: $12 per agent/month
- Momentum: $25 per agent/month
- Enterprise: $39 per agent/month
Include tiered pricing options for teams with 10, 25, 50 or 100 agents.
- Scale: $49/month for 10 agents
- Momentum: $129/month for 10 agents
- Enterprise: $199/month for 10 agents
- Essential: $799 per month
- Pro: $1499 per month ($1999 with Live chat included)
- Business: Contact us
| Save with BoldDesk |   67% |  |
|---|---|---|
Number of agents: 10 | $390/month | $1,150/month |
Number of agents: 1 | $39/month | $115/month |
Number of agents: 3 | $117/month | $345/month |
Number of agents: 5 | $195/month | $575/month |
Number of agents: 10 | $390/month | $1,150/month |
Number of agents: 15 | $585/month | $1,725/month |
Number of agents: 25 | $975/month | $2,875/month |
BoldDesk offers a 15-day free trial and live demos.
For inquiries, don’t hesitate to contact the BoldDesk support team.
Pros
- Offers cost-effective and flexible pricing plans
- Allows seamless integration with third-party software
- Provides automation tools that streamline repetitive tasks
- Provides swift support response, ensuring that users receive timely assistance
- Offers free and smooth migration, enabling users to save time and migration costs
Key differences between BoldDesk and Zendesk
- Features and unlimited agents: As an example, BoldDesk offers $1,999/month for unlimited agents with all features included, while Zendesk charges $7,900/month for 100 agents with several major features excluded.
- User interface: In comparison to Zendesk, BoldDesk offers a more contemporary and user-friendly interface.
- Migration: BoldDesk offers free, expert migration to help customers switch from Zendesk to BoldDesk.
- Money-back guarantee: In special cases BoldDesk offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with a 100% refund, no excuse needed.
To learn more about BoldDesk features, take a look at the next video.
2. Gorgias
Gorgias is one of the Zendesk alternatives suitable for small businesses that utilize Shopify.
Gorgias is help desk software created specifically for e-commerce companies, with over 12,000 merchants using it.
The Gorgias customer support platform helps in connecting and managing all customer service communication channels: email, chat, phone, social media, and SMS in one dashboard. Major e-commerce systems like Shopify all smoothly integrate with it.
Pricing
Starts at $10 for 50 tickets/month
Pros
- Affordable pricing plans
- Shopify integration for e-commerce
- Has robust customization options
Cons
- Pricing varies with the ticket limits
Key differences between Gorgias and Zendesk
- Primary objective: Gorgias is tailored specifically for e-commerce businesses and integrates with numerous e-commerce platforms. Conversely, Zendesk is a broader customer service program.
- User interface: In comparison to Zendesk, Gorgias offers a more contemporary and user-friendly interface.
3. Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk is one of the alternatives to Zendesk for sales-focused teams.
Zoho Desk is designed to help businesses manage their customer service operations. It provides a centralized platform with features such as multichannel support, customizable workflows, AI-powered chatbots, and integration to help users in handling customer queries, support tickets, and other related activities.
Pricing
Starts at $14/user/month
Pros
- Provides a free plan
- Offers cost-effective pricing options
- Includes automation in all available plans
Cons
- The free plan lacks integrations
Key differences between Zoho Desk and Zendesk
- Cost-effectiveness: Zoho Desk provides a free plan suitable for small teams with limited budgets, whereas Zendesk primarily caters to larger teams with greater financial resources.
- Automation emphasis: While Zendesk includes automation features, Zoho Desk primarily focuses on its AI-powered chatbot.
4. HubSpot Service Hub
HubSpot Service Hub is one of the Zendesk alternatives good for teams in need of a comprehensive CRM tool.
HubSpot is a CRM tool that includes a ticketing system and live chat capabilities. It offers a customer service solution called Service Hub, which is particularly advantageous for teams already using HubSpot’s CRM. These products seamlessly integrate, providing agents with relevant information to personalize their support efforts.
Pricing
Starts at $20/month ($18 per month when paid annually) for two users.
Pros
- A comprehensive solution for managing marketing, sales, support, and content
- Automation for marketing and sales tasks
- A unified content management system
Cons
- Only includes annual contracts
Key differences between HubSpot and Zendesk
- Ecosystem: The HubSpot Service Hub ecosystem allows for seamless integration of various HubSpot applications. While Zendesk does offer some additional features, its ecosystem is not as advanced as HubSpot’s.
- Cross-functional team alignment: While the HubSpot Service Hub supports team collaboration and personalization in ticket routing, Zendesk can only allow ticket assignment to a specific team.
5. Freshdesk
Freshdesk is amongst the Zendesk alternatives suitable for larger teams.
Freshdesk is a customer support tool that efficiently converts customer inquiries from emails, phone calls, web forms, chat, and social media channels into manageable tickets.
Pricing
Starts at $15/month
Pros
- Integrates various customer channels into a shared inbox
- Allows an entire team to be aligned on one app
- Offers reply templates to respond to frequently asked or repetitive questions
Cons
- Has limited communication channels
Key differences between Freshdesk and Zendesk
- Customer support: Freshdesk offers 24/7 phone assistance to its customers even with lower subscription levels, whereas Zendesk only provides this option for more expensive Premier plans.
- User interface: Freshdesk offers a more intuitive interface compared to Zendesk, although it is less customizable.
6. Help Scout
Help Scout is one of the descent Zendesk alternatives for expanding teams.
Help Scout one of the Zendesk alternatives that has features for custom workflows, automation, and reporting to help users check what’s in the queue, reply to customers, assign conversations to teammates, and improve response times.
Pricing
Starts at $20/25 users/month
Pros
- Provides an excellent user interface for monitoring emails
- Possesses a tagging system
- Features a workflow that streamlines and automates tasks
Cons
- Limited knowledge base customization
Key differences between Help Scout and Zendesk
- Pricing: Help Scout offers cheaper plans than Zendesk.
- Target audience: Help Scout is better for startups and small businesses, while Zendesk is designed for mid-sized and large firms.
7. Intercom
Intercom is one of the Zendesk alternatives that is effective for self-service assistance and teams wanting chat-heavy features.
Intercom interconnects every team and function, allowing them to interact and communicate with their customers in real time.
Intercom combines an AI chatbot, help desk, and customer support. Additionally, it allows businesses to engage in conversations with customers at various points of the customer journey, such as onboarding, support, sales, and marketing.
Pricing
Starts at $39/seat/month
Pros
- The process of setting up Intercom requires minimal time
- It possesses a comprehensive knowledge base
- It integrates with company websites
Cons
- Has extra usage-based and add-ons fees
Key differences between Intercom and Zendesk
- User interface design: Intercom’s user interface is contemporary and elegant. In contrast, Zendesk’s user interface may appear more organized and limiting.
- Messaging-centric approach: While Zendesk primarily concentrates on ticket management, Intercom provides a messaging-centric approach.
8. HappyFox
HappyFox is one of the Zendesk alternatives for teams wanting project management features.
HappyFox is cloud-web based customer service software that helps businesses in tracking and managing customer inquiries across diverse communication channels.
It enables tracking and organizing customer interactions, helping businesses simplify their support procedures and improve customer satisfaction.
Pricing
Starts at $29/user/month
Pros
- Provides live chat support
- Conducts surveys that are progressive and beneficial
- Offers a case-management feature
Cons
- Some users find the email management capabilities lacking
Key differences between HappyFox and Zendesk
- Smart rules: In comparison to Zendesk’s automation capabilities, HappyFox’s smart rules optimize automated workflows better.
- Task management: HappyFox provides a task management feature that aids agents in streamlining their workflows. Zendesk does not provide one on its own.
9. Groove
Groove is one of the Zendesk alternatives built for enterprise and mid-market companies.
Groove, one of the Zendesk competitors, is a sales engagement tool with functionalities such as customization, email management, and knowledge base software.
Groove enables sales managers and leaders to execute their strategic plans in a smart way.
With Groove, teams can collaborate on accounts in connected workspaces and admins can configure views and workflows by role or by team.
Pricing
Starts at $20/user/month
Pros
- Budget friendly
- Easy to use
- Reliable and effective customer service
Cons
- Customization and automation options are limited
Key differences between Groove and Zendesk
- Simplicity and ease of use: While not as customizable as Zendesk, Groove is highly efficient and simple to set up and utilize.
- Personalized approach: Groove puts an emphasis on personalized customer experiences. Conversely, Zendesk frequently faces criticism regarding inadequate customer support.
10. Front
Front is among the Zendesk alternatives for startups focused on account management.
Front is a customer service platform with human interaction as its top priority. Front is an option for individuals seeking a user-friendly application, similar to Gmail, for managing customer service.
The platform keeps all team discussions in a single place, a shared team inbox. It combines messages from email, live website chat, SMS, and social media channels.
Pricing
Starts at $19/10 users/month
Pros
- Offers centralized communication
- Has comprehensive mobile application
- Adaptable pricing
Cons
- Limited reporting and analytics features
Key differences between Front and Zendesk
- Collaboration: Front’s software has numerous collaborative features. While Zendesk does offer some collaboration tools, they primarily focus on individual ticket assignment.
- Channel setup: Front’s channel setup is simpler and faster than Zendesk, which requires more extensive configuration and integration.
11. Hiver
This Zendesk alternatives solution is for customer support teams who use Gmail but require assistance in handling customer inquiries.
Hiver is one of the Zendesk alternatives that integrates with Google Workspace to help teams collaborate on generic email IDs like operations@ and support@.
Rather than introducing a completely new system, Hiver improves a company’s existing Google Office tools by incorporating customer service functionalities like shared inboxes, analytics, and SLAs.
Pricing
Starts at $15/user/month
Pros
- Setting up and managing ongoing tasks is easy
- Customer support has prompt check-ins and quick responses
- Support emails can be handled with transparency
Cons
- Changing the pricing plans often
Key differences between Hiver and Zendesk
- Pricing: Hiver offers budget-friendly pricing plans while Zendesk offers slightly expensive pricing plans with certain features that can only be accessed at an extra cost.
- Canned responses accessibility: Hiver allows every team member to share canned responses, unlike Zendesk, which only allows admins to share canned responses.
12. Kustomer
Kustomer is amongst the alternatives to Zendesk for teams wanting CRM capabilities.
Kustomer is customer relationship management (CRM) platform that, unlike traditional ticket-based systems, places a strong emphasis on the customers themselves. This CRM wants businesses to have a complete understanding of every customer.
Pricing
Starts at $89/user/month
Pros
- Conversational AI enables advanced automation
- The interface is customizable
- Customer segments can be easily created
Cons
- Challenging learning process
Key differences between Kustomer and Zendesk
- Customer service: Kustomer provides a customer-oriented method for dealing with inquiries, whereas Zendesk primarily focuses on managing tickets.
13. ServiceNow
ServiceNow is among the alternatives to Zendesk suitable for IT teams.
ServiceNow is a cloud-based workflow automation platform that combines all customers’ IT needs into a single platform. Its purpose is to facilitate rapid development and automation. It enables the connection of data and organizational divisions.
Pricing
Contact for pricing
Pros
- Suitable for IT operations and agile environments
- Numerous options available for ticket automation
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- It’s capabilities are limited primarily to ITSM
Key differences between ServiceNow and Zendesk
- Scope and functionality: ServiceNow provides an array of IT service management solutions. In contrast, Zendesk primarily concentrates on customer support and service management.
- Customization options: ServiceNow has adaptable customization features while Zendesk’s functionalities are comparatively more restricted.
14. LiveAgent
LiveAgent is one of the Zendesk competitors that serves as an option for live chat support.
LiveAgent offers features that enhance the quality of customer assistance in an online setting. LiveAgent has 200+ native integrations to streamline business communication channels and manage customer interactions.
Pricing
Starts at $9/agent/month
Pros
- Users are able to monitor conversations from all platforms
- It is user-friendly
- It offers efficient back-end tools for acquiring new accounts
Cons
- The mobile apps are not user-friendly
Key differences between LiveAgent and Zendesk
- Pricing: LiveAgent offers a more affordable and flexible pricing structure than Zendesk.
- All-in-one solution: LiveAgent is an all-encompassing customer support platform, whereas Zendesk offers multiple products you have to purchase separately.
15. Helpjuice
Helpjuice is one of the ideal Zendesk alternatives for a cloud-based knowledge base software.
Helpjuice is user-friendly and efficient at helping enterprises build and maintain their knowledge bases.
Pricing
Starts at $120/4 users/month
Pros
- Dependable customer support
- Easy-to-use interface
- Comprehensive knowledge base features
Cons
- Limited integrations, automation and customization options
Key differences between Helpjuice and Zendesk
The main contrast between the two lies in their areas of emphasis. Zendesk primarily focuses on ticket management, whereas Helpjuice prioritizes the creation and maintenance of internal and external knowledge bases.
This is one of Zendesk competitors that places a significant importance on team collaboration and content management above all other aspects.
16. Gladly
Gladly is one of the Zendesk alternatives that is designed to streamline customer service operations.
Gladly is an all-in-one platform, letting agents respond to customers across all channels from a single screen but without tickets.
Pricing
Starts at $180/user/month
Pros
- User interface is user-friendly
- Excellent call quality
- Personalized customer support
Cons
- Separate pricing rates for calls
Key differences between Gladly and Zendesk
- Customer-centricity: Gladly focuses mainly on individual customer conversations while Zendesk is more for ticket management.
Considerations for selecting the right Zendesk alternatives
When selecting the best Zendesk alternatives for your business, consider several factors:
- Your company’s needs: Figure out what features you need. Do extensive research on the help desks on the market and the features they provide.
- Scalability: See which help desk can adapt and grow with your company.
- Integration: Select a help desk that can be easily integrated with your current apps to simplify your agents’ workload.
- Customer reviews: Check on reputable software review sites and learn from real customers the pros and cons of each help desk.
- Support: See what kind of support is available for the Zendesk alternatives you evaluate. Is there self-service documentation? Can you reach live support if needed, either by chat or phone? See if their live support is available during the work hours of your time zone.
- Cost and pricing plans: Learn about monthly and yearly pricing plans, evaluating which combination of price and features works best for your business.
Alternatives to Zendesk summary table
Following is a summary table to help you choose the best Zendesk alternatives.
| Name | Features | Pricing |
| BoldDesk |
| Starts at $12 per agent/month |
| Gorgias |
| Starts at $10/50 tickets/month |
| Zoho Desk |
| Starts at $14/user/month |
| HubSpot Service Hub |
| Starts at $20/month |
| Freshdesk |
| Starts at $15/month |
| Help Scout |
| Starts at $20/25 users/month |
| Intercom |
| Starts at $39/seat/month |
| HappyFox |
| Starts at $29/user/month |
| Groove |
| Starts at $20/user/month |
| Front |
| Starts at $19/user/month |
| Hiver |
| Starts at $15/user/month |
| Kustomer |
| Starts at $89/user/month |
| ServiceNow |
| Contact ServiceNow for pricing |
| Live Agent |
| Starts at $9/user/month |
| Helpjuice |
| Starts at $120/4 users/ month |
| Gladly |
| Starts at $180/user/month |
Choose your team’s optimal Zendesk competitor
When selecting a support platform, it is important to have a clear understanding of the functionalities, features, advantages, disadvantages, and pricing of the available options. The alternatives to Zendesk listed in this blog have different features and pricing plans that might suit your company’s specific needs.
By exploring these alternatives to Zendesk, you can find a help desk solution that aligns with your business objectives and ensures excellent customer support. We wish you success in finding the right solution for your needs.
Should you have any feedback, ideas, or suggestions for BoldDesk, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. Your opinion matters to us, and we’re excited to hear what you have to say!
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