16 Best Zendesk Alternatives for Businesses in 2025

Customer support forms the foundation of any thriving business. To deliver an exceptional experience to your customers, having the right software is essential. But how can you determine which customer support software is the best fit for your needs?

While Zendesk remains a prominent name in customer support software, many businesses are exploring Zendesk alternatives that better align with their specific needs, budgets, and growth trajectories.

In this blog, we will analyze a range of Zendesk alternatives, comparing their features, strengths, and value propositions to help you make an informed decision that elevates your customer experience strategy.

Why consider Zendesk alternatives?

The customer support landscape has changed significantly, with evolving demands and market challenges driving businesses to explore alternatives to Freshdesk vs Zendesk for several key reasons:

• Premium feature limitations: Zendesk’s advanced features are only accessible on higher-priced subscriptions, creating a significant financial barrier for small to medium-sized businesses.
• Complicated user interface: Some users find Zendesk difficult to utilize efficiently.
• Complex integration processes: Zendesk’s third-party integration procedure is tedious and time-consuming for some.
• Overwhelming feature set: Many customers have voiced fear that Zendesk’s functionality may be overwhelming.

16 Top Zendesk alternatives to look into

There are numerous alternatives to Zendesk that cater to diverse business needs. Let’s dive into the best Zendesk alternatives 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.

It’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
• Help desk automation
• Help desk customization
• Task management
• AI assist features
• Reports and analytics
• Security and compliance features
• User-friendly customer portal
• Seamless integrations
• Mobile app

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 customers with BoldDesk’s live chat support.
• Seamless omnichannel inbox: With BoldDesk’s omnichannel support feature, support agents can easily respond to and manage all customer inquiries from multiple channels within a single unified inbox.
• 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 support 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

BoldDesk has two pricing categories:

Agent-Based plans:

• Scale: $12 per agent/month
• Momentum: $25 per agent/month
• Enterprise: $39 per agent/month

Unlimited Agents plans:

BoldDesk’s unlimited agents plan is priced based on monthly ticket volume, starting at 500 tickets.

Choose from three options:

• Essential: $99
• Pro: $199
• Business: $399

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
• Delivers swift support response, ensuring that users receive timely assistance
• Offers free and smooth migration, enabling users to save time and migration costs
• Provides native mobile applications with full functionality for remote teams

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 $6,900/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 a 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 (up to 3 agents), 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 for two users ($18 per month when paid annually).

Pros

• A comprehensive solution for managing marketing, sales, and support functions
• Automation tools 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 multiple channels into manageable tickets, providing teams with a structured approach to support management.

Pricing

Starts at $15/agent/month

Pros

• Integrates various customer channels into a shared inbox
• Allows an entire team to be aligned on one app
• Offers 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 user interface compared to Zendesk, although it is less customizable.

6. Salesforce Service Cloud

Salesforce is one of the best Zendesk alternatives for teams with high volume of inquiries.

Salesforce is a Zendesk alternative that empowers service teams with automation and CRM tool to manage inquiries, reply to customers, manage cases, knowledge, and incidents collaboratively from a single workspace.

Pricing

Starts at $25/month/user

Pros

• Provides an excellent user interface for monitoring emails and SMS
• Offers an omnichannel support
• Features AI-driven customer insights

Cons

• E-learning and setup process are not easy to understand

Key differences between Salesforce and Zendesk

• Customer view: Salesforce can provide complete visibility into customer data, which is not the case with Zendesk.
• Scope: Salesforce can serve as an all-in-one tool for a great number of major industries, 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 customers in real time.

Intercom combines an AI chatbot, help desk, and proactive engagement tools for businesses to create a conversational support experience across the customer journey, such as onboarding, support, sales, and marketing.

Intercom home page

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

• Involves additional fees for usage and add-ons

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.

Happyfox home page

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 helps 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 is a sales engagement tool with functionalities such as customization, email management, and knowledge base software.

It 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, easy to set up and use.
• 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. It 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/month for 10 users

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 tailored for customer support teams that use Gmail and require assistance managing 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.

Hiver home page

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 pricing plans

Key differences between Hiver and Zendesk

• Pricing: Hiver provides affordable pricing plans, whereas Zendesk’s plans tend to be more expensive, with some features only available through additional payments.
• Canned responses accessibility: With Hiver, all team members can access and share canned responses, while Zendesk restricts this capability to administrators only.

12. Kustomer

Kustomer is amongst the alternatives to Zendesk for teams seeking CRM capabilities.

Kustomer is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that prioritizes the customer experience over traditional ticket-based systems. Its goal is to help businesses gain a comprehensive view of each individual customer.

Pricing

Starts at $89/user/month

Pros

• Conversational AI enables advanced automation
• The interface is customizable
• Customer segments can be easily created

Cons

• Learning process is challenging

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.
• Data integration: Deeper connection with external customer information compared to Zendesk.

13. ServiceNow

ServiceNow is among the alternatives to Zendesk suitable for IT teams.

ServiceNow is a cloud-based workflow automation platform designed to unify all of customer’s IT needs in one place. It streamlines development and automation while enabling seamless data integration across departments.

Pricing

Contact for pricing

Pros

• Suitable for IT operations and agile environments
• Numerous options available for ticket automation
• User-friendly interface

Cons

• Its capabilities are limited primarily to IT service management (ITSM)

Key differences between ServiceNow and Zendesk

• Scope and functionality: ServiceNow offers a wide range of ITSM solutions, whereas Zendesk mainly focuses on customer support and service-related functions.
• Customization options: ServiceNow provides highly flexible customization capabilities, while Zendesk’s customization features are relatively limited in comparison.

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 core features available without add-on purchases, 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 provides specialized knowledge base software designed to create comprehensive self-service resources for customers and internal teams.

Pricing

Starts at $120/month for 4 users

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

Areas of emphasis: Zendesk is primarily centered around ticket management, while Helpjuice focuses on building and maintaining both 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, creating a ticketless support experience focused on customer relationships rather than individual issues or incidents.

Pricing

Starts at $180/user/month

Pros

• User interface is intuitive and easy to navigate
• 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 alternative to Zendesk for Your Business

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 resources is available for the help desks 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.
• Pricing plans: Compare free plans, enterprise, and other structures to evaluate 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	AI assist features Ticketing system Knowledge base software Automation Reports and analytics Customer portal Security Integrations Mobile help desk apps Customization Task management Contact management	Starts at $12/agent/month
Gorgias	Ticketing system Integrations Live chat Automation	Starts at $10/50 tickets/month
Zoho Desk	Multichannel support Customizable workflows AI-powered chatbots Integrations	Starts at $14/user/month
HubSpot Service Hub	Live chat Reporting Ticketing Integration with marketing and sales hub	Starts at $20/month (2 users)
Freshdesk	Omnichannel ticketing Reporting Knowledge base software Automation	Starts at $15/month
Salesforce Service Cloud	Collaboration features Omnichannel support Chatbots Reporting	Starts at $25/user/month
Intercom	Customizable messenger Automated messages In-app chat Team inbox	Starts at $39/seat/month
HappyFox	Ticketing system Knowledge base Help desk reports Task management system	Starts at $29/user/month
Groove	Ticketing system Live chat Remote access and control Shared inbox	Starts at $20/user/month
Front	Shared inbox Live chat Reports and analytics Automation	Starts at $19/user/month
Hiver	Automation Live chat Integrations Analytics and reports	Starts at $15/user/month
Kustomer	Ticket management Ticket automation Knowledge base Live chat	Starts at $89/user/month
ServiceNow	Ticketing system IT service management (ITSM) IT operations management (ITOM) IT business management (ITBM)	Contact ServiceNow for pricing
Live Agent	Chat routing File transfer Social media integration Multilingual support	Starts at $9/user/month
Helpjuice	Knowledge base management Content management Customizable branding Advanced search functionality	Starts at $120/4 users/ month
Gladly	Live chat Ticket management Knowledge management Unified customer view	Starts at $180/user/month

Choose your team’s optimal Zendesk alternative

When evaluating Zendesk alternatives, consider your organization’s unique support requirements, growth trajectory, and technical resources. The ideal platform will align with your customer service philosophy while providing the tools your team needs to deliver exceptional experiences.

Regardless of which platform you choose the key to successful customer support lies not just in the technology but in the strategy and processes you build around it. Select a solution that empowers your team to create the personalized, efficient support experience your customers deserve.

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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