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Zendesk alternatives · Help Desks

Free alternatives to Zendesk

Zendesk has no free plan. 6 of the 19 other help desk and live chat tools in this directory are free or have a free plan.

Zendesk is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly). All of them pair the free plan with paid ones.

6 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 17, 2026 · Where the facts come from

How each one differs from Zendesk

  1. Zoho Desk

    Low-cost ticketing help desk with a free plan for three users

    What is free: Free edition: email ticketing for up to 3 users with one support email address. No knowledge base, automation, SLAs or AI features.

    • Zoho Desk starts at $7 per user / month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly). Zendesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
    • Zoho Desk has a free plan. Zendesk does not, though it has a free trial.
    Zoho Desk vs ZendeskZoho Desk pricing and details

  2. Chatwoot

    Open-source support inbox you can self-host or use in the cloud

    What is free: Hacker cloud plan: up to 2 agents and 500 conversations a month, live chat only, 30 days of history. The self-hosted Community Edition is also free.

    • Chatwoot starts at $19 per agent / month, billing term not stated. Zendesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
    • Chatwoot has a free plan. Zendesk does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Chatwoot is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • Chatwoot also covers shared inbox.
    Chatwoot vs ZendeskChatwoot pricing and details

  3. Tidio

    Live chat, ticketing and the Lyro AI agent priced by conversations

    What is free: 50 billable conversations a month and 10 seats, with live chat, ticketing, email, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, 50 one-off Lyro AI conversations and 100 Flows visitors a month.

    • Tidio starts at $24.17 per month for 100 conversations, billed annually ($29 monthly). Zendesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
    • Tidio has a free plan. Zendesk does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Tidio lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Zendesk also covers reports and help center.
    Tidio pricing and details

  4. Crisp

    Live chat and shared inbox priced per workspace, not per seat

    What is free: 2 seats, the website chat widget, a contact form and shared inbox, mobile and desktop apps, store integrations and 100 customer profiles. No AI credits.

    • Crisp starts at $45 per workspace / month, with 4 seats. Zendesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
    • Crisp has a free plan. Zendesk does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Crisp lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Crisp also covers shared inbox.
    Crisp pricing and details

  5. tawk.to

    Free live chat, ticketing and help center, with paid add-ons

    What is free: The whole platform is free: live chat, inbox, ticketing, knowledge base, chat pages and CRM, with no seat charges. A "Powered by tawk.to" badge stays unless removed for a fee.

    • tawk.to starts at $29 per month for the AI Assist or Whitelabel add-on. Zendesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
    • tawk.to has a free plan. Zendesk does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only tawk.to lists Windows and macOS apps.
    • Zendesk also covers reports.
    tawk.to pricing and details

  6. Smartsupp

    Live chat, WhatsApp and email inbox with the Mira AI shopping agent

    What is free: 1 operator, 25 conversations a month across live chat, WhatsApp and Messenger, and 14 days of chat history.

    • Smartsupp starts at $17 per month for 1 operator, billed annually ($24 billed monthly). Zendesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
    • Smartsupp has a free plan. Zendesk does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Smartsupp also covers shared inbox.
    • Zendesk also covers reports, help desk and help center.
    Smartsupp pricing and details

Common questions

Is there a free alternative to Zendesk?

Yes. Zoho Desk, Chatwoot, Tidio, Crisp, tawk.to and Smartsupp are free or have a free plan.

Does Zendesk have a free plan?

Zendesk has no free plan. Zendesk is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).

When was this checked?

Every listing on this page was checked on Oct 17, 2026, against the pages it cites. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to Zendesk: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.