Five9 vs Zendesk (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Zendesk grades higher than Five9: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zendesk grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Five9
Cloud contact center for voice and digital channels, sold in bundles
Zendesk
Ticketing, messaging, help center and AI agents for support teams
Which one is for you
Pick Five9 if
- Fits if you run a contact centre with 50 or more concurrent seats
- Works for teams that want voice and digital on one platform
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you have fewer than 50 seats, as that is the minimum
- Watch out: Plus, Pro and Enterprise are quote-only
- Watch out: usage charges may apply, including SMS and AI minutes beyond the bundled ones
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, because neither is listed
Pick Zendesk if
- Fits if your team answers email, chat and phone and wants one queue for all of it
- Works for funded startups, which can get Suite Professional free for 6 months
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need live chat or a help center, as both start at $55 an agent billed yearly
- Too light for chat-first teams on the $19 plan, which covers email tickets only
- Skip it if you need a fixed bill, since AI resolutions past the allowance cost $1.50 to $2 each
- Watch out: Copilot is a $50 an agent add-on, and phone numbers and call minutes are billed on top
- Watch out: the listing doesn't say whether the trial needs a card, and Suite Enterprise is sold only through sales
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAFive9Weak | 2.4GPAZendeskFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$119 per concurrent seat for Digital and $159 for Core, with a 50-seat minimum, so about $5,950 a month at the floor. | DSupport Team is $19 an agent billed yearly, a little under this category's middle, but it's email tickets only. Chat, phone and a help center start on Suite Team at $55 an agent, above the dearest tenth of help desks, and extra AI resolutions are $1.50 to $2 each. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is listed on the pricing page. | CA 14-day free trial of Suite Professional with Copilot, which shows you the top of the range. There's no free plan, and the listing doesn't say whether the trial needs a card. Funded startups can get 6 months free. |
| Features | BVoice and digital channels, AI for agents, virtual agents, workforce engagement and CRM adapters. Nothing in the listing is missing. | BTicketing across email, chat, social and phone, AI agents on every plan, help centers in 40+ languages with forums, voice numbers in 75+ countries, an IVR and reports you ask for in plain words. The whole job is covered. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Enterprise rollout with adapters to connect. | B4.5 from 4,219 App Store ratings for the agent app. Prebuilt dashboards and pre-written replies come on every plan, but routing, triggers and automations take setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Salesforce, ServiceNow, Dynamics, Zendesk, Oracle, Teams, Zoom and RingCentral. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, X, Slack, WeChat and LINE as channels, and an API. No desktop app, which keeps it off an A. |
| Best for | a contact centre with voice and digital channels | support teams handling email, chat and phone |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Five9 and Zendesk. How we grade
Price against what you get
Five9 starts at $119 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zendesk starts at $19 a month for each person and scores 3.0.
Zendesk scores higher and starts $100 a month lower. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Five9 for less, and 1 scores higher than Zendesk for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Five9 also covers workflow automation and business phone line.
- Zendesk also covers help desk and help center.
At a glance
| Five9 | Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $119 per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum | $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of Suite Professional with the Copilot add-on |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Five9, Inc. | Zendesk, Inc. |
| Price read from | five9.com | zendesk.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Five9
- Prices are per concurrent user with a 50-seat minimum, and usage-based charges may apply, including SMS and AI minutes beyond the bundled ones.
- Only Digital and Core show a price; Plus, Pro and Enterprise are by quote, and the page asks for a form to show a customized figure.
- Workforce engagement is offered on a named-user basis; extra named seats beyond the concurrent seats sold are add-ons.
- WhatsApp is described as coming soon in the voice bundle notes.
Zendesk
- Support Team covers email ticketing only; live chat, voice and a help center start at Suite Team, $55 per agent / month billed annually.
- AI resolutions beyond the included allowance cost $1.50 each on a committed volume or $2.00 each pay-as-you-go.
- Copilot, which adds Auto Assist and suggested first replies, is an add-on at $50 per agent / month billed annually.
- Phone numbers and call minutes are billed as add-ons, and Suite Enterprise is sold only through the sales team.
Key features
Five9
- Voice and digital channels
- Voice, chat, email, SMS and MMS, and social messaging, with blended inbound and outbound, a dialer and call recording.
- AI for agents
- AI summaries, live transcription, insights, agent assist and knowledge are listed on the bundles, with 3,000 AI minutes per bundled seat plus usage charges.
- Intelligent virtual agents
- Self-service virtual agents for web, chatbot, voice, SMS or WhatsApp, which can sit alongside an existing on-premises contact center.
- Workforce engagement
- Quality management, workforce management and analytics, from Five9 or partners Verint and Calabrio, on the Pro and Enterprise bundles.
- CRM and UC adapters
- Adapters listed are Salesforce, ServiceNow, Dynamics, Zendesk or Oracle for CRM, and Microsoft Teams, Zoom, RingCentral and AT&T Office@hand for UC.
- Geo redundancy and 24/7 support
- Geo redundancy and 24/7 support are listed as part of the bundles.
Zendesk
- Ticketing across channels
- Email, messaging, phone and social conversations land in one ticket queue, with routing, pre-written responses, triggers and automations.
- AI agents billed per resolution
- AI agents answer email on every plan and chat wherever messaging is on. Each agent seat includes 5 automated resolutions a month (10 on Suite Professional).
- Messaging and live chat
- Suite plans add chat for websites and apps plus WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, X, Slack, WeChat and LINE as channels.
- Help center
- Suite Team includes one help center in one language. Suite Professional allows up to 5 help centers in 40+ languages, plus community forums.
- Voice
- Phone support in the browser with toll-free or local numbers from 75+ countries. Suite Professional adds an IVR phone tree.
- Reporting
- Prebuilt analytics dashboards on every plan. Suite Professional adds Quick Reports, which builds reports from questions typed in plain language.
Plans
Five9
Digital$119
per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum
Digital channels only, with a quote request on the page. The bundle grid lists AI summaries, insights and agent assist, with recording and a dialer on the other tiers.
Core$159
per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum
All channels including voice, SMS and social messaging, with essential AI, recording, dialer, a choice of CRM or UC adapter and 24/7 support.
PlusCustom
All channels with advanced AI. Contact sales for flexible pricing.
ProCustom
All channels with essential AI and workforce engagement management. Contact sales for flexible pricing.
EnterpriseCustom
All channels with advanced AI and workforce engagement management. Contact sales for flexible pricing.
Zendesk
Support Team$19
per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)
Email ticketing with routing, prebuilt dashboards, pre-written replies and automations. No help center, live chat or phone.
Suite Team$55
per agent / month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
Adds messaging and live chat, telephony, omnichannel routing, a knowledge base and Action Builder, with one help center in one language.
Suite Professional$115
per agent / month, billed annually ($149 billed monthly)
Adds skills-based routing, an IVR phone tree, AI writing tools, Quick Reports and App Builder, and up to 5 help centers in 40+ languages.
Suite Enterprise + CopilotCustom
Adds intelligent triage, Auto Assist, generative AI for voice, approval workflows, a sandbox and custom agent roles. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Five9
No public discounts listed.
Zendesk
- Annual discount
About 20% off with annual billing
Zendesk's pricing page marks annual billing as 20% off: Suite Team is $55 per agent a month billed yearly against $69 billed monthly.
- Startups
Startups: 6 months free, up to 2 years via partners
Funded startups up to Series B and under 10 years old get Suite Professional and Copilot free for 6 months, or 1 to 2 years through VC partners, for up to 50 agents.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Five9 or Zendesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Zendesk is cheaper to start with: $19 a month for each person, against $119 a month for each person for Five9. Five9 starts at $119 per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum, and Zendesk starts at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Five9 or Zendesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Five9 nor Zendesk has a free plan. Zendesk has a free trial.
Which platforms do Five9 and Zendesk run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Zendesk lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.