Zendesk
Ticketing, messaging, help center and AI agents for support teams
Zendesk report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for support teams handling email, chat and phone
Zendesk is the full support desk: email, chat, social messages and phone in one ticket queue, a help center in 40+ languages and AI agents that answer on their own. It does nearly everything a support team could want. But the $19 plan is email only, and the parts most teams come for start at $55 an agent.
Who Zendesk is for
- Great if your team answers email, chat and phone and wants one queue for all of it
- Handy when you want a public help center tied to your tickets
- Good for funded startups, which can get Suite Professional free for 6 months
Who Zendesk is not for
- Pricey if you need live chat or a help center, as both start at $55 an agent
- 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 are charged one by one
Why Zendesk gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for moneySupport 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.
- CFree plan and trialA 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.
- BFeaturesTicketing 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.
- BEase of use4.5 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.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Zendesk's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/zendesk#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/zendesk.svg" alt="Zendesk: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Zendesk stands among help desk and live chat tools
Zendesk's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 19 other help desk and live chat tools we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on ease of use (B, above 16 of 19) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $19 a month for each person, against a middle price of $24.17 for the category: 5 of the 18 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 20 help desk and live chat tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Zendesk’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 19, level with 5
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 19, level with 16
- BFeaturesAbove 9 of 19, level with 10
- BEase of useAbove 16 of 19, level with 1
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 19, level with 15
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 19 help desk and live chat tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Zendesk, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Zendesk you would be making an AI model answering your customers from your own help articles. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 8 of the 19 other help desk and live chat tools grade higher. It costs $228 a year.
What you could make
- Help desk, help center and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- An AI model answering your customers from your own help articles.
- A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Zendesk’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Zendesk?
Zendesk is a customer service platform that gathers email, chat, social messages and phone calls into one ticket queue for a team of agents. Its Suite plans add a help center, live chat and voice, and every plan includes AI agents that are billed by the number of conversations they resolve on their own.
Zendesk is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly). See every plan
Good for
- Support teams handling email, chat and phone in one queue
- Companies that want a public help center tied to their tickets
- Teams planning to hand routine questions to AI agents
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Zendesk pricing
- Starts at
- $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of Suite Professional with the Copilot add-on
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Support Team | $19per 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 | $55per 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 | $115per 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 + Copilot | Custom | Adds intelligent triage, Auto Assist, generative AI for voice, approval workflows, a sandbox and custom agent roles. Sold through sales. |
Read from zendesk.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Zendesk before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountAbout 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.
Stated on zendesk.com - StartupsStartups: 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.
Stated on zendesk.com
How people rate the Zendesk app
4.5
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
4,219 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 17, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
Zendesk alternatives
- Zendesk vs Freshdesk
Free trial · from $19/mo
- Zendesk vs Intercom
Free trial · from $29/mo
- Zendesk vs Zoho Desk
Free plan · from $7/mo
- Zendesk vs Help Scout
Free plan · from $25/mo
- Zendesk vs Front
Free trial · from $25/mo
Common questions
Is Zendesk free?
No, Zendesk is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial of Suite Professional with the Copilot add-on.
How much does Zendesk cost?
Zendesk lists 4 plans. Support Team: $19 per agent / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly). Suite Team: $55 per agent / month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly). Suite Professional: $115 per agent / month, billed annually ($149 billed monthly). Suite Enterprise + Copilot: custom pricing. Prices were read from zendesk.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Zendesk work on?
Zendesk is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Zendesk offer any discounts?
Zendesk publicly lists the following: About 20% off with annual billing; Startups: 6 months free, up to 2 years via partners.
How is Zendesk rated?
Zendesk's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4,219 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Zendesk have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Zendesk is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Zendesk have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Zendesk is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Zendesk open source?
Zendesk is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does Zendesk have an API?
Yes. Zendesk offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Zendesk integrate with?
Zendesk's listing names WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, X, Slack, WeChat and LINE. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Zendesk?
Zendesk is made by Zendesk, Inc. It dates from 2007.
What are the alternatives to Zendesk?
The closest alternatives to Zendesk in our directory are Freshdesk, Intercom, Zoho Desk, Help Scout and Front. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Zendesk.
How does Zendesk compare with other help desk and live chat tools?
Zendesk's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 19 other help desk and live chat tools we grade, and level with 5. It stands best on ease of use (B, above 16 of 19) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Is Zendesk good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Zendesk D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $19 a month for each person, against a middle price of $24.17 for the category: 5 of the 18 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Could I make my own version of Zendesk?
To replace Zendesk you would be making an AI model answering your customers from your own help articles. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 8 of the 19 other help desk and live chat tools grade higher. It costs $228 a year. What you could not make: An AI model answering your customers from your own help articles. A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.