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Updated 11 Nov 2026 · prices read on vendor pages

11 best Zendesk alternatives in 2027

Mehmet ElmicenniReviewed by Mehmet Elmicenni, founder of Zekai•Prices checked •How we check

The short answer

The best Zendesk alternatives in 2027 are Intercom (best overall, $19/seat/mo), Help Scout (best free plan: 5 users, 1 inbox) and Chatwoot (best open source, MIT). Zendesk itself starts at $19/agent/mo billed yearly. Zekai checked these prices on vendor pages on 11 Nov 2026; 8 more are compared below, including 3 with a free plan and 2 open source.

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Best overallSee in table →
Intercom logo

Intercom

$19/seat/mo

9.0
Best free planSee in table →

Help Scout

$25/user/mo · free plan

8.5
Best open sourceSee in table →
Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

Free to self-host · MIT

8.6
11alternatives compared
4with a free plan
3open source
$19/seat/mocheapest paid · Intercom
$19/agent/mo billed yearlyZendesk starts at
01 · Zekai Price Ledger

Which Zendesk alternatives are worth it in 2027?

Worth a look in 2027: Intercom for AI-agent-first support priced per outcome, Freshdesk at the same $19 annual entry price, Help Scout for small shared-inbox teams, Jira Service Management for internal service desks, and Salesforce Service Cloud if customer data lives in Salesforce. Open-source options are Chatwoot, Zammad and osTicket. Prices were read on vendor pages on 11 November 2026.

ToolTypeStarting priceFree plan limitBest forCost for your teamChecked
Zendesk logo
ZendeskThe tool you are replacing
 You are here
$19/agent/mo billed yearlySupport Team, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)
 No free plan Full-suite ticketing with AI agents — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Intercom logo
Intercom Zekai score 9.0Best overall
$19/seat/moEssential, per seat (page shows $29 struck through, 'New customers save 35%')
 No free plan AI-agent-first support inbox — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Freshdesk Zekai score 8.5
$19/agent/mo billed yearlyGrowth, billed annually
 No free plan Per-agent helpdesk with AI add-ons — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Help Scout Zekai score 8.5Best free plan
 Free plan + paid
$25/user/moStandard (page toggle between monthly and annual not labelled in the text)
 Free: 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site Shared-inbox support for small teams — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Jira Service Management logo
Jira Service Management Zekai score 8.1
 Free plan + paid
$21.50/agent/moStandard (monthly/annual toggle on page)
 Free forever for 3 agents IT and internal service desks on Atlassian — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Salesforce Service Cloud logo
Salesforce Service Cloud Zekai score 8.2
$25/user/moStarter Suite, billed monthly or annually
 No free plan Case management tied to Salesforce CRM — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
HubSpot Service Hub logo
HubSpot Service Hub Zekai score 8.5
 Free
Free plan; paid price not publishedStarter shown as 'starts at' $7 and $20 per seat; labels for monthly vs annual not clear
 Free for up to 2 users Support tickets inside HubSpot CRM $0 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Front logo
Front Zekai score 7.7
$25/seat/mo billed yearlyStarter, billed annually, up to 10 seats
 No free plan Shared inbox for email-heavy teams — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Tidio logo
Tidio Zekai score 6.6
 Free plan + paid
$24.17/moStarter, flat monthly (annual vs monthly basis not labelled)
 50 billable conversations a month, 10 agents Live chat and chatbot for small shops — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Chatwoot logo
Chatwoot Zekai score 8.6Best open source
 Open source
$19/agent/mo (Cloud) (hosted)
 No limit, self-hosted (MIT) Open-source omnichannel support inbox — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Zammad logo
Zammad Zekai score 7.5
 Open source
Free (self-hosted)EUR 7 to EUR 25 per agent billed annually (no USD shown)
 No limit, self-hosted (AGPL-3.0) Self-hostable ticketing with hosted option $0 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
osTicket logo
osTicket Zekai score 6.6
 Open source
Free (self-hosted)
 No limit, self-hosted (GPL-2.0) Classic PHP ticketing on your server $0 14 Nov 2026 Code ↗

Every price was read on the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. The Cost Finder assumes one entry plan per person, so it multiplies by your team size; yearly prices are shown per month, and team or business plans can cost more per seat. "Not checked" means we could not confirm a public price.

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02 · Free plan

Is there a free version of Zendesk?

Zendesk has no free plan. Its pricing page offers a 14-day trial of the Suite Professional plan, and a startup programme is described with conflicting terms, so check it on the page. Paid plans start at $19 per agent per month billed annually, or $25 billed monthly, and AI agents are included in every plan with a small resolution allowance.

Source: Zendesk pricing page, read 11 Nov 2026.

FreeNone

No free plan on the pricing page

Paid from$19/agent/mo billed yearly

Support Team, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)

03 · Free alternatives

What are the best free Zendesk alternatives?

Help Scout has a free plan for 5 users with 1 inbox and 1 Docs site. Jira Service Management is free forever for 3 agents, and Tidio's free plan covers 50 billable conversations a month. Chatwoot's hosted Hacker plan is free for 2 agents and 500 conversations a month, and HubSpot's free tools plan covers 2 users. Zendesk lists no free plan.

Help Scout

Best free planFree plan + paid
Free: 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site
Paid from $25/user/mo
vs Zendesk →Zekai review
Jira Service Management logo

Jira Service Management

Free plan + paid
Free forever for 3 agents
Paid from $21.50/agent/mo
vs Zendesk →Zekai review
HubSpot Service Hub logo

HubSpot Service Hub

Free
Free for up to 2 users
vs Zendesk →Zekai review
Tidio logo

Tidio

Free plan + paid
50 billable conversations a month, 10 agents
Paid from $24.17/mo
vs Zendesk →Zekai review
04 · Open source

What are the best open-source Zendesk alternatives?

Chatwoot is MIT-licensed and self-hosts with Docker Compose. Zammad is AGPL-3.0 with Docker, Helm and DEB/RPM install paths. osTicket is GPL-2.0 and needs PHP 8.2 to 8.4 with MySQL. All three cost nothing to run yourself, but you carry hosting, backups and updates; Zammad also sells hosted plans and support packages.

Chatwoot logo

Chatwoot

MIT★ 20k GitHub stars · Jun 2026
To self-host: Run the Docker Compose files from the repo on your own server with its environment variables set, or use the hosted Cloud plans from $19 per agent; AI credits are a Cloud feature.
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
Zammad logo

Zammad

AGPL-3.0★ 6.1k GitHub stars · Nov 2026
To self-host: Install from the Docker Compose repo, a Helm chart for Kubernetes or DEB/RPM packages on your own server; hosted plans are priced per agent and support packages are sold yearly.
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
osTicket logo

osTicket

GPL-2.0★ 4k GitHub stars · Jun 2026
To self-host: Needs PHP 8.2 to 8.4 (8.4 recommended), MySQL 5.5 or later and the mysqli extension on a web server you manage.
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
05 · Side by side

How does Zendesk compare with each alternative?

Zendesk Support Team costs $19 per agent per month billed annually, the same entry price as Freshdesk Growth. Intercom charges $0.99 or more per AI outcome, Front adds Autopilot at $0.39 per conversation, and Jira Service Management Standard is $21.50 per agent. Zendesk charges $1.50 to $2.00 per automated resolution beyond the included amount.

01
Intercom logo

Zendesk vs Intercom

Best overall$19/seat/mo · checked 11 Nov 20269.0
The differencePrices its Fin AI agent per outcome, from $0.99 each, and also sells Fin standalone with no seats required, so the AI agent can sit on top of another helpdesk.
Switch to Intercom ifyou want the AI agent billed per resolved outcome and may keep another helpdesk for tickets
Stay with Zendesk ifyou want AI agents, messaging and telephony bundled into a single per-agent suite price
Pros
  • Natively integrated AI agent (Fin) learns from human reps.
  • Omnichannel inbox unifies conversations from email, chat, and other channels.
Cons
  • Pricing model combines per-seat and per-outcome fees, which can be complex to forecast.
  • Advanced features like Pro AI and Copilot require separate add-on subscriptions.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Intercom · Verdict: Powerful AI-Native Helpdesk

Visit IntercomRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
02

Zendesk vs Freshdesk

$19/agent/mo billed yearly · checked 11 Nov 20268.5
The differenceIts Freddy AI Agent includes the first 500 sessions on every plan, then charges $49 per 100 sessions; the Freddy Copilot add-on is $29 per agent on Pro and Enterprise.
Switch to Freshdesk ifyou want AI sessions billed in blocks per 100 rather than per automated resolution
Stay with Zendesk ifyou need the Suite plans that already bundle AI agents, messaging and telephony
Pros
  • Centralizes customer communication across a unified shared inbox
  • Includes ready-to-use AI tools for drafting replies and summarizing threads
Cons
  • Advanced features like Freddy AI Copilot require an extra per-agent monthly fee
  • Additional AI Agent sessions incur separate usage-based charges

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Freshdesk · Verdict: Solid AI Helpdesk Platform

Visit FreshdeskRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
03

Zendesk vs Help Scout

Best free planFree plan + paid$25/user/mo · checked 11 Nov 20268.5
The differenceHas a free plan for up to 5 users with 1 inbox and 1 Docs site, and charges its Envoy AI add-on $0.75 per resolution with a monthly spending cap.
Switch to Help Scout ifyou are a small team that wants a shared inbox and a knowledge base at no cost to start
Stay with Zendesk ifyou need telephony and multi-channel messaging inside the same suite as the ticketing tool
Pros
  • Extremely intuitive and easy to learn.
  • AI features directly assist agents with summaries, drafts, and translation.
Cons
  • Advanced features like HIPAA and SSO are exclusive to the expensive Pro plan.
  • The autonomous 'AI Answers' chatbot is a paid add-on ($0.75/resolution).

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Help Scout · Verdict: Intuitive AI Support Hub

Visit Help ScoutRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
04
Jira Service Management logo

Zendesk vs Jira Service Management

Free plan + paid$21.50/agent/mo · checked 11 Nov 20268.1
The differenceFree forever for 3 agents, and Standard includes Rovo agents with 250 Rovo credits per user per month; built around IT service requests in the Atlassian stack.
Switch to Jira Service Management ifyour agents already work in Jira and Confluence or you run IT and internal service requests
Stay with Zendesk ifyour tickets come from external customers on chat, social and voice rather than internal requesters
Pros
  • Includes ready-made templates for various team workflows
  • Scalable infrastructure for enterprise requirements
Cons
  • Initial configuration requires significant administrative effort
  • Complex feature set can present a steep learning curve for new users

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Jira Service Management · Verdict: High-Velocity Support

Visit Jira Service ManagementRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
05
Salesforce Service Cloud logo

Zendesk vs Salesforce Service Cloud

$25/user/mo · checked 11 Nov 20268.2
The differenceFive editions from Starter Suite at $25 to Max at $550 per user per month; Agentforce for Service is sold separately and paid on Flex Credits in higher editions.
Switch to Salesforce Service Cloud ifyour customer records already live in Salesforce and you need case management on the same platform
Stay with Zendesk ifyou want a published AI-resolution price and a lower step between plans than Salesforce editions
Pros
  • Offers a free suite tier alongside paid tiers starting at $25/user/month
  • Combines AI agents and human support workflows on one CRM platform
Cons
  • Advanced AI features require purchasing Flex Credits or higher-tier plans
  • Data storage on lower tiers is limited to 10GB per organization

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Salesforce Service Cloud · Verdict: Enterprise Service AI

Visit Salesforce Service CloudRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
06
HubSpot Service Hub logo

Zendesk vs HubSpot Service Hub

FreeFree plan; paid price not published8.5
The differenceFree tools plan for up to 2 users; AI agents run on HubSpot Credits at $0.010 each, and Professional carries a required one-time $1,500 onboarding fee.
Switch to HubSpot Service Hub ifyou already run marketing and sales in HubSpot and want tickets on the same contact records
Stay with Zendesk ifyou want a helpdesk with no mandatory onboarding fee and no credit-based AI metering
Pros
  • Scale support operations with automated AI agents
  • Keep customer data unified inside Smart CRM
Cons
  • Advanced features require paid tier upgrades
  • Migrating existing support tickets takes planning

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of HubSpot Service Hub · Verdict: Reliable Support Hub

Visit HubSpot Service HubRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
07
Front logo

Zendesk vs Front

$25/seat/mo billed yearly · checked 11 Nov 20267.7
The differenceStarter is capped at 10 seats, Professional at 50; its Autopilot AI agent starts at $0.39 per conversation and Copilot costs $20 per seat as an add-on.
Switch to Front ifyour support runs mostly through shared email inboxes with collaboration between teammates
Stay with Zendesk ifyou need more than 50 agents on a mid-tier plan or a phone channel in the same suite
Pros
  • Handles complex, multi-step workflows other AIs can't.
  • Unifies all communication channels and teams in one view.
Cons
  • Core AI features (Copilot, Smart QA) are expensive add-ons or require the top Enterprise plan.
  • Starter plan is limited to a single channel and 10 seats.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Front · Verdict: AI for complex operations

Visit FrontRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
08
Tidio logo

Zendesk vs Tidio

Free plan + paid$24.17/mo · checked 11 Nov 20266.6
The differencePriced by billable conversations rather than seats: Free covers 50 a month and 10 agents, Starter 100; Lyro AI Agent is an add-on from $32.50 per month.
Switch to Tidio ifyour volume is low and you would rather pay by conversation count than per agent seat
Stay with Zendesk ifyou have many agents or high ticket volume where conversation-based caps would be reached quickly
Pros
  • Provides a unified helpdesk to streamline customer interactions and improve response times
  • Offers proactive automations that convert, enabling marketing teams to focus on high-value activities
Cons
  • May require significant setup and training for the AI agent to be effective
  • Limited customization options for the chatbot's tone and personality

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Tidio

Visit TidioRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
09
Chatwoot logo

Zendesk vs Chatwoot

Best open sourceOpen source$19/agent/mo (Cloud) (hosted) · checked 11 Nov 20268.6
The differenceMIT-licensed self-hosted inbox with live chat and email; the hosted Hacker plan is free for 2 agents and 500 conversations a month, paid Cloud plans start at $19 per agent.
Switch to Chatwoot ifyou want to self-host a live-chat and email support inbox under a permissive MIT licence
Stay with Zendesk ifyou want vendor-run AI agents, telephony and compliance features without operating servers
Visit ChatwootRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
10
Zammad logo

Zendesk vs Zammad

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)7.5
The differenceAGPL-3.0 ticketing system with Docker, Helm and DEB/RPM install paths; hosted plans run EUR 7 to EUR 25 per agent per month billed annually, and there is no free tier.
Switch to Zammad ifyou need a self-hosted ticket system you can run from Docker or Kubernetes with optional paid support
Stay with Zendesk ifyou want a managed suite with built-in AI agents and no servers or backups of your own to run
Visit ZammadRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
11
osTicket logo

Zendesk vs osTicket

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)6.6
The differenceGPL-2.0 PHP and MySQL ticket system that runs on an ordinary web host; it is a plain ticketing tool and its repo does not describe built-in AI agents.
Switch to osTicket ifyou want a free, plain ticket system that runs on a standard PHP and MySQL web host
Stay with Zendesk ifyou need AI-drafted replies, chat widgets and automation without building them yourself
Visit osTicketRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
06 · What changed

Why do people leave Zendesk?

  • Zendesk bills AI agent resolutions on top of seats: each plan includes 5 automated resolutions per agent per month (10 on Suite Professional), after which committed resolutions cost $1.50 and pay-as-you-go $2.00 each. (source)

  • Zendesk's Copilot add-on costs $50 per agent per month billed annually and Contact Center $83; the included Copilot allowance is 5 uses per agent, pooled and capped at 500 uses per instance each month. (source)

  • Zendesk lists no free plan, only a 14-day trial of Suite Professional; monthly billing of Support Team is $25 versus $19 billed annually. (source)

08 · FAQ

Questions people ask about Zendesk alternatives

What is the best alternative to Zendesk in 2027?

Intercom is the best overall Zendesk alternative on this page ($19/seat/mo). For no cost, Help Scout has a free plan (Free: 5 users, 1 Inbox, 1 Docs site). To self-host, Chatwoot is open source (MIT).

Is there a free version of Zendesk?

No. Zendesk has no free plan; paid plans start at $19/agent/mo billed yearly, checked on 11 Nov 2026.

Is there a 100% free alternative to Zendesk?

Yes. Chatwoot, Zammad, osTicket are open source and free to self-host. Help Scout, Jira Service Management, HubSpot Service Hub, Tidio have a free plan with limits, shown in the table.

How much do Zendesk alternatives cost for a team of 5?

If each of 5 people buys the entry paid plan, at the prices Zekai checked on 11 Nov 2026, the monthly cost is Intercom $95/mo, Freshdesk $95/mo, Chatwoot $95/mo, against Zendesk $95/mo for Zendesk. Team and business plans can cost more per seat. The Zekai Cost Finder on this page recalculates for any team size.

Which is better, Intercom or Zendesk?

Prices its Fin AI agent per outcome, from $0.99 each, and also sells Fin standalone with no seats required, so the AI agent can sit on top of another helpdesk. Choose Intercom if you want the AI agent billed per resolved outcome and may keep another helpdesk for tickets. Stay with Zendesk if you want AI agents, messaging and telephony bundled into a single per-agent suite price.

Why are people leaving Zendesk?

The documented reasons are: Zendesk bills AI agent resolutions on top of seats: each plan includes 5 automated resolutions per agent per month (10 on Suite Professional), after which committed resolutions cost $1.50 and pay-as-you-go $2.00 each (11 Nov 2026); Zendesk's Copilot add-on costs $50 per agent per month billed annually and Contact Center $83; the included Copilot allowance is 5 uses per agent, pooled and capped at 500 uses per instance each month (11 Nov 2026). Each is sourced in the section above.

What is better than Zendesk?

It depends on the job. Intercom suits AI-agent-first support, Freshdesk is the closest like-for-like helpdesk, Help Scout fits small shared-inbox teams, and Jira Service Management fits internal IT service desks.

Is Zendesk worth it compared with Freshdesk?

Both start at the same annual per-agent price. Zendesk bills AI resolutions per automated resolution, while Freshdesk includes 500 AI sessions on each plan and then sells blocks of 100.

09 · Method

How did Zekai check this page?

Zekai independently reviews AI tools. For this page we read each vendor's own pricing and product pages and recorded the starting price, the free-plan limit and the date of the check. Only tools that do the same job as Zendesk are listed, and sponsors never change the order or the scores.

Mehmet Elmicenni, founder of Zekai
Mehmet Elmicenni

Founder of Zekai. Reviews the alternatives pages and the price checks behind them.

About the founder · How Zekai scores tools

JSON copyMarkdown copy
1 · Same job onlyEvery alternative does the same task as Zendesk; tools for other jobs are left out.
2 · Vendor pages onlyPrices and free limits come from each vendor's own pricing page, never from blogs.
Zekai score0–10, from four published weights: ease 25%, output quality 30%, value 20%, time saved 25%. How we score
3 · Re-checkedA price older than 35 days is re-read or the page falls back to an older version.
Change log

  • Page rebuilt on v6; all prices re-read on vendor pages.

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