Zendesk
A large, battle-tested help desk that brings ticketing, live chat, and AI agents together for teams that have outgrown simpler tools.
Our verdict
One of the most complete and thoroughly certified help desks available, but the price climbs fast once you add AI resolutions and admin add-ons, and it takes real setup time to get right.
How we rated it
Overall 4.2 / 5
Pricing
Support Team
$19/mo
A ticketing-only plan for teams that just need email and social ticket management, no chat or messaging included. Price shown is per agent, billed annually.
- Email, social, and web-form ticketing
- Basic automation and triggers
- Standard reporting
- Knowledge base for internal or customer-facing articles
Suite Team
Popular$55/mo
The entry point to the full Zendesk Suite. Price shown is per agent, billed annually; monthly billing is $69/agent.
- Everything in Support Team, plus live chat and messaging
- WhatsApp and Instagram channels
- A branded help center
- AI Agents Essential included
- Talk phone support with call routing
Suite Growth
$89/mo
For teams that have outgrown Suite Team but don't need the full mid-market feature set yet. Price shown is per agent, billed annually.
- Everything in Suite Team
- Deeper reporting in Explore
- Light workforce management features
- Self-service customer portal
Suite Professional
$115/mo
Built for teams that need tighter control as they scale. Price shown is per agent, billed annually. Larger organizations can also talk to sales about Suite Enterprise for custom needs.
- Everything in Suite Growth
- Skill-based ticket routing
- Up to 5 help centers and CSAT surveys
- Service level agreements (SLAs)
- AI writing tools and the Admin Copilot bundle
Features
- A ticketing system that automatically sorts, prioritizes, and routes incoming requests, with AI suggesting replies and summarizing long threads
- Omnichannel messaging that brings email, live chat, WhatsApp, and Instagram into one agent workspace
- AI Agents that resolve routine questions on their own, with a free Essential tier and a more capable Advanced tier as a paid add-on
- A customizable help center (Guide) where customers can search articles before ever contacting an agent
- Talk, Zendesk's built-in phone support tool, with call routing and click-to-call from inside a ticket
- Skill-based routing and service level agreement (SLA) tracking so the right ticket reaches the right agent in time (Professional plan and up)
- Explore, a reporting and analytics tool that tracks response times, resolution rates, and customer satisfaction
- A large marketplace of pre-built apps and integrations, plus native iOS and Android apps for agents on the go
Alternatives
Freshdesk
A budget-friendly help desk that gets your team up and running fast, with AI ticket handling built in.
Help Scout
A simple, email-like shared inbox that keeps customer support personal, even as your team grows.
Gorgias
A help desk built specifically for online stores, with order details, refunds, and an AI agent built right into every ticket.