Alternatives to Zendesk
Below are the 16 other tools in Customer Support & Chatbots, the category where we list Zendesk. For each one you get what it is, the starting price shown on its own site, and whether it has a free tier.
Zendesk starts at $19/mo, and we do not list a free tier for it. Read the full Zendesk profile, or see everything in Customer Support & Chatbots.
Price and free tier at a glance
| Tool | Starting price | Free tier |
|---|---|---|
| Zendesk | $19/mo (checked October 2026) | Not listed |
| Ada | Custom pricing (checked October 2026) | Not listed |
| Botpress | Free; paid plans from $150/mo (checked October 2026) | Yes |
| Chatbase | $40/mo (checked October 2026) | Not listed |
| Crisp | Free; paid plans from $45/mo (checked October 2026) | Yes |
| Decagon | Custom pricing (checked October 2026) | Not listed |
| Forethought | Custom pricing (checked October 2026) | Not listed |
| Freshdesk | $19/mo (checked October 2026) | Not listed |
| Gorgias | $10/mo (checked October 2026) | Not listed |
| Help Scout | Free; paid plans from $25/mo (checked October 2026) | Yes |
| HubSpot Service Hub | Free; paid plans from $7/mo | Yes |
| Intercom | $29/mo (checked October 2026) | Not listed |
| LiveChat | $19/mo (checked October 2026) | Not listed |
| ManyChat | Free; paid plans from $14/mo (checked October 2026) | Yes |
| Sierra | Custom pricing (checked October 2026) | Not listed |
| Tidio | Free; paid plans from $24.17/mo (checked October 2026) | Yes |
| Voiceflow | Free; paid plans from $54/mo (checked October 2026) | Yes |
Zendesk is the first row. The rest are in alphabetical order.
Alternatives with a free tier
7 of the 16 alternatives list a free tier or free plan. Free tiers usually come with usage limits.
Listed at a lower starting price than Zendesk
3 of the 16 tools below list a lower starting price ($19/mo) than Zendesk. A lower starting price does not mean the same features: plan limits differ a lot between tools.
Head-to-head comparisons
All 16 alternatives
Ada
AI customer service agents for enterprises across chat, voice, email and messaging; no public prices, quotes come from sales after a demo.
Botpress
Platform for building AI support agents and chatbots with Studio, Desk and an ADK. Free has 100 conversations a month; paid plans start at $150 a month billed annually.
Chatbase
Platform for building AI support agents trained on your own content and deploying them to web chat, email, WhatsApp, Slack and more. Paid plans with a 7-day trial.
Crisp
Shared inbox and live chat platform with Hugo, an AI agent billed through monthly credits. Free plan available; paid plans start at $45 a month per workspace.
Decagon
AI customer service agents for voice, chat and email, built with natural-language workflows; priced per conversation or per resolution through a demo, with no public price.
Forethought
AI agents for customer support (self-service resolution, ticket triage, agent assist, QA) across chat, email and voice; quote-based pricing, no public price.
Freshdesk
Helpdesk with ticketing, shared inbox and knowledge base, plus Freddy AI Agent and Copilot add-ons. Per-agent plans; 14-day trial and a limited free program.
Gorgias
Ecommerce helpdesk with ticketing, automation and a per-resolution AI Agent add-on. Starter is $10 a month billed monthly (50 tickets); 7-day free trial.
Help Scout
Shared-inbox helpdesk with live chat, SMS and AI reply drafting; a Free plan exists, and Standard is $25 per user a month (reported as billed annually).
HubSpot Service Hub
Customer service software on the HubSpot CRM with help desk and an AI Customer Agent (Professional and up). Paid plans start at $7 a seat a month; billing basis unconfirmed.
Intercom
Customer service platform with a shared inbox and help center, plus Fin, an AI agent for chat and email billed per outcome. Per-seat plans; 14-day free trial.
LiveChat
Live chat and messaging tool, sold under the Text brand, with an AI Agent and reply suggestions. Essential is $19 per user a month billed annually ($25 monthly).
ManyChat
Chat automation builder for Instagram, TikTok, Messenger, WhatsApp and more, with a Free plan. Paid plans start at $14 a month billed annually ($17 monthly).
Sierra
Enterprise platform for AI customer-service agents across chat, voice, email and SMS; pricing is not published (the vendor describes outcome-based pricing).
Tidio
Live chat and helpdesk with Lyro, an AI agent that answers from your content. Free plan; Starter is $24.17 a month billed annually.
Voiceflow
Platform for building AI customer support agents across chat, voice and SMS, with a Free plan and paid plans reported from $54 a month billed annually.
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