Automate Basics

Zendesk

Customer service software with ticketing, messaging, voice and AI agents

Customer support AIAI agent buildersFree trial · from $19/user/mo

What is Zendesk?

Zendesk is customer service software that handles support requests from email, chat, messaging and phone in one ticketing system. Pricing is per agent seat. Support plans cover email ticketing, while Suite plans add messaging, voice and a knowledge base. AI agents come with every plan, and their use is billed per automated resolution.

Good for

  • Handling customer emails as tracked tickets in a small support team
  • Combining chat, messaging and phone support in one queue
  • Resolving common questions with an AI agent that is billed only for requests it resolves without a human

Key features

  • Email ticketing, routing, automations and triggers from the cheapest plan
  • Messaging, live chat, telephony and omnichannel routing on Suite plans
  • AI agents included in every Support and Suite plan, billed per automated resolution
  • Admin Copilot, writing tools and App Builder on Suite Professional
  • Copilot agent assistant as a paid add-on at $50/agent/month paid yearly

Limitations to know about

  • No free plan; the 14-day trial runs on Suite Professional
  • Support Team is email-focused; messaging, live chat and telephony need a Suite plan
  • Copilot costs extra ($50/agent/month paid yearly) except on Suite Enterprise + Copilot

Zendesk pricing

PlanPriceWhat you get
Support Team$25/agent/mo paid monthly, or $19 paid yearlyEmail ticketing, ticket routing, prebuilt dashboards, pre-written responses, automations and triggers
Suite Team$69/agent/mo paid monthly, or $55 paid yearlyAdds AI agents, knowledge base, Action Builder, omnichannel routing, messaging, live chat and telephony
Suite Professional$149/agent/mo paid monthly, or $115 paid yearlyAdds Admin Copilot, App Builder, writing tools, quick reports, skills-based routing, IVR phone tree
Suite Enterprise + CopilotTalk to salesAdds intelligent triage, Auto Assist, generative AI for voice, approval workflows, sandbox, custom agent roles

Prices in US dollars as published on Zendesk's pricing page on 23 September 2026. Vendors change prices often; check theirs before you buy. Current prices

Zendesk alternatives

Freshdesk

Freshworks help desk with ticketing, a knowledge base and Freddy AI

Customer support AIFree trial · from $19/user/mo

Intercom

Customer service helpdesk with a built-in AI agent, Fin

Customer support AIFree trial · from $19/user/mo

HubSpot

CRM platform with free tools plus paid marketing, sales and service hubs

Sales and CRMFree plan · from $7/user/mo

Tidio

Live chat, ticketing and an AI agent (Lyro) for customer service

Customer support AIFree plan · from $24.17/mo

Chatbase

Builds AI support agents trained on a company's own content

Customer support AIFree plan · from $32/mo

Voiceflow

Platform for building AI customer service agents for chat and voice

Customer support AISee pricing

Head to head: Zendesk vs Intercom

Frequently asked questions

Is Zendesk free?

No, Zendesk does not have a free plan. It offers a 14-day free trial of Suite Professional (Copilot included in the trial). Paid plans start at $19/user/mo billed annually.

How much does Zendesk cost?

Zendesk's cheapest paid plan, Support Team, costs $25 a month billed monthly and $19 a month billed annually. Cheapest self-serve plan; email-based support. AI agent usage is billed per automated resolution. There is also an enterprise plan priced on request. Prices as published on Zendesk's pricing page on 23 September 2026.

What is Zendesk used for?

Zendesk is customer service software that handles support requests from email, chat, messaging and phone in one ticketing system. People use it for handling customer emails as tracked tickets in a small support team, combining chat, messaging and phone support in one queue and resolving common questions with an AI agent that is billed only for requests it resolves without a human.

What are the alternatives to Zendesk?

Tools that do a similar job include Freshdesk, Intercom, HubSpot, Tidio and Chatbase. Each has its own page here with its plans, limits and prices.

Who makes Zendesk?

Zendesk is made by Zendesk, based in San Francisco, California, US. The company was founded in 2007.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from Zendesk's own pages, read on the dates shown.

  1. zendesk.com/pricing/ (plan prices (monthly and annual toggle), AI agent billing, add-ons, trial, features) read 23 September 2026
  2. zendesk.com/company/ (founding year, headquarters, integrations claim, description) read 23 September 2026

Compiled by from the vendor's own pages. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.