The 7 best Zendesk alternatives to consider in 2025

Zendesk is a giant in the customer support world, there’s no getting around it. For years, it’s been the default choice for teams needing a powerful help desk. But let’s be honest, its one-size-fits-all approach, rising costs, and sheer complexity can feel like you're trying to pilot a spaceship when all you really need is a reliable car. If you're nodding along, you're in the right place.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the customer support trenches, testing and poking around different platforms. This guide is the result of all that work, a straight-to-the-point look at the best Zendesk alternatives out there, each picked for a specific reason. Whether you're a small business drowning in Zendesk's features or a bigger team frustrated by its rigid setup, there's a better way to work.

But here’s a thought: what if the best move isn’t to rip everything out and start over? What if you could just make the system you already have, the one your team knows, a whole lot smarter? Let's get into it.

What are Zendesk alternatives?

At its core, a help desk platform is your command center for customer conversations. It’s supposed to be a single place to manage emails, chats, and calls so nothing slips through the cracks. It should make life easier, not harder.

When people start looking for Zendesk alternatives, they’re usually thinking about one of two paths:

1. The full replacement. These are the all-in-one platforms that offer a similar set of features. Think Freshdesk or Help Scout. Choosing one of these means you’re signing up for a full migration, moving your data, retraining your team, and rebuilding your workflows from the ground up. It’s a big project, to say the least.

2. The AI upgrade. This is a newer, and frankly, smarter approach. These tools plug directly into your existing help desk (yep, even Zendesk) to add a powerful layer of AI and automation. They give you the advanced intelligence you’re looking for without the headache of a complete overhaul.

Getting this distinction is important, because the best decision for your team might not be to switch, but to upgrade what you've already got.

How we chose the best Zendesk alternatives

To cut through the marketing fluff, I judged each tool on a few practical things. This isn't just about a feature checklist; it's about how these platforms actually feel to use day-to-day.

• Does it nail the basics? I looked at how well each platform handles ticketing, managing different support channels, and reporting without making you jump through a dozen hoops.

• Could I set it up myself? Can you get this running over a cup of coffee, or does it need a six-month implementation project with a team of consultants? I leaned heavily towards tools that you can set up on your own.

• Is the AI actually useful? I looked for real intelligence that automates tedious tasks, drafts quality replies, and surfaces useful insights, not just another "AI-powered" buzzword.

• Is the price fair and clear? Is the pricing page a minefield of hidden fees and confusing add-ons? I picked tools with straightforward, predictable pricing. Nobody likes a surprise bill, especially when it’s because you were too good at helping customers.

• Who is this actually for? I pinpointed the ideal user for each tool, whether it’s a small e-commerce shop, an internal IT team, or a massive enterprise.

A quick comparison of the top Zendesk alternatives

Here’s a quick rundown of the platforms that made the cut. You can scan this to see which ones might be a good fit before diving into the details.

Tool	Best For	Standout Feature	Pricing Model	Self-Serve Setup?
eesel AI	Upgrading your current help desk with powerful AI	Risk-free simulation on past tickets	Per interactions (no per-resolution fees)	Yes, in minutes
Help Scout	Small to mid-sized businesses	Simplicity and human-centric design	Per contact	Yes
HubSpot Service Hub	Teams needing an all-in-one CRM	Deep integration with sales & marketing data	Per user	Yes
Freshdesk	A direct, feature-rich replacement	Extensive app marketplace	Per user	Yes
Gorgias	E-commerce stores (especially Shopify)	Deep Shopify integration for order management	Per ticket	Yes
Jira Service Management	Internal IT & DevOps teams	ITIL-based workflows & asset management	Per user	Yes
Zoho Desk	Affordability and the Zoho ecosystem	Context-aware AI at a low price point	Per user	Yes

The 7 best Zendesk alternatives for your team

Here's a closer look at each one, what makes it stand out, and who it's really built for.

1. eesel AI

If you're already set up in Zendesk but just wish it were smarter, eesel AI is the answer. It’s not another help desk; it’s an AI layer that plugs directly into your existing tools to give them the intelligence they’re missing. Think of it as a brain for your current help desk.

Why it's on the list: eesel AI solves the single biggest headache of switching platforms: the migration. Instead of a months-long project, you can get powerful AI automation up and running in minutes. It’s designed for teams that want results now, not next quarter.

Key advantages:

• Go live in minutes, seriously. You can sign up and connect your help desk with one click. There are no mandatory demos or sales calls holding you back. You can be completely self-serve and have an AI agent running in less time than it takes to finish your coffee.

• Test with zero risk. This is its best feature. eesel AI’s simulation mode runs your AI setup on thousands of your own historical tickets. It shows you exactly how it would have responded, giving you a precise forecast of your resolution rate before it ever talks to a live customer.

A screenshot of the eesel AI simulation mode, which is one of the best features of these Zendesk alternatives.

• You're in complete control. You decide exactly what the AI handles. You can start small by automating simple "where's my order?" tickets and let your agents handle the tricky stuff. You can also customize the AI’s persona, its tone of voice, and the specific actions it can take, like looking up order info from Shopify.

• It learns from everything. It doesn't just read your help center articles. eesel AI trains on your past ticket conversations, macros, Google Docs, and Confluence pages to give answers with the full context of your business.

Pricing: The pricing is transparent and predictable. Plans are based on a set number of AI interactions per month, not fees that punish you for resolving more tickets. You can start on a monthly plan and cancel anytime. Plans start at $239/month (billed annually) for 1,000 interactions.

2. Help Scout

Help Scout is a breath of fresh air for teams who find Zendesk totally overwhelming. It gets rid of the unnecessary complexity and focuses on what matters: clear, human conversations with customers. It’s designed to feel less like a clunky ticketing system and more like a shared email inbox, but with all the power you need running underneath.

Why it's on the list: It's the perfect antidote to feature bloat. If your team just wants a simple, elegant tool to manage customer emails and build a straightforward knowledge base, Help Scout is a great choice. It’s also known for having fantastic customer support, which is a common complaint from Zendesk users.

Pros: It’s incredibly easy to learn, making it a breeze to get new agents up to speed. The pricing is much more affordable and straightforward than Zendesk’s, and it encourages a personal, conversational approach to support.

Cons: It’s not built for massive enterprise teams with highly complex, custom workflows. Its library of integrations is smaller than Zendesk's, so it might not connect with all of your niche tools.

Pricing: Help Scout offers a free plan for up to 100 contacts per month. Paid plans are based on contacts, not users, which is great for growing teams. The Standard plan is $50/month and includes 100 contacts, with costs scaling up as your contact list grows.

3. HubSpot Service Hub

If your company already runs on HubSpot, then the Service Hub is a no-brainer. It’s designed for businesses that want a single view of the entire customer journey, from the first marketing email they received to their most recent support ticket.

Why it's on the list: Its biggest strength is how it connects directly with the HubSpot CRM. Support agents get the full backstory on every customer, which helps them provide much more personal and helpful support. It breaks down the walls between marketing, sales, and service.

Pros: Having all your customer data in one place is incredibly useful for reporting and getting teams to work together. If you’re already using HubSpot’s marketing or sales tools, the experience will feel consistent and familiar.

Cons: It can get expensive quickly, and many of its features are overkill if all you need is a simple way to answer emails. If you’re not already bought into the HubSpot world, it can feel like a pretty big commitment.

Pricing: HubSpot offers a suite of free tools to get started. The Service Hub Starter plan begins at $15 per seat/month (billed annually), but many of the more advanced features are in the Professional plan, which starts at $90 per seat/month (plus a required onboarding fee).

4. Freshdesk

Freshdesk is one of the most popular direct replacements for Zendesk, and for good reason. It offers a similarly massive list of features, covering everything from omnichannel ticketing and self-service to powerful automation and reporting. Many teams find its interface a bit more modern and easier to navigate than Zendesk's.

Why it's on the list: It's a true all-in-one platform that can go toe-to-toe with Zendesk on almost every feature. With a huge app marketplace, it’s a solid choice for businesses looking for a full replacement.

Pros: It's packed with features and has strong automation tools built in. It also offers a generous free plan that’s great for startups and small teams just getting started.

Cons: Just like Zendesk, it can get complicated to set up perfectly. The AI features often come with additional costs based on usage, which can make your bill unpredictable from month to month.

Pricing: Freshdesk has a free plan for up to 2 agents. The paid Growth plan starts at $15 per agent/month (billed annually). Be sure to check the add-on costs for AI features, as the Freddy AI Copilot is an extra $29 per agent/month on most plans.

5. Gorgias

Gorgias is a help desk built from the ground up for e-commerce, and it shows. It’s designed not just to solve problems, but to help you make more sales. Its deep integration with platforms like Shopify lets support agents do things like issue refunds, edit orders, and check inventory without ever leaving the ticket.

Why it's on the list: It understands that for an e-commerce brand, every support interaction is a potential sale. It helps agents handle common e-commerce questions (“Where is my order?”) with lightning speed and shows you metrics that directly link your support efforts to revenue.

Pros: The Shopify integration is the best out there. It automates responses to the most common e-commerce questions and gives agents the context they need to upsell and provide personalized recommendations.

Cons: It’s not a good fit for any business outside of e-commerce. The pricing model is based on the number of tickets, which can get very expensive and unpredictable for stores with high support volume, especially during busy seasons like Black Friday.

Pricing: Gorgias’s pricing is based on your monthly ticket volume. A Starter plan for 50 tickets/month is $10/month, while a more common Basic plan for 300 tickets/month is $50/month. Watch out for overage fees, as they can add up quickly.

6. Jira Service Management

If your "customers" are your own employees and your "tickets" are about broken laptops and software requests, then Zendesk is the wrong tool for the job. Jira Service Management is the go-to for internal IT support and DevOps teams, built around standard IT practices.

Why it's on the list: It’s purpose-built for technical teams. It handles IT-specific tasks like incident management, change requests, and asset tracking in a way that general-purpose help desks simply can't. Its deep integration with the rest of the Atlassian suite (Jira, Confluence) is a huge benefit for engineering-focused companies.

Pros: It streamlines IT operations with powerful, pre-built workflows. The self-service portal is great for letting employees solve their own issues or submit properly structured requests.

Cons: It's definitely not designed for external customer support. The language and layout can be dense and confusing for anyone who doesn't work in IT or engineering.

Pricing: Jira Service Management has a free plan for up to 3 agents. The Standard plan starts at $19.04 per agent/month (billed annually). More advanced features like asset management and AI require the Premium plan at $47.82 per agent/month.

7. Zoho Desk

For teams that need a powerful, feature-rich help desk without a massive price tag, Zoho Desk is a fantastic option. It’s part of the broader Zoho family of business apps, so it works perfectly if you’re already using Zoho CRM or other Zoho products. It offers a surprising number of advanced features, including AI and community forums, at a very competitive price.

Why it's on the list: It delivers incredible value for the money. You get omnichannel support, a knowledge base, workflow automation, and even an AI assistant named Zia, all in a package that’s way more affordable than Zendesk or HubSpot.

Pros: The price-to-feature ratio is excellent. The AI, Zia, can help with things like figuring out customer sentiment and automatically tagging tickets. It’s a great choice for small to mid-sized businesses on a budget.

Cons: The user interface can feel a bit dated and cluttered compared to more modern tools like Help Scout. While powerful, it can have a steeper learning curve than some of the simpler alternatives.

Pricing: Zoho Desk offers a free plan for up to 3 agents. Paid plans are very affordable, with the Standard plan starting at just $14 per agent/month (billed annually).

This video provides a helpful comparison of some of the top help desk software options available as Zendesk alternatives.

How to choose the right Zendesk alternatives

Feeling a little overwhelmed? Don't worry. Here are three simple questions to ask yourself to make the right choice.

• First, what's actually broken? Before you commit to a huge migration project, figure out what the real problem is. If your main frustration with Zendesk is that it lacks smart automation, you don't necessarily need a whole new platform. An AI layer like eesel AI can solve that specific problem without the months of pain that come with a full switch.

• Have you factored in the hidden costs of switching? The price tag on a new tool is just the beginning. A full migration can take months of planning, data transfer, and retraining your entire team. Compare that to tools that offer a one-click setup and can be live in under an hour. Your time is worth money, too.

• Can you try before you buy? The best way to know if a tool will work is to actually use it. Look for platforms that offer a free trial. Even better, prioritize tools with a simulation mode that lets you see exactly how it will perform with your real data before you make any decisions.

You don't always need to replace your help desk

Choosing a Zendesk alternative isn't just about picking a new name from a list. It's about figuring out your core problem. Is your help desk too complicated? Too expensive? Or is it just not smart enough for how teams work today?

For many teams, the foundation is fine, the help desk does its job. It just needs a brain. A full migration is a massive, risky, and expensive project that you can often avoid entirely.

This is where a tool like eesel AI makes a lot of sense. It lets you keep the system your team already knows while adding a powerful, customizable, and easy-to-use AI engine on top. It’s the fastest, safest, and smartest path to better automation and a more efficient support team.

Ready to see how AI can transform your existing help desk? Start your free eesel AI trial and run a simulation on your past tickets in minutes.