Zendesk and Zoho Desk at a glance
| Zendesk | Zoho Desk | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan (yearly) | Support Team, $19 per agent a month | Express, $7 per agent a month |
| Paid plans | Support Team, Suite Team, Suite Professional, Suite Enterprise | Express, Standard, Professional, Enterprise |
| Free plan | None | Free for up to 3 users on one email channel. |
| Free trial | 14 days of Suite Professional with Copilot. No free plan. | 15 days of any plan, no card needed; the account drops to the free plan afterwards. |
| Your email address | Forwards your address into their inbox | Forwards your address into their inbox |
| Mac app | Web only. | Web only. The mobile apps are iPhone, iPad and Android. |
What each costs per year
| Plan, per year | 1 person | 3 people | 10 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Desk Express | $84 | $252 | Not offered |
| Zoho Desk Standard | $168 | $504 | $1,680 |
| Zendesk Support Team | $228 | $684 | $2,280 |
| Zoho Desk Professional | $276 | $828 | $2,760 |
| Zoho Desk Enterprise | $480 | $1,440 | $4,800 |
| Zendesk Suite Team | $660 | $1,980 | $6,600 |
| Zendesk Suite Professional | $1,380 | $4,140 | $13,800 |
The fair pair is Zoho Desk Professional and Zendesk Suite Team, the tiers where telephony and routing arrive on each side: at 3 people, $828 against $1,980 a year. Further down, Zoho Desk Standard already includes live chat, which Zendesk keeps for the Suite.
The one “Not offered” cell is Express’s cap of 5 users. A team of 10 starts at Standard, which is $1,680 a year.
Both sell extras by the agent. Zoho Desk: Light agents (view and comment only): $6 a month on Professional and Enterprise. Zendesk: Workforce engagement bundle $50, contact centre $83, per agent a month.
Every plan, side by side
Zendesk
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support Team | $19 | $25 | Email ticketing only, 5 AI resolutions per agent a month. No messaging or live chat. |
| Suite Team | $55 | $69 | Messaging and live chat, AI agents, telephony and omnichannel routing. |
| Suite Professional | $115 | $149 | SLAs, skills-based routing, IVR, AI writing tools, 10 AI resolutions per agent a month. |
| Suite Enterprise | Sales only | Sales only | Sold through sales, with Copilot included. No public price. |
Zoho Desk
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express | $7 | $9 | Up to 5 users, 2 email channels, 1 workflow rule for tickets. |
| Standard | $14 | $20 | Unlimited users, 5 channels, knowledge base, live chat and 5 workflow rules per module. |
| Professional | $23 | $35 | Zia AI, blueprints, multi-department routing, round robin, telephony. |
| Enterprise | $40 | $50 | Custom functions, skill-based assignment, SalesIQ chat, sandbox, 50 free light agents. |
Prices are in US dollars per agent per month, read from Zendesk’s and Zoho Desk’s pricing pages on 27 September 2026.
The free plan: Free for up to 3 users on one email channel. The trial: 15 days of any plan, no card needed; the account drops to the free plan afterwards.
AI charges
Only one of them charges per resolution. Zendesk meters AI on top of the seat; Zoho Desk’s generative features run on your own OpenAI key, so the model costs land on your OpenAI account rather than on a Zoho invoice.
- Zendesk: AI resolutions past the included ones: $1.50 each committed, $2.00 pay as you go. Copilot: $50 per agent a month on annual billing, Suite Professional and up only.
- Zoho Desk: Zia AI comes with Professional and Enterprise. Generative AI uses your own OpenAI key. No per-resolution fee.
Which one fits which team
- Choose Zoho Desk if price per seat decides it, your team fits the free plan or Express, or you already run other Zoho software. A conventional ticketing help desk, priced well below its rivals and bundled into an unusually wide suite of business software.
- Choose the Zendesk Suite if you are building a large support operation across every channel and want AI agents, SLAs, IVR and workforce tools from one vendor. A full customer-service platform: ticketing, routing, SLAs, reporting, voice, and a workforce to run it.
- Choose neither if the support team is you. Zoho Desk’s free plan is the fair exception on price, since one person fits inside it. What it still asks is that your address forwards into their inbox, and that you work in a ticketing system built to coordinate agents you do not have.
That last case is the one Moorline is built for, and the Zoho Desk alternative page sets it out without the sales voice.
Questions people ask
Is Zoho Desk cheaper than Zendesk?
Yes. On yearly billing Zoho Desk's top plan, Enterprise at $40 per agent, costs less than Zendesk's first Suite tier at $55. Zoho Desk Standard at $14 undercuts Zendesk Support Team at $19 and includes live chat, which Support Team does not. Zoho Desk also has a free plan; Zendesk does not.
Is Zoho Desk free?
For a very small team, yes. Free for up to 3 users on one email channel. The paid plans have a trial: 15 days of any plan, no card needed; the account drops to the free plan afterwards.
Are Zoho Desk and Zendesk the same?
No. Zoho Desk is the help desk inside Zoho's wide suite of business software; Zendesk is a separate company's customer-service platform. Both are ticketing help desks where your support address forwards into their inbox, which is why they compete for the same teams.
Which is better for a small business, Zendesk or Zoho Desk?
For a small team watching cost, Zoho Desk: a free plan, Express at $7 per agent for up to 5 users, and live chat from Standard at $14. For a business that expects to run a large support operation across every channel, the Zendesk Suite goes further. For one person, Zoho's free plan costs nothing, but it is still a ticketing system built for a team of agents.
How do Zendesk and Zoho Desk charge for AI?
Differently. Zendesk meters AI on top of seats: AI resolutions past the included ones: $1.50 each committed, $2.00 pay as you go. Copilot: $50 per agent a month on annual billing, Suite Professional and up only. Zoho Desk includes Zia AI from the Professional plan. Generative AI uses your own OpenAI key. No per-resolution fee.