3 Best Zendesk Alternatives for Small Business (2026)

Shortlist Software is reader-supported. If you sign up through links on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we make money.

Updated October 29, 2026. Prices were checked against each company’s own pricing page between October 27 and 29, 2026.

Zendesk is one of the most complete customer service platforms, but small teams often find they’re paying for more than they use. Support Team starts at $19 per agent per month paid yearly, and chat, messaging, phone and AI agents start on Suite Team at $55 per agent.

Here are three alternatives that are simpler, cheaper, or free to start.

Why people look for Zendesk alternatives

• Price per agent. Live chat and messaging start on Suite Team at $55 per agent per month paid yearly.
• Complexity. Zendesk is built to scale to large teams, so there’s more to set up than a small team needs.
• No free plan. Small teams can’t start for free.

The best Zendesk alternatives at a glance

Alternative	Best for	Free plan	Starting price*
Help Scout	Email-first small teams	No	$25/user/mo
Zoho Desk	Lowest price	No	$7/user/mo
HubSpot Service Hub	Starting free	Yes, up to 2 users	$20/seat/mo list (discounts offered)

*Starting prices per user per month billed annually. Monthly billing costs more.

1. Help Scout: Best for email-first small teams

Help Scout feels like a shared email inbox, so there’s almost nothing to learn. Unlike Zendesk Support Team, its first plan already includes live chat, SMS, social messaging and a knowledge base.

Pricing

Billed annually, Standard is $25 per user per month ($30 monthly), Plus is $45 ($54 monthly) and Pro is $75 ($90 monthly). You can try it free.

Who it’s not for

Teams that need phone support or a large call center.

2. Zoho Desk: Lowest price

Zoho Desk offers full ticketing with workflows and escalations for a fraction of Zendesk’s price, and it adds telephony on its Professional plan.

Pricing

Billed annually, Express is $7 per user per month, Standard is $14 (adds a knowledge base, instant messaging and an answer bot) and Professional is $23 (adds telephony and Zia AI). There’s a free trial.

Who it’s not for

Teams that want the simplest possible setup; Zoho Desk has many settings.

3. HubSpot Service Hub: Best free option

HubSpot’s free service tools cover up to 2 users and connect every support conversation to the customer’s record in HubSpot’s free CRM.

Pricing

Free for up to 2 users. Starter lists at $20 per seat per month, and HubSpot was showing discounted Starter pricing from $7 per seat when we checked. Professional starts at $90 per seat with its discount ($100 list).

Who it’s not for

Teams that need a full help desk on a budget: the most complete support features are on Professional.

Should you switch from Zendesk?

Stay with Zendesk if you need phone, chat and AI agents across a growing team. For a small team that mostly answers emails and chats, Help Scout gives you more on its first plan and is easier to learn. Zoho Desk is the budget pick, and HubSpot is the way to start free.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest Zendesk alternative?

Zoho Desk starts at $7 per user per month billed annually. HubSpot Service Hub’s free tools cover up to 2 users.

Is Help Scout easier than Zendesk?

For email and chat support, yes. Help Scout is built to feel like email. See our Help Scout vs Zendesk comparison.

See all four options in our guide to the best help desk software for small business.