Bouts / Zendesk vs Zoho Desk
Zendesk vs Zoho Desk
Red cornerZendesk
$19 per agent a month, billed annually (Support Team)
Blue cornerZoho Desk
$7 per user a month, billed annually (Express)
Zendesk: Zendesk retires AI agents - Essential, the legacy bot builder and autoreplies with articles on December 10, 2026, so older bots must move to the current AI agents.
Zendesk wins 4–2 at 10 agents (clear win). Zendesk takes the bill, price tags, AI and desk basics; Zoho Desk takes security and user verdict.
The judges' card
| Round | Zendesk | What happened | Zoho Desk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1The bill | W | At 10 agents with AI on: Zendesk $2,250, Zoho Desk $400 (an AI price is not public) a month. Zendesk's bill is complete and the other is not, so Zendesk takes the round. | |
| Round 2Price tags | W | Zendesk offers AI prices in public, but with a minimum, annual-only terms or vague limits; Zoho Desk offers seat prices, with the AI priced by quote or not at all. Zendesk takes the round. | |
| Round 3AI | W | Zendesk offers an action-taking AI agent on chat, email and phone, with test runs and reporting; Zoho Desk offers an AI agent that answers from the help center. Zendesk takes the round. | |
| Round 4Desk basics | W | Zendesk offers every channel natively, skills-based routing and 300+ integrations; Zoho Desk offers all that plus phone and messaging apps. Zendesk takes the round. | |
| Round 5Security | Zoho Desk offers SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, EU hosting, a HIPAA BAA and a no-training promise; Zendesk offers SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, plus EU hosting, a HIPAA BAA or a no-training promise. Zoho Desk takes the round. | W | |
| Round 6User verdict | On G2: Zendesk 4.3 from 7,095 reviews, Zoho Desk 4.4 from 7,988 reviews. Zoho Desk takes the round. | W | |
| Rounds won | 4 | Zendesk wins | 2 |
Does team size change it?
Only the bill round depends on team size. Here is the full result in each weight class.
Small team
- Zendesk
- $675
- Zoho Desk
- $120
3 agents, 750 conversations a month. Zendesk wins 4–2.
Mid-size team
- Zendesk
- $2,250
- Zoho Desk
- $400
10 agents, 2,500 conversations a month. Zendesk wins 4–2.
Large team
- Zendesk
- $5,625
- Zoho Desk
- $1,000
25 agents, 6,250 conversations a month. Zendesk wins 4–2.
Monthly bills from USD list prices, annual billing where offered, with the AI agent resolving 20% of conversations and agent assist for every agent. Plans: Zendesk Suite Professional; Zoho Desk Enterprise.
Tale of the tape
| Zendesk | Made by | Zoho Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| per agent | Pricing | per agent |
| $19 per agent a month, billed annually (Support Team) | Paid plans from | $7 per user a month, billed annually (Express) |
| Suite Professional | Plan we priced | Enterprise |
| $675 | 3 agents, AI on | $120 |
| $2,250 | 10 agents, AI on | $400 |
| $5,625 | 25 agents, AI on | $1,000 |
| $1.50 per automated resolution committed, $2.00 pay as you go | AI agent price | Not published; uses Zia Agent credits with no published rate per reply; Included in Standard, Professional and Enterprise |
| Email, Live chat, Phone, WhatsApp, Social, SMS | Channels | Email, Live chat, WhatsApp, Social |
| No | Free plan | Up to 3 users with email ticketing |
| 14 days | Free trial | 15 days |
| Yes | Monthly billing | Yes |
| SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, ISO 42001, FedRAMP Low, HDS | Audit reports | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, SOC 2 + HIPAA Type 2 |
| US, EEA and Asia Pacific data centers, with region choice through the Data Center Location add-on | Data hosting | Choice of US, EU (Amsterdam and Dublin), India, Australia, Japan, Canada, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore and China data centers |
| 4.3 (7,095) | G2 rating | 4.4 (7,988) |
| 4.4 (4,094) | Capterra rating | 4.5 (2,216) |
Questions
Which is better, Zendesk or Zoho Desk?
Zendesk wins 4–2 at 10 agents (clear win). Zendesk takes the bill, price tags, AI and desk basics; Zoho Desk takes security and user verdict.
Is Zendesk cheaper than Zoho Desk?
At 10 agents with the AI agent and agent assist on, Zendesk comes to $2,250 a month and Zoho Desk to $400, from list prices. Zendesk takes the bill round.
Which has the better AI, Zendesk or Zoho Desk?
Zendesk offers an action-taking AI agent on chat, email and phone, with test runs and reporting; Zoho Desk offers an AI agent that answers from the help center. Zendesk takes the round.
