Top 10 Zoho Desk Alternatives for 2024

As one of the very few context-aware help desk software available in the market today, Zoho Desk has helped businesses deliver personalized experiences. It is indeed a commendable tool that does not cost you a fortune. 

But if you have tried Zoho Desk and feel it does not come close to your business needs, don’t worry. You are not alone. 

While some users feel that their primary plans lack key features, others simply want a less complicated tool with better customization options. So which alternatives to Zoho Desk can offer the best bang for your bucks? 

The good news is there are countless Zoho Desk alternatives on the market that are loaded with features and equally affordable. After scrolling through hundreds of websites and user reviews, we have listed the right alternatives that will not only match your unique needs but also help you attain your goal of delightful customer service. 

But before we jump to the meat of the matter, let’s first understand the various pros of Zoho Desk.

Zoho Desk Alternatives: Features, Pros & Cons

What Is Zoho Desk? 

Zoho Desk is a powerful and context-aware help desk software that allows you to communicate with customers over popular channels such as email, live chat, social media, and phone. With its AI and automation capabilities, you can automate ticket assignments, notification rules, and ticket workflows. Moreover, Zoho Desk allows you to build a comprehensive multi brand help center to cater to different customers of your different brands. 

So what is the price of Zoho Desk? The tool offers a forever free plan with limited features and three paid plans including- Standard (14), Professional (23), and Enterprise (40). 

Why Look for Zoho Desk Alternatives?

Now, if you are looking for the right alternatives to Zoho Desk, chances are that you already know about some of its drawbacks. Well, even if you don’t, here are some compelling points that will highlight why Zoho Desk might not be the best out there for you. Here we go. 

• Basic Plans Lack Key Features

Although Zoho Desk’s plans do not cost a fortune and are quite affordable, the basic plans lack important features. Core help desk features such as multi-department ticketing, agent collision, round-robin ticket assignment, etc. are missing in the Standard Plan ($12/month). 

Similarly, the Professional Plan ( xxx) lacks features such as Zia artificial intelligence, advanced reporting, help center customization, and more. In short, Zoho Desk wants everyone to buy its most expensive plan, which again, might not be a practical solution for smaller businesses.

• Overwhelming Amount of Features 

If you have ever used a Swiss knife you will know that it can be used as a knife, blade, bottle opener, scissor, and much more. But do you really need all that when you simply wish to slice your apple? The point here is that Zoho Desk offers an overwhelming amount of features that your team might never need. 

Zoho is branded as an operating system for the entire company with tools for the sales, marketing, and CS teams. So, if your primary focus is on customer service and simple help desk solutions, you must look for Zoho alternatives. 

• Artificial Intelligence Zia Needs Improvement

A lot of users feel that Zoho’s artificial intelligence called Zia is still pretty raw and needs a lot of improvement. While Zia can be great for lead generation, sales, and generating reports, it might not be the best when it comes to interacting with customers or offering them relevant solutions to their problems. 

• Live Chat Lacks Customization Options 

Zoho Desk’s live chat feature is mediocre, to say the least. Although you can deploy the chat widget on your help center, it lacks customization capabilities. The overall design of the chat widget looks dull and lacks a modern appearance. Moreover, there are no pre-chat forms that can be shared with customers to better understand their problems and route chats to relevant agents or teams. 

Top Features that Zoho Desk Alternatives Should Have

When you are looking for the best alternative to Zoho Desk, it is important to know what features to look for. Even if you have not prepared your feature list yet, don’t worry as we have done the heavy lifting for you. 

Here are some important help desk features that every alternative should have: 

• An easy-to-use interface so your agents can start responding to customer issues or requests in a matter of minutes. 
• Robust ticket management features to ensure not a single ticket can slip through the cracks. For instance, ticket tracking, ticket assignment, ticket filters, etc. 
• Automation capabilities to help your team achieve more in a time-crunched environment. For instance, automated notifications to update agents and customers about ticket progress. 
• Reporting functionality to help managers measure performance and monitor customer experience with the help of metrics such as CSAT, NPS, resolution time, etc. 

Our Selection Criteria for Zoho Desk Alternatives

When you compare Zoho Desk with other similar tools, you will find that almost every second help desk software offers similar features. So what can be those factors that go beyond just features and help you make the right decision? 

After scrolling through hundreds of online product reviews, software comparison platforms, and product websites, we have narrowed down the top alternatives to Zoho Desk. Only the tools that meet our criteria are included in the list. 

Core Help Desk Features: All alternatives should offer primary help desk features such as ticket organization, multichannel support, self-service options, customer service reports, etc. 

Listed on Top Software Comparison Platforms: The Zoho Desk competitors should be listed on the leading software comparisons platforms such as Getapp, SoftwareWorld, and Capterra. 

Minimum 10 User Reviews: There should be a minimum of 10 genuine user reviews on the above-mentioned platforms for the respective tools. Reviews submitted by genuine users allow you to weigh the pros effectively. 

10 Best Help Zoho Desk Alternatives You Should Consider

Now that we have understood the various merits and drawbacks of Zoho Desk, let’s explore the top Zoho Desk alternatives that deserve your attention in 2021.

1. ProProfs Help Desk

ProProfs Help Desk is a free alternative to Zoho Desk that offers the right platform to manage customer requests on email, live chat, help center, and other important channels. Moreover, customizable chat widgets and AI-powered chatbots let you be within arm’s reach when customers can’t find what they’re looking for. 

As a software cheaper than Zoho Desk, ProProfs allows you to improve the customer experience. For instance, you can share CSAT, or NPS surveys with customers to understand the parts of the customer journey that can be improved. Moreover, help desk managers can leverage smart reports and analytics to measure daily, weekly, or monthly performance. 

You Can Use ProProfs Help Desk To: 

• Automatically distribute support tickets among available agents
• Reduce ticket volume with an extensive knowledge base
• Share automated surveys and email notifications with customers
• Break down heavy or complex tickets into a group of child tickets
• Monitor CSAT, NPS, resolution time, and other metrics

ProProfs Help Desk Plans Include:

FREE for a single user. Plans start at $19.99/user/month for 2 or more users. No hidden fees. A 15-day money-back guarantee.

2. Freshdesk 

Freshdesk is one of the most popular tools like Zoho Desk that should be on your list. The tool offers a robust Team Inbox where agents can organize and manage incoming support requests from multiple channels such as email, chat, phone, and social media. 

Freshdesk offers multiple automation features to enhance agent productivity and speed up support operations. For instance, you can choose to automatically assign tickets based on your agent’s skill set, availability, or workload. Moreover, reports can be customized to better understand how different agents and teams are performing and monitor customer service metrics.

You Can Use Freshdesk To: 

• Convert support ticket replies into knowledge base articles
• Set deadlines for ticket response and resolution with SLAs
• Monitor the time spent on support tickets and log your billable hours
• Leverage Chatbot AI- Freddy to assistant customers in a jiffy
• Manage your company’s Facebook and Twitter pages from within the help desk 

Freshdesk Plans Include: 

Sprout: Forever free with limited features

Blossom: $15/user/month

Garden: $35/user/month

Estate: $49/user/month

Forest: $99/user/month

You can check here best freshdesk alternative

3. Zendesk

As a leading alternative to Zoho Desk, Zendesk allows customer service professionals to track, prioritize, and resolve support tickets – all from a shared dashboard. Agents can find all support-related customer conversations in a central location and use context to personalize interactions. 

In addition to ticket management, Zendesk takes customer self-service to a whole new level. You can create an easy-to-use help center and a community forum to encourage customers to find relevant help at their own pace. In community forums, customers or prospects can interact with each other and discuss help topics, product features, or other important things. 

You Can Use Zendesk To: 

• Collaborate across the organization without switching between tabs
• Use AI-powered bots to answer customer questions
• Build a user-friendly help center and community forum
• Create one unified view of your customer and personalize experiences
• Connect Zendesk with 500+ apps and integrations 

Zendesk Plans Include: 

Suite Team: $49/agent/month

Suite Growth: $79/agent/month

Suite Professional: $99/agent/month

Have a look at the Zendesk Alternatives

4. Kayako

Kayako equips customer service teams with all the tools they need to deliver exceptional customer service on channels such as live chat, email, Facebook, and Twitter. Kayako’s live chat feature is easy to customize and can be integrated into your website, iOS, and Android apps in minutes. 

The tool offers support professionals a complete picture of the customer journey. With Kayako SingleView, you can view each and every interaction a customer has had with your business and understand the issues they might be facing even before they reach out to you. 

You Can Use Kayako To: 

• Assist and engage your customers over Twitter and Facebook
• See when a message has been read by a customer
• Create a repository of self-help articles, videos, and FAQs
• Support customers in real-time with Kayako Messenger
• Measure agent performance using custom reports

Kayako Plans Include: 

Inbox: $15/agent/month

Growth: $30/agent/month

Scale: $60/agent/month

5. LiveAgent

Whether it is about managing hundreds of customer emails or tracking social media mentions of your brand on Twitter, LiveAgent’s help desk software integrates with multiple communication channels. You can even share proactive chat invitations in real-time with existing customers or prospects who are visiting your website. 

LiveAgent allows you to make your agents’ work more fun with the help of gamification. For instance, as your agents solve queries, you can set levels for them to achieve. You can even give our badges and rewards to your top-performing agents

You Can Use LiveAgent To: 

• Record and store all customer calls in a central place
• Identify and reward your top-performing agents
• Set up chat, contact, or feedback widgets in your language
• See how well your team is managing SLA requirements with SLA reports
• Track time spent on each individual ticket

LiveAgent Plans Include: 

Free: Forever free plan with limitations

Ticket: $15/agent/month 

Ticket + Chat: $29/agent/month

All-Inclusive: $39/agent/month

Read More: Top 10 LiveAgent Alternatives for 2024

6. Vision Helpdesk

Vision Helpdesk is another software like Zoho Desk that converts your customer emails, phones, chats, social media messages, and web requests into tickets and stores them in a central location. The tool even allows you to gamify your help desk platform by creating agent achievement levels and quests. 

Moreover, with Vision Helpdesk, managers can track time spent by support agents and bill customers accordingly per minute, or hour. You can also choose to set a per ticket billing rate and charge your customers per ticket. You can collect payment via Paypal and Stripe payment gateways. 

You Can Use Vision Helpdesk To: 

• Create multiple SLA and multi-level escalation rules
• Publish SEO-optimized knowledge base articles
• Calculate time spent by agents on tickets and bill customers accordingly
• Solve tickets on the move with native Android and iOS apps
• Allow customers to track their existing tickets

Vision Helpdesk Plans Include: 

Starter Help Desk: $12/agent/month

Pro Help Desk: $20/agent/month

Satellite Help Desk: $24/agent/month

Pro Service Desk: $32/agent/month

Enterprise Service Desk: $48/agent/month

Read More: Best Vision Helpdesk Alternatives for 2024

7. HubSpot Service Hub

HubSpot is another free Zoho Desk alternative that helps you scale your customer support, improve team collaboration, and provide proactive service that delights customers. The tool makes it easy for you to measure customer happiness from time to time. For instance, you can deploy NPS, CSAT, and CES surveys to build a better customer experience. 

Help desk managers can view and manage agent availability, permissions, and status across the team. Moreover, with the help of HubSpot CRM, you can get the context you need to drive customer conversations. Simply view and use customer details that are accessible to your whole team. 

You Can Use HubSpot Service Hub To: 

• Manage and respond to all customer messages from the conversations inbox
• Assist customers in real-time with live chat
• Improve the customer experience with CSAT, CES, and NPS surveys
• Assess team performance with data-backed reports
• Integrate with HubSpot CRM to view all customer details in one place

HubSpot Service Hub Plans Include: 

Free: Forever free plan with limited features

Starter: $45/month (2 users)

Professional: $360/month (5 users)

Enterprise: $1200/month (10 users)

8. HappyFox

HappyFox is another help desk software like Zoho Desk that offers a practical support ticket system, self-service knowledge base, and community forums. With the help of this tool, you can effortlessly convert email, chat, phone, and web requests into tickets and keep them well organized.

HappyFox helps you offer hassle-free customer support in around 35 languages. You can upload knowledge base articles in multiple languages and allow your customers to obtain resolutions to issues in the language of their choice. Your agents can customize their help desk dashboard, create custom fields, workflows, and use context to personalize the support experience. 

You Can Use HappyFox To: 

• Respond faster using templated responses and actions
• Organize and filter tickets based on the ticket status
• View all attachments related to a support ticket in one place
• Enable self-service with a customizable and multilingual knowledge base
• Hold discussions about a ticket with other members using private notes

HappyFox Plans Include: 

HappyFox does not offer a free version. You can choose from four plans- Mighty, Fantastic, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus. For accurate pricing details, you need to make a request on their website. 

You can check the best HappyFox Alternative

9. Salesforce Service Cloud

Salesforce Service Cloud is designed for small to large businesses and allows service teams to work faster, no matter where they are. Your agents can get a shared view of every customer interaction and use a suite of intelligent productivity tools to resolve support cases. 

With Salesforce, you can provide instant support by connecting customers to knowledge base articles, account information, and other community members. You can even embed AI-powered chatbots to interact with customers and resolve their primary issues. 

You Can Use Salesforce Service Cloud To: 

• Get started in no time with in-app tutorials and a setup assistant
• Automatically route work to relevant members of your team
• Engage customers instantly with intelligent chatbot support
• Deliver efficient on-site service
• Get real-time business insights with customizable reports

Salesforce Service Cloud Plans Include: 

Essentials: $25/user/month

Professional: $75/user/month

Enterprise: $150/user/month

Unlimited: $300/user/month

10. Intercom

Intercom offers an industry-leading business messenger and customer service tool that can be used to deliver personalized experiences at scale. With the business messenger, you can easily target your audience with promotional messages and offer assistance faster than the phone or email. 

Help desk agents can automatically route and prioritize conversations that demand immediate attention with the help of assignment rules, workflows, SLAs, and more. With tools such as the Resolution Bot, you can resolve up to 33% of repetitive customer questions and encourage self-service. 

You Can Use the Intercom To: 

• Share help center articles through your website, mobile app, or product
• Give interactive product tours to new customers
• Share proactive outbound messages to keep customers updated
• Leverage Intercom’s mobile apps to interact with customers on the go
• Integrate with apps such as Shopify and Stripe for a better customer experience

Intercom Plans Include: 

Start: Starts at $59/month (Includes 1 seat)

Grow: Starts at $119/month (Includes 5 seats)

Accelerate: Starts at $499/month (Includes 10 seats)

Scale: Starts at $999/month (Includes 10 seats)

Have a look at the Intercom Alternative

Comparison of Best Alternatives of Zoho Desk

Final Verdict: Which Zoho Desk Alternative Should You Go For?

Zoho Desk is an affordable help desk tool that allows you to:

• Manage customer communications on multiple channels
• Automate workflows, escalations, and other tasks
• Offer self-service with a dedicated help center
• Get actionable insights into your team’s performance

Despite the amazing features, some significant drawbacks such as the lack of key features in primary plans, absence of customization in live chat, etc. make people search for the right alternatives to Zoho Desk. All the alternatives shared in this Zoho Desk comparison blog are well-trusted, and useful, and have been a popular choice among businesses of all sizes. 

If you wish to go for help desk software that is more affordable and offers a wide range of features, you must go for ProProfs Help Desk. If you want a support-oriented solution with a blend of marketing tools then Salesforce can give an edge to your team. Similarly, if you want to enhance your IT support, Vision Helpdesk can be a good bet.