Free Zoho Desk alternatives
Top Customer Support & Live Chat like Zoho Desk
The most popular alternative to Zoho Desk is Freshdesk, which has a free version. Other great alternatives to Zoho Desk are Help Scout, HubSpot, Chatwoot, and tawk.to.
Most alternatives to Zoho Desk are in the Customer Support & Live Chat category, compared here by price, platform and features.
All Zoho Desk alternatives
Freshdesk is a help desk tool from Freshworks that turns emails, web forms, chats, calls and social messages into tickets for support teams. It includes a knowledge base, SLA management, automations, collision detection and reporting, plus Freddy AI for suggested replies and self-service bots. A free plan covers small teams, and it connects with Freshworks' CRM and other business apps.
12 Freshdesk alternativesPros
- Free plan for small teams with core ticketing
- Turns email, forms, chat, calls and social messages into tickets
- SLA rules, collision detection and automations for busy teams
Cons
- AI features and advanced automation cost extra or need top tiers
- Admin settings get complex as workflows grow
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesHelp Scout is a customer support platform built around a shared inbox that feels like personal email to customers, without ticket numbers or portals. It adds a knowledge base (Docs), the embeddable Beacon widget for live chat and self-service, customer profiles, reporting and AI tools for drafting and summarizing replies. It suits small and mid-sized companies that value a personal tone.
8 Help Scout alternativesPros
- Replies feel like personal email, with no ticket numbers for customers
- Beacon widget combines live chat and help articles on any site
- Clean interface that new agents learn quickly
Cons
- Fewer advanced workflow and reporting options than enterprise help desks
- Free plan is limited, so key features require a paid plan
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesHubSpot is a customer platform built around a free CRM, with paid hubs for marketing automation, sales engagement, customer service, content management and operations. Contacts, deals, emails and support tickets share one record, and the Breeze AI tools help with writing, research and agents. It suits small and mid-sized companies that want marketing, sales and support in a single system.
12 HubSpot alternativesPros
- Free CRM that covers contacts, deals and basic email tracking
- Marketing, sales and service share one customer record
- Large integration marketplace and extensive free training via HubSpot Academy
Cons
- Costs rise steeply once you need Professional-tier features
- Marketing pricing grows with the number of marketing contacts
- Upper tiers can involve onboarding fees and annual contracts
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryChatwoot is an open-source customer engagement platform positioned as an alternative to Intercom and Zendesk. It unifies website live chat, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and SMS in one shared inbox, with a help center, canned responses, automation rules and an AI assistant called Captain. Teams can self-host it for free or use the paid cloud version.
11 Chatwoot alternativesPros
- Open source and free to self-host, keeping conversations on your servers
- One inbox for chat, email, WhatsApp, social channels and SMS
- Includes a help center, canned responses and automation rules
Cons
- Self-hosting requires maintaining the server, updates and integrations
- Reporting and workflows are less deep than in Zendesk or Intercom
Cost / LicenseFreemiumOpen sourceCategoriesPlatformstawk.to is a free live chat platform that lets businesses add a chat widget to their website and answer visitors from the web, desktop or mobile apps, with no limit on agents. It also includes ticketing, a knowledge base and real-time visitor monitoring. The company earns money through optional paid add-ons, such as removing its branding, AI assistance or hiring agents to staff the chat.
8 tawk.to alternativesPros
- Free live chat with no limit on the number of agents
- Includes ticketing, a knowledge base and visitor monitoring
- Web, desktop and mobile apps to answer from anywhere
Cons
- Removing tawk.to branding requires a paid add-on
- Interface and reporting feel basic next to premium tools
- AI assistance is sold as a paid extra
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategories
Zoho Desk vs its alternatives at a glance
Pricing, platforms and the key features of Zoho Desk, compared with its most popular alternatives.
| App | Pricing | Platforms | AI assistant | Analytics | Built-in automations | Integrations | Knowledge base |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Zoho Desk | Freemium | Web, iPhone, Android | |||||
 Freshdesk | Freemium | Web, iPhone, Android | |||||
 Help Scout | Freemium | Web, iPhone, Android | |||||
 HubSpot | Freemium | Web, iPhone, Android | |||||
 Chatwoot | FreemiumOpen source | Web, iPhone, Android, Self-hosted | |||||
 tawk.to | Freemium | Web, Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android |
Zoho Desk alternatives: frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Zoho Desk?
The most popular alternative to Zoho Desk is Freshdesk: Help desk ticketing software from Freshworks. Other great alternatives are Help Scout, HubSpot, Chatwoot, and tawk.to.
Is there a free alternative to Zoho Desk?
Yes, 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan, including Freshdesk, Help Scout, HubSpot, and Chatwoot.
Is there an open source alternative to Zoho Desk?
Yes, one open source alternative is listed: Chatwoot.
Is Zoho Desk free?
Zoho Desk has a free plan, with paid plans that unlock more features.
Compare Zoho Desk with its alternatives
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