3 Alternatives to Zendesk

Which HelpDesk do I choose if Zendesk doesn’t work for me? In this article I am going to explore three possible alternatives to Zendesk.

No doubt, Zendesk is an outstanding product. When I tested it for the purpose of review I sincerely admired its simplicity and performance. But, unfortunately, the price is one of its main disadvantages, while one can bear with other things of the system. This is where its competitors come into the picture. And in some cases they are cheaper and offer more convenient and functional interface. I have listed them in the order of their overall popularity.

Freshdesk

A versatile HelpDesk which is closest to Zendesk as far as a concept goes, and currently one of its key competitors. Like Zendesk, it supports incoming tickets via Twitter and Facebook, chat, portal and built-in IP PBX functionality, and in terms of some functions (comparison of Zendesk and Freshdesk features) its has edge over Zendesk. Using it is more convenient than using Zendesk due to quick filters and editing from right from the ticket list. Pricing policy of Freshdesk is much better than that of Zendesk. There are no identical pricing plans, but based on pricing comparison of Zendesk and Freshdesk, the latter is more competitive.

Interesting peculiarities:

  • Arcade – agents earn points for closing tickets in time or before deadline;
  • Managing tickets via email.

Live Agent

For $19 per month it offers the same functionality which Zendesk offers for $59 per month. For comparison I took Zendesk Professional pricing plan and Live Agent‘s maximum pricing plan which includes such channels as email, Facebook, Twitter, chat, website form and portal, as well as SLA policies and customer satisfaction control.

Interesting peculiarities:

  • Gamification – a system of achievements for agents, similar to Freshdesk’s Arcade;
  • System of dynamic filters which works not only in tickets list but in reports as well;
  • On-Premise version;
  • 39 languages of interface.

HelpdeskEddy

This HelpDesk has no pricing plans at all. So, for €10 per month you get the entire functionality without any limitations. Ultimately, it is different from Zendesk only because it does not have Twitter and Facebook channels, and built-in telephone system. You save up to $35 per month per agent.

Interesting peculiarities:

  • Development of new functions upon client’s request;
  • On-Premise version.