Zendesk vs. Zoho

With customer interactions projected to increase fivefold and two-thirds of CX leaders expecting leaner teams, it's crucial to have a CX solution that is both easy to use and powerful enough to scale. This ensures CX leaders can maintain efficiency while meeting growing demands. Our guide dives deep into Zendesk vs. Zoho, comparing how each platform meets critical CX needs in today’s fast-evolving landscape. Explore the key differences between these two tools to determine which one is the smarter investment for delivering top-tier service.

More in this guide:

• Zendesk vs. Zoho: At-a-glance comparison
• Why is Zendesk better than Zoho?
• Zendesk vs. Zoho: Feature comparison
• Pricing plans: Zoho Desk vs. Zendesk
• How Zendesk wins according to customers
• Frequently asked questions
• Ready to try Zendesk?

We created a table that makes it easy to compare the features and capabilities of Zoho and Zendesk. Learn more about where Zendesk stands out below.

In a world where poor experiences can cost you customers, it's crucial to have customer service software that's intuitive, scalable, and backed by expert guidance to ensure success. Here are three key reasons businesses choose Zendesk over Zoho, elevating their CX to new heights.

1. Intuitive design

Zendesk is intuitively designed for ease of use, meaning you can start delivering great customer service from day one—without lengthy training requirements or any technical expertise required. On the other hand, users report a steep learning curve with Zoho Desk, while its less intuitive interface can impact ongoing productivity.

2. Quality support

For over two decades, Zendesk has led the way in CX, offering a dedicated community of CX leaders and products designed with built-in best practices. In contrast, Zoho Desk, launched in 2016, is part of a broader software suite, meaning its focus isn’t solely on CX. As a result, you won’t get the same depth of CX-specific expertise and support that comes with a best-in-class customer service platform like Zendesk.

3. Proven scalability

Zendesk is the most comprehensive service solution you can rely on, now and as your business evolves. With over 1,700 apps and integrations, plus AI embedded throughout, Zendesk seamlessly scales to accommodate new use cases and manage increasing ticket volumes with ease. In contrast, Zoho’s limited native features and integration capabilities make it difficult to expand the platform to meet growing business needs, reducing its scalability.

See how Zendesk and Zoho compare on key CX features.

• Integrations
• Customizations
• Reporting and analytics
• Knowledge base

Integrations and a 360-degree customer view

Zendesk’s marketplace features over 1,700 pre-built apps and integrations, giving your support team seamless alignment with the rest of your business and a 360-degree view of your customers. With our plug-and-play integrations, agents can easily access key customer data across sales, service, and marketing—all within a single platform.

Zoho hosts a limited marketplace for third-party apps, with some users reporting that the available integrations are complex and time-consuming.

Build a 360-degree view with the Zendesk Marketplace.

Flexible, customizable platform

Discover customization possibilities with the Zendesk Sunshine platform.

Zendesk offers a high degree of customizability, allowing teams to tailor the tool to their specific needs and workflows. From customizing the Agent Workspace to creating custom fields and automations, Zendesk provides flexibility without requiring technical expertise. Plus, you can use a comprehensive set of APIs for near-limitless possibilities to extend and customize your Zendesk, delivering a seamless CX by quickly building custom integrations between Zendesk and other systems.

While Zoho offers basic customization options, they only allow the user to make minimal customizations to their platforms.

Reporting and analytics

Zendesk provides powerful reporting and analytics software designed for businesses of any size or industry. Our advanced reporting consolidates real-time and historical data from all customer channels in one place. With AI-powered quality assurance (QA) insights, you can evaluate every service interaction and proactively address customer churn. Additionally, our AI-driven workforce management (WFM) tools help you forecast staffing needs and optimize team performance for ongoing efficiency.

On the other hand, Zoho Desk has basic reporting capabilities and dashboards that might not satisfy organizations that need more detailed insights. More advanced reporting features like WFM and QA aren’t available with Zoho Desk and require an additional cost.

Unlock new insights with the power of Zendesk analytics.

Knowledge base

Learn how Zendesk knowledge base software can keep things fresh—with AI

Zendesk gives you the capability to empower customers to self-serve and find answers 24/7. Our knowledge management features make it easy to keep help center articles updated—like Content Cues that use AI to identify and flag content gaps and outdated articles, or generative AI knowledge base tools that help to expand and enhance content quickly.

Zoho offers a multilingual knowledge base but lacks advanced features, like Content Cues, necessary to efficiently keep content fresh.

Let’s take a look at the pricing tiers between Zendesk and Zoho Desk.

*All plans are billed annually.

Don’t just take our word for it. Here are a few stories from customers who chose Zendesk.

Thinkific + Zendesk: Meeting increased business demand with scalable software

CoinJar + Zendesk: Improving satisfaction with ease of use

PayNearby + Zendesk: Accelerating value with expert support