Free Zendesk alternatives 2026
9 alternatives reviewed and compared
These Zendesk alternatives all have a genuinely free plan or are fully open source — no trial countdown, no card required.
Looking for alternatives to:
Zendesk
Customer service platform with ticketing, chat, knowledge base, and call center tools.
Top alternatives compared
| Software | Rating | Starting price | Best for | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Freshdesk Customer support software with ticketing, automation, and self-service for growing teams. | 4.4 | Free | Teams priced out of Zendesk's Suite tiers | |
 Zoho Desk Affordable help desk software with ticketing, AI, and Zoho ecosystem integration. | 4.2 | Free | Companies already standardized on Zoho | |
 Jira Service Management ITSM platform built on Jira with incident, change, and asset management plus a free tier for up to 3 agents. | 8.0 | Free | IT teams already using Jira Software for development | |
 Tidio Live chat, chatbot, and help desk platform built for small businesses and e-commerce stores. Free plan available. | 8.3 | Free | Small e-commerce stores on Shopify or WooCommerce | |
 LiveAgent All-in-one help desk with ticketing, live chat, call center, and social media support. | 4.5 | Free | Teams needing omnichannel including phone | |
 Hiver Gmail-based help desk that turns your inbox into a shared workspace with ticketing, SLAs, and automation. Free for up to 10 users. | 8.3 | Free | Teams already using Gmail/Google Workspace for email | |
 Freshchat Conversational messaging platform by Freshworks with AI bots, omnichannel support, and a free plan for 100 agents. | Free | Teams wanting free live chat for large agent groups | ||
 Crisp Business messaging platform for startups and SMBs with live chat, shared inbox, chatbot, and a generous free plan. | 8.0 | Free | Startups and indie hackers needing a free messaging solution | |
 osTicket Open-source support ticket system with custom forms, auto-routing, and SLA tracking. Free self-hosted or $12/agent/mo cloud. | Free | Organizations with strict data sovereignty requirements |
Detailed reviews
Freshdesk
Customer support software with ticketing, automation, and self-service for growing teams.
Best for:
Why pick Freshdesk over Zendesk?
Freshdesk delivers most of Zendesk's ticketing, SLAs and multichannel inbox at roughly half the per-agent price, with a free tier for up to 10 agents that Zendesk has never matched.
Zoho Desk
Affordable help desk software with ticketing, AI, and Zoho ecosystem integration.
Best for:
Why pick Zoho Desk over Zendesk?
Zoho Desk costs a fraction of Zendesk and slots straight into Zoho CRM, Books and the rest of the suite — the obvious pick if you already run on Zoho.
Jira Service Management
ITSM platform built on Jira with incident, change, and asset management plus a free tier for up to 3 agents.
Best for:
Why pick Jira Service Management over Zendesk?
Jira Service Management has a genuinely usable free tier and is strong at IT teams already using Jira Software for development.
Tidio
Live chat, chatbot, and help desk platform built for small businesses and e-commerce stores. Free plan available.
Best for:
Why pick Tidio over Zendesk?
Tidio has a genuinely usable free tier and is strong at Small e-commerce stores on Shopify or WooCommerce.
LiveAgent
All-in-one help desk with ticketing, live chat, call center, and social media support.
Best for:
Why pick LiveAgent over Zendesk?
LiveAgent has a genuinely usable free tier and is strong at Teams needing omnichannel including phone.
Still deciding?
Put your shortlist side by side and see how the numbers and features really stack up.