Zendesk vs HubSpot
Updated onCompare Zendesk and HubSpot side-by-side. See how they stack up on features, pricing, and target market.
Zendesk
Zendesk is a cloud-based customer service and engagement software company that provides ticketing, messaging, analytics, and AI-powered support tools for businesses.
Starts at $19 / per agent / month
Has a free trial
vs
HubSpot
HubSpot is a public software company that provides an AI-powered customer platform—including CRM, marketing, sales, service, CMS, and operations hubs—for businesses.
Starts at $0
Which should you choose?
Zendesk
You need a best‑of‑breed, enterprise‑ready help desk/contact center with deep AI, native voice/IVR, QA/WEM, and SLAs out of the box.
HubSpot
You want an all‑in‑one CRM where marketing, sales, content, and service live together, with a free tier and simple seat-based scaling.
Typical cost comparison
Scenario: 10 support users, billed annually, comparing Zendesk Suite Team vs HubSpot Service Hub Professional.
Zendesk
$550 per month
HubSpot
$1000 per month
Zendesk saves you $450 per month in this scenario.
Key differences
| Category | Zendesk | HubSpot | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | HubSpot has a free tier and low‑cost Starter seats, but at feature parity (e.g., SLAs and advanced automation) its per‑seat pricing typically exceeds Zendesk’s Suite Team per‑agent pricing, while Zendesk’s Support/Suite starts at $19/$55. | ||
| Feature Depth (Service/Contact Center) | Zendesk offers mature omnichannel ticketing, native voice/IVR, workforce management, and AI-powered quality assurance suited for high‑volume support operations. | ||
| Implementation Time | Zendesk is purpose‑built for service and can be deployed quickly for ticketing and omnichannel, whereas HubSpot often entails broader platform configuration to align hubs and data. | ||
| Platform Scope | HubSpot unifies CRM, marketing, sales, CMS, and service in one platform, whereas Zendesk focuses on customer and employee service. | ||
| Security & Compliance | Zendesk holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification with optional BAAs for HIPAA, while HubSpot supports HIPAA via Sensitive Data features and BAA on Enterprise but is not ISO 27001 certified as of 2025. |
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