Find the support stack that should come next

What this quiz scores

These are the live inputs. A published score is 0–100 against a perfect match for your answers. Affiliate links are not an input.

1. 1. What are you replacing? We will not recommend the desk or agent you are already trying to leave.
2. 2. How big is the team that will live in it? A founder inbox and a BPO floor fail in opposite ways.
3. 3. What is the job this system has to do? Pick the work that would make you open it every day — not the vendor’s homepage.
4. 4. Which channels have to work on day one? Voice without a dialer is a hard filter. Omnichannel needs more than a chatbot.
5. 5. How much should AI do in support? This is a hard filter if you say dealbreaker. We score AI-nativeness, not a Copilot bolt-on.
6. 6. When does it need to be live? Implementation speed is a scored attribute. A contact-center platform loses if you need this week.
7. 7. What is the monthly budget, roughly? List prices are starting points. Usage and resolution pricing is treated as custom, not a secret rank.
8. 8. Do you need a free plan to start? A free plan is a hard filter. A trial is not the same thing.
9. 9. What does this have to talk to? Open APIs and marketplaces are catalog flags — not a paid boost.
10. 10. How much workflow complexity do you actually want? More flexibility usually means a slower first month and a heavier admin.
11. 11. Where does the data need to live? Self-host and compliance are hard filters when you require them.
12. 12. Any single feature that is a dealbreaker? If you pick one, products without it are removed before scoring.

Default shortlist: replacing Zendesk

21 products in this catalog name Zendesk in their replaces list, which is the most common replacing choice here. Scores below are the live quiz for that path: What are you replacing? — Zendesk; How big is the team that will live in it? — 11–50 people; What is the job this system has to do? — Tickets, SLAs, and a classic queue; Which channels have to work on day one? — Email ticketing first; How much should AI do in support? — Important — it should deflect real volume; When does it need to be live? — This month; What is the monthly budget, roughly? — $20–60 per agent; Do you need a free plan to start? — A free trial is enough; What does this have to talk to? — CRM / order system via API; How much workflow complexity do you actually want? — Some macros, views, and automations; Where does the data need to live? — Cloud SaaS is fine; Any single feature that is a dealbreaker? — None — just rank the best fit. A different answer changes the order. This is not a paid ranking.

1. 1 · score 79

   Gorgias

   Ecommerce helpdesk that lives next to Shopify orders.

2. 2 · score 78

   Help Scout

   Shared inbox that still feels like email — now with AI drafts.

3. 3 · score 76

   Pylon

   B2B support hub for Slack, Teams, and ticket-weary account teams.

4. 4 · score 75

   Assembled

   WFM and AI for support orgs that already have a desk.

5. 5 · score 74

   Freshdesk

   Broad helpdesk from Freshworks — cheaper seats, wider suite.

Best AI-native Zendesk alternatives (2026)