Is HubSpot cheaper than Zendesk?

Zendesk starts lower, at $19 a month against $20 for HubSpot. Both figures are the entry paid plan billed monthly, checked against each vendor's own pricing page. Higher tiers and add-ons can change the comparison, so price the plan you actually need.

Does HubSpot or Zendesk have a free plan?

HubSpot has a free plan. Zendesk does not, though it offers a free trial.

How long is the HubSpot and Zendesk free trial?

HubSpot offers a 14-day free trial, and Zendesk offers a 14-day free trial.

Which is easier to use, HubSpot or Zendesk?

In VERILO's editorial assessment HubSpot is the easier of the two, scoring 4 out of 5 against 3 for Zendesk. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.

HubSpot vs Zendesk

A side-by-side look at HubSpot and Zendesk: what each costs to start, whether there is a free plan, how easy they are to pick up, and which features and integrations they cover.

Which should you choose?

Choose HubSpot if

Small businesses that want a free CRM they can grow into
Teams that plan to run marketing, sales and support from one platform
Companies that value a polished interface over deep customization

Visit HubSpot

Choose Zendesk if

Support teams of 10 or more agents handling high ticket volumes
Companies that need multiple channels, SLAs and audit-ready reporting
Businesses with a large existing app stack that need marketplace integrations

Visit Zendesk

Cheapest to start

Zendesk · From $19/mo

Free plan

HubSpot

Highest editor rating

Tied

Comparison of HubSpot and Zendesk
Compare	HubSpot Visit site	Zendesk Visit site
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Starting price	From $20/mo	From $19/mo
Editor rating	4.5	4.5
Ease of use	Easy (4/5)	Moderate (3/5)
Category	Sales & CRM	Customer Support
Pricing model	Free CRM tools for up to 2 users with usage limits. Sales Hub Starter is $20 per seat per month ($7 billed annually), Professional $100 per seat per month ($90 annually) with a mandatory $1,500 one-time onboarding fee, and Enterprise from $150 per seat per month with a mandatory $3,500 onboarding fee.	Support-only plans start at $19 per agent per month billed annually; the full Zendesk Suite runs from $55 (Team) to $115 (Professional) per agent per month annually, with Enterprise priced on request. AI agent resolutions and the copilot add-on are billed separately.
Plans	Free tools — Free Sales Hub Starter — $20/user/mo Sales Hub Professional — $100/user/mo Sales Hub Enterprise — $150/user/mo	Support Team — $19/user/mo Suite Team — $55/user/mo Suite Professional — $115/user/mo Suite Enterprise — Custom
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension, API	Web, iOS, Android, API
Integrations	Gmail, Google Workspace, Make, Microsoft 365, Outlook, Shopify, Slack, Stripe, Zapier, Zoom	Facebook & Instagram, HubSpot, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Shopify, Slack, Trello, WhatsApp, Zapier
Best for	Small businesses that want a free CRM they can grow into Teams that plan to run marketing, sales and support from one platform Companies that value a polished interface over deep customization	Support teams of 10 or more agents handling high ticket volumes Companies that need multiple channels, SLAs and audit-ready reporting Businesses with a large existing app stack that need marketplace integrations
Pros	Genuinely useful free CRM with unlimited contacts and shared inbox One contact record shared by sales, marketing and support tools Large integration marketplace and strong Gmail and Outlook sync Clean, consistent interface with good onboarding content Scales into marketing automation without migrating data	Mature ticketing engine with triggers, automations, macros, SLAs and skills-based routing Covers email, chat, voice, WhatsApp and social messaging in one agent workspace Largest app marketplace in the category, plus a well-documented API Strong reporting and dashboards through Zendesk Explore Multi-brand help centers with localization
Cons	Professional and Enterprise tiers are expensive and carry onboarding fees Many free-tier features carry HubSpot branding or usage caps Advanced reporting and custom objects are locked to higher tiers Annual contracts required on Professional and above	Per-agent pricing gets expensive, and useful features are gated behind Professional and Enterprise AI agents, copilot and advanced data retention are paid add-ons on top of seat fees Configuration of views, triggers and routing takes real setup time and often an admin Smaller teams pay for capabilities they will not use
AI agents	No	Yes
API access	Yes	Yes
Chatbot	No	Yes
Custom fields	Yes	No
Email sync (Gmail / Outlook)	Yes	No
Forms & surveys	Yes	No
Knowledge base / help centre	No	Yes
Lead scoring	Yes	No
Live chat	Yes	Yes
Meeting scheduling	Yes	No
Mobile app	Yes	No
Multichannel inbox (email, chat, social)	No	Yes
Quotes & invoices	Yes	No
Reporting & dashboards	Yes	Yes
SLA management	No	Yes
SSO / SAML	No	Yes
Ticketing	No	Yes
Visual pipeline	Yes	No
WhatsApp channel	No	Yes
Workflow automation	Yes	Yes

Common questions

Is HubSpot cheaper than Zendesk?: Zendesk starts lower, at $19 a month against $20 for HubSpot. Both figures are the entry paid plan billed monthly, checked against each vendor's own pricing page. Higher tiers and add-ons can change the comparison, so price the plan you actually need.
Does HubSpot or Zendesk have a free plan?: HubSpot has a free plan. Zendesk does not, though it offers a free trial.
How long is the HubSpot and Zendesk free trial?: HubSpot offers a 14-day free trial, and Zendesk offers a 14-day free trial.
Which is easier to use, HubSpot or Zendesk?: In VERILO's editorial assessment HubSpot is the easier of the two, scoring 4 out of 5 against 3 for Zendesk. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.

HubSpot vs Zendesk

Which should you choose?

Common questions

Go deeper

Related comparisons

Which should you choose?

Common questions

Go deeper

Related comparisons

Search VERILO