Salesforce Sales Cloud vs Zendesk
A side-by-side look at Salesforce Sales Cloud 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 Salesforce Sales Cloud if
- Mid-sized and enterprise sales organizations with complex processes
- Companies with a dedicated CRM administrator
- Businesses that need compliance, territories and advanced forecasting
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
Cheapest to start
Not confirmed
Free plan
Neither
Highest editor rating
Zendesk · 4.5
| Compare | Salesforce Sales Cloud |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | Yes |
| Starting price | From $25/mo |
| Editor rating | 4.3 |
| Ease of use | Takes time (2/5) |
| Category | Sales & CRM |
| Pricing model | No free plan; free trial available. Starter Suite is approximately $25 per user per month, Pro Suite approximately $100, Enterprise approximately $165, Unlimited approximately $330, all billed annually; AI-focused editions are priced higher. |
| Plans |
|
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, API |
| Integrations | Gmail, Google Workspace, Mailchimp, Make, Microsoft 365, Outlook, QuickBooks, Slack, Zapier |
| Best for |
|
| Pros |
|
| Cons |
|
| AI agents | Yes |
| AI assistant | Yes |
| API access | Yes |
| Chatbot | No |
| Custom fields | Yes |
| Email sync (Gmail / Outlook) | Yes |
| Knowledge base / help centre | No |
| Lead scoring | Yes |
| Live chat | No |
| Mobile app | Yes |
| Multichannel inbox (email, chat, social) | No |
| Reporting & dashboards | Yes |
| Roles & permissions | Yes |
| SLA management | No |
| SSO / SAML | Yes |
| Ticketing | No |
| Visual pipeline | Yes |
| WhatsApp channel | No |
| Workflow automation | Yes |
Common questions
- Does Salesforce Sales Cloud or Zendesk have a free plan?
- Neither offers a permanently free plan. Salesforce Sales Cloud and Zendesk offer a free trial instead.
- How long is the Salesforce Sales Cloud and Zendesk free trial?
- Salesforce Sales Cloud offers a 30-day free trial, and Zendesk offers a 14-day free trial.
- Which is easier to use, Salesforce Sales Cloud or Zendesk?
- In VERILO's editorial assessment Zendesk is the easier of the two, scoring 3 out of 5 against 2 for Salesforce Sales Cloud. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.