Stuck on HubSpot vs Zendesk? Don't worry – you're definitely not alone in this boat! Both platforms have tons of great features, but figuring out which one actually makes sense for your situation can be a real head-scratcher.
Let's face it – picking the right platform is kind of a big deal. It can either make your team's life way easier or turn into an expensive headache. We'll look at what each one does well (and not so well), how their pricing really works, and which features might actually matter for your business. We’ll also show how Zeeg's scheduling tools work with either choice, so you can build a system that actually fits your needs! But now - let's get started!
What is Zendesk?
Zendesk started back in 2007 in Copenhagen as a customer service platform and quickly took off. Its founders built a solution that puts all customer communication in one place, no matter which channel it comes from.
At its core, Zendesk gives businesses one central place to handle customer questions and requests coming in from email, chat, social media, or phone calls. This approach means support teams don't have to jump between different tools to help customers.
The heart of Zendesk is its ticketing system – think of it as a super-organized inbox that helps companies sort, prioritize, and solve customer issues without letting anything slip through the cracks. Every question gets tracked, assigned, and resolved in a systematic way.
They've grown to serve over 100,000 customers worldwide, including big names like Uber, Pinterest, and Shopify. Along with their main support platform, Zendesk now offers other tools like Zendesk Sell for sales teams, Zendesk Chat for real-time conversations, and Zendesk Guide where customers can find answers on their own.
Zendesk Sell
Zendesk Sell (they bought it in 2018 when it was called Base CRM) is their sales-focused platform. It's built to help sales teams keep track of their pipeline, manage deals, and close more business.
Some of the standout features include:
- A visual pipeline that lets you drag deals through different stages
- Email tools with tracking and templates so you know when someone opens your message
- A focus on activities that actually move deals forward
- Contact and lead management with automatic data enrichment
- Sales forecasting so you can predict your numbers
- A pretty solid mobile app that works offline and even has location features
At the higher pricing tiers, Zendesk Sell gives you prospecting credits to find qualified leads and add them straight to your CRM, plus a power dialer for making lots of calls efficiently. It's particularly good at prospecting (finding new leads) and phone calls.
👉 Read more: Pipedrive vs Zendesk: Which CRM to choose in 2025?
What is HubSpot?
HubSpot launched in 2006 as a marketing platform but has since grown into a Swiss Army knife for all things marketing, sales, and customer service. Today they work with over 100,000 customers in more than 120 countries, including some huge names like Mitsubishi, Walmart, and Shell.
What makes HubSpot stand out is how everything works together in one system. Instead of having your customer data scattered across five different tools, HubSpot keeps it all connected. They organize their platform into five main "Hubs" - Marketing, Sales, Service, CMS (for websites), and Operations - each handling different parts of the customer journey. In this article we focus on the Sales Hub and the Service Hub.
HubSpot Sales Hub
Their CRM product, HubSpot Sales Hub, gives sales teams a bunch of tools to work more efficiently and close more deals. It's designed to help businesses track, manage, and grow their sales, offering some really helpful features:
- A completely free CRM with basic contact management
- Email tracking so you know exactly when someone opens your email
- A meeting scheduler built right in
- Visual pipeline management that's pretty intuitive
- Task automation to cut down on busywork
- Sales reporting so you can see what's working
- Lead scoring to focus on your hottest prospects first
Everything being connected is HubSpot's big advantage – when handling support questions, your service team can see the full customer history, and your sales team can see what marketing has been doing with a lead.
HubSpot Service Hub
As their answer to customer service software, HubSpot launched their Service Hub in 2018. It's designed to help businesses deliver better support while keeping all customer info in one place (sensing a theme here?).
The main features include:
- A ticketing system to manage customer questions
- A knowledge base where customers can find answers themselves
- Live chat and chatbots for real-time help
- Customer feedback tools like NPS, CSAT, and CES surveys
- Reporting dashboards to track how your team is doing
- Call recording and analysis to improve service quality
- Automation tools to handle routine tasks
The big selling point of Service Hub is how tightly it connects with the rest of HubSpot's tools. Your support team can see exactly what products a customer has purchased, what marketing emails they've opened, and their entire history with your company – all without switching between different systems.
HubSpot vs Zendesk: Comparison overview
Let's break down the main differences between Zendesk vs HubSpot in a nutshell:
Now let's dig into how these platforms actually compare in real-world use.
💻 User interface and ease of use: Both are simple and easy to use
Zendesk delivers a clean, straightforward design where navigation feels intuitive from the start. The menus are logically arranged, and if you've used their support products, you'll immediately recognize the layout. HubSpot takes a different approach by maintaining consistent design across all their Hubs, creating a unified experience that pays off when using multiple products.
Dashboard setup is efficient in both systems. Zendesk provides pre-built options with simple drag-and-drop customization that requires minimal technical knowledge. HubSpot offers similar starting points but includes more advanced customization capabilities for those willing to invest the time to learn them.
Mobile functionality reveals more substantial differences. Zendesk's app is particularly strong for field sales teams:
- offline capabilities
- location-based prospect finding
- a well-designed interface (rated 4.1/5 on Google Play)
While competent for basic functions, the HubSpot mobile app doesn't offer the specialized field sales capabilities that make Zendesk particularly valuable for teams on the go.
👤 CRM and contact management: Zendesk is more support-oriented
Zendesk gives you solid tools for organizing customer information in a way that makes sense for support teams. The system keeps track of all past interactions, so your agents have the context they need when helping customers. You can customize fields and organize data how you want, but Zendesk really shines at connecting contact information directly to support tickets and conversations. It's designed with support agents in mind - giving them quick access to exactly what they need to solve problems efficiently.
HubSpot takes a different approach by making their CRM the foundation of everything. Their contact records give you the complete picture - every email, call, and meeting, what customers have purchased, their support history, which marketing emails they've opened, and any custom information you want to track. The big advantage here is breaking down the walls between departments. Everyone from marketing to sales to support sees the same customer data, so you avoid the frustration of information being trapped in different systems.
HubSpot also includes practical features like automatically identifying and merging duplicate contacts, which helps keep your database clean without manual effort.
🎟️ Ticketing system and support workflows: Zendesk provides more advanced features
Zendesk dominates the ticketing comparison with advanced features that HubSpot simply doesn't match. Zendesk offers:
- sophisticated routing based on skills and workload
- detailed SLA management
- real-time collaboration tools
- powerful automation capabilities designed specifically for complex support environments
HubSpot covers the basics competently – automatic ticket creation, custom pipelines, role-based assignment, and serviceable SLA tracking. While it lacks Zendesk's depth, HubSpot integrates seamlessly with existing customer data if you're already using their other products.
💲 Sales pipeline and deal management: Zendesk keeps your sales process streamlined
Zendesk Sell gives you a no-nonsense approach to managing deals. Its visual pipeline lets sales reps easily see what's in the works and drag deals between stages as they progress. You can set up the system to match your actual sales process rather than forcing your team to adapt to rigid software. Daily sales activities are well-covered:
- logging customer conversations
- tracking performance
- working from your email inbox
It's built for sales teams who want a straightforward tool that helps them close deals without unnecessary complications.
HubSpot takes a broader view of the sales process. While you still get the visual pipeline and basic deal tracking, HubSpot connects sales with what's happening in marketing and service. Their system shows reps which marketing emails a prospect has opened or which website pages they've visited before the first sales contact. You get practical tools like automated email sequences and a built-in meeting scheduler that eliminate tedious work.
The biggest difference? Zendesk keeps your sales process streamlined and focused, while HubSpot connects it to everything else. With HubSpot, your sales team sees all the marketing touchpoints that happened earlier, and later, your service team can view the complete sales history when helping customers. Instead of information getting trapped in separate departments, everyone works from the same complete customer record.
🔄 Integrations and ecosystem: HubSpot has an ecosystem that encourages using more of their products
Both platforms provide extensive app marketplaces, with Zendesk offering around 1,200 integrations and HubSpot featuring over 1,000 apps (350 free). The key difference is distribution - only about 10% of Zendesk's integrations work with their Sell product, while HubSpot maintains more consistent integration capabilities across their entire platform.
For connection methods, both systems offer Zapier integration and native connections to popular tools, but HubSpot goes further with their dedicated Operations Hub specifically designed for creating data flows between systems. API access also differs significantly - Zendesk restricts advanced APIs with real-time data transfer to higher-priced plans, while HubSpot provides dedicated APIs for each Hub regardless of subscription level.
The fundamental contrast is in ecosystem design: Zendesk provides good connections between their products and reasonable third-party options while maintaining some separation. HubSpot has built a tightly integrated ecosystem that encourages using more of their products together - great for an all-in-one approach but sometimes feeling like they're steering you toward complete HubSpot adoption rather than supporting a mixed toolset strategy.
⚙️ Automation capabilities: HubSpot's automation works across departments
Zendesk builds solid automation into their support system - you get triggers that fire when tickets meet certain conditions, time-saving macros for consistent responses, and time-based automations that can nudge tickets along or escalate them when needed. Their custom views automatically organize tickets by whatever criteria matter to you. In Zendesk Sell, however, automation is more limited unless you're on higher-tier plans - you won't get task automation until the Professional level, though basic email automation comes standard.
HubSpot makes automation central to their entire platform. Even their entry-level plans include task automation and email sequences, while higher tiers unlock much more powerful tools:
- complex workflows with branching logic
- fair lead distribution among team members
- AI-powered lead scoring
- automatic report generation
What stands out most is how HubSpot's automation works across departments rather than being confined to specific functions.
The key difference is in how these systems connect your business processes. Zendesk works well within each specific tool but keeps them somewhat separate. HubSpot lets your automations span across marketing, sales, and service - automatically moving leads between departments based on scores or creating service tickets when someone purchases specific products. For businesses wanting to automate the entire customer journey rather than just individual touchpoints, HubSpot's connected approach offers clear advantages that Zendesk's more function-specific system doesn't provide.
📊 Reporting and analytics: HubSpot offers revenue attribution across customer lifecycle
For dashboard functionality, both platforms offer pre-built options, but Zendesk focuses on support and sales metrics in separate views, whereas HubSpot creates unified dashboards that combine marketing, sales, and service data in one place. This difference means Zendesk users typically switch between tools to see different departmental metrics, while HubSpot users see cross-department connections in a single view.
When tracking operational efficiency, Zendesk provides deeper support-specific metrics like real-time agent activity and detailed SLA compliance, while HubSpot offers broader but sometimes less detailed tracking across all customer-facing teams. For sales analytics, Zendesk Sell delivers focused pipeline analysis and forecasting, whereas HubSpot connects sales outcomes with marketing activities and service interactions.
The most significant contrast appears in how they measure success: Zendesk shines at showing team and individual performance within departments, helping managers identify top performers and coaching opportunities. HubSpot uniquely offers revenue attribution across the entire customer lifecycle, revealing which specific activities in marketing, sales, or service actually drive business results. This connected view lets HubSpot users understand relationships between departments that Zendesk's more compartmentalized reporting simply can't show.
📞 Customer Support and Help Center: Zendesk treats support as a standard feature
Support accessibility varies dramatically between the platforms. Zendesk provides email, chat, and phone support to all customers regardless of plan level, while HubSpot restricts access based on subscription tier - free users get no direct support whatsoever, Starter plan users can only use chat and email, and phone support is exclusively reserved for Professional plan subscribers and above.
Both companies offer a lot of self-service resources through their knowledge bases, but the pathways to human assistance differ significantly. With Zendesk, you can talk to a real person when you're stuck without paying more, whereas HubSpot positions direct human support (especially by phone) as a premium feature that comes with higher subscription costs.
The core philosophy difference is clear: Zendesk treats support as a standard feature available to everyone, while HubSpot uses support access as an incentive to upgrade to higher-priced plans.
Pricing: Zendesk vs HubSpot
Let's talk money – how much do these platforms actually cost?
Zendesk pricing
Zendesk has separate pricing for their Support and Sell products (billed annually):
There's no free plan from Zendesk, just a 14-day free trial. Their pricing is pretty straightforward, but it can add up quickly for larger teams or if you need both Support and Sell.
Another thing to keep in mind: a lot of important features are only available in the more expensive tiers. For example, you don't get task automation in Zendesk Sell until you hit the $115/month Professional plan.
HubSpot pricing
HubSpot's pricing is... let's just say complicated. They have different plans for each Hub, plus bundle options. Here's the pricing for the Sales Hub and Service Hub (billed annually):
They also offer bundled options that combine multiple Hubs at a discount.
HubSpot's free plan is genuinely useful. But pay attention to those minimum user requirements for the Professional and Enterprise plans. If you've got a small team but need advanced features, you might end up paying for seats you don't actually need.
What does that mean in direct comparison?
Entry point costs: HubSpot has a free plan
HubSpot gives you a genuine advantage at the starting line with their free plan that includes actual useful features for up to 2 users. Zendesk has no free option – you'll pay at least $19/user/month for Zendesk Sell or $55/agent/month for Support Suite just to get started.
Small team costs (1-5 people): Zendesk is cheaper
For a small team, HubSpot initially looks more affordable. With 3 team members:
- HubSpot Sales Hub Starter would cost $45/month ($15 × 3)
- Zendesk Sell Team would cost $57/month ($19 × 3)
However, if you need more advanced features: HubSpot Professional would force you to pay for 5 seats minimum ($450/month) even if you only need 3. In comparison, Zendesk Sell Growth would cost $165/month ($55 × 3), making it significantly cheaper.
Medium team costs (10-25 people): With Zendesk you pay for what you use
As your team grows, the pricing comparison shifts. For a team of 15:
- HubSpot Sales Hub Professional costs $1,350/month ($90 × 15)
- Zendesk Sell Growth costs $825/month ($55 × 15)
Zendesk becomes increasingly cost-effective at scale because you only pay for what you use, while HubSpot's minimum user requirements and higher per-user costs add up quickly.
Feature access: HubSpot includes more functionality at lower tiers
Zendesk tends to lock more essential features behind higher pricing tiers. For example, Email automation requires Zendesk Sell Growth ($55/user/month). Also Task automation requires Zendesk Sell Professional ($115/user/month).
Meanwhile, HubSpot includes more functionality at lower tiers. Email sequences and basic automation are included in Starter ($15/user/month). More advanced workflow automation comes with the Professional Plan ($90/user/month).
Combined solution costs: HubSpot covers service and sales better
If you need both sales and support functionality, HubSpot's bundles can provide better value. With Zendesk, you'd need to purchase both Sell and Support Suite separately.
Long-term value: HubSpot is an all-in-one solution, Zendesk offers specialization
For growing businesses that need an integrated platform, HubSpot's pricing may be justified by the unified experience and reduced need for multiple tools. Zendesk might be more cost-effective for specialized teams that only need specific functionality rather than the whole package.
The bottom line: For very small teams or those just getting started, HubSpot's free plan is unbeatable. For mid-sized teams with specialized needs, Zendesk often provides better value. For enterprise businesses, a detailed cost analysis based on your specific requirements is essential.
Pros and Cons
Zendesk ecosystem
✅ Ticketing system that handles complex support needs very well
✅ Super customizable – you can tweak almost anything to fit your process
✅ Great mobile app that works even without internet connection
✅ Solid customer support no matter which plan you're on
✅ Amazing phone features if you run a call center
✅ Prospecting tools to help sales teams find new leads (on higher plans)
❌ No free plan – just a 14-day trial to kick the tires
❌ Important features locked behind expensive plans
❌ CRM isn't as robust as dedicated CRM platforms
❌ Sales and support feel somewhat disconnected
❌ Fewer app integrations specifically for Zendesk Sell
Who should use Zendesk? It's perfect for companies where customer support is a big priority, businesses with complex ticketing needs, and organizations that want specialized tools rather than a jack-of-all-trades platform.
HubSpot ecosystem
✅ Actually useful free plan to get you started
✅ Everything works together across marketing, sales, and service
✅ Easy to use without needing a technical background
✅ Broad reporting that covers the entire customer journey
✅ Seamless integration between all their products
✅ Constant improvements with regular feature updates
❌ Minimum user requirements force you to pay for seats you might not need
❌ Big price jumps between tiers
❌ Annual contracts required for most plans
❌ Limited direct support unless you pay for higher tiers
❌ Jack of all trades, master of none – not as specialized in any one area
Who should use HubSpot? It's ideal for businesses that want an all-in-one platform, growing companies looking to align sales and marketing, and organizations that prioritize ease of use over specialized features.
Which is right for your business: Zendesk or HubSpot?
When deciding between HubSpot vs Zendesk, here are some things to think about:
Business size
Small businesses (1-10 employees):
- If you're watching your wallet, HubSpot's useful free plan makes it the smarter choice for most small businesses just getting started
- Unless exceptional customer support is the backbone of your business, Zendesk's specialized tools might be more horsepower than you really need for the price
Mid-sized companies (10-100 employees):
- Either platform could work well, depending on what you need
- The way HubSpot connects everything from marketing to sales to support in one system gives teams visibility across departmental boundaries that Zendesk can't match
- When it comes to pure support firepower, Zendesk's specialized ticketing and customer service tools run circles around HubSpot's more generalized system
Enterprise organizations (100+ employees):
- Zendesk handles large support teams with complex needs really well
- HubSpot's minimum user requirements can make it quite expensive at scale
- The decision often comes down to whether you want one platform that does everything pretty well, or specialized tools that excel at specific functions
Industry considerations
E-commerce:
- When your inbox is flooded with customer questions, Zendesk's robust ticketing system efficiently sorts and resolves issues
- Drive more sales through your online store with HubSpot's comprehensive marketing toolkit and customer journey analytics
SaaS and tech companies:
- From first click to loyal customer, HubSpot's connected platform gives tech companies visibility across the entire user journey
- Maintain exceptional technical support with Zendesk's specialized tools designed for complex product questions and troubleshooting
Professional services:
- Cold calling and prospect research become significantly more efficient with Zendesk Sell's outbound sales capabilities
- Nurture complex, high-value relationships through HubSpot's sophisticated multi-touch marketing automation sequences
Business focus
Customer support is your priority:
- Nothing touches Zendesk when support quality defines your brand—their specialized toolset remains the gold standard
- Support teams thrive with industry-leading ticketing workflows that dramatically improve resolution times and customer satisfaction
Sales-driven organization:
- Connect your sales and marketing efforts seamlessly with HubSpot's unified ecosystem to lead nurturing and conversion
- Sales teams laser-focused on pipeline management often find Zendesk Sell's straightforward deal tracking more intuitive
Marketing-centered strategy:
- Content creation, SEO optimization, and lead capture form HubSpot's DNA—making it the natural choice for marketing-first companies
- Marketing teams using Zendesk will need additional tools to fill significant gaps in campaign management and lead generation
Budget considerations
Limited budget:
- Start with zero investment using HubSpot's surprisingly capable free tier while keeping upgrade paths open
- Every dollar spent on Zendesk delivers specialized functionality, though you'll need to commit resources from day one
Growth-focused investment:
- Future-proof your tech stack with HubSpot's platform that expands capabilities alongside your business growth
- When excellence in specific operational areas matters more than breadth, Zendesk delivers superior depth
No matter the CRM: Zeeg improves your scheduling
Whether you go with Zendesk or HubSpot, Zeeg's scheduling capabilities can make either platform even better. Zeeg is an appointment scheduling solution that connects smoothly with both Zendesk and HubSpot, adding powerful scheduling features to your customer management system.
Zeeg offers:
- Full GDPR compliance with data stored in Europe (important if you have European customers)
- Smart routing with intake forms to get appointments to the right team members
- Custom booking pages that match your brand's look and feel
- Round-robin scheduling so appointments are distributed fairly
- Team scheduling for coordinating meetings with multiple people
- Apple Calendar integration
- Payment processing so you can charge for appointments
When you connect Zeeg with Zendesk or HubSpot, everything flows together nicely. Appointment information automatically syncs to your CRM, so you don't have to manually enter data, and your customer records are always current.
For businesses using either platform, adding Zeeg gives you:
- A better customer experience – people can book time with you easily
- More efficient teams – scheduling happens automatically
- No data gaps between your scheduling tool and customer management
- Fewer no-shows thanks to automated reminders
- A professional booking experience that reinforces your brand
Starting at just $10 per user per month, Zeeg is an affordable way to beef up either platform without breaking the bank.
Our final verdict: Which one is better?
After diving deep into Zendesk and HubSpot, here's the bottom line – they're both good platforms, but they excel at different things.
When to choose Zendesk:
- Customer support is your main focus
- You need a super customizable ticketing system
- Your team handles tons of customer questions
- Phone integration matters for your sales process
- You'd rather have specialized excellence than a jack-of-all-trades
Zendesk's ticketing capabilities are great, and their focus on customer support makes them the better choice if customer service is mission-critical for your business. For support teams that need a scalable solution, Zendesk Support is tough to beat.
On the sales side, Zendesk Sell offers solid pipeline management and really shines with its phone and prospecting features (but only on the pricier plans).
When to choose HubSpot:
- You want one platform for marketing, sales, and service
- Starting with a free solution matters to you
- Ease of use is more important than deep customization
- Your strategy involves aligning sales and marketing
- You want all your customer data in one central system
HubSpot does a great job of creating a seamless experience across departments by keeping all your customer data connected. Their user-friendly interface and generous free plan make them accessible to businesses of all sizes.
While HubSpot Service Hub can't quite match Zendesk's ticketing prowess, and Sales Hub may lack some of Zendesk Sell's specialized features, the value of having everything integrated often outweighs these limitations.
The hybrid approach:
Many businesses actually end up with a mix of tools:
- HubSpot for marketing automation and lead generation
- Zendesk for customer support and ticketing
- Zeeg for scheduling appointments and managing calendars
With the right integrations between these tools, you can get the best of each platform while still delivering a consistent customer experience.
Remember that the best solution is the one that aligns with your business goals, fits your budget, and can grow with your organization over time. Whether that's Zendesk, HubSpot, or a combination of both with Zeeg's scheduling capabilities, the key is making an informed decision based on what matters most to your business.
FAQ Section
Is Zendesk better than HubSpot?
There's no one-size-fits-all answer here. Zendesk rocks at customer support and ticketing, while HubSpot offers a more integrated platform covering marketing, sales, and service. Which one's better depends entirely on what your business needs, what you prioritize, and your budget constraints.
What is Zendesk best used for?
Zendesk shines brightest for customer support management, ticket handling, and multi-channel customer service. Their strength is in helping you organize, prioritize, and solve customer issues efficiently across different communication channels like email, chat, phone, and social media.
Is Zendesk cheaper than HubSpot?
It depends on your specific needs. HubSpot offers a free plan, while Zendesk requires you to pay from day one. For smaller teams, HubSpot may be more cost-effective, but for larger teams, Zendesk's per-user pricing without minimum requirements can work out cheaper than HubSpot's higher tiers with their mandatory minimum user counts.
What is HubSpot best used for?
HubSpot excels at providing an integrated approach to marketing, sales, and customer service. It's particularly good at aligning these functions and giving you a complete view of the customer journey from first awareness through to ongoing support.
Sources: Pricing and features were sourced on May 19, 2025:
