Channels and apps14 of 14
Workflow and SLAs21 of 21
Reports and connections17 of 18
Security6 of 12
Price15 of 15
Independent testing14 of 20
help desk · Zoho
Zoho Desk
Help desk with a free plan for 3 users and paid editions from $7 per user a month billed yearly.
In short
- The Free edition covers 3 users3 and is labelled Free Forever1.
- Express costs $7 per user a month billed yearly, or $9 billed monthly2.
- Standard at $14 adds live chat, messaging apps, a knowledge base, satisfaction ratings and custom reports1,2.
- Phone support and round-robin assignment start at Professional, $23 per user a month billed yearly1,2.
- Zoho names SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001, and Zoho Desk appears in a SOC 2 + HIPAA report scope7.
Zoho Desk suits small teams that want ticketing, workflows and social channels at $7 per user, or a free start for 3 users1,2,3. SLA counts rise by edition, with 4 on Standard and 10 per department on Professional3. The catch: phone, round-robin and Zia AI need Professional, and the edition comparison lists SAML sign-on only for help-centre customers, not for agents3.
Best for: Small teams that want a low entry price and a free plan.
Where the points come from
Channels and apps 14 of 14 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Support channels | Email, Live chat, Phone, Social mediaExpress: email, Instagram, Facebook, X. Standard: chat. Professional: telephony with calls logged as tickets1,4. | 8 / 8 |
| Mobile apps | iOS, AndroidMobile app page links the Zoho Desk app on the App Store and Google Play5. | 2 / 2 |
| Built-in help centre | YesStandard lists a knowledge base for customers; Professional adds a multilingual help centre1. | 4 / 4 |
Workflow and SLAs 21 of 21 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| SLA policies | YesStandard allows 4 SLA policies; Professional 10 per department3. | 8 / 8 |
| Ticket automation rules | YesExpress lists workflows that run actions when set conditions are met1. | 5 / 5 |
| Automatic ticket assignment | YesProfessional lists round-robin assignment by workload or fixed order1. | 5 / 5 |
| Built-in satisfaction survey | YesStandard lists customer happiness ratings sent at ticket closure or after each reply1. | 3 / 3 |
Reports and connections 17 of 18 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Custom reports | YesStandard lists custom reports and dashboards; Standard allows 50, Professional unlimited1,3. | 5 / 5 |
| Public API | YesComparison page lists a RESTful API on every edition, with credit limits by edition3. | 3 / 3 |
| Named integrations | Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Salesforce, HubSpotIntegrations page lists five of the six; no Shopify integration is listed6. | 5 / 6 |
| AI assistant with public price | YesExpress lists AI Agents with up to 30M free tokens a month; Standard adds Answer bot1. | 4 / 4 |
Security 6 of 12 points
Price 15 of 15 points
Independent testing 14 of 20 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| G2 AI CX evaluation | 145 of 200G2, October 2026: 145 of 200 (Zoho). Zoho, 145 points on G2's leaderboard.8 | 14 / 20 |
The rule behind each line: how we score help desks.
Plans and prices
As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.
| Plan | Price as listed | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free3 users | Free1,3 | $0 | Email tickets, default SLA |
| ExpressPer user | $7/user/month2 | $7 | Email, social, workflows; $9 billed monthly |
| StandardPer user | $14/user/month2 | $14 | Adds live chat, knowledge base, CSAT, reports; $20 billed monthly |
| ProfessionalPer user | $23/user/month2 | $23 | Adds telephony, round robin, Blueprints; $35 billed monthly |
| EnterprisePer user | $40/user/month2 | $40 | Adds skill-based assignment, multi-brand help centre; $50 billed monthly |
Prices are per user, billed yearly. The dollar figures come from the price file the pricing page loads2.
Strengths
- Free edition for 3 users, with no time limit stated1,3.
- Email and social tickets from Instagram, Facebook and X start on Express at $71,2.
- Custom reports, customer happiness ratings and a knowledge base start on Standard1.
- Agents can take calls inside Zoho Desk; missed calls and voicemails become tickets4.
- Official Zoho Desk app with App Store and Google Play links5.
Limits
- Free is capped at 3 users, and Express has only a default SLA; Standard allows 43.
- Phone, round-robin assignment and Zia AI need Professional, $23 per user a month1,2.
- SAML single sign-on is listed only for help-centre customers, and no agent SAML is listed3.
- Shopify is not among the integrations on the vendor's integration page6.
Other help desks
- 2
LiveAgentSmall teams that want every channel in one tool at a low per-agent price79/100$15/mocheapest paid plan - 3
TidioSmall teams that want tickets, chat and an AI agent at a flat workspace price75/100$24.17/mocheapest paid plan - 4
FreshdeskSmall support teams that start with email and may add chat and social later70/100$19/mocheapest paid plan - 5
Zendesk SupportSupport teams that expect to add chat, phone and social channels as they grow70/100$19/mocheapest paid plan
Zoho Desk vs LiveAgent · Zoho Desk vs Tidio · All 12 help desks
Sources
- Zoho Desk pricing and editions, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Zoho Desk price file loaded by the pricing page, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Zoho Desk edition comparison, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Zoho Desk call center software, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Zoho Desk mobile app, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Zoho Desk integrations, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Zoho compliance, Zoho. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- AI CX Agent Evaluations, General CX leaderboard, G2. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Website: www.zoho.com/desk · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Zoho.