Crisp vs Zendesk
Both ladders below were read from the vendors’ own pricing pages, in this market, on the dates shown. Nothing is converted: what you see is what each page showed a reader here.
What each one is
Crispsite ↗pricing ↗
A customer messaging tool bundling chat, shared inbox and a knowledge base at a flat price. Paid plans start at $45/mo (Mini); no free plan is published. The ladder we hold runs 3 paid tiers, topping out at $295/mo (Plus). We read the same $45/mo in every market we check, so this vendor does not price by country. It quotes USD here rather than local currency, so your bank sets the conversion.
Zendesksite ↗pricing ↗
A customer service platform built around ticketing, aimed at larger support operations. Paid plans start at $55/mo (Suite Team); no free plan is published. The ladder we hold runs 2 paid tiers, topping out at $115/mo (Suite Professional).
The two ladders
Crispsite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-08-31 · USD
| Plan | Price | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| Mini | $45/mo | |
| Essentials | $95/mo | |
| Plus | $295/mo |
Zendesksite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-08-31 · USD
| Plan | Price | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| Suite Team | $55/mo | |
| Suite Professional | $115/mo |
Where they differ
- Cheapest way in: Crisp at $45/mo, against Zendesk at $55/mo. That is the entry price in this market on the dates shown, not a judgement about which suits you.
- Free plans: neither publishes one. Any free access here is a trial, which is a deadline.
- How far each ladder goes: Crisp tops out at $295/mo, Zendesk at $115/mo. A deeper ladder is not a worse deal — it is a bill that keeps climbing if you keep growing.
- Crisp: We read the same $45/mo in every market we check, so this vendor does not price by country. It quotes USD here rather than local currency, so your bank sets the conversion.
How to choose in this category
- A per-conversation plan can beat a per-seat one for a small team and lose badly as ticket counts grow.
- Free rows are common here; read whether they cap seats, conversations or channels.
- Count your monthly conversations before comparing — the two billing bases only meet at one volume.