Zoho Desk

What is Zoho Desk?

Zoho Desk collects customer conversations from email, social media, web forms, live chat and phone into one inbox. Tickets are assigned by agent skills and availability, with SLA rules and escalations. It includes a branded help center with a knowledge base and community forums, dashboards, and AI agents. The vendor says it integrates with 360+ apps, including the Zoho ecosystem.

Who is it for?

Small and mid-sized support teams, especially those that already use Zoho CRM or other Zoho apps. The free plan suits teams of up to 3 agents. Teams that want a large third-party marketplace may prefer Zendesk.

Pricing

• Free: 3 user licenses, basic email ticketing.
• Express: $7/agent/mo (annual), email, social media and web forms, AI agents, workflows and escalations.
• Standard: $14/agent/mo (annual), adds live chat, instant messaging, knowledge base and community forum.
• Professional: $23/agent/mo (annual), adds telephony, Zia AI, blueprints and multi-department support.
• Enterprise: $40/agent/mo (annual), adds live chat via SalesIQ, guided conversations, skill-based routing and custom modules.

Light users cost $6/mo extra on Professional and Enterprise. Prices checked on 6 October 2026.

Strengths

• Low entry cost: $7 per agent for email, social and web forms, and a free plan for 3 agents.
• Self-service: the knowledge base and community forum start at Standard.
• Routing and SLAs: skill-based routing arrives at Enterprise, SLAs and escalations are in the product.
• Zoho link: it connects to Zoho apps such as CRM, so agents see customer context.
• Light users: occasional users cost $6 a month on Professional and Enterprise.

What to consider

• Live chat and the knowledge base need Standard ($14). Phone and Zia AI need Professional ($23).
• Skill-based routing and custom modules need Enterprise ($40).
• The free plan covers 3 agents with basic email ticketing only.
• Outside Zoho apps, check each integration you rely on, because the vendor page lists a count (360+) rather than names.

Bottom line

Shortlist Zoho Desk for small teams that want a low price and may use other Zoho apps. Before buying, map your channels to the plan tiers, since chat, phone and AI sit above Express.