Zendesk vs. Zoom Contact Center

Finding a complete support solution that scales with your business and delivers exceptional customer experiences isn’t easy. Zendesk and Zoom Contact Center are two common choices, but to make the right call, you need a clear, side-by-side comparison: Zendesk vs. Zoom Contact Center.

While Zoom Contact Center may appeal to teams already using Zoom, it falls short when it comes to CX depth and flexibility. Zendesk, on the other hand, is a complete CX solution trusted by over 160,000 customers in 160 countries to power fast, personalized, omnichannel support.

Here’s why Zendesk is the better choice when comparing Zoom Contact Center vs. Zendesk.

Designed for service

Zendesk is a software purpose-built for service, not rebranded or rebuilt. Secure by design, scalable by default, and trusted by service leaders worldwide. That makes it easier for agents to resolve issues quickly and with a personal touch, without toggling between tools or tabs.

Market experience

Zendesk is a mature, trusted solution that’s been refined over nearly two decades. It powers billions of conversations annually and supports internal teams as well. Our own People & Places team uses Zendesk to manage 9,900 internal tickets per month while maintaining a 98 percent employee satisfaction score (ESAT).

Standalone service solution

Zendesk isn’t tied to a specific communications provider or ecosystem, so your support strategy stays flexible and future-proof. It also offers over 1,800 integrations, allowing you to seamlessly integrate it with the tools you already use without limitations.

Scales with you

Whether you're a fast-growing startup or an enterprise with thousands of employees, Zendesk is built to grow with your team. Its intuitive design, robust APIs, and enterprise-ready features make it easy to evolve your support strategy over time, without switching systems.

More in this guide:

• At-a-glance comparison: Zendesk vs. Zoom Contact Center
• Zendesk vs. Zoom Contact Center: Features comparison
• Pricing plans: Zoom Contact Center vs. Zendesk
• Zendesk customer stories
• Frequently asked questions
• Get a free trial of Zendesk today

Not all support platforms are created equal. Here’s a side-by-side look at Zendesk vs. Zoom Contact Center across the features that matter most:

Feature	Zendesk	Zoom Contact Center
AI and automation	Built for CX with AI copilot, triage, and WFM	Basic AI focused on meetings and calls
Advanced analytics	CX-focused dashboards, KPIs, and real-time trends	Basic contact center reports, limited flexibility
Self-service	Branded help centers, forums, and AI search	Basic help content, no forums or CMS
Knowledge base	Native knowledge management with AI	No built-in knowledge base
Integrations	1,800+ apps, open APIs, flexible workflows	Primarily Zoom-native integrations

Choosing Zendesk or Zoom Contact Center often comes down to features. Both offer core functionality, but Zendesk leads the way in powerful automation, deep analytics, and scalable support tools.

AI and automation

Deliver personalized resolutions faster with Zendesk AI.

Zendesk offers AI and automation built specifically for customer service. With Zendesk AI, agents get real-time suggestions, automated triage, and conversation summaries—all embedded in the agent workspace. Its AI copilot reduces manual tasks and helps teams handle more volume with less effort. And its workforce management tools make staffing smarter by forecasting demand and optimizing schedules. Zoom recently added AI to its platform, primarily for meetings and phone calls. Support-focused AI features like ticket triage or conversational intelligence are limited and not native to its platform.

Advanced reporting and analytics

Zendesk provides detailed, customizable reporting and analytics, helping you measure ticket volume, agent performance, CSAT, and more. You can slice data by channel, topic, or customer segment, and build dashboards that surface real-time trends. Its analytics are built for CX, with drill-down capabilities that empower you to act quickly. Zoom offers basic contact center reporting but lacks the depth of a full-service analytics tool. Many users report limited customization, and reporting is often spread across separate Zoom modules.

Turn insights into impact with advanced reporting and analytics.

Self-service

Give customers the answers they need with self-service portals.

Zendesk makes it easy to build branded help centers and community forums. With AI-enhanced search and article recommendations, customers can resolve issues without needing to contact support. Agents can also suggest or create help articles from tickets, keeping content fresh and relevant. Zoom has some self-service functionality, but it’s less mature and customizable. Teams manage help articles through Zoom’s web portal and community forum.

Help center and knowledge base

Zendesk includes a fully integrated knowledge base with tools to manage, publish, and measure content performance. It also offers AI-powered article recommendations and versioning features to keep your content consistent. The best part: Teams can manage internal and external help centers from the same tool. Zoom doesn’t include a built-in knowledge base in the Zoom Contact Center. Service teams must create and host help content separately, which makes it harder to centralize support operations.

Scale support with our smart help center software.

Robust integrations

Explore integrations on Zendesk Marketplace.

Zendesk connects with over 1,800 apps and integrations, including CRM tools, e-commerce platforms, workforce engagement management systems, and more. It also offers open APIs and robust developer tools, making it easy to customize workflows or connect with internal systems. Zoom integrates best with its own ecosystem (Zoom Phone, Meetings), but has fewer options when it comes to third-party CX tools. Customization and extensibility are still limited for many service teams.

Zendesk	Zoom Contact Center
Support Team: $19 per agent/month Support Professional: $55 per agent/month Support Enterprise: $115 per agent/month	Essentials: $69 per agent/month Premium: $99 per agent/month Elite: $149 per agent/month

Zendesk offers flexible pricing that scales with your team, starting at just $19 per agent per month. Even at lower tiers, you get built-in automation, omnichannel support, and powerful reporting tools that help keep the total cost of ownership low.

Zoom Contact Center starts at $69 per agent/per month and can reach $149 with the Elite plan. But to match Zendesk capabilities, teams often need to add extra services or tools, driving up complexity and overall cost.

From faster resolution times to meaningful cost savings, leading brands are using Zendesk to transform how they support customers. With built-in tools like customer service chatbots and AI copilots, teams are scaling smarter, without sacrificing service quality.

Catapult + Zendesk: Value added through the partnership

Catapult Sports uses Zendesk AI Copilot to boost team efficiency and agent satisfaction. The platform helps their support team make faster, smarter decisions while keeping morale high.

“Zendesk AI Copilot has provided us with tools that save agents time, make their job easier, and empower them to make really good decisions day to day. Because of that, I have a team that really enjoys coming to work.”

— Thomas Powers, vice president of product support at Catapult Sports

Grove + Zendesk: Increased operational efficiency

Grove Collaborative was able to launch Zendesk AI with no developer support, enabling immediate automation and faster service at scale.

“The most important reason to start AI with Zendesk is [that] I was able to implement AI immediately without any developer support. The fact that we can just switch it on is something we never thought possible.”

— Aashley Malsbury, community happiness systems manager at Grove Collaborative

Unity + Zendesk: Significant cost savings

With Zendesk self-service tools, Unity empowered customers to find answers on their own, reducing ticket volume and driving major operational savings.

“Last year, we deflected almost 8,000 tickets due to self-service enabled by Zendesk. That amounts to about $1.3M saved due to the reduction in tickets.”

— David Schroeder, senior manager of services support at Unity