Pick HubSpot Service Hub if your sales and marketing already run on HubSpot's CRM and you want support on the same customer records; pick Zendesk if you want a standalone help desk with broader certifications, UK hosting and no onboarding fee.
Both have native calling and messaging, EU hosting and a HIPAA option. HubSpot includes its agent-assist AI with every seat and charges its Customer Agent only for resolutions, at a published price, but Professional and Enterprise carry mandatory one-time onboarding fees. Zendesk has no onboarding fee, but its Copilot must cover every seat and its current per-resolution AI price is not public.
Bottom line
- HubSpot Service Hub is the better fit for teams already on HubSpot's CRM, and Zendesk is the better standalone help desk.
Side by side
| HubSpot Service Hub | Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 7.5 | 5.2 |
| Pricing model | Per seat, plus AI usage | Per seat, plus AI usage |
| Price from | US$7 per agent per month | US$19 per agent per month |
| 10 agents · Mid tier · seats only | US$900 | US$1,150 |
| 10 agents · Mid tier · with AI on | US$1,120 | US$2,250 |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | Not documented | Yes |
| Mandatory extra fees | Yes | No |
| Channels | Email, Live chat, Phone, WhatsApp, Social messaging | Email, Live chat, Phone, SMS, WhatsApp, Social messaging |
| Agent interface languages | 17 languages · German: Yes · Spanish: Yes | Not documented · German: Yes · Spanish: Yes |
| EU data hosting | Yes | Yes |
| UK data hosting | No | Yes |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | Yes | Yes |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3, GDPR data processing agreement with SCCs, EU-US Data Privacy Framework (with UK Extension and Swiss-US), HIPAA BAA via Sensitive Data Terms (Enterprise only) | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, ISO 42001, FedRAMP LI-SaaS, PCI DSS, GDPR data processing agreement, HIPAA BAA (Suite Professional and up) |
| Best for | Teams already on HubSpot's CRM that want support tickets on the same customer records as sales and marketing | Mid-size and enterprise teams that need phone, messaging and email in one tool |
Choose HubSpot Service Hub if
- You already use HubSpot for marketing or sales and want tickets, chats and calls on the same CRM records with no sync.
- You want agent-assist AI included: Breeze Assistant comes with every Core Seat, while Zendesk Copilot costs US$50 per seat.
- You want a published price per AI resolution: the Customer Agent costs US$0.50, paid in HubSpot Credits.
- You want a free start: HubSpot's free tools cover up to 2 users.
Choose Zendesk if
- You want no onboarding fee: HubSpot charges US$1,500 on Professional and US$3,500 on Enterprise.
- You need UK data hosting or ISO 27001 held by the vendor itself, which Zendesk has and HubSpot does not.
- You need a HIPAA agreement below the top tier: Zendesk offers one from Suite Professional, HubSpot only on Enterprise.
- You do not use HubSpot's CRM and want a help desk that stands on its own.
True cost at 3, 10 and 50 agents
| Product | 3 agents · Entry tier · seats only | 3 agents · Entry tier · with AI on | 10 agents · Mid tier · seats only | 10 agents · Mid tier · with AI on | 50 agents · Mid tier · seats only | 50 agents · Mid tier · with AI on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Service Hub | US$21 | US$21 | US$900 | US$1,120 | US$4,500 | US$5,720 |
| Zendesk | US$165 | US$368 | US$1,150 | US$2,250 | US$5,750 | US$11,250 |
HubSpot Service Hub: entry tier is Starter, mid tier is Professional, top tier is Enterprise, all on annual commitment. Breeze Assistant is included with every seat. Customer Agent resolutions cost US$0.50 each; on Professional the 3,000 included credits divided by 50 credits a resolution cover the first 60 a month, and on Enterprise the first 100, assuming no other feature uses credits. Starter has no Customer Agent. The one-time onboarding fees are not included. Zendesk: entry tier is Suite Team, because Support Team is email-only ticketing; mid tier is Suite Professional; there is no top tier because Suite Enterprise + Copilot has no public price. Copilot is not available on Suite Team and costs US$50 for every seat on Suite Professional. AI resolutions use the pricing page's committed rate of US$1.50 after 5 (Suite Team) or 10 (Suite Professional) included resolutions per agent a month; the help centre's newer dollar allowance is not modelled because its per-resolution prices are not public. Help desk true-cost calculator
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Weight | HubSpot Service Hub | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|---|
| True cost with AI on | 30% | 3/5 | 1/5 |
| Pricing transparency | 20% | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| AI, as documented | 15% | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Access and switching | 10% | 2/5 | 3/5 |
| Channels and languages | 10% | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Data protection and compliance | 15% | 4/5 | 3/5 |
Frequently asked questions
Is HubSpot Service Hub cheaper than Zendesk?
Per seat, mostly yes. HubSpot costs US$7 (Starter), US$90 (Professional) and US$150 (Enterprise) per seat per month on an annual commitment, with AI agent assist included; Zendesk costs US$55 and US$115, plus US$50 per seat for Copilot. HubSpot's Professional and Enterprise also require one-time onboarding at US$1,500 and US$3,500.
Which has better AI pricing, HubSpot or Zendesk?
HubSpot's. Breeze Assistant is included with every seat, and the Customer Agent costs US$0.50 per resolution, with 3,000 included credits a month on Professional covering roughly the first 60. Zendesk charges US$50 per seat for Copilot on every seat, and its current per-resolution tier prices are available only from sales.
Can I migrate from Zendesk to HubSpot Service Hub?
We could not verify a HubSpot import tool for other help desks, so ask HubSpot, or the onboarding team you pay for on Professional and Enterprise, what a Zendesk migration includes. Zendesk renews unless you give 30 days' notice. See the help desk migration checklist.
Do I need other HubSpot products to use Service Hub?
No, but that is where it pays off. Service Hub works on its own, yet its main advantage is sharing CRM records with HubSpot's marketing and sales tools. Note that if you hold other HubSpot hubs at a higher tier, every Core Seat is priced at that tier. See the HubSpot Service Hub review.
Related pages
- HubSpot Service Hub reviewreview
- HubSpot Service Hub pricing explainedpricing
- Zendesk reviewreview
- Zendesk pricing explainedpricing
- The best Zendesk alternativesalternatives
Sources
- Service Hub pricing — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- Service Hub Preise — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- HubSpot Product & Services Catalog — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- HubSpot Service Hub pricing guide — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- HubSpot Credits — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- Understand HubSpot Credits and billing — HubSpot Knowledge Base · 19 September 2026
- AI customer service agent — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- Manage seats — HubSpot Knowledge Base · 19 September 2026
- HubSpot language offerings — HubSpot Knowledge Base · 19 September 2026
- HubSpot data centers — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- HubSpot security — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- Security and compliance — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- Sensitive data — HubSpot · 19 September 2026
- HubSpot AI cloud infrastructure FAQ — HubSpot Knowledge Base · 19 September 2026
- HubSpot Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 — US Securities and Exchange Commission · 19 September 2026
- Zendesk pricing — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- What counts as an agent license in Zendesk — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Managing light agent seats in your Zendesk account — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Can I buy a Zendesk Copilot license for some agents only? — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- About automated resolutions for AI agents — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- About automated resolution tiers — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Managing resolution allowances — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Upgrading from automated resolutions to resolution allowances — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Main Services Agreement — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Agreements and terms: data processing agreement, sub-processor policy, business associate agreement — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- About the Data Center Location add-on — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Regional Data Hosting Policy — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk Trust Center — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk AI data use information — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk language support by product — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- What is being removed (updated August 2026) — Zendesk Help · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk completes acquisition of Forethought — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- About Zendesk — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk QA — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Fortnum & Mason customer story — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Best Egg customer story — Zendesk · 18 September 2026
- Zendesk pricing and buyer data — Vendr · 18 September 2026
This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on it. We have not run hands-on tests of these products. Method: How we review