HubSpot CRM vs Zendesk comparison

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HubSpot CRM

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Zendesk and HubSpot CRM compete in the customer service and CRM software category. Zendesk holds the upper hand with its comprehensive ticket management system and robust integrations, while HubSpot CRM shines with its marketing capabilities and ease of use.

Features:Zendesk offers comprehensive ticket management, multiple channel integrations such as chat and social media, and robust analytics tools. It integrates seamlessly with business applications and supports features like macros and automated workflows. HubSpot CRM is noted for its ease of use and marketing capabilities, providing a robust marketing suite including email automation and sales tracking. It efficiently consolidates contact details and automates processes with built-in integrations like LinkedIn.

Room for Improvement:Zendesk users suggest improvements in its user interface and ticket auto-assignment capabilities. There is also room for enhancement in merging tickets and reporting for efficiency. HubSpot CRM could offer better customization options and improved integration with external tools. Pricing remains a concern for both, with Zendesk considered pricey and HubSpot CRM's customization limited in lower tiers.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Both Zendesk and HubSpot CRM are primarily deployed on public cloud platforms, ensuring scalability and accessibility. Zendesk’s support is available 24/7 but often relies on documentation. HubSpot CRM receives praise for its effective support solutions, although it also depends on documentation at times. Both products offer good deployment options adaptable to different company needs.

Pricing and ROI:Zendesk's pricing is perceived as high, notably varying with the number of agents and additional features. It is viewed as saving time with enterprise-grade solutions. HubSpot CRM offers a free version, but advanced features can be costly. Its modular pricing model appeals to smaller companies needing specific functionalities. Both products are noted for delivering beneficial ROI, with Zendesk enhancing support efficiency and HubSpot CRM allowing flexible cost management.

To learn more, read our detailed HubSpot CRM vs. Zendesk Report (Updated: April 2025).

HubSpot CRM vs. Zendesk

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.7

HubSpot CRM enhances lead generation and revenue, offering ROI through efficiency, security, and integration with sales processes.

Sentiment score

7.3

Zendesk offers cost efficiency and improved productivity, with ROI influenced by alignment with operational needs and process integration.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the HubSpot CRM report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

7.3

HubSpot CRM's customer service is excellent, though some users desire more live support and improved issue handling.

Sentiment score

7.0

Zendesk receives praise for responsiveness and ease of use, but some users desire better chat features and human interaction.

There is always an account rep that's available, and there is a technical account rep that is available for every account.

Kartikeya Prahlad

Sr Director of Global Inside Sales at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

Part of it is different language use, and while that's okay, it wasn't immediately evident where to find help, verify, or submit a question and get responses.

For more quotes and insights, download the HubSpot CRM report

President at iCIO, Inc

HubSpot's customer service is excellent and fast.

MarianaPiñeres

Customer Success Manager Latam at ElectroNeek

The technical support provided by Zendesk has been very satisfactory.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.3

HubSpot CRM is praised for its scalability and adaptability, especially benefiting small to midsize businesses with growth management.

Sentiment score

7.5

Zendesk is praised for scalability and customization, although some face initial setup challenges and structural integration issues.

Handling around 100 to 150 users is fine.

Kamal Ahmad

Director at Big Billion Ventures Pvt Ltd

There are a lot of enterprises using it, however, even as a GTM for HubSpot, their target market is predominantly SMB.

Kartikeya Prahlad

Sr Director of Global Inside Sales at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the HubSpot CRM report

Zendesk can scale from very small companies to very large ones.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.5

HubSpot CRM is stable and reliable, with high ratings and minor delays not affecting overall user satisfaction.

Sentiment score

7.9

Zendesk is stable with minimal downtimes, reliable performance, occasional minor issues, and high reliability ratings, especially for smaller businesses.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the HubSpot CRM report

The stability has been quite reliable.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Room For Improvement

HubSpot CRM needs improved email integration, customization, pricing, mobile app, technical support, navigation, and automation capabilities.

Zendesk faces challenges with data management, flexibility, integration, user-friendliness, and customer communication, while users are dissatisfied with support and pricing.

A package covering everything in a particular area without requiring the entire purchase would be excellent.

For more quotes and insights, download the HubSpot CRM report

President at iCIO, Inc

A better CRM can be achieved by providing more customization features.

Kamal Ahmad

Director at Big Billion Ventures Pvt Ltd

They are not at the pace or effectiveness of AgentForce by Salesforce.

Kartikeya Prahlad

Sr Director of Global Inside Sales at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

There could be improvements in integration, which can be achieved with APIs or tools like Zapier.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Setup Cost

HubSpot CRM offers flexible pricing with free and paid plans, modular features, but may be costly for small teams.

Enterprise buyers find Zendesk's pricing high but valuable, with costs varying by agent count and business needs for tailored solutions.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the HubSpot CRM report

It is not the cheapest solution nor the most expensive, but it provides value for money.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Valuable Features

HubSpot CRM is user-friendly, scalable, and integrates seamlessly, offering powerful marketing, reporting, and automation features, even for free.

Zendesk offers user-friendly ticket management, seamless integrations, multi-channel support, and robust security for efficient and productive customer service.

HubSpot stands out for its ease of use, especially with sequence creation compared to other CRM solutions.

MarianaPiñeres

Customer Success Manager Latam at ElectroNeek

The feature that I find valuable is the customer 360-degree view and the marketing automation.

Kamal Ahmad

Director at Big Billion Ventures Pvt Ltd

The most valuable feature for me is when I encounter a company or a person, I can drop in their URL, and it pre-populates various details like address information and other contacts they might have.

For more quotes and insights, download the HubSpot CRM report

President at iCIO, Inc

It allows us to handle more support cases with fewer people due to its advanced artificial intelligence capabilities.

For more quotes and insights, download the Zendesk report

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Categories and Ranking

HubSpot CRM

Ranking in CRM

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Zendesk

Ranking in CRM

20th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

CRM Customer Engagement Centers (7th), Help Desk Software (9th), IT Service Management (ITSM) (7th), Sales Force Automation (7th), Reporting (13th), Knowledge Management Software (3rd), Community Platforms (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the CRM category, the mindshare of HubSpot CRM is 2.3%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zendesk is 1.4%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

CRM

Featured Reviews

Effortlessly manage relationships with seamless contact data integration

President at iCIO, Inc

The primary area to improve is creating deployable packages. When I buy into HubSpot, I have a list of checks, however, I am left to figure out how to use it. I start with a budget, and it's just a persistent sales demand. HubSpot should establish some pre-deployable packages that, when contracted, offer basic functionality. It is important to be clear about what it doesn't provide or what else is needed. I can outfit myself with my own tools or other options as I evaluate the board. They are building businesses for themselves. However, there's always a limiting function encountered. Understanding limitations upon entry would be beneficial so I don't constantly stumble upon unknown constraints. A package covering everything in a particular area without requiring the entire purchase would be excellent.

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Automating customer support with advanced AI capabilities and seamless communication

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Zendesk has been invaluable in automating communications such as email and phone calls. It allows us to handle more support cases with fewer people due to its advanced artificial intelligence capabilities. This intelligent tool can manage complex queries before users even realize they are interacting with a non-human. Additionally, we have integrated Zendesk with Datto and Klaviyo ( /products/klaviyo-reviews ), enhancing our workflows.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Government

11%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

24%

Educational Organization

11%

Financial Services Firm

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about HubSpot CRM?

The best thing about HubSpot is its clear workflow. Anyone can understand the flows of your contacts, your emails, their delivery dates, and the reasons behind their movements.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HubSpot CRM?

The cost is about the same price, currently charged monthly.

What is your primary use case for HubSpot CRM?

I primarily use the solution for CRM.

What do you like most about Zendesk Support?

I found the user experience with vendors on Zendesk to be straightforward, especially when it comes to understanding and searching for specific tickets. The search and navigation tools are easy to ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zendesk Support?

Zendesk's pricing is reasonable. It is not the cheapest solution nor the most expensive, but it provides value for money.

What needs improvement with Zendesk Support?

There could be improvements in integration, which can be achieved with APIs or tools like Zapier ( /products/zapier-reviews ). However, easier integration could enhance the usability. Multilingual ...

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Product Reports

HubSpot CRM

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Also Known As

No data available

Zendesk Support, Zendesk Guide, Zendesk Sell

Overview

HubSpot CRM is a comprehensive customer relationship management software that helps businesses manage their sales, marketing, and customer service activities. It offers a wide range of features, including contact management, email tracking, deal tracking, and task management.

With its intuitive interface and easy-to-use tools, HubSpot CRM allows users to streamline their sales processes, track customer interactions, and improve overall productivity. It also integrates seamlessly with other HubSpot products, such as marketing automation and customer service, providing a complete solution for businesses of all sizes.

Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, HubSpot CRM can help you organize and grow your customer relationships.

HubSpot

Zendesk Support is intuitive, and it's built with support agents in mind. Everything they need lives in a single, dynamic help desk interface so it's easy to be productive and manage customer interactions.

Sample Customers

digimind, easyrecrue, software2, subaru, suzuki

Mailchimp, Tesco, Vimeo, Instacart, Mediaocean, Slack, Uber

HubSpot CRM vs. Zendesk